Job Discussion Forums

tin man · Joined: 18 Jun 2010 Posts: 137

My contract reads free single non-shared but I ran into a bit of a snag. The school is in a small town and there is somewhat of a shortage of apartments. The first place was a mold infected dump and I complained so they put me in a temp place that I share on the weekends which is only good until the end of the month.

The school asked me if I would take 2000 allowance which I refused so they want me to pay the amount over 2000 not to exceed 1000 assuming they can find something decent for 2500-3000. I agreed to go along with it but told them they should honor the contract and that I was not pleased.

I am waiting to see what they come up with. I don't want to get into a messy situation with the FAO, lawyers, etc. However, I would appreciate any thoughts or feedback. In my opinion, they should suck it up and pay for a decent place, it is the cost of doing business but logic does not always prevail here.

happeningthang · Joined: 08 Oct 2003 Posts: 117

Depends on the market - where is 'here'?

The bear · Joined: 16 Aug 2015 Posts: 483

jaybet3 · Joined: 15 Dec 2010 Posts: 140 Location: Indonesia

Stand firm on the promise in the contract. If the school is having a problem and wants you to share the burden of a more expensive apartment tell them "very nicely" that you do not agree. If the situation were reversed, they probably wouldn't even listen to you.

There should be a "break clause" in your contract that states that if either party fails to meet their agreement per the contract then the burdened party has the right to cancel the contract, usually with a hefty fee.

Use this as a last resort as you do not want to make them an enemy. Play nice, smile and work with them until you get what you want. Try to make it a win/win situation, or better yet, make them think they've won by making a teacher happy who will be more productive at their school.

Basically, it's their problem. It'll take some time, but make them fix it.

Good luck.

tin man · Joined: 18 Jun 2010 Posts: 137

I think holding them to the contract is good advice. they are showing me an apartment this afternoon within their budget. I found out that contracts are one way in China but it depends on the FAO, etc.

no_i_clean · Joined: 04 Nov 2014 Posts: 9

You'll probably find whatever apartments are in their budget are seriously basic, if you're ok with that then that's fine. But you want mod cons or luxuries you might have to add some of your own money to the allowance. I think that's fair enough.

My school pays half of my rent in allowance, but they offer adequate housing on campus if you want to live there. I did for a while, but it got a bit claustro.

Kalkstein · Joined: 25 Aug 2016 Posts: 80

nimadecaomei · Joined: 22 Sep 2016 Posts: 605

Tier 2 city and 3500 gets a three bedroom place in a decent community. If I was single and without a child I could get a cheaper and nicer place, 2k would be fine. It could be that the school or the agencies are trying to mess with you.

lionheartuk · Joined: 03 Jun 2005 Posts: 173 Location: Guangdong

I live in a popular medium sized city in Guangdong. Two of our teachers rent apartments for just over a 1500 a month. They have two bedrooms and are on the fourth floor of the block. One has rented that apartment with his wife for over 6 years. They just have to pay the utilities. Another teacher rented an apartment near the lake for 1000 a month.

Many cities have places that advertise apartments to rent for reasonable monthly fees.