I am amazed at the number of people who have expressed happiness and relief about my decision to NOT go to China. I admit to being highly flattered that so many people wanted me to stay safely in the States. I was seriously planning on selling everything I owned in order to go. My car was priced out and I had a potential buyer already lined up.
If one knows where to look, one can find a lot of information about teaching in China. My sister pointed me to this website: http://middlekingdomlife.com/guide/teaching-english-china.htm. I found it was informative and very very scary. The number of scams that can be run on unsuspecting foreigners is endless, and there is little to no protection from these scams. This did not dissuade me from going, but it did give me some relevant questions to ask my potential employer. This site and Chinajobs both go into great detail on what a contract should contain and how it should look. Two days after I read this information, I received a contract via email. There were many lines in the contract crossed out, dashes through some words, and it was obviously marked up. The websites had said that the contract should NOT come via email, and that the school's SAFEA number should be in the upper right corner (it was not there). I replied back to the school requesting clarification on certain matters, and to this day I have not received a reply.
From the minute I posted "is going to China" on my facebook page, my phone started ringing with interview requests. Recruiters doing searches online were suddenly finding my resume. An email I had sent to a nonprofit group was finally answered and they wanted to interview me. Suddenly I was in demand. It felt good. Since I was serious about going to China, I was careful about what interview invitations I accepted. On December 7, I received a phone call that changed everything.
I was sick, and hadn't slept well the night before. Text messages from a certain unnamed friend started coming at 8am. I was finally falling back to sleep when the phone started vibrating. Annoyed, I picked it up to put it in sleep mode. "People leave me alone......Oh, it's Kelly calling me," I mumbled. I took the call. I'm glad I did.
Kelly and I had collaborated many times over the 7 years we worked at PwC. She had been my "go-to" person for all assistance I had needed while I worked on the help desk. She and I had a close working relationship built on mutual respect. She is the one who dubbed me "Super G" -- the coolest nickname I have ever had. She had a position open on her team, was I interested in interviewing for it? Um, sure! What else could I say? The description of the job fit my abilities very nicely, and it would be a wonderful opportunity to gain knowledge and grow. We finally set up the meeting for the 14th, and I was able to meet her team. They loved me, and the feeling was mutual. I was offered and accepted the position that evening. We are still working out the finer details, but I will likely start around January 9th.
Let me be clear in stating that if my questions had been answered in a timely and satisfactory manner that I would likely still be going to China. There is nothing I would not give up to serve God. My Christian friends tell me they believe that God was testing me as He had once tested Abraham in requesting that he sacrifice his son Isaac. That seems to be a convenient way of explaining away why I thought I was being sent to China, and why I am now being blessed with this amazing opportunity here in the USA. What I do know is that God loves me, and He will never let go of me. Even if accepting this job is a mistake, He will work it out for my good. Even if I was supposed to go to China and messed that up somehow, He will work it out for my good. When I was a little girl, I used to listen to this one song over and over:
*The life that I have given you
no one can take away
I've sealed it with my Spirit, Blood and Word.
The everlasting Father has made His covenant with you
and He's stronger than the world you've seen and heard.
So don't you fear to show them
all the love I have for you
I'll be with you everywhere
in everything you do.
And even if you do it wrong
and miss the joy I'd planned
I'll never, never let go of your hand.
God holds me. He will never let go of me. He works all things together for my good.
*Don Francisco: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5MfufXAMEc
If one knows where to look, one can find a lot of information about teaching in China. My sister pointed me to this website: http://middlekingdomlife.com/guide/teaching-english-china.htm. I found it was informative and very very scary. The number of scams that can be run on unsuspecting foreigners is endless, and there is little to no protection from these scams. This did not dissuade me from going, but it did give me some relevant questions to ask my potential employer. This site and Chinajobs both go into great detail on what a contract should contain and how it should look. Two days after I read this information, I received a contract via email. There were many lines in the contract crossed out, dashes through some words, and it was obviously marked up. The websites had said that the contract should NOT come via email, and that the school's SAFEA number should be in the upper right corner (it was not there). I replied back to the school requesting clarification on certain matters, and to this day I have not received a reply.
From the minute I posted "is going to China" on my facebook page, my phone started ringing with interview requests. Recruiters doing searches online were suddenly finding my resume. An email I had sent to a nonprofit group was finally answered and they wanted to interview me. Suddenly I was in demand. It felt good. Since I was serious about going to China, I was careful about what interview invitations I accepted. On December 7, I received a phone call that changed everything.
I was sick, and hadn't slept well the night before. Text messages from a certain unnamed friend started coming at 8am. I was finally falling back to sleep when the phone started vibrating. Annoyed, I picked it up to put it in sleep mode. "People leave me alone......Oh, it's Kelly calling me," I mumbled. I took the call. I'm glad I did.
Kelly and I had collaborated many times over the 7 years we worked at PwC. She had been my "go-to" person for all assistance I had needed while I worked on the help desk. She and I had a close working relationship built on mutual respect. She is the one who dubbed me "Super G" -- the coolest nickname I have ever had. She had a position open on her team, was I interested in interviewing for it? Um, sure! What else could I say? The description of the job fit my abilities very nicely, and it would be a wonderful opportunity to gain knowledge and grow. We finally set up the meeting for the 14th, and I was able to meet her team. They loved me, and the feeling was mutual. I was offered and accepted the position that evening. We are still working out the finer details, but I will likely start around January 9th.
Let me be clear in stating that if my questions had been answered in a timely and satisfactory manner that I would likely still be going to China. There is nothing I would not give up to serve God. My Christian friends tell me they believe that God was testing me as He had once tested Abraham in requesting that he sacrifice his son Isaac. That seems to be a convenient way of explaining away why I thought I was being sent to China, and why I am now being blessed with this amazing opportunity here in the USA. What I do know is that God loves me, and He will never let go of me. Even if accepting this job is a mistake, He will work it out for my good. Even if I was supposed to go to China and messed that up somehow, He will work it out for my good. When I was a little girl, I used to listen to this one song over and over:
*The life that I have given you
no one can take away
I've sealed it with my Spirit, Blood and Word.
The everlasting Father has made His covenant with you
and He's stronger than the world you've seen and heard.
So don't you fear to show them
all the love I have for you
I'll be with you everywhere
in everything you do.
And even if you do it wrong
and miss the joy I'd planned
I'll never, never let go of your hand.
God holds me. He will never let go of me. He works all things together for my good.
*Don Francisco: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5MfufXAMEc
