Job Discussion Forums

Da Lin · Joined: 03 Nov 2005 Posts: 1 Location: Xiamen China

Money is good. hours are long. Student's are great. No one is in Charge. HR Dept. makes up new policies and rules everyday. Teachers work in a paranoic atmosphere with no one to address their concerns. I just won a case aganst Kng's with the Xiamen Labour Relation's Board for fring me wthout any notice as per the contract resulting n King's payng me a month's salary. John Delaney mp 13959296094

YearOfTheDog · Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2005 6:35 am Post subject:

Thank you for that indepth report....

Lets look at the good and bad....

GOOD

-Good money-----> Do we get to hear an amount? What does good money mean?
-Good Students ------> Class size ok then? Curriculum?

BAD

-Poor HR.
-No rules all the time
-Disorganized
-Fired you for no reason......

I was wondering if you could add more to this...How was accomidations? How did you hear about this school? How many teachers do you work with? What were you hours like??? 20 hrs a week or 40 hrs a week?

I think there needs to be a format when posting about bad schools, not just they suck! Run for your lives.

jeffinflorida · Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 8:17 am Post subject: SCAM ALERT

I have been working for King's since May.

I can tell you what John says is true plus way more.

They are petty in every way. Everything is a fine and no one is in charge. Some girls who are tutors make up every rule.

But it's worse than that. While I was in the US they told me no problem they would get me an RP / Z visa. So when I got there they said they are not actullay licensed to get these yet so I must work on a tourist visa.

A Canadian teacher said they have been telling every teacher this same lie since she has worked there. So they lied to me from the beginning and can not legally hire teachers so everyone works illegally. Even worse than that you have to go to Honk Kong every month at your own expense on on your days off to get the 30 day extension.

King's International English has locations in Fuzhou, Xiamen, and Quanzhou and all should be avoided. They are owned by the same person and all teachers work on tourist visas and they have been raided once already.

SCAM WARNING FOR KING'S INTERNATIONAL ENGLISH AS THEY ARE TELLING TEACHERS TO COME ON A TOURIST VISA AND THEY WILL GET THEM AN RP / Z VISA WHEN THEY CAN NOT DO THIS.

Avoid this place at all costs. They lie and cheat. They owe me money and I doubt I will every get it back. They pay no medical, no airfare, no housing and take out taxes that they do not remit to the government. A teacher who tried get the 3000 bonus he was promised was told he would not get it - even though he completed the contract.

They are true scammers.

tw · Joined: 04 Jun 2005 Posts: 3898

Ah, so what goes around does indeed come acround.

chufeng · Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 32

OK, so don't take this the wrong way, but when you showed up and they said "Oops, we lied. We can't get you a legal visa, so you'll have to work illegally, on your own expense, of course" then WHY DID YOU STAY? Why not just go apply for another job, since there are about 5000 ads a day on various websites? (I ask this in all sincerity, I'm truly curious. I am looking right now, and it is a nervewracking process with all of the scammers out there, but if I showed up and something like that happened, I would just walk away.)

Shan-Shan · Joined: 28 Aug 2003 Posts: 1074 Location: electric pastures

I second this as yet unanswered question: "why stay?".

Despicable treatment blooms and sprouts from the misery all too many merry foreigners plant in the back gardens of rank language schools. These folk say some little prayer for better treatment every morning in the Ideal plastic Eden erected behind the Institute, that Image of China many have before arriving, and insist on keeping alive at great distress, and then waltz back inside the office for another day of getting stuck up the wazoo. Some perhaps like the feeling; those who would rather keep themselves from being ripped apart ought to leave!

If a school lies, and employs you illegally, you are also breaking the law! Get your Marco Polo head out of the gobi. Willfully accepting exploitation, you only help to perpetuate the vicious circle. China isn't all sweet grapes and incense. Sacrificing your integrity to remain in a position any monkey could fill makes you worse than those who brought you here on a lie, and manage to somehow keep you after the lie has been exposed over and over again.

englishgibson · Joined: 09 Mar 2005 Posts: 4345

Ladies and gents,
The OP's given a valid warning out. Wink

Thanks OP, and I am sure others have noticed. Wink

And OP, it's great you've done well against the center. Smile

Cheers and beers Very Happy

jeffinflorida · Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2006 11:37 am Post subject:

I stayed for only 2 months. Then left. I am a little naive - even for a New Yorker. mI belive them when they said RP in a month.

I will return to the US possibly soon but have not decided what to do yet.

A trip to the PSB to report this school will happen next week.

jeffinflorida · Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2006 11:38 am Post subject:

tw · Joined: 04 Jun 2005 Posts: 3898

Ger · Joined: 25 Feb 2004 Posts: 334

So what is the Chinese and English name of the person who owns all of the branch schools under King's...

Is it a HK owner? What with all this tripping to HK every month, I guess it might be an owner linked to HK schools - it is not York is it?

jeffinflorida · Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 11:21 am Post subject:

Malsol · Joined: 06 Mar 2006 Posts: 1976 Location: Lanzhou

HunanForeignGuy · Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Posts: 989 Location: Shanghai, PRC

Dear Jeff,

Thank you for the warning. I appreciated it.

I am befuddled by all of Malsol's comments suggesting that we turn this forum over to the employers so that they can post "their side of things".

I could be wrong but reading another thread started by Malsol I had gathered that he was fired from what he called a MacEnglish, whatever that is. He sent forth his long list of doleances and many answered.

By the same token, Malsol, might we ask you to ask the employer that terminated you to set forth THEIR side and THEIR doleances. I don't mean that really but what I do mean is that if you are asking Jeff to have the employer set forth his side regarding Jeff, surely you would wish to have the employer that terminated you set forth their side.

Regardless, when posters like Jeff, and the many others, take the time to put up warnings about schools in China all of us FTs should say thank you. No one is perfect here, that is for sure, and there are two sides to everything but I have been in China for enough years to know that the two sided business is quite lopsided -- I prefer to err on the side of the FT.

And TW, frankly, forgive me, your karma snippet was really not necessary. Never kick somebody when they are down and out -- because that ALSO goes around. Listen patiently and carefully and learn what they are saying.

Jeff, as I wrote in my PM, if you need help in finding another job here, PM please.

Sgt Killjoy · Joined: 26 Jun 2004 Posts: 438

Well, there are places where teachers can post, namely greylists like TeflWatch. I personally would post my experience on a greylist. Anyways, teacher's need to start sticking up for teachers and it seems like whenever we see a negative report on a school, several people pop, unfamiliar with the situation, to say hey, it's the teacher's fault.