Job Discussion Forums

[Blaise]

If anyone�s interested in teaching in Zhuhai I can thoroughly recommend The Zhuhai English School. I have recently left the school and returned to the UK but I will never forget my time there.

It�s a small school located in the Gombei district. They have a good director of studies and a small bunch of talented expats on staff. They are, however, very picky about who they hire so you have to be quite well-qualified to work there. Then again, they pay quite well so I suppose they can afford to be picky! It�s actually the only Chinese language school I�ve worked in that�s had a happy feel to the place!

While I�m at it, if you�re going to Zhuhai I�d steer clear of the dreaded EF - now there�s a shocker!

[Roger]

Is this a recruitment exercise in some unfitting disguise???
Are some competitors so desperate they have to name EF in the worst context even in their pseudo-ifnormal chats?
ANd it is "Gongbei" - by the way!

[Blaise]

Roger - 6264 posts?

Do you do anything else with your life?

You need to get out more mate.

[Mideatoo]

[Chris_Crossley]

Careful, Mideatoo! �Mate� is a British English term, originating in the South-East of England, notably London, used to address men, whether they are known to the speaker or not. It does not necessarily imply anything about whether they are their mates (that is, friends) and certainly it does not imply anything as to their sexual orientation.

This term is used widely in Australia on account of the many British people who went, willingly or not, over there. �Transportation� was the euphemism used to refer to the enforced expatriation of prisoners from England from the late 17th century until, I think, about 1868. Many of the prisoners who served their terms in penal colonies in Western Australia then settled permanently and helped to colonise the country. Hence, the stereotypical greeting �G�day, mate!� is thought of as being almost uniquely characteristic of Aussies.

Needless to say, assuming that someone is gay just because someone calls someone else �mate� can be dangerous, and, if you were to ask some big, tough, tattooed guy if he is gay merely because he is addressed as �mate�, that just might result in a big bunch of fives heading your way at a somewhat fast speed.

[Mideatoo]

[Don McChesney]

They asked the security staff to stop using the word "mate", because it is an informal greeting, and visiting dignitaries may be offended.

[Midlothian Mapleheart]

Edited to remove offensive content.

Middy

[Don McChesney]

They can't get 'desperate' for teachers. Ask Roger why not.