Job Discussion Forums

kepotts · Joined: 17 Apr 2007 Posts: 29 Location: Ganzhou, Jiangxi

Due to the lack of positive posts, I felt it my duty to write about my university. I am a 1st time ESL teacher in China, and for a 1st job I could not ask for a frienlier or more cooperative place to work. Gannan Normal University is in Ganzhou, Jiangxi province, which is kind of a small town, not for you if you want to "stay Western", but a nice place to immerse yourself in the Chinese way of things. The school has lived up to everything they have promised to do and more. So far so good. I think they are always looking for more foreign teachers as well, so let me know if you have any questions!! I hope everyone else is having a good year so far also.

SnoopBot · Joined: 21 Jun 2007 Posts: 740 Location: USA

Sorry, I don't wish to be coy or rude but your posting sounds like it was written in Chinglish. Maybe you were tired when posting, sometimes I do this too.

I am mentioning this because many of us FT's are suspicious of stellar reports in this industry. We view everything with high suspicion due to the high level of scams most of us have experienced. When we see positive reports we tend to try to "read between the words."

Are you a non-native speaker by chance? If so, we will not come to the conclusion some Chinese teacher aid was instructed to post a positive report here on Dave's.

I apologize if I am wrong in my assumption.

AussieGuyInChina · Joined: 23 Nov 2006 Posts: 403

TingBuDong · Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 5:38 am Post subject:

Nothing wrong with sharing positive experiences. I'm in my second year at a school I've been quite happy with (Hexi University in Zhangye, Gansu province). It's small and remote with a low salary, but I'm here to immerse myself in China and learn the language so I'm quite happy with it.

kepotts · Joined: 17 Apr 2007 Posts: 29 Location: Ganzhou, Jiangxi

That's fine Snoopbot if you think I am not a native English speaker, I was prepared for some doubts being posted. I am actually from St. Louis, MO and have only been in China about 2 months. I am by no means Chinese. My main goal was to share about my positive teaching experiences. I hope somebody takes some good from it.

Teatime of Soul · Joined: 12 Apr 2007 Posts: 905

kepotts: Thanks for your contribution.

As previously pointed out, positive posts are often looked at with great scrutiny and suspicion. That's due to "planted" school reviews.

Here are some tips for getting higher credibility and acceptance of positive reviews:

1. Have a credible post count. When someone posts about their wonderful two years at a school, on their first post, it raises eyebrows.

2. Get past the 90 day honeymoon period. Wait to see how your school handles your first big "misunderstanding" about holiday pay, etc. before making a judgment.

Thanks again and don't be a stranger.

SnoopBot · Joined: 21 Jun 2007 Posts: 740 Location: USA

AussieGuyInChina · Joined: 23 Nov 2006 Posts: 403

Snoopbot

I think that telling a native speaker of English that his / her writing reads like Chinglish is fundamentally disrespectful, regardless of how much sugar-coating is employed.

And the fact that you thought kepott's message was possibly written by a non-native user of English, regardless of your perception that it was written in a "short, choppy posting style", raises the question of your knowledge of English.

Telling it like I see it, Snoopbot. By all means, feel free to respond, but no further comment from me.