Employment & Professional Development

Good afternoon Dr Greg.

Thank you for a really informative Guide.

I wonder if you be able to offer your advice?

A little bit about myself, I'm a 27 year old South African certified teacher (B.Ed with a diploma in TESOL) who is coming to the end of his fourth contract in South Korea. I’ve enjoyed my time in Korea (and saved and invested more money each year than I would have made before tax as a teacher back home), however I would like a change.

I'm aware of the less than stellar image the ESL industry has in China (and to a similar extent Korea). However, I’m curious to spend some more time in China (not forever) as I was there previously as a tourist. I’d like to teach while I’m there and have had ‘decent’ offers: approximately 20 hours for 15,000 to 19,500RMB--more than a teacher makes in South Africa. These are sadly ‘oral English’ jobs not full on teaching as per my degree.

Is it easier to get my boots on the ground and then look for international school jobs while in China? In Korea, the international schools are very, very competitive and have a distinct preference for Americans over other nationalities. What is your experience in China?

Would it be better to take one of the high paying 'oral English' gigs for a year or give the mainland a skip and apply to the Hong Kong NET scheme if international schools are off-limits (to a South African)?

I enjoy my job and the lifestyle I’ve been afforded so far. It certainly beats the low pay/long hours and poor conditions of back home. However, I don’t wish to do ESL forever (even the HK NET scheme has its drawbacks).

I guess, I’m looking for advice not just on where to go (China/HK) but also on whether should I aim to get into the international school circuit. Do a last year or two in another country or wind down, in my case a very lucrative stint overseas and return to the life I have in South Africa (not something I really want, even though I have a soon-to-be payed off property)?

My apologies for the ramble and thank you for any insight/advice you can offer.

My understanding of international school employment in mainland China is that they require teacher certification obtained from the country represented by the curricula taught, e.g., a teacher certified in Canada for Canadian curricula, certification from one of the states for an international school offering American curricula, etc.

You are a 27-year old certified teacher who has been teaching in Korea for the past four years, now thinking about facilitating the speaking and listening skills of what I presume would be kindergarten students (based on the salaries you quoted) in mainland China.

There are two main issues at play here as I see it. The first is that it is very unlikely you will find this kind of work very rewarding professionally. The second issue, and the one that concerns me more, is that you indicate you have no interest in pursuing a career in teaching English as a foreign or second language. Yet, you will be 29-years old in two years, returning home to South Africa with six years of prior experience that will very likely not be applicable to anything else you might care to do with the rest of your career. Your justification for this tentative plan is that you can save more money teaching oral English in China than working as a proper teacher in South Africa.

I’m curious: What do you see yourself doing 10 years from now? Related, what can you do now to help prepare yourself for that mid-range goal? Right now, time is on your side, but to return home in two years while approaching the mid-point of your young adulthood with six years of experience on your résumé that will very likely be interpreted as “he took a long leave of absence from life” could be problematic.

If money were no object or if it were a non-issue, what type of work would you like to do for the rest of your life?

Firstly, thank you for taking the time to respond.

I feel I need to clarify a few things from my first post. The job offers mentioned were for adults (not split shifts). While I enjoy working with children, I agree with you that being a kindergarten teacher would not be (in my case) professionally fulfilling.

The other item I should have elaborated on was a career in ESL. It isn't so much that I don't want to make a career out of ESL but rather I'm unsure how exactly to go about it. By this I mean I'm unsure how exactly to go about doing so, while still being able to develop as an educator (moving up from 'entry-level' jobs, attending conferences/seminars. In Korea there is KOTESOL: Is there an equivalent in China or H.K?). I have been considering doing a masters to improve my qualifications in the long run.

Also, perhaps this is looking too far ahead but ageism (particularly in Asia but also in other countries) is an issue. What could/does a career ESL teacher do when they hit 45/50/60?

You asked me what I'd like to do if money was a non-issue and my answer is teach. I get enormous satisfaction from teaching, I always have. Ideally, I'd like to teach more than just English (the focus of my degree was in primary education). Hence this is why I was contemplating looking at international schools. My thinking being that if I was working at an international school it would make a transition back home (if that time comes) easier from a work standpoint (similar duties). Maybe the Hong Kong NET scheme is similar, though I'm not sure.

Where do I see myself in ten years? Hopefully still teaching with a decent job and a family.

My professional bias as a career educator--and it's one that informs most of the Guide's first section--is that teaching oral English in China is fine for subsidizing one to two years of Chinese language study or traveling but should be avoided by just about anyone else.

As you alluded to above, barring the statistically rare instance of the itinerant professional educator, one who is qualified to teach in his country of origin and prefers to teach essentially the same curriculum at international schools throughout the world, there is not much of a career path in China EFL for those whose qualifications are limited to being a native speaker.

I think your idea of earning a master's degree in TESOL (or a related field) is an excellent idea. While some countries (notably the United Arab Emirates) seem to shun applicants whose degrees were earned online, most do not. The goal for you right now is to try and acquire the type of experience that would best position you for a continuing career as a teacher when you return home. Barring employment at an international school in China, I have to believe that any teaching position in Hong Kong will look better on your résumé than simply facilitating English listening and speaking skills on the mainland.

Best of luck to you Charles.