Job Discussion Forums

[Sinobear]

You've obviously have put some time and effort into your decision to give China a try. Take some time and peruse the following link as part of your research.

Read this...all of it. Although Uriel Wittenberg is recently deceased, his trials and tribulations are still our onus as teachers today.


http://www.urielw.com/china/index.htm


Cheers! And the best of luck.

Superdave: Uriel's passing is on the index page here: http://www.urielw.com/index.htm

I should mention that a lot of the problems he faced regarding student attitudes and discipline and the administration's lack of action are still quite predominant today.

[superdave01]

uriel died? someone finally beat him to death? more info please.

[Mytime]

Love this snippet. Seems nothing changes.

[superdave01]

[shuize]

[Yu]

I am currently working on a Masters thesis (in Sociology) on the role of FTs in Chinese universities. I would like to come across more of these kind of stories. Have anything more to reccommend... which could also make for good newbie reading.

[Sinobear]

I posted the link to Uriel�s site so that newbies could see some of the trials and tribulations a FT might encounter in China. I do not feel that he was a poor, mislead FT that got taken advantage of�he did, indeed, bring most of the troubles upon himself due to his ignorance of Chinese culture and customs.
I recognize the na�vet� he had when first coming to China, and was dumbfounded at his sheer arrogance later on upon his return. However; he did bring up many interesting points that are worthy to note and situations that still can frustrate even an �old hand� in China.
To illustrate:
Schools that misrepresent themselves, their prestige, and their offerings to FTs
Those who are the mercy of FAOs that can speak very little to no English
Supposed disciplinary actions for problematic students that never get enforced
Students having the audacity to dictate what they want to learn
Management that has no clear hierarchy and FTs not knowing exactly who does what � who is the proper person to speak to when problems arise?
Persons being delegated to help FTs that are of no help at all
Unclear job descriptions � course outlines that are full of �edubabble�, devoid of any real content or structure
Lack of timely/meaningful communication between FTs and their superiors
Acceptance of anonymous complaints by administration from students that do not get passed on to the FT involved
Lack of cultural and language orientation for the FT
Lack of checks and balances to insure that FTs are fulfilling their contractual obligations AND the students are fulfilling theirs
We are supposed to be safeguarded by the contracting schools, yet that safeguarding usually consists of the FT being observed closely and his/her activities reported to administration
We are expected to react to changes instantaneously, whereas the administration can freely choose when, where, and how they will respond to FT inquiries, problems and complaints
If a FT has a legitimate legal issue with his/her contract, who to turn to? What are their options?

I could go on ad infinitum, but I think his website itself is the best vehicle for an insight into many of the SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) of China�s schools that are more clearly profit-making ventures now than bastions of academic excellence.

Cheers!