Job Discussion Forums

[willy]

anyone ever get free air ticket i have had I have finished 3 contracts and never got one as a matter of fact the last school is asking me to pay for an exit stamp and all the tax, witch leads me to the fact that a contract is only for the school and really gives the teacher squat, well more on that later.

[Glenski]

Yes, I got my airfare paid for, if that's what you mean.

P.S. Use some punctuation. Your message was one huge run-on sentence!

[shenyanggerry]

I got half my air fare as contracted. I did a six month (actually four months) stint. No Problems.

[FGT]

11th contract (one year each), 10 air fares to date.

[Gordon]

Both my oveseas contracts abroad included return plane tickets. However, it usually depends on the country. For some places, it is standard, like Korea, the Middle east and sometimes Japan.

[ntropy]

I've been doing this since 1988 and have never NOT been reimbursed plane fare.

[scot47]

I have been in this field since 1968 and I have NEVER taken a contract where I had to pay for my own transportation.

[basiltherat]

clearly, if u finish a contract which specifically states that the company will reimbuse/pay for flights and they dont, then its a blatant contravention. you are entitled to throw a fit. i would and then id post a message on as many esl related websites to warn others. its a disgrace. such replies by school owners as ""well, thats how we behave/do it here/in our country"" are not sufficient. its wrong and inexcusable whichever company or country your in.
here, the company pays for in and out flights up front and allows you to keep ur return coupon as well as passport. thats how it should be done if ur employed abroad. if the company has any doubts about your remaining to complete a contract, he should not employ you at all. conversely, if u have any doubts that the company will not honour a contract, u shouldnt leave home. .... in an ideal world, perhaps
rgrds
basil

[Roger]

..."entitled to throw a fit...", yes, of course, by all means DO THAT - throw a tantrum, but it won't make any dent on their conscience. Oh, maybe in Syria it does mater what an expat teacher says and thinks, but not here in Cathay, Middle Kingdom.

In fact, I have so far been elatively lucky in my more regular contract jobs - every other year, some school did pay the mandatory airfare. But it meant making sure they actually entered it into their agreements (some were not totally above board), and furthermore, I learnt to demand it in portions to be added to my monthly pay.

All these airfare bonuses have added to my income, yet it did not swell a lot because in China, public schools hiring expats don't normally pay your salary during the 6 week-to-2 month summer holiday season. Some of us work during that time exta; this is because we can't get a school to hire us before the holidays begin, so we live through the summer months with an inordinate amount of anxiety. Of course, if you are flexible in terms of places where you would consider teaching, it's not that bad, but it's bad enough anyway.

From my American peers I often hear their airfare is not sufficient to pay for the ticket to LA or NY - though some schools offer to refund the exact ticket price.

Working for a language institute is most likely to cause you disappointment in not receiving your dues. In all fairness, though, I have to say that a public university has refused to honour its hengagement to me last year - I walked out after two months, and they didn't pay me my prorated airfare!

[basiltherat]

this is why i belive these chat/message places are invaluable; to ask about employers and wat experiences others have had at particular schools/companies that require the services of our kind. its absolutely imperative that we get as much info and feedback as possible before we even think about stepping off our native soil. also to give all of us a chance to vent our bad experiences in order that others can see wat wev been through and to warn them against getting in the mess we did. this is wat life's about; learning to avoid mistakes that have been made by others and to help others do likewise.
if we keep working at it we can at least reduce the number of employers who think they can break every clause in the contract and get away with it because with their company named and shamed they might struggle to get the teachers they need if they dont change. ..... in an ideal world .perhaps. When dealing with others, ive always felt that the degree to which you are trusted by someone is equal to the degree to which he or she should be trusted.
rgrds
basil
ps middle kingdom doesnt sound like the kind of place id like to work. from looking at the china board, there seem to be a lot of rogue employers but thats probably because there so many schools. confirm ?

[arioch36]

i think with a little common sense you can figure out the rogue employers . Still, lots of people sign on with them because it appears they offer more money.

As my primary job, I don't think i would ever work at a language school unless i knew it well. Work at a high school or college, and do the extra outside if you want it.

Standard in China...6 months one way airfare. One year (usually 11 months) return airfare provided

[naturegirl321]

Kudos to Scot47, to being in this field for so long. HOpe that I can do the same!

[Wolf]

Some places offer air fare a lot. Some don't. I'm going to get reimbursed 1.5 times the cost of an economy class flight from Nanchang to Vancouver at the end of my contract. I've arranged to get it as cash, as going to Vancouver really, really, really isn't in the cards for me.

Air fare reimbursements in Japan exist, but they're not common in private companies. A few places offer "bonuses" at the end of contracts, though.

[denise]

I got reimbursed for my flight to Japan. The reimbursement was more than the cost of my round-trip flight--my school just has a set amount that it gives to everyone. I'm hoping that I will still get it next year, even though I don't plan on returning to the States during my summer break.

My school in Prague could not afford to pay airfare (or so it said, and given the economy/salaries, I didn't dispute their claim--I don't know if any private language schools over there cover airfare), but it paid for round-trip bus fare to London. It wasn't enough to cover my flight home, but it did provide some extra spending money.

I got nothing for my China gig, but it was only a month-long summer program.

d

[ls650]

I'm to be reimbursed the cost of a return economy ticket at the end of my contract. Other teachers from my school have completed contracts and been reimbursed, so I don't anticipate any problems.