Job Discussion Forums

[EphemeralReal]

Anyone know wether it's okay to ask for transportation fees? I'm new here. I got a job and the boss gave me a scooter which takes me 25 minutes to take to work. I pay for the gas and oil and maintenance and I understand this. But he also wants me to work at another school that's costs more money cause I have to take the train. It's about 300 a week. I also have to rent a bike once I get there. Would it be right to ask him to pay the costs for this? Last night he got peeved when I did mention it.

Another thing I want to know is this thing about face. Do Chinese managers always give you a hard time about money? Do you feel greedy asking them for little things like transportation costs and forking the bill for some things? There always seems to be a squabble and battle they put up, are reluctant to seem to pay you, and I wonder if it's an act of what I heard of called saving face.

[TaoyuanSteve]

You have to rent a bike when you get there? How far apart are the two cities. Do you need to ride the train or could you you just scooter it? If you're looking at vehicle rentals to get to classes, travel expenses are a reasonable request.

Face. I'm not sure being stingy is a face issue. A lot of (most/all?) buxiban bosses are the same. Face only comes into play when negotiating this sort of thing. There's an art to negotiating here. I'll state now that I'm no master of it. I wish I were, it'd have saved me a lot. However, I think in a situation like this you'd start by displaying appreciation for the hours provided and say how anxious you are to go out to that school and do a great job. There is only one little stumbling block to your teaching these hours that you really want and that is the cost of getting there. Is there not some way we can come to an arrangement so that you can accept these hours you appreciate so much? The answer may still be "bu xing." I think the trick is to be as indirect as possible and lead him to propose the solution. Anyway, I'm no pro at these sort of things, myself. Your request, if you really need to take a train and rent a scooter to get a school, is very reasonable. Again, that doesn't mean that your boss will do the reasonable thing and pay the cost.

[clark.w.griswald]

From the sounds of things you are more than likely working illegally at that second job, whether you know this or not.

Why would your boss send you to work for another school? I guess that maybe:
a. He has a vested interest in the other school
b. He is making money off you teaching at the other school, by supplying you with your work permit and then 'hiring' you out
c. He cannot offer you enough hours at his school to ensure that you stay with him, so has helped you supplement your income by arranging more hours at another school

Regardless of whichever it may be, the arrangement hardly seems in your best interests.

If you are happy with it and are just wondering about the transportation fees, then the answer would be 'Yes' it would seem reasonable that you should get paid this, but 'No' I don't think that it is standard practice. I think the only jobs that tend to offer transportation costs are the schools that offer corporate classes in a companies place of business and then require teachers to leave the school to go and teach those classes.

Having said that, you are in a pretty good position to negotiate some compensation. After all, what your school is asking you to do is almost certainly illegal. The only way that it could be legal is if the paperwork has been done for you to work at both schools, and the names of both schools that you work at are listed on your ARC. Even if the English name of the school is the same (for example chain schools), the Chinese name is always different - and it is the Chinese name that appears on your documentation and work permit.

If I were in your position, and I was bothered by the current arrangement, but willing to look for work elsewhere, then I would probably raise the issue of legality - not in an accusational way, but by saying that you have recently found out that it is illegal for you to be working at the other school, and that you don't feel comfortable with that situation. You no longer wish to work illegally at that school, but are happy to remain at the original school even if the hours are less.

If that doesn't work then maybe a new job may be in order.

[Aristotle]