I am based in Shenzhen. And yeah it is enriching but working at EF wasn't. Luckily i am going to Wall Street English and i am looking forward to it as it was my first choice but EF calls quickly..
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What work do you do
- Thread starter wiesbang
- Start date
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Oh my word, I've done various things in my life and I'm all for changing occupations. That's why it fascinates me to learn about mixologists who had other jobs in their past lives, such as @Oupa.
Better to change than to stagnate.
- Events Co-ordinator in the hotel business for many years (Windhoek and Joburg)
- Temping
- Medical Writer (collating the data and writing research reports, when clinical trials have ended, for international pharma )
- English teacher at universities in China (6 years)
- Supervisor in English Dept. of a college in Oman, Middle East (5 years), which entailed:
In charge of 25 - 28 teachers and approx 700 students (Entry level)
Compiling curriculum (as per government specs)
Compiling assignments and exams
- Proof-reading of theses and other material while in China and Oman
I'm now happily retired (and re-tired!!) just like @Rob Fisher , but I still do proof-reading for China and Oman.
However, I mainly
Better to change than to stagnate.
- Events Co-ordinator in the hotel business for many years (Windhoek and Joburg)
- Temping
- Medical Writer (collating the data and writing research reports, when clinical trials have ended, for international pharma )
- English teacher at universities in China (6 years)
- Supervisor in English Dept. of a college in Oman, Middle East (5 years), which entailed:
In charge of 25 - 28 teachers and approx 700 students (Entry level)
Compiling curriculum (as per government specs)
Compiling assignments and exams
- Proof-reading of theses and other material while in China and Oman
I'm now happily retired (and re-tired!!) just like @Rob Fisher , but I still do proof-reading for China and Oman.
However, I mainly
Business Analyst and Digital/Social Media manager at a BidVest division.
Very interesting indeed!
I studied Civil Engineering for 1.5 years at Cape Tech and then changed courses to Information Technology.
After my studies I worked for Dimension Data for 2 years and later for a new IT start-up called Advocate Solutions for 5 years.
Then I got a position in the IT department of KPMG and after 2 years there I got the IT Manager position. Headed up KPMG IT in Cape Town for about 7 years.
The rest is history as they say... a mixologist now for more than 7 years. Full time for the past 3 years.
@Cobrali I've never worked for a private English school (apart from moonlighting) but from what I've heard they work you to the bone. One is best off at any of the universities.
@Oupa Your path through life has been fascinating: from Civil Engineering to Juice Engineering, not to mention IT in between!
Pretty much. I love experiencing different cultures and in Mexico it is truly amazing. Forget all the bad things people say about this country. It is filled with ancient museums and heritage.
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If that was a choice then i would gladly do it but unfortunately it seems like most of the universities and high schools need a white monkey rather than someone who looks like one of them. Sigh..it is more about looks where a level 4 TEFL white person is first choice over my Level 5 TEFL with distinction. But i make do with what i can.
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If that was a choice then i would gladly do it but unfortunately it seems like most of the universities and high schools need a white monkey rather than someone who looks like one of them. Sigh..it is more about looks where a level 4 TEFL white person is first choice over my Level 5 TEFL with distinction. But i make do with what i can.
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I think it has more to do with qualifications. Unless you have a university degree (in any field, not necessarily in English or Linguistics) a university won't accept you. TEFL certificates unfortunately won't get you into the varsities.
Appearances seem to be playing much more important a role in China currently, not sure how long this is so but my GF's Chinese family complain about it a lot.There also seems to be a huge problem with buying your place at a university so if you can't afford it you might as well forget it.
Nope..i have a university degree and i have spoken to a few agents. They need white monkeys..thats why there are so many western europeans here now on illegitmate visa's as was the case with the others held by chinese customs for a month. Brought to China to teach english on supervisor visa's etc.
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Agree..the chinese mindset is that if he isn't white or black then he speaks poor english and if he is Chinese then his english must be the worst! I've had parents come in and ask if i really was a teacher cause i look local. Then i was requested to not speak chinese in the office so as to have the parents perceive that i was definitely a foreigner.
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I'm from the UK.
Been here for thirteen years now
I'm a meat technician,ok I'm lying I just work in a butcher
@Slick Ah! You're a cut above the rest!
If I worked in a butcher I'd eat all the stock, because I love raw meat lol
@Darius1332 When I was there it wasn't a case of buying your place at varsity - it was a case of working hard at high school, so that your marks were good enough to get into one of the good universities. Seems like that has changed then.
If a student can buy their place at varsity, it's quite concerning. It means that only the rich kids will get into the good varsities, irrespective of their academic ability. And of course if they could buy their way in, they could also buy their results! Corruption reigns supreme.
It infuriates me though. There could be a kid who with enormous potential which will never be realised, just because his family doesn't have money. Really, really sad.
@Cobrali Yes I read about lao wai (foreigners) being held because of visa problems. If one has never worked there legitimately, one wouldn't know the system so they can't be blamed for believing that all was fine before they left their home countries. I can't imagine anything worse than to be held there, not knowing if or when you're going to be released. It must be scary.
@supermoto The UK is far ahead of us in terms of acceptance of vaping. A friend of mine went over a few months ago to visit her son who was ill in hospital and she told me that vaping was permitted in the wards. The day that happens here I'll eat my mod!
It's the food which I would like to experience. My dream is to go on a world-wide food tour, eating the food of hundreds of countries. Not fancy food in fancy restaurants - just the everyday food which people make at home, or street-food (which is so often the best!) Dream on ...
True but these days with technology you can google anything online and get the info you need but it seems like people these says don't "google it". Otherwise they would have found all the information they needed from previous and current teachers in China. Even youtube has info telling you which institutions are legit.
And it is scary being in a detention center. You just disappear for at least a month and no one can contact you or find out where you are.
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A month with no cell phone reception or calls? Sounds like a holiday to me!True but these days with technology you can google anything online and get the info you need but it seems like people these says don't "google it". Otherwise they would have found all the information they needed from previous and current teachers in China. Even youtube has info telling you which institutions are legit.
And it is scary being in a detention center. You just disappear for at least a month and no one can contact you or find out where you are.
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