Job Discussion Forums

[chon nom]

ANyone know anything about this outfit? And 7000RMB(and "up") for 20
hours strikes me as low for Beijing, right?

[clay4bc]

They strike me a a little shady...they mailed me, and I mailed them back with some questions. Several days later, I got another mail from them - with the same "offer" as the first. I would not trust them at all.
Found their website... http://www.opal-ca.com/

[Dagmar]

Same experience. They contacted me, I am an experienced, qualified teacher, well loved by my chinese students and administration. I answered - then no word. I do not know which age group they teach...maybe that was it, I prefer College or Uni as that is my experience, and avoid totally young children - I am a College teacher in the UK..not a word. I am quite saddened that the Chinese generally a polite race, can not be bothered to send a return email, merely stating: Thank you but not suitable for this position.
I would always answer any query. ---Oh well, old fashioned good manners I suppose, which went out of the window with the Americanisation of the Globe---
----Especially after one has spent half an hour sending all Certs, passport, etc..It does not match their personality and is annoying- as one sits waiting in hope. Email is hardly difficult. A standard phrase.
I would like to add that the only job I ever received from all the ads I have put out and not by personal effort of getting in touch directly, was a dud one, Benedict Schools in Naples, from which I had to return after one month as the pay and the rent they charged for their family buildings into which teachers were lodged were about the same. The money I brought from the UK had run out and I would have literally starved-- along with a whole load of other problems of the school's making.
Some time ago, Jilin Uni sponsored by Canada, also offered me a place, which was great, but I understood there was going to be a bit of ''industrial type espionage'' going on from the UK there, so I did not take it, as I don't want to end up in trouble or worse whilst over there, though I really wanted to take that one.
One has to be careful, others are very willing for one to break the Chinese law. I was once asked by one school in Beijing, ''what would you do to get into China to teach?..'' to which I gave a very firm, nothing which is not lawful!
Young teachers, be very careful. The Chinese tend to be lawful, but business, as we all know, is not and education is fifty percent a business out there.

[CJD]

i got a phone call at 10a.m from a person working for opal-ca, i had never talked to them before, never gave them my phone number.. that was kind of weird.