Job Discussion Forums

[upchuckles]

[tw]

Come on now, upchuckles, cut the guy some slack will ya? I think he's learned his lesson and is under enough stress already without needing anymore insults.

[Shan-Shan]

[therock]

[Shan-Shan]

[cj750s]

[jonathanj]

To all those bashing me because I ran: screw all of you. They lied to me on many occasions, and I am the 6th person to leave in a matter of two weeks. First off, my contract says two days off a week, I get one. My contract says no more than 10 students in a class. I get sent to some Junior high schools that combine classes and I have 90 students. That is 9 times more than what it states in my contract. They told me I would be teaching 20, 45 minute classes. I have been teaching for 28 hours a week, with no extra pay. I asked them before I started work, if I was being farmed out to different schools, they said no. I teach at 4 different schools in a week. They also told me that they would never give me morning classes if I had night classes the night before. Well, I have classes end at 10, and then start at 8 the next morning. I also have some friends that are owed money from the school, and they refuse to pay.

If all of this is not lying, then I don't know what is. I also didn't steal any money from them. I get paid on the 1st of the month for the previous month's work. I returned all my books, and anything else that had me tied to the school.

And about me "missing my mommy"...give me a break. I have been teaching in Japan for over 2 years, and finally decided to give China a chance. The cheating here is unbearable. I know people will say I am cheating as well, but I see it as trying to get away from working illegally, for a company that doesn't give a shit about me or my hard work, as well as being lied to on a daily basis, not knowing if I'll even get my pay next month. To me, my decision is justified.

I agree with tw that I shouldn't have dragged my gf into this, but she wanted to help me out and we both believed at the time that this was the best approach. I never imagined a company would hire goons to do their dirty work. It seems like the worst is done, but, it has only been a few days since. [/b]

[A Token of My Extreme]

[jeffinflorida]

[kev7161]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: If a job is truly horrible and the employer is not playing by the rules (contract) then I support anyone's decision to leave. However, I'd be curious to know:

First off, my contract says two days off a week, I get one. What did your employers say when you pointed this out in your contract and asked them to follow what they promised you in writing?

My contract says no more than 10 students in a class. I get sent to some Junior high schools that combine classes and I have 90 students. That is 9 times more than what it states in my contract. What did your employers say when you pointed this out in your contract and asked them to follow what they promised you in writing?

They told me I would be teaching 20, 45 minute classes. I have been teaching for 28 hours a week, with no extra pay. Was this an ORAL agreement or written in the contract somewhere? If in the contract, what did your employers say when you pointed this out in your contract and asked them to follow what they promised you in writing? By the way, "teaching" and "working" are two different things. Were you teaching for 28 hours or did you truly have 20 classes but had to spend extra time in lesson prep, office hours, commuting, etc.?

I asked them before I started work, if I was being farmed out to different schools, they said no. I teach at 4 different schools in a week. Was this an ORAL assurance or written in the contract somewhere? If in the contract, what did your employers say when you pointed this out in your contract and asked them to follow what they promised you in writing?

They also told me that they would never give me morning classes if I had night classes the night before. Well, I have classes end at 10, and then start at 8 the next morning. Was this an ORAL agreement or written in your contract somewhere? If in the contract, what did your employers say when you pointed this out in your contract and asked them to follow what they promised you in writing?

See, I think the OP's been in China long enough (2 years or more, right?) that he should know that written contracts are practically worthless but ORAL agreements are NOTHING here. Lying has become an artform here. So to anyone coming to China and reading this thread, remember to get EVERYTHING in writing. If they are screwing you over like the OP apparently has been, document the date and time and incidents, make copies of course, present said copy to your employer along with a copy of your contract with sections highlighted pointing out how they are breaching the contract and things need to change or you will take legal action. If you let them do these things to you for 3, 4, 5 months or more, then they are going to do it more and more and think it's alright to do so. If you nip it in the bud after the 1st or 2nd incidence, then you may actually be able to establish a professional working relationship with them.

Now, back to the OP -- DID you point all these things out to them and, if so, what were their responses? Did these things become issues before or after you decided you didn't like the city in which you were working? Again, I'm just curious, not pointing fingers or anything.

[jeffinflorida]

[HunanForeignGuy]

to the OP,

Of all of the posts in this thread, some of them sanctimonious, some of them acrimonious, none is more accurate IMHO than the post Jeff made about two or three posts above this one here.

He is completely on the mark with what he writes -- completely.

Don't think that China is a parlor game in Savannah, Georgia around afternoon tea and crumpets. It's as vicious as it gets around here.

Almost everything that the OP writes about I have endured in this hellhole of school that I am leaving.

18 classes, 40 minutes each...contract can only be changed in writing...orally changed to 18 classes, 50 minutes each...we point out breach of contract and they sign an agreement that they will pay us and they still don't...over a year, it figures out to be nearly 6 weeks pay.

Paid on time? What a joke... Benefits paid or paid on time? What a joke...

Living conditions? Not bad if you can scream enough and often, etc.., etc., etc...fires in the teachers' apts, assaults, robberies, snakes, etc.

There were 14 teachers here. 5 bailed the first semester...some just pulled runners...some were terminated on trumped up charges...at the end of the year, all of the teachers are leaving except one...Lies and lies and lies and lies and threats and threats and threats...

one foreign teacher here was actual struck and beaten by a "leader"....

end of contract? a battle to get the letter of release and letter of recommendation...

and then, if this school learned where the foreign teachers were going, they would call the new school and sleaze the foreign teachers.

and this is a so-called "government school".

Our solution? A costly adventure to the people's court for sure...

one teacher just pulled a last minute runner at the end of the term on Saturday...didn't turn in any paperwork, grades, nothing...probably will not be the only one..simply couldn't take it anymore.

So is Jeff correct? Yes, absolutely, for sure 100%. Like Dorothy said in the Wizard of Oz, "this ain't Kansas anymore".

[jonathanj]

[kev7161]

I think you had/have every right to leave that school if what you say is true (and I have no doubt it is). But I guess my main point to you and to any "newbie" reading this thread is not to put up with the BS beyond a couple of times of incident. Sadly, I know it's hard to just pack up and leave if you don't have the money, but these guys were really pushing you around with those fake contracts and telling you one thing yet doing another. I don't know what I would've done had I been in your shoes but after that first paycheck where I DIDN'T get paid for the extra work, I probably would've done my 20 classes and then not a one after that.

[Teatime of Soul]

HFG: