Job Discussion Forums

Lancy Bloom · Joined: 23 Nov 2012 Posts: 126 Location: Hong Kong

There is only one solution to what is going on in EFL industry in China and that is being paid your airfare to China. That is the way it used to be in Japan Korea and Taiwan. Then employers can't change the contract. They still may not pay you in the end but they are not going to change the conditions of the contract when you arrive.
Ask any person doing business in China and they will tell you the same. I do not do any work untill I have be paid.

rogerwilco · Joined: 10 Jun 2010 Posts: 1549

Even if airfare was paid up front the schools can still try to change the contract.
Actually, if they did pay upfront then I would guess that some schools would either try to guilt you or harass you into agreeing to a different contract because you "owe them".

You may first agree to 15 classes a week, but then after you have arrived in China what is to stop them from taking advantage of those that arrive without any money to go home ?

Javelin of Radiance · Joined: 01 Jul 2009 Posts: 1187 Location: The West

Few countries pay your airfare up front. I don't think taiwan covers airfare at all. Of the countries that do it's common for them to take a %age of your first few months salary to cover the ticket they bought for you. You get all that money back once you finish the contract, but in the beginning you're still paying for your own air ticket, just not directly. Schools aren't stupid and they don't give anything out without getting something back in return.

Ariadne · Joined: 16 Jul 2004 Posts: 960

I've always received my travel allowance in full, without any problems. I've been at three schools in China over a period of 8+ years. The one where I am now pays half the allowance at the semester break and the other half at the end of the 2nd term. The other two schools paid it at all at the end of the 2nd term. The payment arrangements have always been spelled out clearly in the contract.

There may well be some shady dealings when it comes to the travel allowances, but I've never experienced any trouble with mine.

.

mandu · Joined: 29 Jul 2004 Posts: 794 Location: china

when I worked in Japan,Taiwan and Korea all my airfares were paid upfront,I could not afford to pay,it was a good way to see different countries and get paid at the same time.

my 1st kindergarten that i worked for in china paid my airfare up front as well,they got me a one way ticket from England to China.

Lancy Bloom · Joined: 23 Nov 2012 Posts: 126 Location: Hong Kong

The only people I find who are happy with the current system of we pay and then get re-embursed are here at Dave's.
I never posted when I worked in China because I knew my e-mail was monitored. This is why you only have positive things being said here. If I had 1rmb for everytime the example of the depraved EFL teacher who was constantly drunk and was constantly hitting on his pretty students, I'd be rich. I never in my eight years of teaching in China, ran into this type of person.
China has brought down the profession all over the world. Ten years ago you were supplied with a round trip airline ticket. You interviewed for the job in your own country. Schools dealt with schools. There was academic credibility. Now you deal with invisible people on the internet.
You need to get two medicals because the Chinese project their ways on you. They know that you can pay a doctor to write what you want so you must get another medical when you get here.
It is about time we teachers acted like professionals and demanded what is righfully hours.
If there is no recourse for a breached contract then what is the point in coming here? They don't have to pay you for any trivial reason they can come up with. They use the old start a fight on the last month of a contract and you never see your airfare or overtime. It is common and accepted in Chinese society.

Javelin of Radiance · Joined: 01 Jul 2009 Posts: 1187 Location: The West

Hewlett77, is that you?

fat_chris · Joined: 10 Sep 2003 Posts: 3198 Location: Beijing

fat_chris · Joined: 10 Sep 2003 Posts: 3198 Location: Beijing

Nkengaola · Joined: 28 Nov 2011 Posts: 92 Location: Wanzhou, Chongqing

rogerwilco · Joined: 10 Jun 2010 Posts: 1549

Zimmer · Joined: 26 Oct 2011 Posts: 229

MisterButtkins · Joined: 03 Oct 2009 Posts: 1221

Honestly I've never heard any complaints about the airfare situation. It always seemed fair to me. It seems like you probably just hang around the princessy, whiner-type ESL teachers who want everything on a silver platter.

NoBillyNO · Joined: 11 Jun 2012 Posts: 1762

Lancy Bloom · Joined: 23 Nov 2012 Posts: 126 Location: Hong Kong

This isn't a personal blog. This is about how business people work. You don't pay to do a job. The person who contracts you pays a fee. In our case it is airfare which is a pittance when you look at how most people get jobs. Most people interview on line then they are flown to the company for another interview. Everything is paid by the future employer.
This is how it was in the past in EFL now the contracts are about employees paying breech penalties.
Let's get back to the real world. You can get fired whenever they want and you can leave whenever they want but you shouldn't pay to work.