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lapd08
Joined: 12 May 2008
Posts: 82
Location: New York
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 Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 11:41 am Post subject: ShengDa College, Zhengzhan University |
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I have been offered a job at this school and am wondering if anyone out there has worked there, and what their opinion was.
It seems like a nice place, but the salary is low and the housing small (only a bedsit). Also, their policies on socializing with students seems a bit restrictive.
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sojourner
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 738
Location: nice, friendly, easy-going (ALL) Peoples' Republic of China
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| Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 12:41 pm Post subject: |
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Do a google search on "Shengda College". About three places from the top there is a link to a blog belonging to an American teacher called Tom Chambers. Check out the link.
I looked at the college's website. Pay/conditions are certainly not the best - nor, are they the worse that I've come across during my 6 years in China. I, myself, might consider this college - if I can't find a reasonable job elsewhere !
There is no 24 hour hot water service ! PCs are not provided in the flats ! "Annual bonus" of 1500 RMB - is this on top of the "travel allowance" , usually between 2000-2400 RMB, that most other colleges/unis provide ? Also, ten month contracts only - very common, unfortunately, nowadays.
Peter |
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sojourner
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 738
Location: nice, friendly, easy-going (ALL) Peoples' Republic of China
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| Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2009 3:25 pm Post subject: |
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If you happen to have a phone interview, ask the FAO person to provide names/ph numbers/email addresses of some past and current FTs. You would need to ascertain such things as: teaching resources;level of assistance provided by both the Chinese co-teachers and FAO staff;shops/restaurants on campus, and just outside; the flats (quality of furniture,utensils,etc);whether salaries/allowances are always paid on time;etc.
Peter |
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Howie
Joined: 18 Mar 2009
Posts: 22
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| Posted: Sun Apr 26, 2009 3:16 am Post subject: |
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I'd PM you, but apparently there is a 50 message minimum requirement for that!
The school will provide you with the email addresses of present and past teachers if you ask. The feedback I have had from people working there today is generally positive. |
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sojourner
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 738
Location: nice, friendly, easy-going (ALL) Peoples' Republic of China
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xiao51
Joined: 06 Feb 2009
Posts: 208
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| Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2009 9:14 am Post subject: |
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You indeed need to get more current information.
Arioch36 who used to be on this Board was an extremely, extremely staunch defender of the place...if you follow his threads on the subject, you can see that.
Others have been far less charitable, shall we say. Primitive surroundings, lack of hot water, SRO type accomodations, very, very standard salary for China, nothing great, but still the wiff of all of those horrible riots...
As for Chambers who was discussed above, I urge caution. He is their recruiting agent, ex-teacher, and he makes a commission, I think on the teachers that go there. So it's not exactly as one poster wrote...far from an unbiased accounting.
If you absolutely, positively cannot find anything else in China, then take this job. They have a sister "private" college called Zhegong, or something like that, that advertises on this board, in the same geographical area.
Same salary package except that the accommodations are far, far better.
But you need to be warned about the quality of the FAO there...I had a colleague from Australia who applied...he has a Master's in TESOL from an excellent Australian uni...he was told by the FAO at this Zhegong that they could only pay him a bachelor's degree level because they really require a TESOL CERTIFICATE -- GET THAT -- ONE OF THOSE ONLINE ALMOST NOT SERIOUS ONES -- and since he had only a Master's degree and not the TESOL, they couldn't possibly hire him.l....so there's a warning there, too.
Neanderthal from the get-go.
In any case, the students at these colleges are those that couldn't go anywhere else and who are desperate to get a uni diploma. |
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Enkates
Joined: 11 Jan 2015
Posts: 58
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| Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2015 6:40 am Post subject: |
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This college has an ad on the China Board today.So I looked it up and found this old thread.
| sojourner wrote: |
Do a google search on "Shengda College". About three places from the top there is a link to a blog belonging to an American teacher called Tom Chambers. Check out the link.
I looked at the college's website. Pay/conditions are certainly not the best - nor, are they the worse that I've come across during my 6 years in China. I, myself, might consider this college - if I can't find a reasonable job elsewhere !
There is no 24 hour hot water service ! PCs are not provided in the flats ! "Annual bonus" of 1500 RMB - is this on top of the "travel allowance" , usually between 2000-2400 RMB, that most other colleges/unis provide ? Also, ten month contracts only - very common, unfortunately, nowadays.
Peter |
Yes, it's six years later, but I did a google search, and this is what I found: It's from 2004, but my guess would be Shengda can't have changed much.
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SHENGDA COLLEGE, ZHENGZHOU, DON'T DO IT
This school is a private college in Zhengzhou City, Henan Province. PRIVATE: That word says it all. Working in such a school is a lot different than in a public university or public school. They can do whatever they want and this school is no exception. Came here on July 7, 2004 and have nothing but problems from day one. The only good thing here is the accommodation. It is more than adequate. Have an A/C but it only produces cool air. No heat comes out of it. You have to wait until they turn on the heat in the apartment which is around mid-November. But as it wears on and late October, if you are not dressed warmly in your house, you could be a little more than cold. Or buy a heater I guess. But why should I put out the expense? They picked me up at the train station and drove me to the school. Got settled in and were kind enough to show me around the school and buy me dinner. Sat in the apartment and talked about other things, signed the contract, and gave them my train ticket for reimbursement. School did not officially quit until the end of the month. I expected my money back before then according to the contract which says: "reimbursment for train ticket or airplane ticket will be made within the first month of the date of arrival. Since I got here in July I expected my money back in July. It took 75 days to get my reimbursment. Again according to the contract pay day is the 15th of the month. If you arrive before the middle of August you will get paid for the entire month. However their excuse was since school did not restart until August 16th, they could not pay us on the 15th so didn't get it until the 29th. In September there were no holidays or any changes to the school, but we didn't get paid until the 20th. In October got paid on the 16th. Ask why, where's the pay, just goes in one ear and out the other. Or no answer at all, they just look at you with a stupid look on their face. Show them the contract but again no results. Their other faze is that they hired more than 20 new foreign teachers for 2004 so there is a lot of paperwork to do. Big deal. But the best of all was yet to come. I needed some time off to attend my wedding in Fushun, NorthEast China on September 18th. In July I made two formal requests to the Director of Foreign Affairs. He agreed on both sides and I was told I could have a 7-day leave. I made the same request twice to the Dean of the Foreign Language Department and his secretary. They didn't say anything at either time, just offered their congratulations and asked how long I would need. I told them 7 days has been granted by the school. You should know that this was all done verbally. I asked to have my classes start after the wedding on the 22nd, but that fell on deaf ears. When I received my pay in October in my bank account, it was 660RMB short. I asked why and was told I did not make my leave request formally; I didn't fill out the proper form. "What form?" I asked. Nobody ever told me about any form. The Dean said "Yes we did." My secretary Mr. Wang said he did." "No" he didn't. That was the end of the conversation and all bases have produced no results. Nobody, not the foreign affairs, foreign language department, accounting department will hone up to their responsibility as to who filled out the form to cut my pay. When I left the Dean's of | | | |
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