Job Discussion Forums

missionsonmind · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 12

Just thought I would update anyone who would be interested. Been in china 2 months and I have much to learn obviously! I want to let you know the recruiter did rip me off...pocketed the 4000rmb a month and gave us the other half - teachers in the area start at 8000 and some were making 12000 - realize this is Houjie we are talking about. Anyway I think it is easy for someone to say a salary is good but you have no idea until you see what it costs to live there...i.e food, travel to grocery store, etc. Just the basics with occasional outing to relax after dealing with naughty children all day. The requirements of the job are important also ...do they supply you with curriculum or are you creating it for them? This takes many hours of preparation also. And of course how many classes are you teaching and what are the standards of living this has to come into the decision of what is fair!

Volodiya · Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2005 7:18 am Post subject:

Missionsonmind, I'm grateful that you got back to us and filled in the details. As often as not, we never know what the outcomes were, in a given situation.

Girl Scout wrote:

go_ABs · Joined: 08 Aug 2004 Posts: 507

I also want to say thank you for dropping back in to tell us how you're getting on.

I'm intrigued by your use of tense. "...the recruiter DID rip me off..." - does that mean he did in the past, but the problem is now rectified? "...gave US the other half..." you were with a group of teachers who all got scammed?

So after two months are you happy enough in your new job? Do you like the teaching? You usefully suggest some things for newbies to consider, but don't answer them yourself. Are you creating a cirriculum? Is your standard of living acceptable? Is your salary good enough?

Volodiya · Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2005 11:22 am Post subject:

Am I exercising an overactive imagination, or was the OP silenced- by her employer, or by her recruiter?

tw · Joined: 04 Jun 2005 Posts: 3898

missionsonmind · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 12

Sorry for the delay in replying to you but I have not had access to a computer for personal work until I finally purchased my own. It's true the recruiter which actually employs a few people, which could explain the need for half of our salaries did 'rip' us off. Originally we, myself with three other teachers, were told that salary was the going rate. There was questions raised in this post that perhaps it was my qualifications however teachers with less qualifications and no experience were receiving more than double my salary so that wasn't the issue. The other teachers were upset and ready to quit when I arrived but hadn't found anything to replace what they were doing so they were unable to leave. I spent my time renegotiating our salaries. It took about 6 weeks....no reason really except they were trying to think of ways to get around it. The school agree immediately to change the salary but said you must get your other half of the salary from the recruiter....imagine my surprise when the recruiter says no we are not pocketing your salary but the school says your other half of the salary is in the pocket of your recruiter...we are paying the going rate but your recruiter will have to give it to you. When I left the other teachers were ok with the renegotiation and they fired some of the other teachers who were making more money but not all of them. The school was fair but you just need to get more than one persons view on things to be sure. I would have to say you can do that on this board. Talking to someone who has experienced china is so helpful. Its true they warned me and now I am working without a recruiter and finding snags just the same. I see people I am working with get better packages because they were negotiated by the recruiter. But here is a new one for me.....I was hired to promote an international school with the intention of not keeping me. They just used me to promote and found a loop hole and let me go. I had a contract that promised a great salary but I was just the american guinnea until the school was full and than they let me go....a new twist right? So having a recruiter is a good thing but you need to find one you can trust and trusting people in china...well that is an enigma, to be sure! At this point I feel very naive in a country that operates very different to what I know to be business ethics.

cj750 · Joined: 27 Apr 2004 Posts: 3081 Location: Beijing

If a school wants to ripp you off or hire you under false circumstances..there is little you or a "headhunter" can do...often after the introduction the "headhunter" may not hear from the school at all..and has to send a barrage of phone calls and visits just to get the school to respond to invoices or questions. A "headhunter" can not get you a better deal than yourself and will often stick you with a "sweetheat deal" worked out between them and the school...you are your own best client..