Job Discussion Forums

[raclyn72]

I'm at a loss as to what to do here. I accepted a job offer at a high school in Anhui. I had found it thru a company that has exchange programs with Australia. The name of the company is the Australian China Cultural Education Exchange Company (ACCEEC) and they have been pretty stand up from the beginning altho sometimes way behind on what has happened 2 weeks ago.
I got to my new school in late June and the school worked their butt off to get me my correct visa and other papers. So that is good. I lived in their apartment for foreign teachers for about 3 weeks also-while I looked for an apartment. So that is also good.
About a week after my arrival I told them I would be looking for my own apartment to live in off campus.(For my own personal reasons I've chosen to not live to long in housing provided by schools-I've had problems with differences in how we view privacy) I also told them I have 2 dogs. This, they accepted.
Earlier this week I got an email and yesterday a phone call from the Australian company. The school doesn't want to sign the final contract with me because I have 2 dogs!!! "It may ruin my relationship I have with my school"
About a month ago I had signed the standard SAFEA contract with the school and was told we would sign the Appendix( whatever it's called-the meat and bones contract) later. I wasn't worried about when we signed the second part of the contract cuz I had signed the online version with the Australian company a long time ago.

I told the Australian company in the phone call that I would not accept the position if I can't have my dogs(they've been with me for 5 years and 1 one year)they are suggesting I give up my dogs for the year. I have never had a school react this way before. Usually they aren't jumping for joy when I tell them I'm gonna live off campus but there isn't really anything they can do. I never tell the school my real reason for living off campus either. I make up some reason like "it's easier for me to have friends/family visit me when I live off campus..... That works cuz after browsing thru tonnes of contracts and seeing many of them say "the foreign teacher can't have guests stay overnight or long term...."

So now I'm waiting for the school to tell me we can have a meeting and discuss this.

I'm not sure if I would want to stay-if we can talk this out or cut my losses. I'm looking for a school for long term. Longer than a year. Sure, they may agree and sign my contract for this year but what about next year? This just seems like a black cloud that's gonna hang over my head for the next year and I would rather not have that.

The Australian company has said they will try to find me another school to work at-they have many schools in China set up for this exchange program but I know she is also gonna tell the new school that I won't live on campus and I have 2 dogs. This could narrow down the job offers coming in. And since me having 2 dogs and living off campus has nothing to do with my job performance I don't tell that to schools ahead of time.

Is this ridiculous? Thanks for any input.

[vikuk]

[JamesD]

My two cents, throwing out possible rationalizations.

-Maybe they're afraid that if you have any difficulties with neighbors or local officials it would reflect badly on the school? Barking at night, wear and tear, not picking up after the dogs? Neighbors call the cops, "The dogs belong to that big goofy foreigner upstairs who works at --------."
Yeah, I know it's a stretch and not the school's responsibility but your employer may not want to deal with the (slight) possibility of losing face or taking heat for hiring someone who is 'disrupting the harmony of the community'.

-Maybe they're afraid you'll get rabies and infect a class?

-Possibly an offshoot of the recent plague scare out west.

-You may be a deviant and into 'puppy love'.

-Envy that your larder is better stocked.

[Ahchoo]

If you're living off campus tell them you got rid of the digs.

[JamesD]

But then he has no digs for the dogs. Unless the dogs take over the digs and no one in the downstairs digs digs dogs. Or else the dogs have no digs and have to dog it to new digs where dogs are dug.

[kev7161]

Are you paying for the apartment or is the school paying? If you are paying, then it should be your choice, your decision. If the school is paying, then that may be another thing entirely. We recently had a teacher leave who housed 3 cats. I didn't visit the vacated apartment personally, but I was told that the apartment reeked of cat piss/smells. Also fur on the furniture and so forth. If they are renting the apartment for you, they may worry about damage that pets MAY inflict, regardless of how well house-trained and behaved your animals may be. Also, not saying your dogs would necessarily do this, but what if one of your dogs bit someone when you are taking them out for a walk? You are the school's responsibility and, by extension, so are your dogs. I'm just playing devil's advocate here.

[Cairnsman]

[nobleignoramus]

Maybe the school wants you out because they superstitiously fear you might be carrier of rabies, no matter where your dogs are now.

By the way, where were your dogs when you were staying on-campus? Did they know at that time you were owner of two canines?

[raclyn72]

Thanks for all the tips/thoughts as to what may be going on here. I just remembered that I got here about mid June not late June. So this means they have been sitting on this for about 5 weeks-not talking to me about the problem but dealing with the folks in Australia. In that time they have had me sign the SAFEA contract, gotten me my FP and FEC(which was no small feat as my passport expires in February 2010-that was a huge headache for them and me but would require another post) so why have they gone thru all these hoops when they knew a long time ago that I had 2 dogs? The dogs did live with me in the school's apartment for the 3 weeks I lived there. Did I mention that the school has 2 huge German Shepherds that roam around the campus at night?

I pay for everything in my apartment-the school has nothing to do with it. The only thing I have given them as far as my house contract is my exact address.

I don't think they will be getting somebody cheaper as this is a pilot program just starting this year. The students pay ALOT of money to enroll in this special program and accordingly my salary is very attractive. The ACCEEC company finds the teachers and pays their salaries. The school doesn't pay my salary.

Good idea, about doing the delay thing "my friend is going to take care of them but changed their mind etc..."

I'm just wondering what kind of year this is gonna be-if they change their mind(I'm almost wondering if they are bluffing and I've called them on it by saying no- I'm not getting rid of my dogs.) I'm not so sure I'm gonna last thru a meeting tho' I have little patience for these kinds of things.

I don't know what the job situation is like as of the first week of August. I've been here for 7 years and always had my next job lined up by May and then moved to the new school by Junish. There is like 3 weeks left till school starts. Also what the heck would they give me as far as a Letter of Release or Recommendation? I mean I haven't even started teaching or anything. So how would I go about getting my FEC and FP changed if I don't have those 2 letters given to me?

[Zero]

Though you're renting the apartment yourself, if there were damage and you were gone, the apartment owner might still try to shake down the school. In fact, if the landlord has a problem with the dogs even at this moment, he/she may have gone to the school already rather than going to you directly.

[Lipps]

This is actually a simple matter of liability. you are a guest in China and the school is ultimately responsible for you and EVERYTHING you do. Ifyour dog ruins your apartment that is NOTHING compared to if the dog bites someone or even if someone just accuses your dog of biting them.

The liability factor is what is killing your chances right now.
Bringing a dog to China is just plain stupid and selfish.

[Renegade_o_Funk]

I would be concerned about the dogs disappearing & ending up as some family's dinner It is unusual to bring two dogs to China, why couldn't you have left them at home with some friends or family

[kev7161]

Some of you didn't read the OP's post thoroughly. He said he's been here for 7 years. Living a loved dog back home for a few months or a year is one thing; 7 years is something else.

Off topic: Just watched "Marley and Me" for the first time last night - - cried like a baby at the end! Stupid movie.

[IT2006]

Ummmmm... It might BE about the dogs. I read awhile back about an outbreak of plague in one of the provinces. It was traced to the fleas on some dogs.

FWIW

[wangdaning]

raclyn72