Job Discussion Forums

[MITCH]

Formal Complaint to the Foreign ESL Community.

From: Foreign teacher residing in Huizhou.

Against: CILC/Candy Tsui � owner. (�Hong Kong Management�)

http://www.teachenglishinchina.com/aboutus.htm

The school operates with the following names:
China International Language Centre (Huizhou) / CILC. / Da Hua.
Chase Dragon Language Centre (Hong Kong)
China Connection Education Service.

www.deenglish.com
www.chasedragonhk.com
www.teachenglishinchina.com

Emails: [email protected]
Tel 86-752-2284499 Huizhou.
Tel: 852-2524-8248. Hong Kong.

Crimes:

1. Not paying the last principal of the school for 4 months - July 2006. He got his money after he borrowed 100kg of office equipment from the school, and said, �You want the equipment back, then pay my salary�. And she still calls the former principal her friend. Needless to say he no longer works there.
2.1 Deception. Website shows various CILC teachers, none of which actually teach for the mother company nor CILC, nor any referred school in Huizhou. I wonder why?

2.2 Their license 049 � SAFEA. But there is no safeguard that China International Language Centre will be ethical. They don�t follow the standard SAFEA contract, nor the deceptive one displayed on their website.

3. Not Being Fair. They also include clauses like:

9.9 The Employee shall respect the Dahua CILC Centre's effort in recruiting customers and students. The Employee shall not conclude any direct deal with the Centre's customers and students nor provide any training or academic support to them without the Centre's consent, this restriction shall continue to apply for 1 years after termination of this appointment and the employee shall not join our competitors in Huizhou for 1 years after the contract termination.�

Meaning you cannot work in that city immediately after your contract with them, because all language centers in Huizhou are their competitors. In other words you are unemployable. They make you unemployable.

4. Tricky. The contract is only 5 months, to avoid paying for holidays, and if they wish making you unemployable.

5. ??? Not signing the contract after you sign it. The present principal Steven Mok from Hong Kong did not sign the contract. I have a suspicion that although he is working there, he is not there legally.

I am appalled and angry that this organization exists to try and manipulate and to succeed in manipulating FT�s and to implement their Hong Kong management, which is supposedly an advantage on local Chinese management.

Nothing I suggested to the HK owner Candy was taken into consideration.

It�s this attitude of manipulation and of trying to control, and of not keeping one�s word.

6. Dishonesty. Not professional enough. I finally had an interview with her, but she cancelled the first one, and reset the day, didn�t turn up, then called me a few days later and said �can you come into the office as soon as possible� for the interview, as I am in Huizhou now.

7. The breach penalty is 5000 rmb. Is that standard?

A. What I want to know is, are there really any rules in China? That is followed?
Who and what is the industry watchdog?

Not the courts, not SAEFA, not anyone except the sincere FT�s and the sincerely run foreign schools collectively.

B. My recommendation is play it safe by working with a foreign (Western) owned and administered schools. It�s not fool proof, but it improves your chances of a happy stay.

C. Finally don�t be deceived that there are so many positive comments/ testimonials about these organizations. The fact is this �Good Person� Candy Tsui has stepped out of line too many times and it�s time to act.

Can we Blacklist her and the above organizations.

NB* MITCH stands for Mates of International Teachers in CHina.

[Steppenwolf]

If that principal has been the only one the training centre tried to cheat, then I wonder what basis we have to blacklist them?" SUrely the school has its own reasons for acting in this way towards ONE FORMER EMPLOYEE but not to others? IT would be revealing if they provided us with an answer!

NOt sure what to make of your other complaints; some of them sound pretty common. Did they pay better than their competitors? Did they hire you legally?

I have some misgivings; if they didn't hire you legally why did you accept to enter into a contract with them?

Their attempts at circumventing holiday pay cannot be construed to be exploitative; they are a training centre, aren't they? TCs usually pay holidays in proportion to your contractual employment, no matter whether you work for them for 5 months or half a year!

The clause forbidding you from working for one of their competitors is quite normal in training centres under international management - EF also has such clauses.

So, again, I would ask you: what lured you to them? Was it outstandingly good remunerations?

[MITCH]

Quote: If that principal has been the only one the training centre tried to cheat, then I wonder what basis we have to blacklist them?" SUrely the school has its own reasons for acting in this way towards ONE FORMER EMPLOYEE but not to others? IT would be revealing if they provided us with an answer!

Steppenwolf, you raise some good questions.

1. If the principal of a school (FT) had not been paid for 4 months, and there was no sign of him being paid in the future, due to Candy's inability to pay/unwillingness to pay/delaying of payment, then isn't that reason enough to say this school has some problem, and you should be weary of her/them.

Payment of salary is probably the most important issue in any business. And what FT's care about the most. It's the bottem line, the bread and butter. It puts the food on the table.

Let me ask you a question Steppenwolf? Have you ever had your salary withdrawn like that? Only those who have know what it's like to be conned, cheated, etc.

Just that issue alone is enough to BLACKLIST.

But there is far more to the CILC.

The former principal, whom i know better than any person in China, apart from myself, put his heart and his soul into this language centre. Worked 12 hour days not for extra pay. Built a strong friendship over several years with the owner Candy, hence he was hired as the Principal in Da Hua. What did he receive in return for his years of friendship and loyalty?

If your good friend and employer whom you've known fror at least 3 years withholds your pay for 4 months how would you feel? Basically it rips your heart out.

This lady Candy has no feeling for friends nor loyalty, is willing to rip the heart out of her "friends" and employees.

Just that issue is enough to BLACKLIST her and any organization she has set up.

But there is more.

