Job Discussion Forums

[IvoryTower]

On Jan. 14th, I got a phone call (at 3 a.m. Alaska time) from Victoria English Language Training Center in Shaoxing. I had previously sent my CV to this school (among others) in late Dec., then followed up with a "Did you receive my resume?" on Jan. 5th. I was offered a job there, but it was a bit vague; in ensuing emails I asked a lot of questions about the airfare, housing, salary, proposed contract, the visa situation, etc. I got a prompt response saying that with the Spring Festival coming up soon, they were extremely busy trying to get things completed there before the holidays, and could I wait till Feb. 1st while she "sorted" things out and would then answer my questions.

Feb. 1 rolled around, and I got the same kind of vague answers--i.e., "I think maybe we should send you a letter of invitation" (haven't seen it yet), and "I wonder if you have the patience to work with..." students with only elementary knowledge of English. I'd told her I was willing to take the option of less salary (which would include a flat) in order to get acquainted with housing, etc., in that town (4000/mo. with a flat, or 100RMB/hr.,and I am on my own paying for a flat). The visa is being left up to me (no assurance that the school would work on getting me a 'Z' visa); she wants me to get an 'F' visa, which she says is legal, although I'd asked them to arrange the visa, if possible, due to the fact that as of March 2003, the Chinese Consulate General will not accept MAILED applications (a "tit for tat" situation on something the U.S. is doing to visiting Chinese, I think), so I'd have to PICK UP the visa in person, back-tracking all the way to San Francisco--several thousand miles the WRONG direction from Alaska, OR...hire a Travel Agent to do the same--pick it up in S.F. and mail it to me.

I've had no word on where or what the housing will be (Victoria English is a private school), and via email, I found out from a teacher just starting at that school that they are starting ANOTHER school in a town 20-30 minutes from downtown Shaoxing, and it's just possible they might have me teaching there instead of downtown Shaoxing, since it's the Textile center of that town--and nothing said about whether transportation to/from my working place would be provided. Neither have I been told the minimum hours I'd be working (for the salary of 4000 RMB per month w/flat), nor the maximum before overtime kicked in (an THAT dropped from the 100RMB/hour of the ad, to 80RMB/hour, but I didn't complain). Neither have I been told for certain that I would be reimbursed for the one-way ticket I have to shell out (this is getting EXPENSIVE for a Senior on Social Security!). In other words, I have almost NO details about either the job or my place in it.

Finally, on Feb. 11, I answered her and again asked to see a proposed contract that I could sign and fax back to her, and I reiterated some of my previous questions (all in a non-aggresive manner), and said that I would accept an 'F' visa, as long as I was assured that they would start the application for a Z visa as soon as I arrived in China, and that according to regulations, I would also need a photocopy of their Business License for the 'F' visa. So far, I haven't heard back, nor seen a contract, nor a Letter of Invitation.

None of this would be terribly worrisome, if it had not taken a month after the initial phone call, and if it were not already into the new semester (for some schools). If this dallying keeps going, I would be severely restricted in looking for a job at another school, if it came to that. THAT'S worrisome, for me!

I was able to contact one ex-teacher of that school who is still on friendly terms with them, and the one newly-started teacher there, and both felt that this administrator was competent and fair. So what have I been doing wrong, and what can I do to alleviate this situation without causing her to lose face or decide I'm not worth the trouble? I don't think that I'm asking for anything unreasonable, but "time's a-wastin'", and I don't want to be left out in the cold regarding a job--especially since Shaoxing is sorta considered my "home town", as I spent most of my first decade of life there (born in Shanghai), and this will be my FIRST return visit to China many decades later. I've forgotten 98% of the Chinese I DID know, having been quite young when I left, but I expect if I hear a lot of Shaoxing dialect around me, I'd start to remember a LOT!

Sorry to go on for so long, but it's difficult to explain that I'm not soured on the job, it's just that it's taking so long trying to get what should be short, straight answers, and SEE A CONTRACT!

What can I do?

Thanks in advance,

John

[Lanza-Armonia]

I'm gunna keep this real short and hardly sweet. With the amount of mid-high paying jobs here in China (along with good benifits) why on God's good green earth are you wasting your time on such an apparently vague/crappy school.

Check out www.chinatefl.com and find something more suited to one's needs.

LA

[Slim Pickens]

X

[Lanza-Armonia]

...and do you know the worst thing about it....there where teachers that stayed there THAT long. What WERE they thinking....

LA

[Roger]

I firmly believe this training centre (for that is what they are) cannot obtain a legal work visa for you. That's why she said to come on a business visa, "which is legal" - hahaha! Most training centre teachers from abroad are on business visas - not legal, mind you, but tolerated sometimes, then again not tolerated for some reason for another period of time. It's risky, really.
A colleague of mine has a work visa, but it's been obtained not by his own employer but by the friend of his employer who runs a different business (and where they apparently have the licence to hire foreign nationals).
So my colleague's employer had to pay a bibe to his friend to act as a sponsor. That always reflects on how they will treat you. In my colleague's case, his employer is milking him!
He got no pay during one month of holidays.

There may be lots of jobs on offer at chinatefl, but beweare: most are from inofficial go-betweens!
That means they recruit on behalf of someone, and they won't accept any responsability for you either!

[naturegirl321]

I would say forget about this place go to tefl.com and apply for some jobs, it's not that difficult to get a job here, you could be here by March, no problems.
I came on a business visa and kept on getting extensions for five months, then they changed it to a Z visa.

[lagerlout2006]

If they want you to come on an F visa means they CANNOT make you legal. If they could you would only need to arrive as a tourist. If you want to do it rather than San Fran you could stop in Hong Kong and buy a 6 or 12 month visa. You should also get a 1 way ticket (or the cash) for every term you work. That is standard...

[naturegirl321]

[struelle]

[IvoryTower]

Guess I need to check my Profile again--I THOUGHT I had it set to notify me on replies, but only got a notification on a PM.

THANKS EVERYBODY!

Still no word from that school...guess I'll wait another 24 hours and then forget it. Oh, and to those that wondered why I wanted to work there, it's because that's the town I grew up in, and I'd like to live there for a while. Yes, last fall I thought I had an opening at another school there, but it turned out (so they said) that the person who was going to leave at the end of the semester decided to stay, so the opening closed.

I DID just receive a nice reply from Shaoxing Univ. that they had no openings left at this time, so perhaps that's a possibility next fall...

Meanwhile, I HAVE been re-sending inquiries to other schools that I'm interested in, though unfortunately, none I've seen so far are in Shaoxing. But it's so LATE in the season!!

Thanks again, guys...at least you've perked me up a bit.

John

p.s. How does one go about adding a picture to one's profile? I'd rather do that than use an avatar from some other URL.