Job Discussion Forums

haleynicole14 · Joined: 20 Feb 2012 Posts: 178 Location: US

Wow. You all are seriously awesome. I have learned so much more than I expected when posting that. Thank you!

Like some suggested, we decided to pass. On top of there being contract concerns, the city is only 600,000 people (never would I have though I would use the word "only when talking about that large of a population!). I've heard from a few different people that living in smaller cities is tough. We are going to look for jobs in bigger areas with contracts that don't bring up as many concerns.

Again, I really appreciate your help. Now I will know what to look for when looking at the next contract.

Bud Powell · Joined: 11 Jul 2013 Posts: 1736

WAIT! One more thing!

The city you were considering had has a population of 600,000. That population is spread out over wide areas. There may be less than 50,000 people living in the center of the city. That will mean fewer city services and very limited access to things to which you may be familiar back home.

I recommend that when you consider a position somewhere, you find out which district the city of the province is in. Do a Wikipedia search on the province to see if the school in which you intend to work is a prefecture-level city. The advantage to living in a prefecture level city is that the government dumps a lot of money into prefecture cities, so you can be REASONABLY sure that you won't be living in a h*ll hole with no bus service and other things that make living in China at least bearable.

kungfuman · Posted: Thu Sep 19, 2013 6:16 pm Post subject:

As Bud says, city services are something to consider. I lived in the boonies at a school - last bus home was 7pm! After that it was a 50-60 rmb taxi ride.

Put a damper on social life and side work

juanjose · Joined: 26 Apr 2013 Posts: 14 Location: china

I saw that you gave a pass on working in Jurong. If you did this because the contract was not right for you, than it is certainly your right. However, don't pass on Chinese cities because they are small. Jurong is only 40-60 minutes away from two huge Chinese cities- Changzhou and Nanjing. You could have had the best of both worlds: the lesser cost of living in a small town and the readily accessible high life of two metropolises. Two hours away are Suzhou and Wuxi, two other large cities.

I live in a small town to the south of Jurong named Jintan, farther away from Nanjing than you. The town is even smaller than Jurong. Don't make your decision base on size alone. Even people here would tell you that large cities in China can be quite boring as well. Look also what is in and around the potential area that you would live. Good luck.

CFTU-Beijing · Joined: 25 Jan 2013 Posts: 40

Don't be afraid to modify or insert "just in case clauses" into your contract such as these...

* Employer shall solely be responsible for any and all costs of acquiring and providing a working "Z" visa prior to the the employee's arrival in China.

* The employer will provide an original signed and sealed (chopped) copy of invitation and and release letters to the employee, free of charge, and in the case of the latter, within ten working days of termination from employment.

* The employee retains sole proprietary and copyright rights to any all lesson plans, ppts, or other material created prior to employment dates.

* The employee must be notified of any and all working schedule changes at least ten working days in advance of said changes.

* The employee is not obligated and shall not be penalized in any way for refusing to work unpaid overtime.

* The employee will not be asked nor expected to perform any marketing or sales activity.

* The employee is fully indemnified by the employer against any damages sought by students, their parents or guardians, in the event of personal injury, acts or omissions of a teachers aide, or a hygiene/safety incident that occurs on school premises.

Also remember that contracts in China are highly negotiable with private and international schools and even some universities and public schools, so don't be shy about asking for more money, benefits, or less working hours.

Screen Print No. ESLCAFE-15.9.21.13

Sarcastro · Joined: 18 Dec 2010 Posts: 89 Location: Ann Arbor, MI

Sarcastro · Joined: 18 Dec 2010 Posts: 89 Location: Ann Arbor, MI

drrjon · Joined: 09 Oct 2010 Posts: 35 Location: Chongqing

What happens during the summer when you are only paid 3500rmb per month? Do you need to sit in the office or are you free to travel? Also get paid only 80% during probation? I would never sign this contract.