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Quitting a university job before holidays question
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chinatimes



Joined: 27 May 2012
Posts: 478

PostPosted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 8:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
The Chinese won't see any fault on their side.


But they will give 8,000-10,000 and then just blacklist you? I believe the blacklisting part, but why would they give the money? My last school knew I was coming here but still gave me airfare money even though I didn't finish the contract period.
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Non Sequitur



Joined: 23 May 2010
Posts: 4724
Location: China

PostPosted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 8:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

No the money passes from you to them.
They accept no fault and you are reneging on the contract causing them all sorts of inconvenience which can only be put right by buying your way out.
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chinatimes



Joined: 27 May 2012
Posts: 478

PostPosted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 10:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Non Sequitur wrote:
No the money passes from you to them.
They accept no fault and you are reneging on the contract causing them all sorts of inconvenience which can only be put right by buying your way out.


You don't seem to understand the situation.

1. The contract states 20 maximum classload.
2. I had a 20 classload this semester.
3. I had a 12 classload scheduled for next semester.
4. I got notice of 12 more, making it 24. Later we found out this was a typo/clerical error on the part of one of the people who do the "legwork".
5. I questioned them and said if I had to do more then I wanted to be compensated for the extra 4 classes.

I am not reneging on anything. I am asking to go by the contract. I could have said nothing, waited 2 months, gotten the 2 months holiday pay and just not returned. Instead, I am willing to leave if they want another teacher to work more classes. I have another school lined up with 14-16 classes at the same pay. Seems like a no brainer to me. I won't get January pay, but I will have a contract that lets me stay in Beijing longer and I will get my holiday pay in the summer.

The current school has already stated they will give me some airfare and transportation money for the semester. The main question I had in this thread was in regards to the holiday months.
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Non Sequitur



Joined: 23 May 2010
Posts: 4724
Location: China

PostPosted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 11:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks chinatimes.
Is there a clause re overtime in your contract? If there is, then you should invoke that. However 20 hours+ per week of contact time would exhaust me, even if you are teaching the easy option - Oral English.
I tried it for six or so weeks when another FT went home sick. Not good!
What caught my eye on your latest post was the paid summer holiday in the new location ie July/August. To get January plus summer paid and less than say 18 contact hours pw seems like a great deal.
My advice would be protect that option and be prepared to walk away from the Jan pay. A bit of airfare sweetens it.
No doubt summer pay is dependent on being offered a new contract for the 2013/2014 academic year. I've known teachers who expected to get an new offer and were then let down at the last minute.
IMHO the only downside is BJ Smile
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chinatimes



Joined: 27 May 2012
Posts: 478

PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 4:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
What caught my eye on your latest post was the paid summer holiday in the new location ie July/August. To get January plus summer paid and less than say 18 contact hours pw seems like a great deal.


There would be the merging of 2 jobs. I am turning a lemon into lemonade. Instead of teaching 2 years at 2 schools or 1, I am considering .5 a year here and 1 year from February at school 2. Does it matter if I work 1 year here and 1 year at school 2 or if I work .5 a year here and 1.5 at school 2? I don't know if they do that, just extend a contract 6 months. If the teacher is willing I don't see why not.

When I came here I had 2 months (unpaid) before the semester started (but I still got a place and didn't have to rent before the semester started). I would have 2 more months (but paid) if I stayed here. Then that's it, I have to either re-sign for another year or get another school (which I am looking into now instead).

If I leave now, get school 2, I will sign a new contract which wants a February start. Maybe it's not a full month but I would go back to the US in January and return in February for the new job. I would then teach at school 2 and get the vacation time in summer and then teach in Fall I guess.

Quote:
IMHO the only downside is BJ


Beijing is overly crowded, but I haven't had many problems living around the bad areas. Compared to other big and medium sized cities, I prefer it. I was considering Qingdao, but their subway is going to be ready until 2014. Their project is not going to complete until 2050. I'd say I have some time to give Beijing another go.
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Non Sequitur



Joined: 23 May 2010
Posts: 4724
Location: China

PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 6:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mmmm..
The permutations are getting a bit complex for me now.
The only thought I have is that you should make sure that all the involved schools know about what is happening from the start.
Any suggestion that what you are doing is a 'change of plan' will cause problems.
It's the pollution that gets me about BJ.
My last memory of the place was a winter Sunday afternoon going to the airport and all those BJers showing their new found wealth out on the ring road with their cars.
Qingdao is OK without an underground if you live and teach along the beach front as there are good bus services right along the strip out as far as the railway station. If you work and live out toward the airport then getting into the downtown can be a nightmare.
Best
NS
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chinatimes



Joined: 27 May 2012
Posts: 478

PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 8:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
you should make sure that all the involved schools know about what is happening from the start.


Right now, there is only one school, the current school I am at. I have an interview on Monday with another school. If it goes well, they will be the new school and yes I will let them both know my situation. Until then, I am not telling my current school anything until I have secured a second school and gotten my pay for November.

Quote:
Any suggestion that what you are doing is a 'change of plan' will cause problems.
It's the pollution that gets me about BJ.


Did you mean those 2 go together? The problems caused have to do with pollution? Or, are you saying other problems are caused by a change of plans? The school seems like it will add another class before March. They did this to another teacher and myself. They told us one thing in May and then when we met in August we had another class added. I think I scared them a bit by questioning an extra class early on.

Oh well, that problem has already been caused (or "willed" by me and I take full 100% responsibility, that's why I am looking for a new school). I just don't want surprises in March, so I challenged them on a few key points, and this seems to have gotten their attention. I suspect they will have the next teacher teach more classes than initially mentioned. They already lied about this in the interview I had in May and held this information from at least 2 teachers (the other teacher taught the class I refused to teach, and they swapped his class so I taught it but didn't tell me and he wasn't happy either when he found out he had to teach the class I refused). My main faux pax is that I jumped on this without thinking. It was like a speed chess move, I called them out on a wrong when maybe it wasn't so bad. I overreacted.

Thanks for the Qingdao information. If I go there, I want to live near a Korean community, so I will find out where that is best situated. Koreans are great people to hang out with, but you don't want them as your employer.
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Non Sequitur



Joined: 23 May 2010
Posts: 4724
Location: China

PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 6:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Confused Perhaps I should have written 'New Subject' before commenting on BJ.
Dalian and Dandong for Koreans as well as QD.
You will get the odd Korean student popping up in regular uni classes in Dalian and Qingdao.
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