Job Discussion Forums

[gastoni]

Hi everybody,
this is a report I just sent to a school I used to work at, until January 2008. I was there for a few months only. It actually took me quite a while to send them this letter, which should have been written as soon as my contract ended but you know how it goes...

BTW, I'm a caucasian, french canadian male who was born and raised in Quebec City, Canada. I have no interests whatsoever in Dongzhou Middle School, except maybe that I taught English there and that they treated me very well, so I think it's just normal for me to return the courtesy. I felt like adding this paragraph just in case people suggest that I'm a disguised recruiter for the school or some con artist or that this is written in chenglish, etc. I was initially reluctant to post this here because of some of the nasty replies aimed at some posters who were just trying to be helpful. 'Nough said...

Anyway, there it is:

To whom it may concern

I worked as an English Teacher at Dongzhou Middle School, from September 2007 to January 2008. I taught 18 X 40 minutes classes per week. The students were generally well-behaved and we had a good rapport. It wasn�t that difficult to get them to participate in class activities and I had a great time with them. I�m still keeping contact with some of them today.

The accommodation was decent. They gave me a large room with a bathroom, large bed, and a computer (including internet). There was a TV but no cable, which was ok because I don�t watch it anyway. The weather got kind of cold at the end of December, beginning of January, and it was pretty chilly in the room for a few days, even after I bought a small floor heater. The classrooms were cold too on some days.

I didn�t mingle too much with the Chinese teachers, except a few times in which I had to discuss some school-related matters with a few of them. They gave me the impression that they care about their students, always looking for what was best for them. I respected them because of that.

There are 3 cafeterias on campus and I could go eat there for free whenever it was opened. The food was good and plenty. It could get noisy in there but what do you expect, it�s a high school. I always tried to make it there early, that way it was quieter. The cafeteria staff was very nice towards me, I never had any problems.

Haimen City is a very friendly place. I always had a lot of locals saying hello to me on the street, some of them wanting to talk or were just being curious. Also, I made some friends and I hope to see them again one day.

The school kept their end of the deal, as far as the contract was concerned. One complaint I have though is that they gave me my last pay on the final day of the contract. It was a Saturday and I would have been in trouble, unable to convert that money to US dollars, had it not been for another fellow teacher, who lent me the funds so I didn�t have to look for a place to change that money. Keeping in mind that you need official documents to convert currencies in China, including an Expert Certificate, which I had to turn in before we took off, it could have been very difficult to change my pay, where I was located, on a Saturday.

Overall, I�ve had a fairly good experience. For the most part I had a really good time with some of my students and I wouldn�t hesitate to recommend this school to anyone interested in finding a good place to teach in China.

I think that I would work there again, although they would have to put me up into warmer quarters during the winter, and make it a contract stipulation that I get paid all that is due to me one week before the last day of work.

Sincerely,

J. Gaston (last name removed)
Qu�bec City, Canada

p.s. Do not hesitate to pm me if you�d like to know more.

[Ger]

Are you advertising for the school?

I spent a month there. I didn't teach at the school. I was on the Boland TEFL Diploma course. I was offered a teaching position there but the salary was too low and the location was too far inland - I like to be by the sea.

[Lobster]

I don't see any Chinglish influence in this post at all. However, why you'd post it here is beyond me, Gaston.

RED

[Ariadne]

If the guy had had a bad experience no one would question the post. He had a good experience, I'm glad he posted it.

Re room vs apartment... maybe he had only a room with a bathroom attached. The young Chinese teachers at my uni have only one room with a bath. Perhaps he was just trying to be specific about the living space.

To the OP, thanks for posting. I'm sure there are folks out there who will be grateful for the info when they're doing research for jobs.

.

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