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Zero Hero
Joined: 20 Mar 2005
Posts: 944
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 Posted: Thu May 05, 2005 7:51 am Post subject: |
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| Roger wrote: |
| It isn't "alarming" in the least that you are expected to "share" an apartment; so long as you have your private bedroom, private bathroom and keys to them I can't see much to worry about. |
I think this tells us more about you, your education, qualifications, standards, and expectations, then it does about the outrageous demand that employees (I avoid the word 'teachers') share accommodation.
Teachers require their own home for resting after a day's teaching, and for preparation of the next day's lessons. They need space and privacy, not communal facilities. As I say, they are obviously not seeking a professional teacher but rather a backpacker as no one else in their right mind would ever willingly share accommodation with anyone, especially not a stranger (and especially not a stranger in China). |
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kev7161
Joined: 06 Feb 2004
Posts: 5880
Location: Suzhou, China
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| Posted: Thu May 05, 2005 8:26 am Post subject: |
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Okay guys, calm down. Let's stop making assumptions here. First off:
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| As for the "experimental" in the school's name, |
This PROGRAM I interviewed for is "experimental" - - this word is not in the school's name (go back and have a look at my original post). I actually don't want to post the school's name until I either am offered or not offered the job.
As for sharing an apartment: I don't think that really reflects on this or any school. I, personally, would rather have my own apartment for some of the reasons Zero Hero has mentioned. Without even knowing a potential roommate, it may be difficult to acclimate to each other. This is not a college dorm room. There could be host of differences that may make living with each other difficult: political leanings, age, neatness (or lack of) factors, music tastes, one washing machine, one television, one microwave, etc.
I stayed in a hotel a couple summers ago with a new person. He was a nice guy and we "mostly" got along, but he definitely prefered his own space. He liked it warmer in the room, I liked it cool. He wanted time to bring a "girlfriend" into the room, I wanted to sleep. We were only together for a couple of weeks, but imagine potential conflicts for a whole year!
I'm generally a homebody. I like to hang out and watch TV or read or play on the computer. I don't want to be sequestered in my bedroom; I like to spread out. I'm not a total slob, but my mess is . . . comfortable . . . to me. I don't have that many secrets, but I do enjoy my privacy.
We're kind of veering off the subject of the actual teaching part of this thread. These are 1st graders and the school wants to try and immerse them in a near-total English environment, hoping they will pick up English at a much earlier age rather than trying to get them "hooked" when they are 14 or 15. A decent idea - - I'm not sure if it will fly or not. I have a Bachelor's in Elementary Education, but it's a heck of a lot easier (I imagine) to teach English-speaking 1st graders than those with a Chinese vocabulary. |
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kev7161
Joined: 06 Feb 2004
Posts: 5880
Location: Suzhou, China
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| Posted: Tue May 10, 2005 2:33 am Post subject: |
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For those of you that were interested:
It seems the school will agree to providing me my own off-campus apartment. I haven't looked at the contract yet or gotten the "official" notification of the exacts, but they have offered me, via email, my own apartment on or off-campus. I don't know if they'll find and furnish me an apartment and just pay the monthly rent/utilities or will they give me a monthly stipend for me to do it myself. I could probably live with either scenario as long as the apartment was a decent one (certainly not lavish, just decent enough).
When I go home this summer for a visit, they are going to provide me with 20,000rmb to buy some textbooks and other teaching materials. I'm thinking they are going to copy from them. I feel a little weird about that, but at least I get to select what texts I want to teach from.
They have offered a "completion bonus" at the end of the first year, along with my reimbursed plane fare.
Basically, they have agreed to pretty much every request that I have made (but, again, a contract has not yet been signed), so I'd be a fool to pass this up. It may be hard work, but so what? I'm bored with my lack of work here. Plus, the schedule can't be beat and I'll have my own privacy away from the school.
Thanks for all the input - - I really enjoy reading the postings at Dave's. It looks like you'll have me around whining and complaining for another year at least.  |
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Old Dog
Joined: 22 Oct 2004
Posts: 564
Location: China
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| Posted: Tue May 10, 2005 6:34 am Post subject: Sounds good |
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| Sounds like a good proposition here. But I certainly won't believe you when next you complain and indicate you are heading home soon for sure, fed up with China, etc., since I'll know there's a good chance that simultaneously you are hunting around for another job in China - and all my sympathy will have gone to waste! And please, no complaining about this new place. If there are troubles, they'll be very much self-inflicted. |
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kev7161
Joined: 06 Feb 2004
Posts: 5880
Location: Suzhou, China
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| Posted: Tue May 10, 2005 3:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Oh, I'll complain . . . don't you worry about that. It's just my nature. But I'll make sure not to focus my complaints towards you. I'll make them more "general". It might be a cool job, it might be a living hell, or it might be something in between. But those dollar signs (rmb signs?) sure do make the potential troubles more compatible. |
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