Job Discussion Forums

[senorfay]

hello,

My name is Tom and I'm writing concerning a bad company in Harbin. The name of the company is the Heilongjiang Center for Modern Education and Higher Learning or something along those lines. Their contacts are a woman named 'Jenny' (chinese) and a man named 'Sebastian' (canadian).

I came to this company in October. I'll admit that I didn't do my homework concerning bad companies, but now I know.

This company works with the local public school system.

I knew I was in for a rocky ride the first day I came when my 'school furnished apartment' was a dorm room in a boys' dormitory that is pad-locked at night after 9pm. Fortunately, I had never signed a contract. No one asked me to. They actually told me that by accepting the job the contract was signed, although I never once signed a contract with a representative from the company. From there things got worse.

The books did not arrive for my classes until two weeks after the term began. My students were all college-aged men and women who failed the high school exit exam. Needless to say, my students were unmotivated, but I was prepared for underdogs and I made myself into the king of the underdogs. My students enjoyed their classes and some even learned something.

But this is not about the students. This is about the company. After a lackluster semester where I learned that many of the students had been tricked into taking the english classes (they wrote on their application that they wanted to be in the radio journalism program or the surveying program or the police training program, but then they were put in the business english program. When students complained they were put in the wrong program, the owner of our company told them it was too late for them to switch programs. I lost a lot of students that way... they stopped coming to class. Often times I heard students on the phone complaining to their parents that they had been tricked into taking classes they did not want.)

Winter break came. A two and a half month winter break that was unpaid. My company told me I could not work for any other companies during this holiday. I asked for other classes and they told me they'd see about it, but I never heard back. During this break, I left Harbin to travel. I hadn't picked up my December pay because my flight left before it was ready. I told my contact at the company, 'Jenny' that I would collect my pay when I came back.

When I came back, I called the 'Center'. I arranged to meet them a few days later to pick up my money. When I met with the woman to receive my paycheck, it was sufficiently short. I asked why there was money missing. She told me she couldn't get all the money but that she would pay me in full at the end of the break. I was upset by this news. I told her I was upset and said there could be problems if I did not see all my money when we met again in a month.

A month went by and in the meantime a friend of mine who also worked for this company found a job with a different company that he claimed was much better. I decided I would give the 'Center' a chance to pay me in full before I left them.

The fateful day came when I was to collect the money that was owed me. Again she was 2000RMB short. I told the contact that this was the last straw and that problems were to ensue. My friend became the hiring manager to this new company. He offered me a job at a primary school that I took. I worked a day at this primary school and it was a breath of fresh air. There were teacher assistants (the other company did not have them). The students were motivated and happy to learn (at the other school this was not the case). I felt like things were structured well (not at all the case at the other school).

That afternoon I went to my old company to formally quit in person. When I did so, I was met with threats that the police could be involved, that I was under contract, and that what I was doing was illegal. I told them that I had never signed a contract and that if I had they were still breaking it by not paying me on time. At that point they flipped out and went through all their files to find a contract that doesn't exist. I stayed for an hour to see if they could find anything and they did not. I left. That is when my problems really began.

Four days later I was notified by a contact with my new company that my old company had followed me to my new school. The follower told the new school that I was working there illegally and that they could lose their license because of that. The 'Center' sent letters to my landlord, the police, and the education ministry as well as my embassy slandering me. Meanwhile my new company went through their own channels to secure a new work and residence permit as well as a foreign expert license.

My friend who also quit on the same day as I did went through similar problems. I warned him that he might be followed. The next day he spotted the person following him and confronted the follower. The police became involved and they spoke to our new boss with the owner of our old company as well as 'Jenny'.

It turned out that our old company were made to look like fools. Repeatedly the police said they could do nothing about the issue and they tried to leave. I was not there for this confrontation, but my friend can elaborate for me.

As it stands now, I am being taken to court in a month or two. Unfortunately my old company does not have a solid case, but they do have forged contracts. I am not worried because by the time that happens I will have new documents making me legal to work for my new company.

