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huoguojiggae2017
Joined: 13 Jul 2017
Posts: 57
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 Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 10:33 am Post subject: |
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| cormac wrote: |
| This "advice/insight" definitely needs to be applied with care... my advice: learn both the chinese culture and the local culture. And remember that while you'll never be Chinese.. always playing the foreign card limits you greatly. |
I have heard the university rhetoric talk. You are not an imbecile. Everyone is projecting themselves as if you passed the gaokao, now you can be "prestigious" at a college/university. Even the foreigners teaching there are adopting this dogma. It's pathetic.
Playing the foreign card helps you greatly. Learn where to play it. Not at the college/university level. |
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theoriginalprankster
Joined: 19 Mar 2012
Posts: 895
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| Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 12:05 pm Post subject: |
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Having some issues with my new school. They changed the housing offer such that we had to live in on-campus teacher dorms.
I told them I was leaving if they tried that on me.
They are clueless when it comes to my paperwork/work permit.
I told them to sort that out quickly, as I'm not paying to go to my country or HK to get a 15 day tourist visa.
They were iffy about my (beautiful) cat joining me.
I told them, he's coming, or I leave.
They're hopelessly inexperienced, but I'll give them a couple more chances. Then I'll up and leave. No time for idiocy and/or abuse from schools. On the other hand they're treating my Taiwanese colleague like utter rubbish - trying to underpay her, giving her terrible teacher accommodation, pushing extra hours on her. Not good. |
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huoguojiggae2017
Joined: 13 Jul 2017
Posts: 57
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| Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 1:14 pm Post subject: |
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I am trying to parse out what you are saying.
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| They changed the housing offer such that we had to live in on-campus teacher dorms. |
Why is this bad?
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| They are clueless when it comes to my paperwork/work permit. |
I am in a similar boat. I am the first foreigner to teach at their school but they don't know the ropes. I am going to another province soon to get fingerprints for a criminal check. This is after my dad drove around and told me he was pissed off, and then me going to local police stations to get my fingerprints but them saying it is not their job, and finally convincing my employer I need to go to Beijing to do a proper criminal check with fingerprints.
It's not the school. If I didn't have to spend 800RMB and hotel expenses, and train fare (500RMB), then it wouldn't be a problem.
It's not the school. Chinese Mao Fucktards decided to implement ALL rules now, and now you are facing the wrath.
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| I told them to sort that out quickly, as I'm not paying to go to my country or HK to get a 15 day tourist visa. |
Why would you want to do that? Why is HK a threat? You really think US has more rights to HK than Kim Jeong Un has over KFC?
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| They were iffy about my (beautiful) cat joining me. |
Means everything before was bullocks and you were good to go except for your dame.
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| I told them, he's coming, or I leave. |
Male cats are revered in Chinese alleys.
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| On the other hand they're treating my Taiwanese colleague like utter rubbish |
Time to find a room with a view.
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| trying to underpay her, giving her terrible teacher accommodation, pushing extra hours on her. Not good. |
Poetic license goes so far. It is August 9.
How is a school underpaying now? The new school season doesn't start until "soon". Either way, why should they get paid more?
Your swiss cheese with holes arguments hold no water. Eliza, there is a hole in the bucket is an understatement. |
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litterascriptor
Joined: 17 Jan 2013
Posts: 360
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| Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 2:31 pm Post subject: |
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| huoguojiggae2017 wrote: |
I was wondering, why are dogs so well behaved in China? If I go for a walk or run at night in my hometown, there needs to be a fence. Otherwise, the dog would run, chase, or even bite me because it is protecting its space and master. Are they castrated or something?  |
They really aren't that well behaved, I've had to fend them off from getting at my dog numerous times. Which is amusing, because it's more like me saving their dog from being murdered by mine, who absolutely loves to fight. |
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theoriginalprankster
Joined: 19 Mar 2012
Posts: 895
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| Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2017 1:24 am Post subject: |
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| huoguojiggae2017 wrote: |
I am trying to parse out what you are saying.
Eliza, there is a hole in the bucket is an understatement. |
And they are trying to keep trash out of China. Hmmm... |
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pest2
Joined: 28 Oct 2006
Posts: 170
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| Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2017 3:25 am Post subject: |
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| OhBudPowellWhereArtThou wrote: |
| RiverMystic wrote: |
| OhBudPowellWhereArtThou wrote: |
What;s worrisome is your expressed desire not to be controlled. |
The OP's desire not to be controlled doesn't worry me in the least. |
As originally expressed in the OP's first post, it would be a worrisome thing to me if such a person were my colleague. (The OP did qualify his statement in a subsequent post, so his attitude is understandable. If it's not in the contract, there's no agreement--- for the most part).
What I dislike is the FT who comes to China believing that anything goes. I have worked with FTs whose attitude was that they'd do as they pleased despite the wishes of the administration. That sort of thing does little to ingratiate the other FTs to administrators.
At one school, we got a new guy who insisted upon going to class shirtless on hot days , wearing shorts, cowboy boots, and a big ol' honkin' stetson cowboy hat. His explanation was that he had a right to dress that way. Later, he became involved with one of his students, despite the clause in his contract that forbade such relationships. He didn't make an effort to be discreet. After that, the FAO made frequent unannounced visits to the FTs' hovels just to see what was going on. With a nut like that in our ranks, I couldn't blame her.