2. I was the person that Candy made other promises to on the phone, in the interview room, and when the contract was finally delivered by her new "Principal"/administrator Stephen, it had no mention of what had been discussed previously. And the contract was not the same as that represented on the website.

Are you saying that deception is ok in China because it's ethical in China?

I was given a basic teaching contract teaching whenever and whereever they wanted me to, and i stipulated i didn't want to work weekends, but all of it was ignored. There were other issues too, such as sales commissions, but it was ignored. She listened, openly agreed with me, but didn't put it into print.

Finally i was given the contract to sign, cos i know Candy is such a good person, and she comes across that way, very relateable and someone i can trust, and then neither did she, nor principal Stephen sign it. So the FT can sign, but we don't have to sign, and you don't get a copy of the signed contract. And then they want me to teach on the Sunday.

I know of several foreign teachers, who used to work there that no longer work there cos their contracts were not renewed. For some strange reason people don't want to stay on for a second term.

All those FT's, whose photos are advertised on the website (who are supposed teachers of the organization/"Our Teachers") haven't been at Da Hua for years.

I can tell you more about the "attitude" of those two... but lets keep it on the topic specifically, the big reasons for blacklisting.

Other people's comments most welcome.

P.s. One very important aspect of having integrity is honesty, and keeping one's committments.

She and her school should not have a SAFEA license #49, if she is willing to withhold payment.

Where can our Principal friend go to get his money back. No lawyer will back him, unless they get money up front. If you haven't been paid for 4 months what can someone in his situation do?

[poopsicola]

It is not uncommon for ft's to be screwed in China but, though not uncommon, the screwing is nonetheless cause for vexation and complaint.

It is a pity that posters, some indeed with quite abysmal work records in China who have complained long and loud here and elsewhere about the dreadful treatment they have had at the hands of employers, are often the greatest doubting Thomases with regard to other people's misfortunes. My God, I recall one who moaned until the cows came home about the Shunde No. 2 Kindergarten some years back and another who was shafted to Shandong and another who was in trouble with the police through no fault, he said, of his own but that same poster, no longer on this board, mercifully, never had a kind word for anyone else in their troubles.

We should all at least note complaints and warnings such as those of the OP, not automatically assume all writers of complaints do so in bad faith. After all, this is a community board and we should do our best to support one another. If, in doubt, then gentle questioning might be in order - but snide comments are quite another thing.

[MITCH]

Keep them coming, i love them.

I've been in China for more than 9 years, not someone who is thinking about having an ESL career, nor someone with a scratchy record, but someone who has been here and there, been ripped off a few times, bounced back, has walked the walk, and now it's time to talk the talk.

I'm genuinely complaining about someone from first had experience. It's my first online complaint in 10 years. I'm not doing this cos i'm a whinger. I don't give a rats .... about my situation, but what i do care about is how other people will get treated/conned by this charlatan.

There's another job around the corner.

I love your comments.

[Steppenwolf]

What I am genuinely curious about is this: did that Candy character perhaps fall out with your principal friend over some business issue between the two of them?
MIght she have expected your friend to co-invest in the school?

The perspective from a third party always looks somewhat subjective, doesn't it?

I have no doubt there are more cowboy employers in China than in most other countries, and I have had my own share in misery and mistreatment.
Still, I have so far fared better than most over several years, seldom lost any money.

[englishgibson]

Hey candy-wolf, you love poking into it, don'cha? Subjects are subjective, aren't they?

OP, I am familiar with that school and their "advertising routine". The more names a company advertises itself under, the more risky it might be to accept its offers.

[MITCH]

Steppenwolf, thanks for your post, and interest in the topic.

1. The former principal of DaHua / CILC Huizhou from now on shall be called (FPFT).

I said I know him well, very well and that is still true. But I don�t have daily contact with him. I bump into him in the street and say �hi, how are you?� and that�s about as far as it goes. I used to socialize with this guy, and I know him very well over a period of 6 months, with many communications.

But, there is no vendetta against Candy, because of my friend. This is purely a complaint about her lack of integrity, not because I have an emotional attachment/friendship with the FPFT.

2. My opinion:
The communications were cut by the FPFT, after he received his 4 months worth of salary. And that was only after he used his creativity to get his salary. He was not given what he asked for, which was up to the end of the next pay period (he no longer wanted to work for free, and wanted an assurance of being paid part of a months salary up front, so that he could continue his work. The trust had gone at that point.

Why did Candy withhold his salary for 4 months?

We can only assume. When I met with her at my interview, I thought it was impolite to ask her this question. I didn�t want to rub her the wrong way at my interview. She is a shrewd business operator, and the prospect of working with her organization attracted me, because of the connections with BJ govt, and SAEFA, etc.

But when I saw from first hand the dealings, then I decided not to trust her, cos I know she doesn�t trust foreigners any more herself. She eliminates the need to trust, by implementing a very strict contract.

But what I can�t accept is that she doesn�t trust me, nor do her actions reflect what she says. Well not in a timely manner anyway. She may have come good in the long run, like she "may have" paid the FPFT in a few months time. With me, she didn�t pay close enough attention to my requirements, and was not willing to give me what I wanted and she just didn�t do what we had agreed.

Steppenwolf wrote:

[MITCH]

*Beware*Beware*Beware*Beware*Beware*Beware*Beware*Beware*

China Connection Service is currently advertising heavily for ESL teachers for CILC Huizhou.

*Beware*Beware*Beware*Beware*Beware*Beware*Beware*Beware*

I encourage someone else to check this company out thoroughly for yourself. Not just take my word for it. When i say thoroughly, i mean take a 5 month stint (half year program), in the center of deceit.

I dare you.

[MITCH]

China Connection Service writes: