phox53
- 2015-01-09
didnt write this but also don't want it to get lost in the flack of the internet. while can't speak to all of it, a lot of it rings true.
http://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-bin/review/index.pl?noframes;read=63404
phox53
- 2015-01-09
Didn't write this, but don't want it to get lost in the flack of the internet.
http://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-bin/review/index.pl?noframes;read=63404
Concerned Teacher
- 2014-08-13
Instead, the Middle East should be where you do your job searches.
Quite Right. I do actually prefer the chill out jobs in China. Be forewarned that the middle east will not let you drink or date women as easily, in some cases, you can risk imprisonment for doing so. But as you say, the salaries are the big draw. A year done in the middle east, will let you live for 2 in china without working, or let you take a holiday to thailand in the bitterly cold and damp chinese winter, while other broke FT's are hunkering down, eating rice and watching movies inside a flat running up the heating bill. But good post foxy man!!!!
foxy
- 2014-08-12
I also live in Hohhot. I used to live near Changlegong, but now I'm on the outskirts, in Jinchuan district. Hohhot has changed very much in recent years - it's a much bigger city than it used to be. Traffic congestion is a major issue these days.
More importantly, the PSB are definitely out to throw the book at any westerner caught breaking visa regulations. A few days ago, in the Resume section, I noted a Filipino after a second job in Hohhot. If she got one without first having obtained permission from her sponsoring employer, and was caught teaching for her 2nd employer by the PSB, she'd be fined heavily and deported, that's for sure. Good Catholic girl needing money to support her big family back home will cut no ice with the PSB as an excuse for her errant behaviour!
I know of one private college on the number 36 bus route that had removed the FT Accommodation sign from the foreigner quarters, and succeeded in duping the PSB when they did a snap inspection to check if foreigners were employed there. Said college had employed foreigners from other schools as part-timers regularly, but I don't know if it still does so.
As for EF, I think its existence attracts avaricious foreigners, thus making it easier for those foreigners who come to China to chill out, the so-called 'dead wood', of which I'm unashamed to be one, to get lower-paid work @ public unis and colleges, due to the number of job applicants for such posts being reduced by the 'chain school' alternative employment options.
I think if you're after big bucks teaching EFL, which necessarily means putting in long and unsociable hours, give China a miss. Instead, the Middle East should be where you do your job searches.
Hohhot resident
- 2014-08-12
I live in Hohhot and agree that it really isn't for the faint hearted but it does have plenty of positives to offer. The sad thing is one of those isn't your school. From what I've heard from staff and FORMER students the dead wood in which you speak is essentially the whole school! It maybe the kind of place you go if you wish to rot like wood in a storm but if you're serious about making a career out of teaching EF Hohhot isn't the place!! And what do you mean up and coming?! The place is older than the ark!! It came up years ago and is now (or at least should be) sinking! I really don't like some of the stories I've heard coming out of this place for some time now really sounds unpleasant the way many of the people get treated. Answer me this if its just the foreigners who leave because they can't cope with Chinese life why do so many local staff leave and go to other schools?
Concerned Teacher
- 2014-08-12
I do believe there is at least one regular poster on these boards who currently resides permanently in Hohhot.
Yes, the climate and other conditions are not for everyone. The food in IM is great however, definitely some of the best in China, lots of lamb and great yoghurt.
There always seems to be a lot of negative postings about this school, so I would like to put the record straight if I can. Firstly if you are the type of person that it set in your ways then DO NOT come to china because it's nothing like where your from so get over it, and Hohhot not being a major city is not as appealing as Beijing or Shanghai.
EF Hohhot is what it is an up and coming school and what you also have to remember is that these are private schools and only the privileged of Hohhot children can attend and yes it is run like a business because that's what it is. I have been here a while now and I can say that I have had nothing but a positive experience, I can understand that some people are bitter towards the current DOS but you blame him for wanting to get rid of the dead wood and fill the school with efficient teachers that can actually embrace the change from living in the west and moving to the east.
I am sure that there a lot of places that are worse then Hohhot so I say give it a try you may be pleasantly surprised!!