Kyle Balmer

Hi, I'm Kyle.

I'm an English teacher in Beijing. I'm originally from London.
I want wants to help you - a potential English teacher - find a position here in China.
During my stay here I've met a large number of agents and schools who want to hire English teachers for schools and universities in China.
I'm offering to act as a link between you and these agencies and schools to help find a great position for you.
Coming to live and work in China was difficult for me because I did not always have all the information I needed. I wish I had had someone to advise me through the process. This is the service I am now offering you.



Tell me how this works.

1. You'll send me:
- filled out form
- a photo of your wonderful self
- your resume/CV
2. I'll get the information directly to agents and schools matching your preferences.
3. The agents and schools with matching jobs with send me job information.
4. I'll forward you the job opportunities in a nice standardized format and make my own recommendations.
5. If we find your dream position you'll complete the rest of the transaction with the agent or school directly, but I will be there for advice and support along the way, including Chinese/English translation to help with the language barrier.
6. You arrive in China for your dream job. At this point you are legally the responsibility of the agency or school but again I am available for advice and support to make sure you settle in and enjoy your time here in China.

What's in it for me as a teacher?

- protection and advice
I'm an English teacher in Beijing who has gone through the process of moving to China to live and work. I know what to expect and can offer advice to those coming here for the first time. I know what is a bad deal and what is a good deal for you.
Unfortunately there are a number of agents here whose main objective is just profit rather than matching good teachers with students who want to learn English! A lot of teachers have moved here and got in trouble. Maybe the wages are low, maybe they end up teaching in a totally different environment, maybe they have a 2 hour commute each way.
Whatever the problem, this means that the teachers are unhappy and often break off their contracts. This leaves the kids without a teacher. By this point the agent has collected his cheque and doesn't care.
I want to help get good teachers into good schools. This means protecting the teacher and making sure he or she is content with the position.
Having researched the types of deals available in the country I'm able to make recommendations about which jobs you should grab with two hands and which you should run away from as fast as possible.
I'm also working with a group of agents here in China who I know to be reputable and decent people. If a deal stinks - I'll tell you. More on my motivations below.

- packaged information
Chinese job postings are confusing! The information is never standardized and it often takes multiple emails back and forth to get all the details you need to make a decision. Worse, certain important information might be left out and you don't find out about it until it's too late!
I ask you to fill out a standardized form that helps me know more about you and exactly what you are looking for. I ask the agents and schools for a similar standard form which lets me report back to you all of the details you need to make a decision fast.
Standardized reports also help you to compare different offers directly.

- access to positions
Because I'm working with a group of agents here in China I can link you to your dream job before it becomes generally available on the web for everyone to apply to. If something comes up that matches your preferences we can jump on it before everyone else - and if you match the requirements the likelihood is that you'll get the position before the agent or school goes to the trouble of posting it online.

- open more possibilities
Sure, I can't find positions for everyone. You should also be applying for positions on the normal websites and chasing up your own leads. But at the same time sending me your details and preferences means you've opened up another set of opportunities. It's of no cost to you, except for your time to send me your details.


OK, what's in this for you then?

I'm all about honesty and openness so here are my reasons for doing this.

-commission. For each teacher connected I'll receive somewhere around 2000元 (about 100 British pounds or 330 US Dollars) once the teacher has been in the position for a set period of time (usually 3 months). This fee is based on the teacher's monthly salary.
This aligns my interests with yours at least in terms of salary - my fee is higher if you are paid more. That said, I realize that salary is not the most important factor. It certainly is not for me. More on this below.
This extra pocket money is certainly a factor in offering this service and I'm more than happy to divulge this information. However, the next two factors are my real motivators - the long term payoff and the ability to help people.

- your questions and concerns.
I am currently writing a guide about living and teaching in China. Having access to potential teachers lets me find out what most concerns people before they come to China. Is it visas, job security, payment or something else entirely?
Talking teachers through the process is invaluable for me; it will allow me to create a guide based on people's real questions and problems.
When possible I'd love to keep in touch with placed teachers to find out more about their conditions and experiences in China - this information is gold for the future website. This is my long term goal and personally more important than the commission fees.