This is a warning to all those who think things will be gravy when they come to work here. Now things are gravy. I work for a decent company at a decent school, but before it was crap. A bad company will use coersion and lies to keep you with them. They will withhold pay. They will treat their students like garbage. I could go on and on about the classrooms filled with bugs, the exploding waterpipes in dormitories, etc... just to save a few RMB here and there.

Be careful... my friend who I worked with and who also left, claims he did his homework, but I did not do mine.

That's about it... my friend can fill in the details.

-TOM from San Francisco

[Areut]

WoW that is crazy! Good luck!

[cj750]

[7969]

[cj750]

My advice is to pay a lawyer for a number of his cards..and then drop them on the table...front ..when you cant afford..I agree with 7969 that this is likely just a front..

[HunanForeignGuy]

Thanks, Tom, but an even bigger warning to all.

This SAME woman and this SAME creep of a man also operate, or have operated, in Chengdu and in Shengyan. She has changed her repeatedly over the last three or four years, calling herself at one point, Winnie, then Shirley, then God knows what else. She has not changed her modus operandi at all but she has changed the company from Islet Education to Inland Education to the current name, etc., etc. She is nominally married to a man who has interests in massage parlors, hair salons, travel agencies, taxi companies, etc., hope you all get the picture what that means. She is perfectly insane.

Tom, let them take you to court. In your shoes, I would counterclaim big time.

They trained the hardline cr*p in the other places where they operated or did operate and it didn't fly in the end.

I really feel bad for you, believe me on this one.

[mount real]

I am the other teacher Tom mentioned in his opening post. All the things he mentioned happened to me as well, and let me add a few things. The company's contract (which I did not sign as well), mentionned an apartment allowance of 700Y a month. After discussing this over the phone with Sebastian (the Canadian recruiter) while still in Canada, he confirmed I could choose the appartment and would be given this amount every month to pay for it. Upon arrival, they told me I had to pay the entire year's rent out of my own pocket and would take the amount off my paycheck for the first few months. This amounted to over half my pay, and had not warned me before arriving (or I would have never accepted this job). They gave me no choice in the matter and I ended up making about 2500Y a month because of this. Then, Sebastian just casually asked me: "So, what will you do during the 2 month winter break? We have no classes for you." This is my first job in China, I didn't know I would be without income for 2 months, and I had worked previously for 2 years in Korea, where this didn't happen. In fact, those happened to be the 2 busiest months of the year. I had asked him tons of questions over the phone before coming over and he never mentioned this. I immediately asked them to help me find some classes over this holiday; I didn't come to China to just sit around doing nothing. He said not to worry, this company had so many contacts, that no way would I be left unemployed over the holiday. This was in October. From that meeting until the end of December I regularly inquired about the classes for January and February--don't worry, they told me, you will have more classes then you can handle. Well, January and February came, and they found me a grand total of ZERO classes. None. I asked them at the end of December if they could take the final amount for the apartment in March--after all, I would be without work for a long time, I would need money. Sorry again, they said, but we need to close the books for 2006 and that just wouldn't be right logistically. However, they did offer me to take a loan for the exact amount they took off my paycheck (??). During the break, friends and even perfect strangers offered me work and I found my new company this way. The company that brought me over and was supposed to look out for me left me high and dry. In early February I scheduled a meeting with the person I thought was the boss (turns out the 2 ladys who own this company go by the same English name, Helen). I sat in the office with the fake boss and a "translator", the aformentioned Jenny. I aired all my grievances and was told quite unconvincingly that all would be better in the next term. Then my friend Tom was withheld his pay for no apparent reason, and we decided to quit the company. There was no mention of a penalty for quitting the company in the contract, which again, I didn't sign. As said in the OP, the company then sent a lackey to wait outside our homes and follow us wherever we went. I noticed and confronted the driver; soon enough a meeting happened in the office of my new boss. The 2 Helens and Jenny were there, as well as 2 police officers and my new boss. The police were literally laughing at the 2 Helens and completely took my side. The police told us all to meet at the police station the following Monday and to bring each side's respective contract. My boss and I were there on time at the police station the following Monday, with my unsigned contract. After waiting with the policeman for over an hour, the fake boss came in with a letter slandering both Tom and I, and requesting a court appearance (no date was mentionned). When I showed this woman my unsigned contract, she mentionned it was only a draft. I made sure to show her and the police the official seal of the school on my contract---it also appeared on the slanderous letter. I told her that if this contract were only a draft, or meaningless, then this slanderous letter bearing the exact same seal would be as well. Then she left. They tried to make me come by another police station last week but after consulting with my new boss we both decided I should not go, as it seemed quite obvious they were only trying to waste my time. As it stands now, there is that slanderous letter in the police stations of Harbin, the Education Bureau of Heilongjiang and Tom and mine's respective embassies (or so this company says). In the meantime they have replaced Tom and I with a missionnary and his son at their college. For anyone considering a job with this company, don't!!! And I would stay away from any company promising a monthly allowance for your apartment. Get them to provide you with one and insist this be in the contract. I had thought I had done my homework sufficiently before accepting this job--apparently I had not. I had thought my mixed experiences in 2 years in Korea would have prepared me for dealing with such a fraudulant organisation. It did not. Be careful, and if you can, come to China first and check out the school you want to work for. I wouldn't wish this experience on anyone. Jett aka Mount Real

