20 Questions to Ask Your School in China

When you start talking to recruiters about teaching in China, you may find they’re very cryptic about a lot of details. In fact, they may try to sell you a training school without actually telling you it’s a training school. That may be the route you want to go, but these questions are based on teaching at a public school and are things you’ll want to know before you sign a year-long contract. While the job market is making it harder to be choosy about what school you accept, this list will also help the school realize what it is you need as a foreigner moving to China for the first time.

1. How big is the city?
If a recruiter tells you it’s a small city, you still need to clarify exactly how many people live there. They think Changzhou is a small city… and it’s got a population of over 3 million. I would avoid cities smaller than that, as they are going to be void of things to do and eat and may not connect to the railway.

2. Will I live on the campus I teach at?
Living on campus isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The apartment is usually furnished and the utilities paid for. But some schools will stick you on one campus and have you teach on another. You need to know how long of a commute you’re going to have to make every day.

3. Will I live with other teachers?
Maybe you’re into the whole roommate situation, but bunking with another foreign teacher from who knows where can be… disastrous. It’s common courtesy to give each teacher their own apartment. Hey, you deserve it!

4. What is in the kitchen?
The incorrect response to this would be, “What kitchen?” The recruiter will tell you your apartment has a kitchen, but a separate room with only a microwave does not count.

5. Is the toilet in the apartment a Western toilet?
Sounds like a given, but you’d be surprised. Do you really want to squat for a year?

6. Will the school provide a computer?
A laptop is a really nice thing to bring, but if you don’t want to take your precious Macbook to China, see if your apartment already has something you can use.

7. How close is the school to downtown?
There’s a chance you could end up in the middle of nowhere, which you want to avoid at all costs. This is called having a bad teaching experience and is why so many of us spend our free time watching movies.

8. Is the campus changing locations?
This is a shot in the dark, but if it happened to my brother, it can happen to anyone. His school changed campuses right before he moved here, and nothing was ready. No shower in the apartment? Yeah, we can’t have that.

9. How far is the nearest supermarket?
Downtown may be on the other side of the Earth, but if there’s at least a major supermarket near the school, then it’s not so bad living in the middle of nowhere.

10. When does the gate to the school open/close?
If you live on campus but have a knack for staying out late, you don’t want to get locked out of the school. Well, chances are the guard will fall asleep and you’ll have to climb over, anyway, but… at least he tried.

11. When is the earliest I can move in?
Ideally, it would be nice to have a week to settle in and adjust to your surroundings before teaching starts. Some schools think that a foreigner can move in and teach on the same day, though, and won’t be ready (or willing) to accommodate you a day sooner.

12. What things will I have to pay for?
This is kind of like asking, “How much money am I going to need to bring before my first paycheck?” The school may make you pay to eat in the cafeteria or make you front the money for your medical exam. That would be nice to know ahead of time.

13. Will the school be able to renew my visa?
So many issues pop up at the last minute, preventing a foreigner from being able to renew their visa. Do you need a bachelor’s degree? A teaching certificate? Two years of experience? You don’t want to find out you’re not qualified for a residence permit when you are already here.

14. When does the first semester end?
The winter break varies each year based on the Chinese New Year. They know when this is. It’s particularly important if you’ll only be here for one semester and need to book a return flight already.

15. Can I sign a one-semester contract?
Ha! You knew I’d throw this in there. Committing to a full year when things could turn out awful is… well, it’s scary. Even if you intend on teaching for a year, being able to sign for only half of that upfront should make you feel better about the leap.

16. How many foreign teachers has the school had?
They may not tell you this (or they’ll lie about it), but it’s nice to know if foreigners have worked there before. Although previous teachers do raise or lower the bar for you to follow, they also work out a lot of the kinks. Being the first teacher means you’re going to face the most problems.

17. Will the school give me a book?
Unless it’s a training school, you can pretty much teach whatever you want. Having a book to follow, however, is a great way to at least accumulate ideas and stay on topic with the Chinese teachers.

18. Will I see the same students every day?
This makes a huge difference in how you plan your lessons. Most schools will probably have you teach different classes every day, but if not, you’re going to have a much bigger workload.

19. Am I expected to participate in other activities?
Outside of your normal classes, the school may try to squeeze you into other extracurricular activities, like an English corner. Don’t let these “favors” get out of hand.

20. Do the classrooms have a projector?
Are you the kind of person who performs better with the help of PowerPoint? Well, if you’re gonna bore the students, you gotta do it the right way!

6 November 2009 | Teaching | Comments | Home
tags: contracts, lists

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