Job Discussion Forums

[BigD]

TEACHING IN SHIJIAZHUANG, HEBEI, PRC.

I have worked in Shijiazhuang, Hebei for about a year and a half now. I know this school and all the foreigners that have worked at that school have had problems with payments(i.e. airfare and salary) and numerous contract disputes. That School is current being investigated by The State Bureau of Foreign Experts and by the PSB here in Shijiazhuang. So, stay away from Shijiazhuang I.T. college in the eastern economic development zone. This school will tell you anything to get you there and then once you sign that contract(a mere formality)your life will take a turn for the worst.

The schools and organizations that I have listed believe that the general government contract and their own addendums only applicable on your end. This is not the case my fellow teachers. Please, read the contracts carefully. I have heard many cases where the foreign teachers signed contracts that they haven't read in there entirety. The standard government contract was created to give foreign teachers rights here in China. Many schools follow the contract but many believe that you don't understand your position in relation to the school and they will prey upon your own ignorance but you have legal recourse.
The foreign teacher has the right to appeal at anytime to the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs for final arbitration.

Then we have New Times LTD. This organization brought me to China and then lied to me about having a job for me. First, they forgot to pick me up at the airport in Beijing and then they wouldn't reimburse me for the two night expense I had in Beijing. Then they got some college kid in Beijing to help me get a train ticket to Shijiazhuang where there representatives were late by three hours picking me up from the train station. This I could put up with but I was still angry. After they finally found me at the train station they told me it might be a day or two before they found me a job. I was really angry now, they told me I would have job waiting for me when I arrvied, more LIES.

They put me up in their company room with two other foreigners who were in the same position as myself. The room was a run-down cold water tenement that was infested with cockroaches. After two weeks of misery and constant flow of LIES from the mouths of the workers of this little dysfunctional inept organization. They actually found me a job at Middle School #1 here in Shijiazhuang. I signed the contract and moved in.

This school ended up being a nightmare. The FAO decided that all the foreign staff were second class citizens and were treated accordingly. We were never told any information about anything relating to school or the surrounding community. This was upsetting but it was China so I decided grin and bear it.

About half way through my first term the school decided not to follow the basic rules of the government contract in regards to accomodations(i.e. water, power and access to food) and they were violating their own addendum. So, I decided to call my friends over there at NEW TIMES LTD. to see if they could help me talk to the administration about my current situation. I thought they should because of the simple fact they were taking a percentage of my PAY every month. I assumed this was for any help we might need here in China. This was far from the case. I asked for there help and they told me a presentative was on the way over, well I'm still waiting. They had nothing but LIES for me and no assistance. So, I decided to leave that school and I found another job via the internet. I told the little cretin(Dou Songlin) that runs this criminal organization that our business is over.

NEW TIMES LTD. owes many foreign teachers the rest of their payments. Never work for the company because they will alter your working hours to satisfy there need for RMB. This happened to three of my friends at NEW TIMES LTD. and they will not pay you the full amount for your air-ticket. This recently happened to a friend of mine. NEW TIMES LTD. tried to take or withhold 2000RMB of his airfare reimbursement. The school told him they paid NEW TIMES LTD. 9000RMB for his airfare and NEW TIMES LTD. decided to pay him 7000RMB. This is a common practice at this organization. They have a well designed and constructed website but looks are DECEIVING...


DELL ENGLISH SCHOOL here in Shijiazhuang is another school to avoid. They to, will not pay you for your actually hours either. They will also try to change the pay scale if they are running short funds. They will envite you come and interview with the school but they won't tell that you are going to a school with some other potential hires and talk in a auditorium for two hours and not get paid for it. They will LIE and tell you it will only take 20 minutes. Then they will take your picture along with the other foreigners and use that in there advertisements. This is now illegal for schools in China to do this without your permission and you must be compensated for the use of your photograph in a advertisement.
Then after using your picture without permission they will hire non-native speakers that can bearly mumble a word of English because they are cheaper.
WELCOME TO SHIJIAZHUANG!!!!

Summation.

SCHOOLS AND ORGANIZATIONS NOT TO WORK FOR IN SHIJIAZHUANG.

