Job Discussion Forums

[Seth]

Anyone have any info on this school? Mr. Woogie? My school has informed me that they might not be able to afford to keep me (thanks be to God), so I've been scouting around on the net. I've been in email contact and phone contact with this school, it seems well enough.
How is Hangzhou now? Beautiful, I would assume, but anything would be beautiful after Luoyang.

[senor boogie woogie]

Hola!

Mr. Seth, I have been inside the campus of SCHM not once, but twice. Both times of my visit it was gloomy with hard rain. The gods were telling me something.

I should add SCHM to my "Weird China" file listed on the message board. The man who built the school is one of the wealthiest men in the province. The school itself is about 5 miles out of town. It looks like an amusement park on the outside. The main building looks like a tall castle with many different national flags adorning the front. Inside the property is a full scale model of the White House, including pictures of all the American Presidents and an oval office. Included in the White House is a theatre, and the basement is a mini museum of Americana and movies. Also included is a smaller scale Washington Monument oblisk and a mini Mt. Rushmore. Being that I love history and that I am an American, it was pretty cool.

The housing is pretty decent too. Two bedroom flat with washing machine and kitchen.

There is one school building (the castle) and it is very, very nice. The building is about five stories tall with about 30 to 50 classrooms. On the top is a gym of sorts, I saw kids playing volleyball up there. At the time, there were several teachers on staff, one an American (not there anymore), a young Danish woman, an African man, plus maybe one or two others. I saw the American walking by, I tried to say hi, he said hello back, but kind of hurried by. Oh well.

The pay they were going to give me was 3500 RMB plus the apartment. 3500 is too small, especially the wealth of the school and the students. Not to mention the place was out in the sticks. But where the school is at is really nice, it is near a historic tea village and the Hangzhou greenbelt. if you like biking, you would like it. Also, the food in the canteen was horrid, and that is being objective.

I took a pass because of the ridiculous wage. I saw that American guy a few monthes later, and he told me that the administration did not want him to talk to me about the school, stated that the pay was weak and the kids were brats. He took off and went to visit Tibet (lucky *beep*).

If SCHM wants any native speaking Westerner, they need to offer at least 100 RMB an hour. I made more money than that in Dongyang in the middle of nowhere. I look at chinatefl.com every once in a while, and I see SCHM there trying to get somebody there.

Hangzhou is boring, but the people are by and large cool, the city is modern, and one can find a good time if they desire it. It is my home.

SENOR