Job Discussion Forums

[Roger]

Bumper harvest of bad news on the TEFL in China front today!
Here is a story that I as a close acquaintance of the victim watched unfold.

He came to China one year ago, on a tourist visa. Hired almost at once, and fired one month later - apparently because of the then outbreak of SARS!

A recruiter placed him with a taker in a very small town in the SOuth. The recruiter is illegitimate, and so is the training centre that hired him.
The training centre paid a commission to the recruiter who is but a teacher moonlighting as agent; there are many like this, and I have heard one Kevin Xu of Guangdong (I could name his university where he is a professor!) is another one, albeit one that's even more active than this other recruiter...

Anyway, the TC offered 3000 RMB per month, for 20 hours a week; yes, you have read correctly! Housing is on school premises, no food allowance. Visa: The TC is in cahoots with some garage or some similar non-education business that has the right to hire "foreign experts", which they don't need to do; they instead hire "teachers" and give them to the TC - again for a commission.
Thus, the poor bugger working for the TC is paying recruiters and "friends" of his boss who help her in various manners.

So, he completed his first semester at the TC, being loaned to public primary schools. Note that some of these primary schools could easily afford to pay 8000, which they do on occasion; the difference between 3000 and 8000 goes, yes: into the bank account of my acquaintance's slave-driver....

She confiscated his passport for the whole semester, returning it to him on 15 January, in time for his holidays...
He had to sign a new contract -the old one was valid for six months although his visa was for 12 months...
The new contract stipulated that his service resumed on 22 February. Five weeks without salary and even without any bonus or holiday allowance...

My acquaintance found a parttime job recently, which was a little illegitimate from the point of view of his employer.

She found out, and reacted as you would expect a Chinese to react:
In punishment, she sent him to Harbin, 3500 kms away!
He meekly obliged, though he even has been made to pay his full ticket price of RMB 900 by himself...

Now when his visa runs its course, he will have to exit China, or renew a contract with his abusive employer.

He will never get a release letter.

[Katzwyl]

uh wow....

How can I tell whether a recruiter or school is illegitimate or not?

[Susie]

Is Alin Buuer (Alin Wu) of tefl.cc an agent?

I feel sad for that fellow too.

I feel other emotions too that the "reality" that you described is indeed all to often the real "reality" here on the ground in China.

I feel angry that the system for TEFLers in China is so geared towards the sojourners and those who want an experience.

I could go on talking about my emotions and I might do well to talk to my emotional counsellor at this stage or maybe I'll just watch that hilarious film called "Anger Management" with Jack Nicholson as the psychiatrist.

Jack has difficulty finding patients because his psycho treatment programmes are known to be controversial, not least because he works with a motley crew of imposters, who he uses to anger people into court (the judge is one of his crew) and prison (key police agents are part of his crew) and then gets his victims out on bail only after they agree to sign up for his anger treatment programme...

[Roger]

Alin Buuer? Alin Wu?
Why do you ask?

It's ironic that I happen to have had dealings with this guy...

He introduced me to the employer of that unfortunate guy...
and insisted my pay was REALLY HIGH - yes, that TC operator offered me 50% higher than she offered this other guy, but she offered me no visa reimbursement nor housing. The latter on my request because I prefer returning home from work.

No, I didn't bite, but Alin Buuer kept contacting me, and that's why I know he also peddled the other guy to the training centre.
It's perhaps best to name that training centre here; someone posted a realistic description in the Job Info section.

The name is Guang'an English Training Centre in Guangdong.

So, yes, Alin Buuer is a recruiter; not a legitimate one I would assume.

[nolefan]

sorry to hear aboutyour freind but there may be I way out. There is a recruiter in Shi jia chuan (sp?) that has helped my wife and I tremendously... he might be able to get your friend a decent position in hebei province with all the good stuff that comes along a SAFEA contract.

P.M. for more info

[Roger]

That's Shijiazhuang, 280 kms from Peking; thanks, nolefan, I will tell my acquaintance when or if he contacts me.
He may have just arrived in Harbin.

