Picking My Job in China
I hope to continue blogging about my experiences in Italy and the rest of Europe soon, but for now I'll have to put that on the backburner. In a previous post I mentioned teaching in China, which is now quickly coming to fruition.
After finishing the summer camp in Italy and traveling with my parents in Germany, among other countries, I flew back to Ohio at the end of July. My combined trip to Asia and Europe had lasted nearly six months - not a bad holiday if I do say so myself. I managed to make it back two days before my birthday and surprise my dad and sisters, who thought I was arriving later that week. My mom was in on it and managed not to spill the beans (thanks mom!).
Once back in Ohio I got more serious about the job search. My travel money had nearly run out and I definitely didn't want to stay in Columbus - no dig on my hometown, which I've grown to like even more since moving away - but I needed to get out and try a new city. Since I don't have a particularly appealing degree for employers (International Studies) and my professional experience is limited, teaching again was the logical choice for a job overseas.
China was my first choice, not necessarily because I wanted to live there more so than the other options, but due to the high wages relative to cost of living, ease of finding a job, and importance of the country (which could prove beneficial if I end up in a field related to my undergrad major). I also considered positions in Taiwan, Japan, and SE Asia. I'd taught in Korea already and wanted to experience something new, so that was off the table. Had I been able to choose any region in the world I'd probably go with Latin America - my experience in Ecuador was great, and Spanish or even Portuguese would be much easier to learn - but unfortunately there just aren't many decent paying teaching jobs there.
Within the first week of returning to Ohio I was in touch with several recruiters based in China and had signed up to a site which connected potential teachers with overseas employers. Considering the apparent abundance of teaching jobs for anglophones in China I tried to be selective and not settle for my first decent offer. As an American with a U.S. university degree, a TEFL certificate (albeit an online one), and prior teaching experience I was in high demand.
Many of the offers which didn't require any teaching experience paid in the $1000-1500 range, and I eliminated those outright. I wasn't choosing solely on the salary, but if I were to teach young learners at another private academy the pay would have to be higher. One intriguing option was to teach at a college. I wouldn't be a full blown professor, but still, who'd have thought I could teach at a Chinese University? There was a major downside though: as a state-run institution, pay was lower than the private teaching jobs - many colleges only offered in the ballpark of $1000 a month. Housing was provided, and most only required around 15 classroom teaching hours, but the pay was a real downer.
In early August a recruiter passed along an offer as a high school counselor. I later learned that I would be doing some teaching as well, but my primary job would be advising high school students who wanted to study at U.S. universities. The pay was toward the upper end of the range I'd seen, and it sounded much more rewarding and interesting to me than teaching pre-schoolers again (don't get me wrong, there are aspects of teaching young learners I like, but I am ready for something new). The school is located in Hangzhou, about an hour away from Shanghai - not my top choice but acceptable.
I interviewed with a staff member in Hangzhou and HR in Beijing, both of which seemed to go well. In the third week of August the school sent me the contract and I accepted! It was all happening quickly, although their school year started on September 1st, so we needed to get the visa finalized asap.
To get a visa the school needed to apply for a letter of invitation from the Chinese government, after which they would mail the necessary documents to me. Once I received the papers I'd need to take them to the Chinese Consulate with my passport to finalize everything. There is a Chinese Consulate in Chicago, but each state is grouped with a particular office, and for some reason Ohio got lumped in with New York City, significantly further away. Oh, and the papers couldn't be sent in, they had to be delivered in person!
It took a couple weeks for the school to get the invitation letter, so by the time it arrived on my doorstep it was already September - it actually arrived via DHL on Labor Day. Fortunately I still had enough Avios (British Airline miles) to book a last minute flight to New York, so on the Wednesday after Labor Day I left Columbus airport at 8:20 am headed for LaGuardia.
I was also lucky in that Justin, a friend of mine from Ohio State University, now lives in New York and agreed to host me. He's in a PhD program at the University of Columbia and lives with his girlfriend Stephanie near campus, on W 119 Street. On Wednesday afternoon I submitted my application at the Chinese Consulate, but it didn't exactly go down smoothly.
The consulate is open for applications from 9 am - 12 pm and 1 - 2:30 in the afternoon. By the time I got to Manhattan, dropped off my stuff at Justin's place, and took the subway down to 42nd street, it was a quarter till noon. The Consulate had a line out the door, and I realized I still needed to make a copy of my passport. So I figured I'd find a Fedex or Kinko's to make a copy, grab lunch, and return after 1:00. Google maps took me on a hike to look for a Fedex that no longer existed, and by the time I found one and got back to the Consulate it was 1:15 - lunch would have to wait.
Then the women checking applications and handing out numbers at the front desk informed me that I had an old application and needed the updated version, which had to be typed out (I had hand written mine). Never mind that the link to the old application was still active on the Consulate's website. That meant I had to find another Fedex, type out the application online, print it out, and get back to the Consulate in just over an hour. This time my smartphone came though and I found one within a 15 minute speed walk.
I was cutting it close, but in the end managed to get everything printed and made my way back to the Consulate by 2:15. After the lady gave me my ticket number, I had to wait for and hour and a half to be called up to a window to submit my documents. The employee accepted everything and told me I could pick up the visa on Monday. What a relief!
