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Peizheng College, Guangdong Province
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ChinaTeacher2007



Joined: 05 Nov 2017
Posts: 1

PostPosted: Mon Nov 06, 2017 12:48 pm    Post subject: Peizheng College, Guangdong Province Reply with quote

I had a bad experience with Peizheng College in Guangdong Province this year (March 2017). I am posting my experiences here, as Peizheng College is a big recruiter of foreign teachers, and regularly advertises on this website.

The main problems I had concerned teaching hours, a deposit I was asked to pay for my apartment, and health problems at the campus which I was not told about.

Firstly, after I arrived there, the college wanted to change my contract and tried to increase my teaching hours (but for the same salary - no corresponding increase in salary!).

The college seemed to think that changing already agreed contracts wasn’t a problem.

Secondly, the college also tried to increase (by 100%!) the “deposit” I should pay for the apartment I would have lived in. The college staff pressed me to pay this much higher deposit immediately in cash, despite my employment contract saying my apartment deposit was due to be paid after I had received my first month’s pay.

Also, I encountered health problems at the campus which I was not informed about before travelling there. In the days before I arrived, the area around the college had an outbreak of the “nanovirus”. Local health authorities investigated the outbreak and closed the campus for 1 week.

If I had known in advance about these problems, I would have reviewed my travel and working arrangements to reconsider when, or if, I would travel to this college. However, as the college had not informed me of any of this, I felt my health and wellbeing were put at significant risk.

Given these problems, I departed Peizheng College within 1 week of my arrival. And based on my experiences there, I do not recommend this college to any teacher seeking employment.
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MESL



Joined: 23 Aug 2003
Posts: 291

PostPosted: Wed Jan 10, 2018 7:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's complicated.

If you move into the foreign teachers dorm in March, you pay a 3000 yuan deposit. You get the 3000 deposit back at the end of the contract, assuming you didn't trash the apartment.

If you don't have 3000 yuan to spare up front, the contract says you can REQUEST a one month deferment. If your deferment is approved, your deposit is taken out of your first month's salary. If you opt for a deferment, the deposit goes up to 4000 yuan.

If you want to move into the foreign teachers dorm in January, the deposit goes up to 8000 yuan, 4000 for January and 4000 for February.

Their reasoning is that your contract doesn't begin til March, thus you are not yet an employee of the the school, thus you are essentially a guest and essentially using the dorm as a defacto hotel. Also, they have yet to observe your behavior and no one from the FAO's office will be there during that period to supervise you.

In March, you get 5000 yuan of your deposit back, then 3000 at the end of the contract. Not sure if they will let you move in in February, since the FAO's office is closed during the Spring Festival/winter break.

At the end of your contract, they will withhold 1000 yuan from your last month's salary to cover your last utility bill. They direct deposit the remainder into your bank account after they have paid the utility bill.

I question the wisdom of putting 8000 yuan into the custody of a virtual stranger who will soon close up shop and disappear to their hometown for 6 weeks. If you have an emergency, you would have to talk her into returning to the campus. Presumably, she would have to convince the FAO director to return and sign off on the refund.
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rioux



Joined: 26 Apr 2012
Posts: 880

PostPosted: Sat Mar 31, 2018 12:59 am    Post subject: Re: Peizheng College, Guangdong Province Reply with quote

ChinaTeacher2007 wrote:
I do not recommend this college to any teacher seeking employment.


22 hours a week is too much for the pay they are offering.
http://www.eslcafe.com/jobs/china/index.cgi?read=52230

It was awful enough doing two English Corners a term, but to do two in a week would drive me insane.
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theoriginalprankster



Joined: 19 Mar 2012
Posts: 895

PostPosted: Sat Mar 31, 2018 7:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Never ever pay the school you are working for money, in any way.

They need you more than you need them.

I'm glad you pointed out this shoddy school. May they never get foreign teachers ever again.
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donkeydonkey



Joined: 01 Aug 2015
Posts: 73

PostPosted: Sat Mar 31, 2018 12:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I would have kept moving the second I saw deposit. Any money they have of yours is leverage, at best. Worse would be if someone disappeared with your deposit. Worse still would be them stealing the deposit and not paying bonuses, final paychecks, etc.
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Non Sequitur



Joined: 23 May 2010
Posts: 4724
Location: China

PostPosted: Sun Apr 01, 2018 12:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

theoriginalprankster wrote:
Never ever pay the school you are working for money, in any way.