[Lanza-Armonia]

It's these a$$holes that give TEFL a bad name. I bet that is what happened in Korea a few years ago. Correct if wrong. When I fist started out I just jumped at the first job I got. It could well of been this Kevin prik that every keep going on about. Good luck to those in bad positions. If you want lawyers in china, I will soon have a list of reputable, lawful lawyers on my site. Enjoy!

[Slim Pickens]

X

[struelle]

I'm really sorry to hear this and I have 100% sympathy. But I've got to reiterate my earlier point that it's 'teacher beware' when it comes to signing contracts!

We all make mistakes, and I've got my fair share while doing time in China. It's impossible to predict all the things that can go wrong in contracts. But if we keep posting about our experiences, then we help others down the road to avoid the pitfalls.

In this case, what were the warning signs?

- fired without due notice because of SARS
- really fishy guanxi b/w recruiter, TC, primary school, and agent.
- confiscation of passport (red alert!!)
- mismatch b/w contract dates and Z-visa.

A more difficult question is what should he have done when these things happened?

A common pattern in Chinese society is that simple things quickly become complex. You'd think, OK, the employer took the passport, why not just ask for it back. But the boss may invent some regulation about why it's necessary to keep it, the recuiter may back him up, etc. If he goes to the PSB, who will help translate? Maybe the PSB will help, if they're in a good mood and their guanxi with the school isn't compromised. If he wants to leave the company, he has to get a release letter. The employer won't do that if he feels he lost face. Get the picture?

Also, Chinese employers act like they own you when the contract is signed and the Z-visa is issued. You're at their mercy, so they think. Combine this and the FT may see the problems coming down the pike, but not know what to do. They may feel there's nothing they can do while the employer takes advantage of them.

But there are ways to beat this.

(1) Take the time to make a decision. My biggest mistake was (is) to rush into contracts. In a market like this, no way. Go over every point in detail, ask questions, talk to other teachers, and refuse to sign contracts that you don't feel good about. Who cares if a potential employer gets upset. If they do at this stage, voila, a surefire reason not to sign.

(2) Fight guanxi with guanxi. FTs should team up, get together, bounce ideas, share stories, drink together, whatever. There's power in numbers and the FT has way more influence in a group than going alone.

(3) Read Dave's ESL. New teachers can learn the ropes about China before they come. Bet you a nickel that employers won't tell you a scrap of info about face and guanxi, so this is the place to learn it.

Steve

[gmat]

I feel bad for the guy BUT, come on. Is he like 13 years old or something???? If you can't stand up for yourself, WTF are you doing in China?

[Slim Pickens]

X

[Lanza-Armonia]

Gmat - I appluade <sp?> you in you comment but because we do not hav a first hand account of what happened we can't be TOO hasty in sla-gging the guy off.

LA

[arioch36]

I feel bad for the guy. Last semester I worked for a college I would not reccomend, China North Water. Didn't take my own advice...didn't talk to the previous teachers, or any of Steve's advice, which I know.

As said before ..never sign with a recruiter

Much of this guy's problem could have been avoided if he cam over here legally. I know it is hard dealing with problems in China. Most of us who have been here a couple years have been cheated, or so I would guess. But I kind of agree with GMAT, learn to be an adult. Go to the PSB. Listen, if HENAN has a PSB person who can speak English, I think Guandong must?

Allowing a school to keep your passport? Why doesn't he ask the American embassy? Why doesn't he go to work for someone else? If you are a native english speaker you can go anywhere.

Well, like I said, I have been screwed over myself. Live and learn. Hope the person learns to not let himself be screwed. Him staying here and allowing himself to be worked for 3,000 and allowing himself to be screwed over just hurts the rest of us (as Roger pointed out once about "Christians " who come here and let themselves work for less , or for worse conditions

[gmat]

Lanza:

I agree we don't know the full story, but when I read it I thought: "What the hell????? Is the guy a slave or something. Did they put him in chains to 'send' him to Harbin?

[Katzwyl]

Can someone explain to me what is this "guanxi" please?