Job Discussion Forums

[kingofhearts]

Colleagues and Friends,

A fraternal warning: ABIE (American Baby International English) Daqing Center, in Heilongjiang province, is a "black" (ie, illegal) school, employing all of its foreign teachers illegally. It's being run in such bad faith that you should not expect to be paid. I was not paid for my last three weeks of work there. You won't be either.

ABIE is a big chain, headquartered in Shanghai, with very roughly a hundred schools around China. The laughable premise to their business, by the way (judging by the corporate training videos), is that ABIE have--yes!--discovered and pioneered the shocking, bold, brave, new idea that learning should be fun! Oh boy, oh boy! And here I was, with my 15 years' teaching experience, thinking that Friedrich Froebel was born in something like 1782! Or thereabouts! And in Germany!

Lessons learned: a former colleague and former friend, a Canadian that I worked with in a Nanjing university back in 2012, swore up and down that this "nicest man in China," his best friend in the world, a certain J. L., would happily hire me to work in the ABIE Daqing Center he'd just franchised, and would NEVER, EVER, IN A MILLION YEARS dream of cheating me. (Nicest man in China, don't you know. With connections like these, what could possibly go wrong?)

Classic last words. Initials J. L. cheated me out of 7500 RMB--my last three weeks' wages--and went on to tell such lies to my prospective next employer that THAT new relationship was irretrievably damaged.

Very, very bad people, this J. L. and his very strange wife--if that's what she is. Assistant manager, anyway. Doesn't speak English beyond "Chinese food is good for you." Acts as enforcement arm to her psychopathic husband. One poor Russian woman was fired without warning or cause and assisted out of her apartment same day by this wifey-witch of J. L.'s, in my first week of work. Oops. No four-letter words allowed on this forum. Very, very, very bad should just about substitute.

Also, in trouble with local law enforcement. All of this center's foreign teachers are illegally employed. I was promised a legal visa and then offered assistance traveling to Inner Mongolia for a visa there--clearly not legal in Heilongjiang.

And within my brief stay there, earlier this summer (2016), the ENTIRE Chinese teaching staff (three young women in total) QUIT within just one week.

Many more were fired just because J. L. was in a bad mood that day.

Avoid this place like the plague.

More warnings forthcoming. China can be a nightmare.

kingofhearts

[Non Sequitur]

Which is why my oft repeated mantra for newbes is look for the least downside for your first job.
Won't solve all your problems but it will help avoid this type of nightmare.

[kingofhearts]

[CNexpatesl]

I worked for an ABIE center for a few months before I bailed on them a few years ago. I got paid, but the management at the location I was at were terrible and grossly inept. Actually ABIE is generally a sh*tty company all around, no matter the location.

Their pay is low, they force you to work 6 days a week, and the humiliating dancing monkey stuff like dancing, singing songs, and dressing up in a Santa suit during the holidays is mandatory (fortunately I never had to). They will also force you to attend training in Shanghai no matter what city you're in, for 6 or 7 days straight, from 9am to 6pm. I'm sure some people never even have their hotels or train tickets reimbursed.

They also almost exclusively hire Eastern Europeans, Russians and other non-natives. I guess because they have no choice.

[jimpellow]

I was curious about your opinion on the former Canadian friend. Do you think he was fooled by this "upstanding" Chinese businessperson, or do you think he sold his soul to be be part of the game at your expense?

He certainly would not be the first long timer to decide if you can't beat them, join them.

[wangdaning]

My first and only journey to China started with a Chinese woman married to an America. She was in the states and close to my location, so we met up for an "interview." She spoke fluently and had a native accent. She promised I would get proper documents once I was there. Once I was there they took me to the PSB who said, what are you talking about, you can't do that. The job was deserted soon after.

Luckily my current employer got me to HK (paid by them) and I got legal rights to work here.

PS: I say first and only because that is when I came and besides the HK trip I have not left.

[kingofhearts]