Job Discussion Forums

[ChinaLady]

the good? the not so good? the ugly?
have heard several stories. including a man who says he was fired for dumping trash on a university worker. he said the living and working conditions were unbearable. the trash was the last straw.
but have also been told really good things. bright students. a caring understanding FAO. salary paid on time. trips to scenic areas. comfortable housing. great international team of teachers.
any insight from you experienced ESL people?

[Roger]

Yes, some experience.
They have a modern and attractive campus that backs up against Baiyun Hills, which is a true holiday destination next to the heart of town.
That's where I was interviewed, but the job I was finally given had nothing to do with university students. I was hired for the purpose of "oral English - my famous pet peeve - and had a horrible time with Guangdong's most unruyly teenagers, 45 pieces to one classroom. The pay was substandard, but in view of the many periods a day (and it was a parttime job) I accepted it and earned quite decent an income.
I have met a few former GUFS students. Bright? More intelligent than elsewhere? I can't judge THE students - I can only say that individuals come as they come, some brighter, others less so. The point is that my suspicion grew that you need a good connection to this university to enrol there! Guanxi and a lot of money. It's an elite university, but that doesn't mean students are very bright; money speaks louder here than personal effort and diligence!
They do have other subjects - Japanese, French, German - and I met students or ex-students that had graduated there; anyone who passes university level German, French or Japanese must be above average, which all these former students clearly were.
But then again, I met those ones who spoke these lingos - how many "passed" the final exam, and never used their foreign languages again?

[ChinaLady]

thanks for the information. I always figure that if no one posts anything horrid in a week, the school muct be okay - or at least doable.
I guess being near Guanzhou is the big draw.

[gerard49]