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ghost
Joined: 30 Jan 2003
Posts: 1693
Location: Saudi Arabia
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 Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2016 1:10 pm Post subject: Arabic |
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It might help that Lanzhou has a significant Chinese muslim population, but not sure how much that helps and how much the students learn (Arabic) when they are young - I suspect not much, unless they choose the path to become Imams at a young age.
Interestingly, in the documentary today, the city of Lanzhou (3 million +) looked quite nice, with the Yellow river crossing the city, and the surrounding hills. No clue that Lanzhou is actually infamous for being one of the most polluted cities in the world, because of its location (in a valley surrounded by hills and mountains).
Interesting to note that the city (Lanzhou) actually has a college which specializes in Lanzhou Lamian - that famous (long noodles) dish, found throughout China.
It might be an interesting place to teach, but the pollution might prove to be a disincentive for many teachers concerned about long term health. The Egyptian teacher, in the documentary today, made no mention of the pollution, and did not seem concerned, but coming from Cairo, that might be not so different for him.
Ghost in China |
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Spatula City
Joined: 28 Jul 2015
Posts: 71
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| Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2016 1:05 pm Post subject: |
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| jimpellow wrote: |
It was an interesting read. Nothing too shocking for any China vet. Making the punishment for a missed day of work collective was SORT of unique.
I agree with Murray1978 that one should have taken off ASAP to maintain sanity and self-worth. When a Westerner really cares about a 500RMB bonus, he has really allowed the Chinese to become his master.
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Actually, I've since learned the 'punishing everyone' thing only applies to the Chinese teachers... that was a new addition that happened after I left and there was some confusion about it early on.
Leaving right away can be troublesome regarding visa issues and such... and the hardcore misery didn't start until the Tuesday meetings became a thing in the second semester.
I think there's enough novelty in any new place to keep you amused for a while and without the meetings it was easier to get away, especially when classes ended in early December... I was even entertaining notions of returning earlier, but second semester was pretty punishing and when everything only gets worse and nothing ever improves, you're left with no real reason to expect it to be any different in the following year. |
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Spelunker
Joined: 03 Nov 2013
Posts: 392
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| Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2016 1:26 pm Post subject: re: correct |
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| and when everything only gets worse and nothing ever improves, you're left with no real reason to expect it to be any different in the following year. |
And this is the exact problem that can keep happening when the same FAO who lacks cultural awareness and sensitivity keeps a grip on that position for too long. One job I was at in China, a teacher from eastern europe told me that other teachers had been irked by the FAO, and an african teacher later revealed a british teacher had upset the FAO. This then did not bode well for me as a UK citizen, as it was a british male teacher who had "slighted" her in the past. IMO, the FAO should be someone new each year, OR someone who has good english, has lived/studied abroad, and is dilligent and patient and friendly. It can be a nightmare otherwise! |
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Mixal
Joined: 08 Apr 2015
Posts: 80
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| Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2017 2:44 pm Post subject: |
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| Thank you guys for writing this, I almost accepted their offer. They must be really desperate since few agents keep "recommending" a college/university position in Fuzhou, only to find out it's always this college. |
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Spatula City
Joined: 28 Jul 2015
Posts: 71
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| Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2017 11:17 am Post subject: |
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| Mixal wrote: |
| Thank you guys for writing this, I almost accepted their offer. They must be really desperate since few agents keep "recommending" a college/university position in Fuzhou, only to find out it's always this college. |
I can only assume this review played some role in their struggles, and I almost feel bad for them... but yes, there has been a pretty massive shakeup this year, and they're having a hard time finding new teachers.
This year, they actually lied to two new teachers to get them to work there, so they both left. I don't know what they think is going to happen when they don't clarify that they are not based in the city part of Fuzhou, or when they create such an antagonistic relationship with their staff-- and not just the foreign staff. The excuse always seems to be that it's the foreign teacher's fault for not doing enough homework on the subject.
I should also say that despite its problems, it is still a university job so the holidays are pretty decent and the workload is lighter than every other EFL job I've had in different countries. If they got nicer people in administration and stopped all the spying and lying and police state stuff and actually gave you the impression they cared about what you had to say, it wouldn't be such a bad place to work. |
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danshengou
Joined: 17 Feb 2016
Posts: 434
Location: A bizarre overcrowded hole
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| Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2017 2:14 pm Post subject: |
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| There's no way to sugarcoat it mate. It's a pathetic outfit in the middle of nowhere. Work part-time at McDonald's back home instead. And you'd still get plenty of time off that way too. |
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ChrisHenry15
Joined: 03 Jan 2015
Posts: 99
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| Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2017 7:20 am Post subject: |
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| Any current teachers at this university? |
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Spatula City
Joined: 28 Jul 2015
Posts: 71
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| Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2017 11:51 am Post subject: |
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| ChrisHenry15 wrote: |
| Any current teachers at this university? |
Yes, but they're struggling.
Oh hey, and just found out that a certain person in the infamous administration department apparently has no reservations about opening any packages your family might send you in the mail. |
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