Job Discussion Forums

Sonnibarger · Joined: 15 May 2007 Posts: 320 Location: Wuhan

I got a PM today on Dave�s esl today. What do you guys think? Here it goes.

Hi

I saw your post on Dave's ESL Cafe. There's a vacancy at the school where I teach, as I'm finishing there in a few weeks' time. The name of the school is(pm me if u want. Don�t want to black list without exp). Students are mainly adults - most of them are planning to go abroad to work or study and are preparing for their IELTS exam.

It's a pretty good school as far as China goes - I've been here over a year and I'm only leaving because of my health, I don't think the Tianjin air agrees with me. Salary ranges from 5000-7000 RMB a month depending on experience. This is for 21 hours a week, and you get paid that rate even if you work less, which is sometimes the case. Additional hours are paid at the same hourly rate. I think 5000 is plenty to live on here - I usually spend only 2000-2500 a month.

If you're interested let me know. I will give you the email address of the Foreign Director to send your cv to. I of course will be happy to answer any questions you have.

Regards

What do you guys think? I don�t like the look of a couple things. Leaving on health, additional hours� Is the best case a FT getting out of a contract by finding replacement? Worst case?

Sonnibarger · Joined: 15 May 2007 Posts: 320 Location: Wuhan

I should add that the sender has only 11 posted to date. Not that quantity is quality but�

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

Tianjin is a hole embroidered with cheap glitter.

As for the air, the only things that thrive on the atmosphere are escaped plastic bags; tree tops are festooned with red, green and transparent cousins.

Dust and sewer stench wind animate the trash. Empty eyed eddies spin the rolling haze up and down the streets.

Tianjin is its own tacky garbage dump slowly piling up against the sun and moonrise; it exists somewhere between the first bite of an ice-cream and the moment its wrapper see-saws down and finally settles on the sidewalk.

The author of the PM has gotten wise. I did to, but made no sacrificial offering at leaving.

jamesmollo · Joined: 26 Apr 2007 Posts: 276 Location: jilin china

I wouldn't be conserned about 'over-time' that is optional. If the contract is for 21 hours then that's all you have to do.
Leaving for health reasons? this may be a case of finding a replacement to wave a breach penalty for leaving early. It really depends on the individual's contract, perhaps there is a clause pertaining to special circumstances, i don't know.
I don't know of the person or the city but it's maybe just someone wanting to help you and him/herself out of an awkward situation. Could work out well for both of you, if that's where you want to go, living/working conditions are acceptable....

Babala · Joined: 28 Jan 2005 Posts: 1303 Location: Henan

It sounds like the poster hasn't finished their contract and the school will only let them out of it if they find a replacement. I'd be careful. Based on the description they gave, it's a training centre.

jamesmollo · Joined: 26 Apr 2007 Posts: 276 Location: jilin china

concerned

james s · Joined: 07 Feb 2007 Posts: 676 Location: Raincity

therock · Joined: 31 Jul 2005 Posts: 1266 Location: China

Why not get the email from the person who gave you the pm and then contact the school? You have nothing to lose. Maybe the person is breaking their contract but that doesn't mean the school is bad.

You don't have to take the job, but having another option can't hurt.

5000 to 7000 for 21 teaching hours a week isn't too bad. But make sure you find out if there are any office hours on top of that. Or if you are required to be in the office when not teaching.

danswayne · Joined: 23 Apr 2006 Posts: 237

Does noone here think that advert stinks of recruiter, or is it only me who smells the stench the OP seems to be smelling also. From the looks of the posts before mine it looks like some of you might have been lucky and earned some of those millions of dollars coming from Nigeria.

vikdk · Joined: 25 Jun 2003 Posts: 1676

5000 - 7000 sounds like recruiter talk to me - a real FT would tell you how much he earns!!! Trying to explain to you that 5000 - minimum pay - is enough to live on - sounds very recruiter Exclamation

But as ever I'm prepared to eat my hat Laughing

jeffinflorida · Posted: Sun May 20, 2007 4:57 pm Post subject:

I got the same email sometime ago. Don't remember if it came to dave's on a pm or my private box but it was pretty much the same email.

NickD · Joined: 11 Sep 2005 Posts: 15 Location: SE Australia

I confess. It was me that sent the now not-so-private message. At the time it seemed innocent enough; the guy was inquiring about jobs in Tianjin, there's a vacancy at my school in Tianjin, so I asked him if he was interested.

It has been amusing reading the China experts deciphering and decoding my message to find within it all sorts of sinister motives. I especially liked the bloke claiming: "I got the same message too", as if I'm spamming everyone. Ah, no you didn't, mate - I've never pmed you in my life.

Anyway, I'm not a recruiter, and I'm not breaking my contract. My contract's up, and I said to my school - stupidly it seems - that I'd help them find a replacement after they told me how hard it is to find teachers at this time of year. Everything in the message is true - if the OP had wanted clarification on the parts in the message that smelt like fish or induced the "jaded" feeling in him, he just had to message me and I would've given him more information. I do worry however that already he's so cynical and mistrustful and he hasn't even left his country yet.

Anyway, just wanted to clarify things.

jeffinflorida · Posted: Tue May 22, 2007 1:24 pm Post subject:

danswayne · Joined: 23 Apr 2006 Posts: 237

If you did send the PM, and I have no reason not to trust you, can you tell us if you have ever been a recruiter for an ESL company or anyone else, perhaps the army or navy?

phis · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 250

Whoops! I've been known to send out the same type of PM (only two - and not the ones on this thread), but only as a general response to someone's query about working in China, and just stating that I am leaving a good job, and supplying a contact address if and when the person shows interest.

Fact is I am leaving at the end of my contract, but only because I want to go back to Indonesia for a year or so. There is no other reason for me to leave and I hope to return at sometime in the future. So really, there's no hidden agenda, just good intentions. Why put a 'China Newbie' through the nightmare of recruiters etc. and the unknown (to a newbie) horrors of the mills, when you can point them towards a good opportunity?

I'm sure that the majority of others who have done this have also acted with the best of intentions.