Job Discussion Forums

[Sinaman]

[choudoufu]

[Sinaman]

And for the life of me, if you are experiencing these things, I dont know why anyone would put up with it; for a measly RMB5,000 a month? seriously?

There are so many jobs out there, why put up with it? What kind of servile losers are these teachers? Leave!

[muffintop]

[NoBillyNO]

[Sinaman]

[Sinaman]

[Bud Powell]

I don't buy the argument that a contract is a fluid thing. Every contract says "agrees" in every paragraph.

Agree:

1.have the same opinion about something; concur.

2. consent to do something that has been suggested by another person

Once both parties have signed the contract, negotiations are over.

The contracts also contain language stating that the terms of the contract may be changed by mutual agreement. If one side unilaterally changes the terms of the contract, that constitutes a breach of contract if the other side does not agree to the change. Every employment contract I've signed in China states this. I doubt that any labor board in China or City Foreign Affairs Office would disagree with the meaning and intent of such language.

I also don't buy the argument that people who expect a contract to be honored are necessarily inflexible and doomed to moving from one employer to another. That one FT has stayed with one employer for a long time doesn't necessarily mean that he is flexible. It could mean that his employer hasn't changed the contract unilaterally or that any change to the contract was arrived at by mutual agreement.

I agree that one must pick his battles. A few extra hours of class time may not create hardship, depending upon the circumstances, the Big Picture. Anyone who has spent time in China must come to expect certain surprises that are not in the contract, things like being asked to give an unscheduled lecture for English Day or some such thing. That's just not worth fighting over. That's the kind of thing that ALL universities do. There are activities that occur throughout the year that just aren't mentioned in the contract, and those activities almost always fall under overtime.

However, there are things that once negotiated should not be changed. One of them is salary. Another is agreement over accommodations. I've had a school disable the a/c during the summer, then the disable the heat in the winter. The schools said it was broken and couldn't afford to fix it. Guess what? No a/c in the dead of summer and no heat in the winter is a major breach of contract in my book when the contract specifically states that the apartment would be heated and air conditioned. I even offered to pay whatever the monthly electricity would cost. (Before anyone suggests it, let me say that this was not an attempt to force me to quit because i was a bad teacher. I had been asked three times to agree to a five year contract). The problem was that the Powers that Be just decided that it could save money by cutting those amenities off. I rolled with the punches and bought a fan for the summer, but the freezing apartment was the last straw. I asked for a release of contract and was granted one by the FAO. The FAO had to take it on the chin because it was not her decision to cut the a/c and electricity.

Again, negotiations end when both parties sign the agreement. If the administration wants to change the terms of the contract, it must enter into negotiations to reach mutual agreement as specified by the contract.

[muffintop]

I really wish we could post images.

............................................________
....................................,.-'"...................``~.,
.............................,.-"..................................."-.,
.........................,/...............................................":,
.....................,?......................................................,
.................../...........................................................,}
................./......................................................,:`^`..}
.............../...................................................,:"........./
..............?.....__.........................................:`.........../
............./__.(....."~-,_..............................,:`........../
.........../(_...."~,_........"~,_....................,:`........_/
..........{.._$;_......"=,_......."-,_.......,.-~-,},.~";/....}
...........((.....*~_......."=-._......";,,./`..../"............../
...,,,___.`~,......"~.,....................`.....}............../
............(....`=-,,.......`........................(......;_,,-"
............/.`~,......`-...................................../
.............`~.*-,.....................................|,./.....,__
,,_..........}.>-._...................................|..............`=~-,
.....`=~-,__......`,.................................
...................`=~-,,.,...............................
................................`:,,...........................`..............__
.....................................`=-,...................,%`>--==``
........................................_..........._,-%.......`
...................................,

This will have to do.

[NoBillyNO]

[Sinaman]

[D-M]

[mw182006]

[Sinaman]

[muffintop]