Job Discussion Forums

[Chris_Crossley]

Dear All, Be They Newbies or Veterans,

Greetings! I'd like to share with you a few thoughts about questions you should ask if ever you want to make sure that you know exactly where you are if you want to start a new job and have a happy and, hopefully, trouble-free contract period.

Although I am not a newbie myself, since I do have three years of teaching experience in China by now, I know that sample contracts (if such they are) like the one I am reproducing below are, to me, nothing short of a joke, since they contain very little information and should start alarm bells proverbially going off.

Here is the so-called "sample contract" that I was sent just today for a public-sector high school "somewhere in China", which I shall refer to as YY, although the initials bear no relation whatsoever to the name of either the school or the place in which it is located. X X is, as you may guess, the foreign teacher (to-be).

[timmo]

Good post Chris, thx for your time and effort. All pertinent and useful points for the wide-eyed heading into China.
Thanks for all the fun this year, good luck to you and yours for next year.
Happy New Year.
China is not a place... its an attitude of mind.

[Gordon]

Good points Chris.

Another point that needs to be addressed and which you forgot to ask your potential employer, is if you have a choice whether or not to accept overtime classes. Some schools require teachers to teach extra classes and you may not want to.
Also, how long are the holidays in which you don't get paid?

I also would never sign a contract without first talking to a current teacher who is working there. Never talk to them when they are the school because you never know who is listening to the conversation. Talk to the teacher at their house.

[Glenski]

You have worked in China, yet you feel you must ask some questions that I find hard to understand. That is, you should already know the answers. Free locals calls, for example.

I would never ask the questions you did about teaching classes outside of the school. Ask other teachers, maybe, if you are moving there for the first time, or if this is a new area for you to live in, but don't ask your employer about stuff they ban in the contract.

Asking the employer where you can get internet access outside of working hours? Geez, if you don't know, ask later. This really can't be a serious consideration for taking the JOB.

How can foreigners get meals on weekends? Umm, how about cooking for yourself?

Asking what currency your salary is paid in. You are in a foreign land. Expect that country's currency.

Asking WHY the school doesn't pay for those holidays. A direct answer like this, after so many others, will have your resume in the garbage, I would think.

I think a single simple question about absences would suffice. Some ofc your other questions grill the potential employer so much that I would pass your resume on by if I were him. Sounds like you are NOT a newbie, or that you were one that got burned by a bad employer, and would be a real complainer at work.

Maybe it's me. Maybe this is acceptable in China.

[Chris_Crossley]

[Ben Round de Bloc]

[Guy Courchesne]

From my perspective over here in Mexico, I think it is important to ask at least some targeted questions. As it appears to be in China, Mexican language centers are also concerned about teaching outside the center. No school here will ever stop you outright from teaching privately or concurrently at another school, but they will set policy regarding how those activities could affect your employment. The biggest concern is always that you don't advertise or promote your private classes while on the school premises.

This gets trickier when working directly in companies. It is a common school sales rep nightmare to have a teacher try to snatch a contract out from under the school by offering a lower price. For those new to the scene, this is precisely why you see these types of clauses in contracts, weird as it may seem to you.

The questions you ask should always be intelligent ones.

"Can I ask the my (your)students if they would like private tutoring?" is a good start, but why not ask it more diplomatically?

"Does the school arrange private tutoring to its students? If a student asked me for private lessons outside the school, would this be permitted?"

I don't see how asking questions can be a bad thing. It's more the delivery and timing of the question that matters most.

[kev7161]

See, there is a simple solution to the "Chinese contract" dilemma which I've suggested to my school:

Why can't a school put together a foreign teacher's manual? It could cover a lot of the basics such as class sizes, materials offered/needed, classroom code of conduct (for the teacher) and expectations. It could include answers to questions about meals, apartments, pay schedules, working outside the school, and the other 100 questions we all seem to have.

The basic contract could have, well, the basics. Number of periods per week, monthly salary, start date/end date, holiday pay, and a few other essentials - especially items that may change from teacher to teacher based on length of time at the school, job experience, education background and so forth. Then they could have a simple clause in the contract that reads something like:

"I have read and agree with the Foreign Teacher's manual provided. I have asked and received satisfactory answers to any questions I have had that was not covered in the manual or this contract." (FT's initials)

Although I won't be at this school next year, I offered to put together a manual such as this for future new teachers. But the thing is, I don't think many schools in China want to be thorough. We all know that things change around here with little to no notice. If we have a certain policy in black and white (and signed, stamped, and sealed) and then the school's flighty principal wants to change something, then their hands are tied . . . at least when it comes to the FTs.

Here is such an example when it comes to utilities here:

UTILITIES:
1. For the months of March, April, May, June, September, October, and November, the school will pay up to 200 units of electricity used by the FT. Any usage beyond the 200 will be deducted from the monthly salary at .70rmb per unit.

2. For the months of January, February, July, and August, the school will pay up to 300 units of electricity used by the FT. Any usage beyond the 300 will be deducted from the montly salary at .70rmb per unit.

3. Water for bathing and cleaning will be provided free of charge.

4. Bottled water will be provided free of charge. The FT will be provided with a coupon booklet. A coupon must be given to the security guard at the gate and water will be delivered later in the day or the following day. If you run out of coupons, another booklet will be provided. There is no limit on the drinking water you may request.

5. Internet is provided free of charge in your apartment. Currently, internet in China is not always reliable. Please call the FAO if your internet is not working.

6. Phone service is provided in each apartment, but the FT is responsible for purchasing his/her own phone cards to make local and long distance calls.

7. Please note that during the very hot days of summer and the very cold days of winter, Hangzhou has a rolling blackout policy: different parts of the city will have power cut for approx. 8 hours on a certain scheduled day (generally sometime between 9AM and 6PM). Our section of the city currently has _________ scheduled as our power-outage days (this is subject to change). When power goes out, the water supply also goes out, please put aside any water you may need for bathing, cleaning, or cooking during the power outage.

8. Propane gas: One tank of propane gas is provided for FTs during the course of the contract so the FT can cook in his/her apartment. If you need to order another tank, please contact the FAO. Your cost for a second tank is 50rmb. Generally, one to two tanks a year has been enough for most foreign teachers.

That's it! That's a page in the manual. It is comprehensive and covers almost every question when it comes to utilities and what the school does and does not provide. Every foreign teacher that receives a manual will not be surprised by the slow internet or the power outages or the other little things that we always have questions about or annoy us (by the way, the above list is what our school provides for us).

The manual could include a checklist of all furniture, electronics, linens, and cookware the school provides. It can be inventoried and initialled by the FT and the FAO. The school does have an addendum at the back of their contract but it is woefully inadequate. A manual with 10 to 15 pages of almost everything a new FT needs to know would be exceptionally helpful and would save a lot of ill will and complaints and miscommunications from both sides of the fence.

[Chris_Crossley]