They need you more than you need them.

I'm glad you pointed out this shoddy school. May they never get foreign teachers ever again.


Good point.
I will update the job offer checklist thread as I don't think that point has been made so far.
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nimadecaomei



Joined: 22 Sep 2016
Posts: 605

PostPosted: Sun Apr 01, 2018 1:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Will not disagree for the sake of not causing confusion. Employee-employer relations should have a one way monetary flow.

My exceptions involve good employers and staff events where you might end up paying a bit because you went over what was covered.
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rioux



Joined: 26 Apr 2012
Posts: 880

PostPosted: Mon Apr 30, 2018 1:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

They seem to be advertising quite a bit for teachers.
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MESL



Joined: 23 Aug 2003
Posts: 291

PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2018 2:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

pros:

High salary. Without a Master's degree, teaching license, or ESL certificate, I make 9000. At my previous school, I started at 6000.

Large foreign teacher population. 50 of us. Strong community vibe. Lots of support for all areas of living and working.

Very helpful, professional, and bilingual Foreign Affairs Office staff.

Bilingual office manager and virtual army of volunteer translators in the foreign teachers office.

Very cool foreign supervisor. Unfortunately, stepping down at the end of this semester.

Large, air conditioned foreign teachers office with lounge area and multiple computers.

Homeroom. All your lessons are in the same room and no one else uses it.

No lesson micromanagement, although they request that you include the textbook.

Multi media rooms available.

The classrooms don’t have AC, but they have a very strong fan on the wall very close to the podium.

Computer club. Computer science majors who are available 10 hours every Saturday to work on your computer. Free service.

Very nice dorms. Fairly new. Quiet. Well guarded.

Clean campus.

Piped drinking water.

Western food across from the campus. Restaurants as well as an imported groceries shop.

Weekday school commuter bus (5 times a day) and weekend school shopping bus (Saturday).

Subway station 20 minutes from the campus.

One hour from downtown Guangzhou.

4 hours from Hong Kong.

Very close to the airport.


Cons:

Very paperwork oriented Foreign Affairs Office.

Doesn't pay year round.

Lots of jumping through the hoop when you bring guests into the dorm compound.

Some jumping through the hoop with the Foreign Affairs Office and the local police department when you travel.

Apartment does not include any household items - shower curtain, clothes rack, trash can, mop, etc.
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MESL



Joined: 23 Aug 2003
Posts: 291

PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2018 3:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Good students. All of them participate. Attendance has been consistently at 99% all semester. Last week, zero absences. The English department is not that big, so most of us teach non English majors. Most of my students are business oriented majors. Freshmen see their foreign teachers 3 hours a week; sophomores, an hour and a half. English Corner attendance fluctuates drastically throughout the semester.
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MESL



Joined: 23 Aug 2003
Posts: 291

PostPosted: Mon May 28, 2018 4:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I forgot to mention the student/teacher ratio. I've taught college speaking classes as big as 50-60. So it's refreshing to teach classes with only 15-20 students.
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Non Sequitur



Joined: 23 May 2010
Posts: 4724
Location: China

PostPosted: Mon May 28, 2018 6:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

MESL wrote:
I forgot to mention the student/teacher ratio. I've taught college speaking classes as big as 50-60. So it's refreshing to teach classes with only 15-20 students.


My first school had me in front of 60+ student classes. All resources I've developed since then are standardised at 60 students, but scalable up or down.
Some activities like cocktail party situations are actually improved by larger numbers - as is the class song(s).
Problem is assessing for end of semester results.
My last vice president addressed the FTs and baldly stated that the contract sent us in home country (to complete visa applications) was 'just to get you here'.
Needless to say about 50 percent of the FTs opted for a 6m contract.
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twowheel



Joined: 03 Jul 2015
Posts: 753

PostPosted: Mon May 28, 2018 9:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

MESL wrote:
pros:

Subway station 20 minutes from the campus.

One hour from downtown Guangzhou.



For me personally, those two above would go in the cons section.

twowheel
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LarssonCrew



Joined: 06 Jun 2009
Posts: 1308

PostPosted: Tue May 29, 2018 2:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

We are at the point where someone with a masters considers 9000 yuan, less than $1500, as high pay. MOD EDIT
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MESL



Joined: 23 Aug 2003
Posts: 291

PostPosted: Fri Jun 01, 2018 2:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Another week with attendance at 100%. Well behaved. Cooperative. I really enjoy teaching these students.
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