There are some things that shouldn't need to be told to an FT, but there will always be someone who needs to be read The Riot Act frequently. It is disturbing when The Boss feels a need to tell everyone. |
What irked me most about teaching in China (vs other places) are probably somethings for which you wont have much "stand up power" to combat against..
1) The lack of resources, even at a minimum level, a teacher would need to do a good job. The computers all have viruses (if there are computers). The windows browsers and all the software (word, excel, etc) are all in Chinese. The classrooms still use chalk boards instead of dry erase. There are rarely any adequate textbooks or other teaching materials to assist teachers.
2) The assessment-focused curriculum. If you think teaching to assessment based core standards is an issue in the US, try going to China and seeing what they do with prep/curriculum for the Gao Kao! It's basically like teaching a cat to use a litter box through repetition and behaviorist methods.
3) The communication is horrible. Last minute communications about doing this or that just 15 minutes before its supposed to happen with no time to adequately prepare and yet... they don't seem to care if the quality of what you did, later, is very poor.. It's all about succumbing to that top down hierarchy, for face, as someone else mentioned.
4) And yet there are so many bureaucratic silly stupid rules, procedures, and levels of unnecessary paper work and forms of micromanagement. Fill out a sheet for each student for each class detailing exactly what you did and what that student learned and send up up the chain to the boss.
China is great in that there are tons of vacant jobs now, but.. with these conditions its not surprising that China has tons of vacant jobs now! |
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thechangling
Joined: 11 Apr 2013
Posts: 276
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| Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2017 5:05 am Post subject: |
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| pest2 wrote: |
| OhBudPowellWhereArtThou wrote: |
| RiverMystic wrote: |
| OhBudPowellWhereArtThou wrote: |
What;s worrisome is your expressed desire not to be controlled. |
The OP's desire not to be controlled doesn't worry me in the least. |
As originally expressed in the OP's first post, it would be a worrisome thing to me if such a person were my colleague. (The OP did qualify his statement in a subsequent post, so his attitude is understandable. If it's not in the contract, there's no agreement--- for the most part).
What I dislike is the FT who comes to China believing that anything goes. I have worked with FTs whose attitude was that they'd do as they pleased despite the wishes of the administration. That sort of thing does little to ingratiate the other FTs to administrators.
At one school, we got a new guy who insisted upon going to class shirtless on hot days , wearing shorts, cowboy boots, and a big ol' honkin' stetson cowboy hat. His explanation was that he had a right to dress that way. Later, he became involved with one of his students, despite the clause in his contract that forbade such relationships. He didn't make an effort to be discreet. After that, the FAO made frequent unannounced visits to the FTs' hovels just to see what was going on. With a nut like that in our ranks, I couldn't blame her.
There are some things that shouldn't need to be told to an FT, but there will always be someone who needs to be read The Riot Act frequently. It is disturbing when The Boss feels a need to tell everyone. |
What irked me most about teaching in China (vs other places) are probably somethings for which you wont have much "stand up power" to combat against..
1) The lack of resources, even at a minimum level, a teacher would need to do a good job. The computers all have viruses (if there are computers). The windows browsers and all the software (word, excel, etc) are all in Chinese. The classrooms still use chalk boards instead of dry erase. There are rarely any adequate textbooks or other teaching materials to assist teachers.
2) The assessment-focused curriculum. If you think teaching to assessment based core standards is an issue in the US, try going to China and seeing what they do with prep/curriculum for the Gao Kao! It's basically like teaching a cat to use a litter box through repetition and behaviorist methods.
3) The communication is horrible. Last minute communications about doing this or that just 15 minutes before its supposed to happen with no time to adequately prepare and yet... they don't seem to care if the quality of what you did, later, is very poor.. It's all about succumbing to that top down hierarchy, for face, as someone else mentioned.
4) And yet there are so many bureaucratic silly stupid rules, procedures, and levels of unnecessary paper work and forms of micromanagement. Fill out a sheet for each student for each class detailing exactly what you did and what that student learned and send up up the chain to the boss.
China is great in that there are tons of vacant jobs now, but.. with these conditions its not surprising that China has tons of vacant jobs now! |
Everything you said is true and explains why it's a waste of time trying to work hard here because to be effective at all you have to fight a system that doesn't encourage that in the first place. Just play the game, collect your dosh and make a difference with the few students that can and do make a serious effort. |
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tin man
Joined: 18 Jun 2010
Posts: 137
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| Posted: Fri Aug 11, 2017 3:22 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| China is great in that there are tons of vacant jobs now, but.. with these conditions its not surprising that China has tons of vacant jobs now! |
First my application was rejected. Then it was approved. However, I have not seen any paperwork to take to the embassy. The communication is subpar at best. They don't seem to understand that I have other work lined up in the US and don't really need the job. In fact, they expect me to drop everything at the last minute and be there for the start of the semester without anything concrete or finalized. I am almost at the end of my rope at least for this semester. |
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