I posted this on the parenting forum but no replies as of yet so thought I might try here…any parents out there that have or are currently teaching English with Hess? My husband and I are thinking about it for next year and we would be bringing our daughter who will be almost 3 years old at that time. How is Hess about couples with children? My husband and I would both be teaching- any suggestions on the best schedules to choose? Do they allow teachers’ children to attend classes?
Thanks for the advice- good one. I did but got no reply as of yet. I wrote to the US rep and the main email- I’ll give it a few days but that’s probably not a good sign if I don’t hear anything!
Well, I have to tell ya, they probably won’t allow you to put her in the kindy for free and Hess isn’t cheap.
Why not find a good Chinese preschool so your girl can learn Chinese the easy way? And I think she’d learn more Chinglish at a Hess kindy.
Also, if you are both coming to work, why not ONE of you sign with Hess, get the other one put on his/her ARC and then look for a better gig, which may, a) give you time with your daughter, and b) bring in more moolah?
I hadn’t thought of one of us going with Hess and the other looking for a better gig upon arrival but from everything I’ve read on the boards that sounds like a very viable option- we aren’t in a position for us both just to go on a hope and whim but with one job secure we could. And I definitely want our daughter to be fully immersed in Chinese so a local preschool/kindy not instructed in English may also be a good idea. Thank you for your wealth of knowledge! :bravo:
Would this be legal? I may be wrong but I don’t think getting put on a spouse’s ARC would entitle one to work (given that the spouse is also a foreigner). You could probably do this until you found a job that you liked, then apply for a new ARC and work permit so that you would be legally entitled to work.
Again, I am not positive about this but it is something you might want to check out before you do it so that you know what you’re getting into.
Would this be legal? I may be wrong but I don’t think getting put on a spouse’s ARC would entitle one to work (given that the spouse is also a foreigner). You could probably do this until you found a job that you liked, then apply for a new ARC and work permit so that you would be legally entitled to work.
Again, I am not positive about this but it is something you might want to check out before you do it so that you know what you’re getting into.[/quote]
It is not illegal to LOOK for a job when on one’s spouse’s ARC, no.
I would suggest that only one of you work for Hess. Hess keeps its employees extremely busy. Although one can luck out with a good manager and understanding co-workers, as a general rule DO NOT expect the company to appreciate or respect your situation.
No. It should be paid. If you go to a foreign country with your child, many parents would want their child to get the advantage of getting the second language in such a natural way. By putting their child in an English-immersion environment, they sacrifice the opportunity for their child to learn a foreign language. Therefore, you are doing the school the favor of giving the students a native speaker who will undoubtably be the center of attention for the kids so they will be highly motivated to speak English to him or her. Trust me. The best English-speaking class I had was the one where all the Taiwanese 3-year-olds adored the blue-eyed Kiwi who was in my class. They became more fluent in English that year than any other class I’ve taught in five years.
Market it that way - the fact that you would be sacrificing your child’s ability to learn a foreign language just to give their students great motivation to speak English is something that deserves a reward, such as free tuition as your child already speaks English fluently and knows all the materials that he or she would be exposed to in class (colors, numbers, shapes, animal names, etc.). Ask them how many native English speakers they get in their preschool to underline the asset your child would be to their program.
Thank you for all of your posts & advice- I was feeling as if bringing a child was going to be a real challenge and even a deal-breaker for a potential employer but it is nice to know it may actually be an advantage in some situations. Although I do really want my daughter to learn Chinese so we will have to sort out the best option…
Off this exact topic- does anyone know much about Reach to Teach? Positive experiences? Negative? How do they compare to Hess - they are purely a recruitment agency, correct?
And I think she’d learn more Chinglish at a Hess kindy.