1)NEW TIMES LTD.
2)MIDDLE SCHOOL NUMBER ONE
3)SHIJIAZHUANG I.T. AND ENGINEERING COLLEGE
4)DELL ENGLISH SCHOOL

[nolefan]

Here we go again with one-sided stories.

Actually, I will agree with you on the fact that a lot of the schools in Shijiazhuang are pure shiite anyday of the week. I have gone on the record many times saying so. It is sad when in a city like shijiazhuang, the two most reputable schools for FT are English First and Huntchins (both private). Yet, many people there are happy with their schools and have signed on for seconds and third years. to each their own.

Now, on to your particular situation that was adressed before on these forums ( seeing that 4 out of your 6 posts have been about New Times), it is extremely one sided. You are not disclosing all the details and you are also misrepresenting a few facts.

This has been debated endless times and looks like we're going for one more round:

- Only one teacher works for New Times. He's been with them since february and I have not heard him complain.
- New Times does not take a commision out of salaries because the teachers sign contracts with their schools and get paid directly (notice: teachers, not volunteers).
- As the website states, NT does not promise you a job before arriving to China. Once you get here, you have to spend 3 days in the office for orientation.
- Airfare is for people that sign a 6 or 12 months contract, not those that extend their stay on a monthly basis.
- and i could go on but i won't.

Clearly, you have had some issues with NT and you have issues with many schools in shijiazhuang, I'm sorry about that and wish your experience had been better, but please refrain from name calling and try looking in the mirror a bit. How about some constructive criticisme for a change?

[goose]

Do not take forum regular "Nolefans" defence of New Times with any credibility. He is employed with them. He gets RMB from them working on there website and various other tasks. If you look at New Times website the programs they have offered "May day getaway" and "Bootcamp" They were designed with Nolefan playing a big role. There programs are just are another way to make money. So Nolefan gets more money. When a dissatisfied customer complains about New Times he has to defend them heck thats what I would do.

Do not use New Times service!! If you must use them, only use it during August. September is the start of the new term, so hopefully you will be placed into a school then you don't have to deal with Mr Dou anymore. Do not get fooled into working for a school which does not have a license to employ foreign teachers. If you do this you are breaking the law, but the more worrying thing is that Dou will pay you. I did this for 3 weeks last year. I worked 18 classes at 60RMB, the classes were 45 minutes in length. Come pay day it was 60RMB for 18 hours, so you do the Maths. They paid me for 13.5 hours. Now its not a big amount of money, but its principle and its dishonesty on behalf on New Times. Another thing last year there website said that the would pay for the medical exam. When I had mine they responded nah, nah the school will reimburse you. Thats fine, but they should have not advertised that they would pay when they wouldn't.

The website is different.....but the criminals are still the same!!! Be warned!!!

Before you go through New Times contact this email

www.anesl.com

They will organise you job without you having to meet them. They will organise it before you come to China and you can see the jobs and places they have schools on there internet site. I think you send them the necessary documents and the job that you like and they will contact you back. Much more reliable and honest than New Times!!!

[nolefan]

[coming soon]

I feel like I should add my two cents here just for the record. I used New Times to get my current teaching job in China and I have nothing but good things to say. Granted, I don't work for their school, I just used their placement services. I was thinking about joining the bootcamp but I didn't have enough cash and they said that it would be no problem, I could pay them later.

I exchanged emails with "Roger", the Aussie who answers their emails, and everything that he has told me happened. I got a decent college job, my medical reimbursed by the school, and my work visa. All is good. I met two girls that were being processed at the same time and I know they're doing just fine.

When i was in shijiazhuang, I stayed at that room next to the office and had no complaints about it. It was clean, had a western style toilet and water heater. My only complaint was that I had to be back before 10:30 at night if I did not want to climb the gate which was not that bad. I have not had to deal with New Times since then, other than telling them that everything was fine, but it is understood that I can go back to shijiazhuang anytime (not that I would want to anyways) especially if there was anything wrong with my college. I don't know why but I do take some comfort in knowing that.

Again, just my two cents. From the little bit that i've seen of them, they don't deserve the bad rap they get on Dave's.

[stil]