[patsy]

i'm really sorry for what you both have had to go through. it is so necessary to even check out the school if you live in another province. I thought i was so smart having lived in xining for 8 years, but have been burned by a 'university" which is more of a boarding school in Hunan.

[jeffinflorida]

I have been working for my company for almost 2 months and only signed the contract today - after I drafted my own addendum listing clarifactions to the contract including things like overtime ( no mention of it in the contract), holiday pay, and the term they uses that I will work AT LEAST 20 hours a week.

Check out this prase that was in my contract:

[kev7161]

Yeah, I'm negotiating with my school for a third year and I'm requesting changes. I had them put I would work UP TO my maximum hours, in case there's a slow week or something and I get out of there early. Fewer hours would not incur a penalty.

I also told them they MUST pay me overtime this year - I requested 75 per extra hour - they agreed but didn't have it in the 1st draft contract.

I guess that's one of the main keys when accepting a job, is to go over that contract with a fine toothed comb. Isn't there a contract sticky at the top of this page? Regardless, I'll bet there's a lot of teachers that get screwed over that we never hear about here at Dave's. What a mess!

[FuzzX]

Wow is that all... man you guys are such whiners...

Try this: Company steals passport from room, DOS threatens to kill teacher if he leaves and calls authorities to look for him after he does, later sends notes telling him, teacher owes 6000 and is in the process of arranging a lawyer in teacher�s home country.

Korea.

Company does not arrange for visa, Company fails to pay 200 for �lack of qualifications�. Company fails to pay half of paycheck for training fees and intro fees. Company sues ex-teacher then tells replacement not to leave or the same will happen to him. Company owner? Canadian and Japanese.

Japan.

Company has never heard of TESOL or CELTA. Company does not arrange for visa. Housing turns out to be DOS�s apartment (Not cleaned in months), mold and mildew on walls, dirty dishes left in sink. School tells teacher�mysterious person, later found out to be DOS is allowed to use the apartment whenever he likes-apartment has 1 bed�. �new offer now that your here� 400 less than qouted. School beside house to monitor where teacher is. Ex-teacher leaving (on a midnight run) as I arrive.

Company interviews teacher, very enthusiastic. Introduces teacher to other..... questionable sexual preference teachers. Tells teacher very good salary of 300 US per month. Tells teacher he is allowed to stay and sleepover at School anytime he likes. Shows teacher (Guest room). Bed shows signs of use (YES THAT), strange marks on walls, bedroom located in very small crampt basement. DOS (Male) tells teacher he can�t wait to get started. Job not taken.

Brazil.

Wallstreet qoutes teacher 500 dollars a month for over 60 hours of work.
NLC offers 5 dollars per 1 30 class. Lowest offered is 3 dollars an hour.

Supposedly a good (school) wage in mexico.

I�ve been around enough now to know when someone is trying to *beep* me... unless you work for yourself theres alot more of that in the world, Don�t let it get you down though.... its all part of being an english teacher.... why do you think women love us so much

Did it, Done it, Do the dew.