Job Discussion Forums

[kev7161]

I'm sorry, I don't believe I was addressing you cupcake. . . now mind your knittin'!

[Buck Lin]

Getting paid in the world to day is a problem. I think you must read the situation sometimes. When you realize that there are no students in your classes and the water dispenser is empty, you must look for new digs. It is something I learned in South Korea with disgrunted EFL workers with the same story. Don't waste your time trying to get money when there is no money. You must learn to count your students and calculate how much money they pay and how much money you earn. It should be 50/ 50 with you and your employer.
I find that there is a huge market here for English. There are plentiful jobs but they must realize that life is not the same as back home. You don't get unemployment benifits and there is no dole or welfare in China.

[Ahchoo]

[stillnosheep]

A company in China I once worked for for three months wouldn't pay me all of my back-pay, nor the 50% of the price of the single ticket which they would have owed me after 6 months (I considered that they were at fault in the breakdown of trust and relations between us).

A "colleague" who put himself forward for the open position of no. 1 teacher and intermediary between the Chinese management and the rest of the foreign teachers, a post which weeks previously had been offered to me, and since then had been offered to what seemed like almost every member of the teaching staff, told me he had been fighting for me and had 'negotiated' a settlement wherein the company would give me my back-pay but not half my air-fare home/6 month "bonus". I told him that regretably, the matter of my backpay and bonus had nothing to do with him.

Before approaching the company principal, I contacted my local consulate who checked for me whether the company was listed as having a licence to hire FEs; it turned out that it wasn't (they were getting F visas via a contact in another province). Armed with this info I arranged a meeting with the principal, as I arrived his staff were very unsmiling towards me. In the meeting I explained that I believed that I was owed however much salary plus 50% of my 6-month single-ticket airfare equivalent (to my home country where I would return, not to the much nearer country whence I came). He smilingly told me just how impossible that was. I smilingly told him that he should do the honourable thing and pay me, especially as unbeknownst to me he had had me working for the previous three months for a school that wasn't authorised to employ me. He smilingly denied this, telling me that the company had every right to hire FEs. I smilingly told him that my consulate had advised me otherwise. He smilingly told me that the consulate was mistaken. I smilingly told him that that might be so so perhaps I should check with the issuing authorities for the area in which the company did business as I had promised to ring the consulate back to let them know whether the information that they had been given was correct. He smilingly offered to give me my job back. I smilingly considered this before smilingly deciding that regretably I was unable to take him up on his offer but would consider that my back-wages, plus half the single air-fare home would be sufficient recompense for his having put me in the situation where I had been working illegally. He, eventually, smilingly, called in his girlfriend, the accounts manager, who I was sure had been behind my dismissal and who, entering unsmilingly, was asked to bring me back-wages, plus half my single air-fare home. She, unsure but smilingly, explained to me that they didn't carry that much cash in the office whereupon I smilingly assured her that, the banks being open, I would wait. Half an hour or so later she returned with a broad smile and my money which I accepted and signed for, smilingly.

I bought a big red motorbike which I often parked right outside of the school before going off on it on a tour of SW China.

Moral of the story: If your employer refuses to pay what you are owed always check with your consulate whether it had the legal right to hire you in the first place. If not, and as long as you are not bluffing and are prepared to leave the country if your gamble is called, bring this subject up and offer to get the authorities in to clear the matter up. But make sure that your consulate know what you are doing and are expecting to hear from you about how the meeting goes. And don't back down.

But do smile, smilingly.

[Sly22]

[Sly22]

Also I said renew my passport... not sure what I was thinking there. I meant my Residence Permit. I do have my FEC and processing RP right now. I need to start proofreading my posts. :/

[Totemic]

[Itsme]

Why is is that some employers will pull this stuff with some teachers but not with others? I never had any problems but my co-wokers did. I think it had a lot to do with the pre-hiring phase. I must have emailed a million questions concerning the contract.

My favorite was when I was getting paid by a law firm..... They were taking out way too much for taxes according to the new law of the land.... Instead of barging in and calling him a liar I politely stated that they had just recently changed the law (they changed it MONTHS before).

It's all about saving face and they are more than pleased to hold their end of the deal if you can politely call their BS.

I would suspect a lot of foreign teachers do the opposite and throw a tantrum in front of everyone....

[evaforsure]

and ths is the advice most often given on this board.....luckly for the OP..he listen to himself rather than the tosers advising tantrums...

[Sly22]

I had my first lesson with this when I was late for work and ready to explain that I had just slept in. My manager interrupted me and said "was there an accident causing your bus here to be canceled?" I got what he was saying so I said "uh... yeh.. right.. big accident. Road closed. People got hurt. Lucky for me, I was only late." I'm not the best liar but I think I've mastered the Chinese custom of "saving face" AKA lying your Ass off to save it. Late for work? Huge car accident! The bus driver didn't stop the bus for me. I got into a cab and he drove me to the wrong place. Forgot to plan a lesson? My lesson plan WAS to not have a lesson plan, just give the students a chance to speak freely!. In return all the lame excuses I get from Chinese people, I never call them on it. I'm not sure its a good system, but it feels good always being right.

[vikuk]

[Buck Lin]

In Asia always tell the big lie. My mother has died ten times since I was here.

[Buck Lin]

And the truth is the perfect disguise. ( Chris Christoferson)

[Sly22]

[Sly22]