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LongShiKong
Joined: 28 May 2007
Posts: 1082
Location: China
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 Posted: Fri May 18, 2012 1:40 am Post subject: |
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In order to qualify for Green Card holder status, you must fulfill at least one of the following criteria:
I. Be a high-level foreign expert holding a post which promotes China's economic, scientific and technological development, or social progress.
II. Have made outstanding contributions of special importance to China
III. Have made a large direct investment of over US$ 500,000 in China
IV. Have come to China to be with your family, such as spouse, dependent minors or senior citizens. |
Seems like I qualify:
I. Heck, I'm a teacher. That's what we do.
II. China wouldn't keep inviting me here if I hadn't.
III. No, but my country's gov't has.
IV. I'm single, so yes, I've come here to be with me, myself and I.  |
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coledavis
Joined: 21 Jun 2003
Posts: 1838
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| Posted: Sat May 19, 2012 1:56 pm Post subject: |
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| coledavis wrote: |
Re corrupt officials: we've stuck to the practice of not paying them. They sometimes get some posh English tea after a transaction, but that's it. So they don't get in the habit of expecting money.
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Update, however. As we're having problems the vultures are circling, having come out of the woodwork. Mighty woodwork it is to satisfactorily house vultures. My colleagues are having to decide on what can be done ethically and what can't. This is very painful for me. |
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LongShiKong
Joined: 28 May 2007
Posts: 1082
Location: China
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| Posted: Sat May 19, 2012 3:48 pm Post subject: |
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| coledavis wrote: |
| As we're having problems the vultures are circling... |
We can well imagine. You're in Italy, home of the mafia, and another domino about to topple the EU. |
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coledavis
Joined: 21 Jun 2003
Posts: 1838
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| Posted: Sat May 19, 2012 8:17 pm Post subject: |
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| No, I'm in Russia. |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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| Posted: Sat May 19, 2012 10:38 pm Post subject: |
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Dear coledavis,
Lucky you - no Mafia there  .
Regards,
John |
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Sashadroogie
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise
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| Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 5:32 am Post subject: |
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| Wishing you all the best, Cole. |
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coledavis
Joined: 21 Jun 2003
Posts: 1838
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| Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 6:00 am Post subject: |
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| Sashadroogie wrote: |
| Wishing you all the best, Cole. |
Thanks Sashadroogie.
Our main opponent is, I think, finding that the law does work to some extent. I.e. there are anti-corruption laws and his 'influenced' people are likely to value their jobs rather more than his money when push comes to shove. We shall see. |
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Teacher in Rome
Joined: 09 Jul 2003
Posts: 1286
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| Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 7:28 am Post subject: |
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| We can well imagine. You're in Italy, home of the mafia, and another domino about to topple the EU. |
Thanks.
Italy may be "home of the mafia", but the mistake is in thinking that Italy is one, homogenous country. It isn't. Opening a language school in Milan, for example, would be a completely different proposition from opening a language school in Palermo.
Oh, to be pedantic, the mafia isn't one homogenous organisation, either. The Camorra of Naples don't tangle with the 'Ndrangheta of Calabria, and the Casa Nostra have their own separate fiefdoms and sub-divisions in Sicily... Numerous experts have dedicated life-times of research to trace who is who and where they operate, in fact.
And when you talk about organised crime, Italy is not the highest on the list in terms of wealth or reach. Russian organised crime, or South American organised crime is far more powerful (though of course this point is redundant if you're actually at the receiving end of it.)
I know I'm on my high horse here, but I get sort of tired of people stereotyping the whole of a country. Don't get me wrong: organised crime is a blight on the economic and social development of a country for all sorts of reasons. It is prevalent in some parts of the country, and causes untold misery for some people. But the rest of us have other worries to contend with (i.e. high government taxes) which are more of a dampener to entrepreneurial activity / language school launches than organised crime. |
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Teacher in Rome
Joined: 09 Jul 2003
Posts: 1286
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| Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 7:30 am Post subject: |
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Sorry Cole - got caught up in a rant (see above) but wanted to say good luck for your school in Russia. Hope it sorts itself out and the vultures go back to their woodwork.
All the best. |
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Sashadroogie
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise
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| Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 7:34 am Post subject: |
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Vultures in woodwork! Great image! Love it!
There is no organised crime in the Motherland. Just crime : ) |
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coledavis
Joined: 21 Jun 2003
Posts: 1838
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| Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 8:33 am Post subject: |
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| Teacher in Rome wrote: |
Sorry Cole - got caught up in a rant (see above) but wanted to say good luck for your school in Russia. Hope it sorts itself out and the vultures go back to their woodwork.
All the best. |
I had wondered what was going on! Sure, Italy is a place of different regions and, for better or worse, different criminal organisations. Thanks anyway. |
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LongShiKong
Joined: 28 May 2007
Posts: 1082
Location: China
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| Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 4:35 pm Post subject: |
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I noticed this link to a free ebook on starting one's own school: http://www.teyl.com/ebook.html
Some of the topics covered in the e-book:
Should I get into this type of business?
Road to success/Road to failure.
Becoming your own boss.
The probability of success.
Marketing/Location/Attracting clients.
Image/Pricing/School Policy/Advertising.
Starting from scratch.
Buying an existing business.
Buying a franchise.
Questions to ask before you sign a lease.
Checklist of things to do before you open up your own language school.
This is still a tentative plan for me--I know it'll take time to get enough students to make it worthwhile. I'm looking at one more job possibility and will go for an intreview/demo class within the next few weeks. The job pays more than I'm currently making but if the school is run like the way this one or the previous one I worked at, I won't take it. |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2012 9:12 am Post subject: |
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| Set up and run a language school ? I would sooner get involved in the White Slave Trade. More ethical. |
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coledavis
Joined: 21 Jun 2003
Posts: 1838
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| Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2012 10:11 am Post subject: |
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| scot47 wrote: |
| Set up and run a language school ? I would sooner get involved in the White Slave Trade. More ethical. |
I take considerable exception to that comment. Not all language schools are run on an exploitative basis. |
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LongShiKong
Joined: 28 May 2007
Posts: 1082
Location: China
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| Posted: Mon Jun 04, 2012 11:58 am Post subject: |
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| scot47 wrote: |
| Set up and run a language school ? I would sooner get involved in the White Slave Trade. More ethical. |
Perhaps that's why you should if ethics concerns you. Are you one of those who believe doing the right thing and making lots of money run counter to each other? I warned Longman Schools last summer that negligible growth during a prolonged period of unprecedented market segment expansion suggests something's not quite right. |
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