Job Discussion Forums

[PolarBear]

I'm in need of some advice. I'm new to the TEFL world. I accepted a position with an EF school recently. I was dumb and didn't do enough research before hand. Since accepting the contract a few days ago, I've found nothing but horror stories about EF franchises. It's really the icing on the cake for me. The last two times I've had contact with EF it's been nothing but bad vibes. There seems to be a 'this is how we do things and if you question anything you're being difficult' attutide that I get from the school. Basically, I'm in the position now that I'd rather not work for them. I signed and sent the preliminary contact 2 days ago. Obviously, I haven't received my letter of invitation yet.

I don't have a good feeling about this school. I'd like out. I don't want to burn any bridges though. Do I have a right to decline the offer now? Are there any legal issues if I do?

[flyingscotsman]

Don't worry. Just tell them you changed your mind. Nothing is binding till you have a Z visa and are in China - even then its iffy.

[JamesD]

So signatures on contracts are not binding? I'll remember that next time I want a bank loan.

Not that I'm a fan of chain schools, but you might think about the school spending time and money to get the invitation letter based on your promise. Them letters ain't free.
Maybe hurriedly signing contracts and then blowing them off is one reason why Chinese consider foreigners unstable.

(Edit)
Apologies for the smart-a** post.
Anyway, you made the commitment. You never know what the school is going to be like until you walk in the door, take complaints of others with a grain of salt and make up your own mind once you get here. The attitude could be prevalent at the school or just from the staff with whom you're dealing.
You could call and nicely ask them to cancel the contract but if they don't want to tear it up it's between you and your conscience. To specifically answer your question, no. The police are not going to come after you and EF is not going to sue you.

[ryanwhistler]

Sad that so many people think it's fine to commit to something then walk away.

If the school has already started the process and then obtain your visa issuance notice - then you have a legal obligation !!

[7969]

[Miles Smiles]

Most contracts that I've read state that the contract isn't binding until both parties have signed it.

[Bondi007]

I worked for an EF school in Europe and have nothing but praise for them. Give the school a chance and don't dump them until they give you reason to.

Some teachers bad mouth schools because they've had a bad experience there while other teachers at the very same school may sing their praises...you'll never know til you GO.

[Niederbom]

Did you sign a hard copy or a scanned copy of the contract? A scanned contract is just an image file (like PNG) that anyone could airbrush or Photoshop, so it is not legally binding anywhere, as far as I am aware.

Breaking an actual signed contract might present a problem and is not something I'd recommend doing. If they get pissed enough, they might put you on the SAFEA blacklist for the province.

As for the ethics of dumping a scanned contract, integrity is definitely not the first thing on the minds of the people in this country, especially the business people. You're just acting like a local, fitting right in with the local culture. All anyone cares about here is his/her own skin, and you are at a disadvantage if you think differently than they do.

You act unreliably, leave a school in a lurch, break your word, steal their time (and money). You have to remember that they (and just about every other business here) would do the same thing to you if it was convenient. I am still constantly appalled by the way people in Dalian (and everywhere in China) brazenly cheat foreigners, or for that matter, anyone who doesn't know any better.

It's the way people do business in this country. "When in Rome...do as the Romans do."

[PolarBear]

I appreciate all of your comments. I haven't signed the actual contract. I signed the 'agreement to sign the agreement' or aka 'the scanned contract'. In the end, falling out on my word just doesn't sit well with me. However, I have some other higher paying opportunites in cities where I'm really interested in living.

[maotouying]

Have any of you took a look at this site?

I have gotten quite a bit of responses from it even after I secured a job.

I usually get hit after school starts with 5-10 request's to check out their school. But it does come in handy.

http://abroadchina.org/

[flyingscotsman]

[Jordean]

People love to dance around this issue. Do not feel obliged to uphold the K if you have a bad feeling. DO NOT waste a year being a good guy when the school would have no compunction about screwing you over.

And BS to all the legal eagles. K's are observed in the breach here. Why fall on your sword, to show the locals how noble foreigners are? They won't notice your selfless adherence to the law.

Seriously. You have better things to do than get locked into a situation that 'might' turn out OK. They will find a replacement from the enormous pool of potential FT's.

IF FT's really were that irreplaceable, don't you suppose the schools would actually verify credentials, do background checks, AND pay a decent wage.

It's a racket for them. So why treat it in the same way as a Western contract?

But if you really think you won't sleep nights after breaking a K, then go through with it. The school won't build a statue in your honor, however.

[LanGuTou]

[Jordean]

I have to disagree with the entire premise of "contract" in China being meaningfully related to the western idea. You are assigning your own values to the Chinese exercise of "contracts". Employers here view contracts as mutable after the fact. They can and do alter terms and there's little you can do about it. I have not had a single contract here that wasn't altered after negotiation, and sometimes after signing in ink on the dual copies (by my employer always). My options were lump it or leave it.

I have never broken a contract here. I would not advocate it nor am I.

That being said....

[xiao51]