Job Discussion Forums

[inchinanow]

Warning: I taught at this school in 2007/2008 and did not have a good experience. I always felt intimated the manager. She and her boyfriend (now husband, I think) run the place and they are not very respectful of Foreign Teachers.

I would be very cautious about signing a contract with this school. Good luck if you do. It might be OK for a part-time gig, but if you sign a contract, you are at their mercy and they know it.

[Totemic]

[inchinanow]

I am trying to provide a service by warning others, so that they do not have the same horrible experience that I had to endure. That is my purpose.

inchinanow

[Totemic]

Fair enough, thanks for the warning.

[Russell123]

If possible can you provide some details? Not doubting you, just curious to see where they fall on the continuum of rotten ESL bosses...not respecting FT's seems pretty common in China.

What did the manager do to make you feel intimidated?

[inchinanow]

Please search my previous posts for the answer to your question. I just do not have time or the energy to rehash all the gory details. But the manager was very rude and caused me a lot of stress. I gave notice and left.

Now looking back on it, I think the woman acted crazy.

inchinanow

[Totemic]

Ah, here it is:

[Russell123]

lame, definitely.

what did you do after they gave you one day to get out? Where did you go?

[inchinanow]

I went to work for another school teaching college students and adults, then I returned to the USA. Now I am teaching in another part of China and having a great experience. My advice is do not tolerate bullies. If you hate your current situation, give a notice and leave. Find another job. Do not let a school use, abuse and intimidate you.

[El Chupacabra]

[Chris_Crossley]

It surprises me to learn that, even after your experiences at Aston Shenyang, you seemed not to learn the fundamentally basic lesson that foreigners have no powers in China.

Complaining to any expat senior managers at Head Office in China will do you no good whatsoever because they are not there to help you in the way you want, but to tell you what you should be doing even if you think that they are "siding" with the local management.

Remember that we expats are essentially guest workers in China irrespective of whatever posts we hold and whatever responsibilities go with them, even allegedly senior ones with such grand names as "senior academic operations manager" or some such. These people will not go against the locals, otherwise they will be sacked.

Just as the jobs of front-line classroom teachers are always hanging on a fine thread because we are having metaphorically to tread on egg shells all the time, so are the senior expats within whatever organization or school we are working for.

The bottom line is: in China, all expats are expendable. We have some rights, but the locals are the ones holding all the aces, so tread carefully or they'll tread on you faster than you can say "I quit!"

If matters become intolerable, exit gracefully without a stain on your character and bounce back, just as the OP has managed to do - which leaves the question: Why did the original poster bother to highlight this past event from over one and a half years ago?

The fact is that we are human and many humans are unable or unwilling to let matters rest and feel the need to get their past grievances off their chest - again. However, they will profit little by so doing and may cause others to reflect on their soundness.

[inchinanow]

El Chupacabra wrote: But you have the time and energy to start a new thread? That's pretty lame, man. All you have to do to get attention is add a new post to the prior thread. Instead you not only waste our time, but insult us with condescending retorts to search the other rubbish thread. You sure know how to make friends fast.

I am busy. You should be thankful that I posted anything, because it is information that may be helpful to others. If you are too lazy to do a search for previous posts, that is your problem, not mine.

[milkweedma]

I don't doubt what the OP has posted about Aston at all. There's a plethora of nasty info about this chain school around on here and eslteachersboard.com
Bottom line is, you will be screwed at some stage if you work for this chain school that offers contracts which discourage 6 month contracts by reducing your airfare down to a pittance.
Beware all training centres in China. A Uni/Public school gig is the best bet (with due diligence done also). Then, work at a training centre in a part time capacity at the weekends (or do privates) for no less than100 yuan per hour, to boast income.
TC's rely on a constant stream of naive newbies to function at all. Lets spread the word and put them out of business.

[inchinanow]

Speaking of airfare, when I worked at Aston, the Chinese teachers told me that they had a habit of firing the foreign teachers just before their contract ended, so that they could avoid paying the airfare reimbursement.

[Chris_Crossley]