Job Discussion Forums

tangal · Joined: 11 Nov 2012 Posts: 47 Location: Da Nang Beach

I don't recall any of these questions being on the test I took. In fact, the questions on the test I took this past August were more in line with those of common psychological evaluations given by certain employers back home in the USA. But in the end it really doesn't make a difference. The test I took was easy and harmless and though a bit of a joke it was a requirement for my new job. What's crazy is calling someone crazy out of one's own lack of critical thinking skills.

Bud Powell · Joined: 11 Jul 2013 Posts: 1736

These questions and others like them (and stranger) have been documented in other forums. I believe that Middle Kingdom addresses and questions the reasons for asking such questions. (One of the authors of MK is a psychologist or a sociologist).

wangdaning · Joined: 22 Jan 2008 Posts: 3154

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

jimpellow · Joined: 12 Oct 2007 Posts: 913

This laughable waste of time has indeed been around a while, but seems to be popping up more with the recent changes. I would have had been forced to complete it had I gone through with an offer in Tianjin.

What intrigues me about it, and in particular due to the resume building part and subsequent interview, is the original reason behind it. It seemed to appear about the time in China when there was some talk flying around that foreign teachers to licensed schools could only be provided by the government.

My area of Jiangsu was one of those areas where the local masterminds had great plans for us. The new contracts would include a cut in pay and shared accommodations. But on the plus side - and I s*** you not - we would receive free Chinese lessons!

They actually backed off it not due to the fact that every teacher with any options informed the schools they would be quitting ASAP, but that there was a clause that they would have to pay the schools a penalty in the event they could not find enough teachers. And they seemed to come to the conclusion they may not have been able to.

I am pretty convinced all of it was motivated by government pianzi types who were envious of recruiters, schools and headmasters exploiting the teachers for personal profit, rather than themselves.

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

choudoufu · Joined: 25 May 2010 Posts: 3325 Location: Mao-berry, PRC

there's also a very small chance it could have been suggested
by someone having read about edumacational standards in
the west wanting to institute some level of quality control
to the massive cluster that is efl in china and just sorta copieded
and pasteded some stuff that he first google-lated into chinese
then google-lated back into english so that the questions lost
all sense and meaning and the final product ended up being
yet another poor attempt at copying a western product.

jimpellow · Joined: 12 Oct 2007 Posts: 913

NoBillyNO · Joined: 11 Jun 2012 Posts: 1762

godmachine12 · Joined: 06 Feb 2009 Posts: 62

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

My coworkers and I just finished doing this ridiculousness about a week ago. Some of the questions are so obscure that our Chinese coworkers had no idea what they were talking about. We basically just gathered around a computer and took turns logging in and doing it, and helping each other out. A couple of people did the test a few years ago, so they were able to help out the most. It didn't take long - maybe 40 minutes tops (after filling in personal info and resume crap).

cat_from_quebec · Joined: 04 Aug 2013 Posts: 6 Location: shenyang, china

as with anything in this country, smile and say you forgot about it or smile and say you did it and just hope it goes away. people will eventually forget to check. it's not about fighting about laws or freedoms or whatever rules you think apply - that shit changes faster than the weather. you can't 'fight the man' so just politely find ways around him.