-helping people.
Maybe this is hard to believe but I actually like helping people out. Often in overly long emails (you've been forewarned!).
When I decided to come to China I had a lot of questions that I would have loved to ask an active teacher. How else would I know what I was walking into?
In fact, my first set of positions did not work out because I found out that the agent who was finding me positions was paying around half of the regular wage. One quick conversation with another teacher here was enough to confirm this - but I had already taken the positions.
I removed myself (thanks to having no contract!) but would not wish the same experience on anybody. I will be a resource to stop this occurring to you.

Why shouldn't I do this?

Will I have to take a wage hit?
Nope - your wage is set by the school and visible in the job offering. The school pays the agent a fee of generally one month salary. By referring you to the agent I take 50% of that one month fee. This doesn't come out of your salary but rather the agent's fee.
If I refer you directly to the school I'll receive the complete fee. Again, this does not affect your salary.
Most, if not all, schools in China work through agencies. This is primarily because of the language barrier. All agencies you work with will be collecting this fee from the school.

You'll sell me to the highest bidder!
If I did this you would in fact be getting the highest salary possible. But I understand that salary certainly isn't everything compared to quality of life and working conditions. That's why I report back to you based on a broad range of factors rather than payment alone.
I force the agents to supply all this information, otherwise the deal cannot go ahead. Providing you with this information allows you to make a informed decision based on all the factors (salary, working hours, out-of-class-workload, accommodation, travel allowances etc.).
At the same time I'll be providing personal recommendations tailored to what you want.
Finally, if I am just pushing the highest salary job you can just tell me stop! I know I would and I recommend you do the same!

You'll sell my personal information!
Unfortunately at some point in the process a scan of your passport will be needed. This is standard for all teaching positions here in China so you'll get this with any agency.
I guess my only extra defense is that you know who I personally am whereas with agencies you don't know who has access to your personal information.


OK - why not? What's the next step?


To get started I'm going to need to know a little more about you. Please copy the below text into an email, fill it out and send it to kdg.balmer@gmail.com (my personal email). Please also attach a photo of yourself and your resume/CV as well as any degrees/certificates you have.




Name:
Date of birth:
Gender:
Nationality:
Passport country (if different):
Country of residence:
Email address:
WeChat/WhatsApp/Skype/QQ contact:
Educational background:
Teaching experience, if any:
Teaching qualifications, if any:


Teaching Preferences.
Either add a X next to your choice or number the choices in order of preference (1,2,3…) if you are flexible.

Ages/Types of positions:
Kindergarten (2-6) ____
Primary School (6-11) ____
Junior Middle (12-14) -------
High school (15-17) _____
University (18-22+) _____
Post-grad (22+) ______
Adult learners ______
Private teaching center (mixed ages) ____
Business English ____
Other __________________

Group size:
Individual one-on-one____
Small group ___
Large group ___
Hours per week:
Part time (we can discuss visa issues)
less than 6 hours per week___
6-12 hours per week ___
12-20 hours per week ___
Full time
20-30 hours per week ___
30-40 hours per week ___

How important is salary?
I want to get rich! ___
I want to be able to cover my expenses and maybe save a little cash ___
I want enough to live well, but not necessarily save ___
It's less important than finding the right position for me ___
Other ____________

Length of contract:
1 year ____
6 months ____
1 semester ____
3 months _____
I'd rather not have a contract ____

Location:
Beijing ___
Shanghai ___
Large city ___
Small/Medium city ___
Countryside___
Other _______________

Accommodation:
I'd like it to be included with the job ___
I'd like a stipend for accommodation ___
I'd like to sort out my own accommodation ___

Flights:
I must have help with my flights to China ___
I'm flexible about this ___

Visa:
I have a visa/permission to work in China ___
I'll need help getting a visa to work in China ___

When is the earliest you can begin working in China? _______
When would you most like to begin working in China? _______


Do you want to study Chinese at the same time? Y/N
If yes:
4-6 hours per day (common university course) ___
2-4 hours per day ___
couple of hours per week ___



Extra Questions. These really help me match you with positions that suit your needs - much more than the standard questions above. So any details you can provide here will help me find you a great position that you will be happier with. Use as much space as you need.

1. What are you reasons for wanting to teach in China?



2. What do you want to do alongside teaching? (It's possible to cover accommodation and living expenses in about 12 hours of work per month - therefore it is very viable to do other things. Maybe you want to write a novel, learn kungfu, master Chinese, build a business? I can get you into a positions that gives you time and the location to pursue these other objectives.)


3. Is there any type of teaching you really don't want to do?






4. Anything else you want to tell me - here's your chance.