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Advice on English schools in Kunming

disco cindo (41 posts) • 0

Hi there,
I've been watching the forums for a few weeks, but can't seem to find much info or many reviews on the job prospects here. I have done 2 years in Shandong Province in 08, but will be returning from Australia (mid-year) with my husband and daughter.

I have a B. Ed (primary/middle) + TESOL + Community services Diploma. My husband has a B.A + TESOL + experience tutoring refugee children. We mainly are taking a year o/seas for a bit of family/travel time.

I am prepared to do my own research and am familiar with a few big name schools here in KM (Shane, Bright etc), but there are still many school listed that I have not heard anyone mention or review.

So my main question is: What first-hand positive and negative experience have you had with English schools in KM - your own workplace/friends etc?

Thanks in advance!

Karina17 (70 posts) • 0

Cannot help you much since I am as well looking for Language schools to prospect, but I am surprised like you that there are so few information on this forum, while most of the foreigners here are working in different schools...

OceanOcean (1193 posts) • 0

@disco
HI. I work at Robert's School and highly recommend it if you are after a private school that values teacing quality over profits. I've sent you a PM.

adaminkm (31 posts) • 0

Heard good things about Helen Doron English. They are a country wide chain. Kunming location at Xindaxin Department Store on Zhengyi Road. Also met someone once who was working at MyGym, but don't know where it is located so best to do a Google search and find out.

mPRin (821 posts) • 0

Owen Foreign Language school. Main campus is at Shuncheng shopping mall, downtown. PM me if you want contact details.

adaminkm (31 posts) • 0

There is also an international school in Kunming called KIA. With your degree you might have a good chance to land a job there. Send them an email.

BillDan (268 posts) • 0

Robert's is nice (as mentioned above) as I did some PT work there. I don't think anyone will be ripping you off there or telling you one thing and delivering another later. Does it have to be Kunming? I changed school this last year too and found there is hardly any network here for finding jobs. Weird. I wound up walking into a couple colleges around where I live and by chance walked into the Language dean's office at one and got the job. Total fluke. Lot of colleges and universities moving from the city center. Maybe not all, but who knows right. Who here has ever even heard of New City College? It is a bracnh of Li Gong Da Xue. I know of it and have been there, and it is not moving. But again, who knows about it really other than hand full of people, and they are paying like public school wages of 3000 or 3500 is all. Regardless of "experience" (means nothing in China really though schools advertise it does) or degree.

Places like Beijing and Shanghai have more options but I guess that is where all the foreigners want to go and so it is competitive. They have agencies that can help place you. I guess most are a bit corrupt, but people do get jobs through them.

I guess good luck. There are tons of these language centers in Kunming, but most cannot legally foreigners I understand. I don't know which ones are good and which ones are not and will be shut down or out of business in six months, with the "owner" vanishing with all the tuitions.

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