After finishing the summer camp in Italy and traveling with my parents in Germany, among other countries, I flew back to Ohio at the end of July. My combined trip to Asia and Europe had lasted nearly six months - not a bad holiday if I do say so myself. I managed to make it back two days before my birthday and surprise my dad and sisters, who thought I was arriving later that week. My mom was in on it and managed not to spill the beans (thanks mom!).
 |
| With my family at the Ohio State Fair; it was good to be back home for a change. |
Once back in Ohio I got more serious about the job search. My travel money had nearly run out and I definitely didn't want to stay in Columbus - no dig on my hometown, which I've grown to like even more since moving away - but I needed to get out and try a new city. Since I don't have a particularly appealing degree for employers (International Studies) and my professional experience is limited, teaching again was the logical choice for a job overseas.
China was my first choice, not necessarily because I wanted to live there more so than the other options, but due to the high wages relative to cost of living, ease of finding a job, and importance of the country (which could prove beneficial if I end up in a field related to my undergrad major). I also considered positions in Taiwan, Japan, and SE Asia. I'd taught in Korea already and wanted to experience something new, so that was off the table. Had I been able to choose any region in the world I'd probably go with Latin America - my experience in Ecuador was great, and Spanish or even Portuguese would be much easier to learn - but unfortunately there just aren't many decent paying teaching jobs there.
 |
| I had lots of good memories from my 10 weeks in Quito, Ecuador back in 2009. Granted, it was a university program with lots of free-time, but I think I'd enjoy living and working in the region. |
Within the first week of returning to Ohio I was in touch with several recruiters based in China and had signed up to a site which connected potential teachers with overseas employers. Considering the apparent abundance of teaching jobs for anglophones in China I tried to be selective and not settle for my first decent offer. As an American with a U.S. university degree, a TEFL certificate (albeit an online one), and prior teaching experience I was in high demand.
Many of the offers which didn't require any teaching experience paid in the $1000-1500 range, and I eliminated those outright. I wasn't choosing solely on the salary, but if I were to teach young learners at another private academy the pay would have to be higher. One intriguing option was to teach at a college. I wouldn't be a full blown professor, but still, who'd have thought I could teach at a Chinese University? There was a major downside though: as a state-run institution, pay was lower than the private teaching jobs - many colleges only offered in the ballpark of $1000 a month. Housing was provided, and most only required around 15 classroom teaching hours, but the pay was a real downer.
 |
| I could be a professor...well, sort of, and I'm sure I'd be nowhere near the likes of Cornel West (pictured, at Princeton). |
In early August a recruiter passed along an offer as a high school counselor. I later learned that I would be doing some teaching as well, but my primary job would be advising high school students who wanted to study at U.S. universities. The pay was toward the upper end of the range I'd seen, and it sounded much more rewarding and interesting to me than teaching pre-schoolers again (don't get me wrong, there are aspects of teaching young learners I like, but I am ready for something new). The school is located in Hangzhou, about an hour away from Shanghai - not my top choice but acceptable.
 |
| Hangzhou is in the east of China, about one hour from Shanghai via high speed rail. |
I interviewed with a staff member in Hangzhou and HR in Beijing, both of which seemed to go well. In the third week of August the school sent me the contract and I accepted! It was all happening quickly, although their school year started on September 1st, so we needed to get the visa finalized asap.
To get a visa the school needed to apply for a letter of invitation from the Chinese government, after which they would mail the necessary documents to me. Once I received the papers I'd need to take them to the Chinese Consulate with my passport to finalize everything. There is a Chinese Consulate in Chicago, but each state is grouped with a particular office, and for some reason Ohio got lumped in with New York City, significantly further away. Oh, and the papers couldn't be sent in, they had to be delivered in person!
 |
| Different colors represent the various consulates assigned to each region; Ohio is with New York and the Northeast (in blue). At least I wasn't in Idaho or Utah and have to travel all the way to the Embassy in DC! |
It took a couple weeks for the school to get the invitation letter, so by the time it arrived on my doorstep it was already September - it actually arrived via DHL on Labor Day. Fortunately I still had enough Avios (British Airline miles) to book a last minute flight to New York, so on the Wednesday after Labor Day I left Columbus airport at 8:20 am headed for LaGuardia.
I was also lucky in that Justin, a friend of mine from Ohio State University, now lives in New York and agreed to host me. He's in a PhD program at the University of Columbia and lives with his girlfriend Stephanie near campus, on W 119 Street. On Wednesday afternoon I submitted my application at the Chinese Consulate, but it didn't exactly go down smoothly.
 |
| With Justin in Taiwan earlier this year |
The consulate is open for applications from 9 am - 12 pm and 1 - 2:30 in the afternoon. By the time I got to Manhattan, dropped off my stuff at Justin's place, and took the subway down to 42nd street, it was a quarter till noon. The Consulate had a line out the door, and I realized I still needed to make a copy of my passport. So I figured I'd find a Fedex or Kinko's to make a copy, grab lunch, and return after 1:00. Google maps took me on a hike to look for a Fedex that no longer existed, and by the time I found one and got back to the Consulate it was 1:15 - lunch would have to wait.
Then the women checking applications and handing out numbers at the front desk informed me that I had an old application and needed the updated version, which had to be typed out (I had hand written mine). Never mind that the link to the old application was still active on the Consulate's website. That meant I had to find another Fedex, type out the application online, print it out, and get back to the Consulate in just over an hour. This time my smartphone came though and I found one within a 15 minute speed walk.
I was cutting it close, but in the end managed to get everything printed and made my way back to the Consulate by 2:15. After the lady gave me my ticket number, I had to wait for and hour and a half to be called up to a window to submit my documents. The employee accepted everything and told me I could pick up the visa on Monday. What a relief!
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