Job Discussion Forums

[kev7161]

After reading a recent poster on his woes with a (now) former employer and how he felt compelled to cut and run - - - and he's certainly not the first nor will he be the last - - I have to wonder, what is the final straw that would cause (or has caused) you to leave a school before fulfilling the contract? Let's say you have a dozen or so criteria (in your contract?) that the school has "promised":

working/teaching hours
pay day
OT pay
living quarters at a certain standard
class sizes
teaching materials
bonus pays, travel allowance, living stipend, etc.
"friendly cooperation" from the school and FAO
and on and on and on . . .

What would cause you to just say, "Enough! I quit!" and then pack up and leave? Would you try and reason with them first or just let the pot simmer until it started to boil over?

I ask these things because we all read time and again about this horrible school or that horrible language mill and I know they are out there. My first school was pretty bad in many areas, but I wouldn't call it HORRIBLE. I was naive and green that first year and so I put up with this and that but the second year it really started to get to me. However, I did end up finishing my contract but several teachers that first year (and maybe a couple the second, I can't remember) left in a huff. Now, of course, I'm in a good situation, but if things suddenly went sour, I still can't see myself fleeing until after I've fulfilled my contract. Then again, being in this for more than 4 years, I know most of the pitfalls to look out for.

Okay, I'm rambling now. Would love to read what other people would and have put up with and what prompted you to finally break your contract (or work your contract but leave at the end of it).

[jeffinflorida]

The truth for me is I have a problem dealing with the chinese mentality - not just where i work or worked but overall.

Maybe it is the profane amout of general stupidity that prevails in china and i have issues dealing with a society that as a whole generally has no common sense or what seems to be inteliigent life...

It's like I live on Mars somedays... A mars where there are many bodies and not even a common brain...

( The puppet masters without inteligence...).

[lychee]

Kev
At first I thought you meant leaving China. Honestly what would make me leave a school, would be rude, uninterested students and no backing from admin, I would be out of there to attend my poor mother's third funeral.

I have even stopped an adult class of students who were paying for the class themselves and said, I can't go on with this class, you are tired, busy and I don't want to take your money. They pleaded with me to continue with the class but I refused. What we do now is instead of a class we meet socially once a week and finish out the contract, no payment we go out to a restaurant or to my home. I feel a lot better about this.

The classes I have at the moment are a pleasure. If i have that feeling oh no I have to go to class, I seriously want to pass.

This is the beauty of being a freelance teacher. I am not locked into year long contracts

[nickpellatt]

Im still a newbie and have experienced nothing negative so far....I must be lucky eh?

I think the only thing that would really get me to leave, would be not getting paid.

I may get flamed for this...but I get the impression many people bail out on their contract far to easily in this game..

I have seen posts in the past where people moan about their contract...for example, they signed up for 15 hours a week...but they assumed this was 15 teaching hours...with class hours being 40 minutes...then they moan if the school make them take 20 classes or more.

As far as employers being difficult to deal with. Well, I have had my fair share of employers in the Uk who are a nightmare...I honestly cant imagine anyone in China being worse, or more dishonest than some of my previous employers.

Large classes, no materials...or things not quite as you imagined. No reason to walk IMO...once again, when have you ever had a job where everything was the same as it was promised at interview?

Im not saying some schools dont break terms of contract and deserve to lose people...but by the same token...I do think some people look to jump ship easily...

[tw]

In all fairness, if I had been in jonathanj's shoes I would've bolted too. I bolted from a school once, but it was not a runner as I hadn't signed a contract yet. Perhaps I was too impatient and had a much lower tolerance level than I do now and should have grinded it out. Looking back now, I often tell myself it was better than working at the language training centre that was not legally allowed to hire FT's. I had problems like substandard housing (nothing more than a dormitory room with private bathroom and a tiny little kitchen); 13 hours changing to 16 hours (back then I didn't know classes with FT's are usually two blocks); being badmouthed behind the back by school administration; and finally, being told to sign a nine or ten-month long contract with one-way airfare -- even though I'd been told it'd be OK to sign a six-month contract. Those, along with the isolation resulted from school lockdown because of SARS and other lies and BS I had to put up with, made it an easy decision to leave.