Job Discussion Forums

MonkeyKing · Joined: 24 May 2003 Posts: 96 Location: Beijing

Strange thing happening at my school...despite SARS and the subsequent lack of people willing to come to China, the powers that be have decided not to renew the majority of the foreign teachers contracts (we have 16 foreign teachers here). No reason has been given for this. No complaints have been made about our performance, and relationships between the school and foreign staff are excellent.
Are mass clearouts like this common? The policy seems at odds with reality...I know the school are struggling to find replacement teachers.
Two things I can add. The first is that a new dean has recently taken charge of the foreign language department, so was not responsible for hiring any of us originally. Secondly, those few teachers that have been asked to stay are over forty and married/in long term relationships...those that have been binned are all young free and single types!
I thought it was pretty hard to lose your job here, but it seems I was wrong! Seriously though, none of us are what I would call �bad� teachers, the students like us and we all behave professionally. So what�s going on? Anybody experienced anything like this before? Care to shed some light?
By the way, i wasn't planning to stay anyway, but it would have been nice to be asked...and it's also frustrating to have no idea why decisions like this are made.

Joe C. · Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2003 11:34 am Post subject:

Yeah, seen this happen before. But wait until the last minute. When they're a few teachers short of what they need they'll start asking those initially "undesireables" to stay.

In fact, correct me if I'm wrong, but usually they don't even directly tell you that they won't renew your contract. They always leave wiggle room so they can maintain face and ask you to stay if they are forced to.

MyTurnNow · Joined: 19 Mar 2003 Posts: 860 Location: Outer Shanghai

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

I am a little surprised by the fact that you have been labouring under the illusion that schools here count on your China experience! In fact, it might be true that they do not really want expats who know the CHina turf as well as you.
After all, you know now that their students are low performers. You also know about the farcical nature of their exams. And you may have bad blood in your veins after a year of being used and abused as a foreign face with no intellectual value.
There is absolutely no incentive for public schools to retain their contract teachers, absolutely none! To the contrary - some people who have been kept for more than one year cost them double in airfare.
The Romans practised the art of divide et imperat!

Joe C. · Posted: Mon Jun 09, 2003 1:17 pm Post subject:

Kurochan · Joined: 01 Mar 2003 Posts: 944 Location: China

I think it's pretty common to get rid of a lot of the teachers. Anyway, at my school, each department only keeps two of the foreign teachers and changes the rest. They do this each year. Last year, though, they screwed up and ended up exchanging good teachers for crummy ones. It's been a real fiasco. Confused

In choosing who to renew, my school takes student feedback from the first semester of teaching into account. That's a bummer if you got along much better with the students in the second semester, were assigned first semester classes that were unsuitable for you. I also know my school is going to start taking out-of-class, and even off-campus peccadillos into account when rehiring, so any behavior that might have been TOO wild and free could have been part of why some people were let go. Or, then again, the people who were renewed might just have been better schmoozers than you.

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

How is that - some schools pay double the airfare when you have been with them for more than one year.
That was what they said to us on induction day at a Guangzhou normal school years ago: One year: 5000 RMB airfare, two years, 11'000.
And it wqas true.
There was one guy who had been at the same school for 7 years. Every year, he collected 11'000 RMB (at that time, holders of a Bachelor's made 1300 RMB a month!), and he worked in summer camps to augment his income.
The school never kept any other teacher for a second term!
Why that guy?
According to himself, his brother had been involved in the setting up of ties between his American university and this Chinese outfit.

yaco · Joined: 03 Mar 2003 Posts: 473

Similar situation occurred at my college. The school tried to drop the conditions of the 4 foreign teachers so we have all left. Can't understand their reasoning or logic - But this is China !!!!!!!!

I find Kurochan's comment about the school taking into account peccadilos and off campus activities very interesting. I am surprised at my school, to often see Chinese teachers having lunch washed down with beer or wine. I find this extremely unprofessional conduct but 'the powers to be ' , turn a blind eye.

Do the school authorities worry about off campus activities of Chinese teachers. I have been introduced to many Chinese teachers in bars or similar ' having a good time'.

Maybe more experienced hands, can shed light on Chinese attitudes.

Kapt. Krunch · Joined: 01 Apr 2003 Posts: 163

Sure...went through a similar situation in a 'town purge'. All "normal" young men were launched. Question everything..it won't make a difference to the outcome, but they should know that YOU know. Confused

It is all about control and the populace. If I was to be really blunt it has more to do with sex than anything else. Whether you have it or not is irrelevant...is there an opportunity?? Do any women like you?? Do you go to bars?? Nevermind that teachers marry students, drink at lunch, and cheat on their wives...you are allowed none of it. If you're leaving , break them down with some logic so they feel/look stupid and THEN go. Ciao!

ESL Guru · Joined: 18 May 2003 Posts: 462

At my former uni the students were not allowed to smoke (staff were)(students could purchase smokes at the campus store) but the students could drink their lunch (purchase beer at the school canteen and drink on premesis or at school store for take out to dorm room) and absolutely no sexual contact between students (but condoms for sale at school store).
Students were not allowed to gamble on campus but staff used school computers to play the Provincial lottery.

What is wrong with this picture?

Nothing! This is China where nothing is as it appears to western eyes.

klasies · Joined: 04 Mar 2003 Posts: 178 Location: China

Hi there

My wife and I have just renewed our contract for the 3rd time at the same University. The couple that started last year, have also renewed their contract with this Uni for the 2nd time! The young Canadian lady that taught with us during the first year was bombed after the first year. The official version, she did not have a degree and the Uni has decided that from that time onwards they would require a degreed person to teach.
Unoffcially, it was because she let another girl student stay with her in her apartment, smoked, had a tattoo(although this was in a private place and not visiable to anyone, I think the doctor pimped her on that one),went on holiday without telling the University where she was going and was a little too independed for this Uni!
I am not sure if staying at the same Uni is a good or bad thing. I think maybe good for us but bad for the students. I feel that by getting new teachers every year they, the students, are exposed to new voices, faces and differrent teaching methods.

Andre

ChinaLady · Posted: Wed Jun 11, 2003 7:10 am Post subject: Two years and you are OUT!!

as a couple we had a great reputation with the students. ran english Corner for no pay, helped students with going overseas forms, had functions in our home, helped the faculty with their letters and other documents in english (again for no pay), etc. well, you get the idea.
thought we'd stay for a couple more years. nope!
something about having to pay taxes for us, on us? on the third year.
and "the new blood" idea. ah, the new Jay Leno monologue will be here.
the grad students said we were "too well liked." the chinese professors got tired or hearing our names and that our classes were interesting.
a bit of envy? possible?
we've already met the guy who gets "our flat." he's okay. but he knows he is getting a great place. we've spent two years cleaning it up.
on to other adventures.
so much for the married couple protection idea?
o, yes, we are degreed and experienced and published. punt!
no regrets, but a lack of honesty was so "in our face."

MonkeyKing · Joined: 24 May 2003 Posts: 96 Location: Beijing

Interesting replies, thanks all.
I will never understand how this place works, so i am going to stop trying to make sense of it all. The school are willfully losing a lot of good, hard-working teachers who know the ropes, so it's their loss.
I feel sorry for my students...I just know that once we are gone the school will employ anybody with a foreign face and a pulse to replace us...lesson learned; never get to attached to your position here, because those in charge really couldn't care less about you.