Find Work

There are many reasons to use our product – people use this degree to secure:

1. Online work
2. A work permit and employment at a physical school
3. To open a company and then secure a work permit.

Here is some free advice…

 

ONLINE WORK

Let’s start with Online work as it is the simplest of all. When searching for an online company you need to consider many factors. Time difference, salary, time commitment, flexibility, bonuses… a few more things to consider: Will you do actual classes or ‘review’ classes? Does the company have a ‘standby’ system where you can earn extra cash? Will they penalize you if you are sick? Does the company use its own online teaching platform? And lots more of course….

We have considered these factors, because remember we are also teachers, same as you, and these are our top 3 reviews – in order of importance.

#1: Top dog has to be Whales. They pay really well (between $18-26/hour), they provide consistent classes, they pay on time and they have an amazing teaching platform. The only drawback we have heard of is that they lock you into a 25 week program, this means you lose flexibility.

Go to www.whalesenglish.com

#2: Bling ABC is just like the name says…they pay Big – if you are good! Between $24-36 per hour! Good consistency with bonuses paid for regular attendance, and also a chance to earn extra cash by doing standby classes. But it’s usually teaching classes of kids, not 1 on 1. And this is not easy if you are not experienced.

Go to www.t.blingabc.com

#3: DaDa English… now many teachers will say they have had bad experiences with DaDa but you will hear many positive stories too. DaDa is BIG. Maybe the biggest. This means you become a number in their system. It’s not a personal caring system. But DaDa is consistent. If you need volume this company is tops. But you work hard for it, and they work you hard. They will penalise you if you miss classes or if your internet drops. But conversely, they pay bonuses for consecutive classes and more.

Although DaDa has many ‘haters’ (usually people who were fined rather than received bonuses) we still highly recommend this company purely because of work consistency. They have loads of students waiting for teachers.

Go to www.dadaabc.com

If you looking for a more comprehensive breakdown please feel free to go to www.oetjobs.com. Most of the online companies can be contacted directly through that site.

For non-native English speakers go to www.goodairlanguage.com/non-native/

 

PERMANENT WORK

WORKING AT A SCHOOL

For peace of mind there are many teachers who will admit that besides from the rare occasions where universities or schools pay you later than agreed; working for a physical school, and having a proper work permit and visa, resolves most of the headaches we have living as expats in Asia.

There are two options for Schools. Training or Public Schools

In my experience working as a teacher, training schools are much better than public schools. Let’s explore the pros and cons of each.

Training Schools

When looking at a training school you need to first, and most importantly, establish that they can actually give you a visa. This doesn’t mean you believe what they say. Ask to talk to a teacher who works there already and quiz them on the experience. Training schools, particularly in Asia, are infamous for trapping teachers with a promise of a work permit and then dropping them after you have spent all your time and money trying to jump through the legal hoops.

That being said, I still always work for a training school. The pay is usually higher per hour; the systems and teaching platforms are more sophisticated and modern; the classes are smaller; and the work hours are less than a public school. Also not having to waste time sitting in an office ‘preparing’ your classes is a huge bonus in favour of training schools.

Drawbacks include having to work nights and weekends. And not receiving pay when you go on holiday.

Public Schools

Please remember that in China specifically, if you work for a public school you are expected to work like any other Chinese teacher. This means the school OWNS you. If you agree to their contract of 40 hours a week, you also agree to their ‘extra-curricular’ programs and long weekly teacher meetings. (A total waste of time) The school will use your visa as a tool to extort and control you. So if you are looking for a public school you REALLY need to do your homework. Living conditions, salaries, teaching materials, vacation pay, return airfares…you need to have guarantees for all of them. My best advice is again, don’t only trust the person offering you a job, make sure you take a foreign teacher for a coffee and spend time asking them the questions you want answered.

That being said, not all schools are the same. Just be clear as to the requirements. Many teachers enjoy working for public schools because of the stability and the vacation pay. Just be prepared to be flogged and squeezed for your money. Public schools are ruthless with foreign teachers.

Just a note: If you decide to go through a job placement agency, please be aware that they get a big piece of your salary. So for teachers with some smarts…work for your agency for 6 months, honour your contract and then renegotiate privately for more money and a new contract later, or go find a school that pays better.

Also, www.degreesforall.com is in the degree business. Make sure that your degree is acceptable to your employer before you begin to do your applications. We have heard of people with non-English teaching degrees being rejected because their degrees were not applicable to the job being applied for. We have not heard of any of our Bachelor of Education – English degrees being rejected anywhere in Asia, in fact many people are working LEGALLY with our degrees.