Robert Mann Santa Barbara City College “The Good, the Bad…….and the Beautiful!
Jan 21, 2015
Robert MannSanta Barbara City College
“The Good, the Bad…….and the Beautiful!
Jiangsu Educational Services for International Education (JESIE)
Recruitment of 100 teachers for summer camps
Applied on June 16, teaching on site in China less than a month later
JESIE have run summer teaching camps since 1997
6-8,000 RMB ($US 900 - 1100) per month Full food and board in a 3-star hotel No air-fare reimbursement but
transportation provided from Shanghai to Nanjing/Teaching Site
Sightseeing & w/end excursions included Letter of support for 30-60 day visa On-site Program Coordinator provided
5 x 45 min teaching periods per day Class size of 25 – 30 Learners were primary and secondary
school teachers Syllabus focused on spoken English and
western teaching methodologies No grading or assessment responsibilities
The Lishui school The Lishui school
…….and the teachers…….and the teachers
The classroom
and teaching
The classroom
and teaching
Great hospitality!
Great hospitality!
THE GOOD………… Make contacts for longer term positions Try out the idea of working in a foreign
country Teach with a group of other short term-
teachers Short-term teaching might fit when family
commitments prevent longer appointment Adds to your teaching resume
THE GOOD (cont’d)
Subsidize a trip to China Relatively cheap to live and travel in
China Summer programs in China coincide
with USA summer vacation
THE BAD…………………. Low salary; no airfare support Minimal TA or tutor support Standard of classrooms, equipment & tech
support varies Fewer jobs for the over 55’s Occasional last-minute administrative
changes
THE BAD (cont’d) Summer weather very hot and humid
(especially in Southern China) Very firm beds Be prepared for crouch toilets
……AND THE BEAUTIFUL !! Westerners treated as celebrities in
many places Great respect for teachers and
education 1.3 billion people keen to learn English! Chinese culture and scenery is
fascinating!
Wonderful sites and friendly peopleWonderful sites and friendly people
Michael Q LarsonELS Language Centers/Santa Barbara
Right now, in China: Growing demand for English education English is Required to graduate from most
undergraduate programs (College English Test)
Roughly 100,000 Chinese studying in the US alone, many of whom took extracurricular English before coming over
China is rapidly industrializing, producing more money to spend on education
Potential Employers Small private schools Large English-teaching chains like EF
and Wallstreet English – Even Disney Universities IB programs and private international
high schools
Other Opportunities Tutoring Corporate training
How to find gigs and longer-term jobs Websites Networking Positive Referrals from schools and
companies
How to find gigs and longer-term jobs Getting a work visa (finding a sponsor) Housing allowance (or on-campus
lodging) Learning Mandarin
Very cooperative, very attentive …..take good notes
Keen to learn English and all about western countries
Gracious and polite Family oriented culture so it was
considered OK for teachers to bring their children to class with them
Unresponsive to Q &A in class But journals and written surveys worked well
for student feedback Good participation in group activities, group
songs and games News/Weather/Sports presentations by
learners worked well