Job Discussion Forums

[travesty21]

Hello,
I am teaching in Dalian, China, or was, right now the city government or perhaps the provincial government has shut down all training schools and extra public school classes such as english, etc. This has been going on for almost 1 month. No, classes either adult or children, have been allowed to continue. Many teachers are leaving for lack of work, many. I myself am taking lessons in Chinese at a local University, but this will end shortly. I am considering moving from Dalian to another city because of the overreaction by the local government in handling SARS. There seems to be no end in site to the closing of the english schools, especially since they continue to get a few SARS cases every so often. I really want to know the situation in other cities in China. Are the english schools closed/open? Are all english schools closed as well as universities? Does anyone know whether they have seen alot of teachers pack up and leave like in Dalian? Please answer me with facts and not heresay! I would like current teachers in china to chide in with there situations and what city they are teaching in. Once again please no heresay only facts, thank you.

[Redfivestandingby]

I work in a training school in Zhenghou, Henan. My situation seems to echo yours. Training schools are not allowed to operate and I haven't worked for about a month.

Now, in the last week the school decided to start up classes anyway fully aware that it is doing so against regulations. I believe "normal" classes will start up again on June 6. So we're squeezing these "illegal" courses in before that date.

[travesty21]

Thanks for the reply. Situation is still uncertain here, although they all hope by the end of the month they will be allowed to open, I say no way on that one.

[woza17]

I am currently working for a language institute in Dongguan and my hours have gone from 25 down to 10. So I have decided to go home for a holiday until the situation improves.
Some of the schools closed for a few weeks but things seem to be back to normal. People are reluctant to go out if they don't really have to so numbers in the adult classes have dropped
Regards woza

[MyTurnNow]

I'm Director of a prep school in a city near Shanghai.

My city only has maybe one case, and the whole region is only lightly affected, but people have gone berserk here. My school has been closed; in our 4th week now and probably 2 more after this one. At least we're paying everyone...

I can't bring job applicants on campus. I can't even bring my girlfriend, and I assure you we completely share all our microbes. Fortunately she is quite a charming thing and can often talk her way past the ever-vigilant 350-RMB-a-month gate guards.

Said girlfriend and I went to a famous teahouse here in town Saturday. We had to have our temperatures taken at the door before we could enter and drink tea.

I have the Hay Fever From Hell; I can't buy an antihistamine without a prescription now. I might be illicitly trying to treat my virulent viral lung infection with a *beep*ing Contac.

I also have back problems and take a mild anti-inflammatory (chlorzoxazone). Can't buy them either...says on the packet they reduce fever.

Taxi drivers now ask fares to leave the windows rolled down so they don't catch SARS from us.

This is not reason. This is not caution. This is madness.

MT

[skyline5k]

Our school seems to be one of the few that hasn't shut down, at least as private schools go. AES as well as the others here have been relatively unscathed by SARS and rightfully so. Only one "official" case in shandong province, and only a few rumored in Jinan.

We'd be the first to close, however. And this probably applies in all cities. Universities here all shut their gates for awhile, not letting anyone leave. Considering private English schools are a mixture of many different children from many different primary and middle schools, we were warned that we'd be the first. But now that everythings slowly going back to normal, we survived, (the only school in all of AES that didn't close.)

[ESL Guru]

Just thank your luck stars that you are not in Henan Province where we had the students get SARS and then riot.

This province is most draconian in its handling of the matter.

Our school is raising the perimiter walls to 14' with broken glass on top, placing steel bars over drainage ditches and pipes, adding guards at the gates, etc.

All of this when SARS is supposed to be on the decline. I did not sign on to live in a maximum security prison in a small farming town.

I submitted my resignation yesterday! I have taken it as long as I can but I have had enough.

[frognation]

On a funny and some what disturbing note, my school has posted signs that says SARS stands for "smile and remain smiling"... HA!!

On a very positive note we have just been granted a 6-day vacation where all students and teachers have been given permission to either return home or travel. I am in the boondocks about an hour outside HangZhou and our school has been on virutal lockdown for the last month. Teachers and students alike are about ready to crack. The only travel restrictions we have been given are to not leave the province of Zhejiang. From my understanding Shanghai is included in places we can go.

Have not planned my holiday yet but certainly do not want to run into any problems along the way.

Well good luck to all.

Froggy

[Peter]

In Shenzhen it is all hands to the pumps.....but the ship is not sinking.

My own business lost two weekend classes and one gig in Baoan got chopped too ,due to closure of all outside schoolhours classes.

No sign of re enrolling or the Baoan gig back.

It is a loss of 1200 a week

[MyTurnNow]

Guruji,

My condolences.
I've seen a number of teachers, including one from my own staff, leave China entirely because they couldn't take the travel restrictions and general schizoid paranoia any more.

I hope you will not be among them, and will find a sane place to work here. If there is one.

MT