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jengoing
Joined: 19 Jan 2006
Posts: 3
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 Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2006 7:35 pm Post subject: Global TEFL Summer Camp |
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Hi!
I was wondering if anyone had any experiences (good and bad) to share about working with Global Tefl at Zhejiang University - specifically the teacher-training summer camp.
I read one post here where the person said that they didn't have enough students and he had to leave early. Is there anything else?
Thanks!
Jennifer |
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Roger
Joined: 19 Jan 2003
Posts: 9138
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| Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2006 9:26 am Post subject: |
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| Zhejiang University seems to be a jack-of-all trades specialising in teaching and acting as agents for other institutions wanting to hire FTs! Beware of their highly enterprising agents that masquerade under a host of different names such as Frank, Frank Zhang, Alibuur and I don't know what else! |
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jengoing
Joined: 19 Jan 2006
Posts: 3
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| Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2006 12:02 pm Post subject: |
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Interesting.
Well, I'm sure I was contacted by the director of the program and it wasn't any of those names.
Thanks for the info.
Does anyone else have other information? |
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dajiang
Joined: 13 May 2004
Posts: 663
Location: Guilin!
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jengoing
Joined: 19 Jan 2006
Posts: 3
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| Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2006 6:47 pm Post subject: |
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| Thanks for the link - very useful! |
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JZer
Joined: 16 Jan 2005
Posts: 3898
Location: Pittsburgh
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| Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2006 12:13 pm Post subject: |
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I was there last summer. They place people in many different towns. From the ad
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| other camps, such as Taizhou camp, Wenzhou camp, Ningbo camp, Jinhua camp, Quzhou camp, Lishui camp, Huzhou camp, Zhuji camp, Jiaxing camp, Shaoxing camp and Yiwu camp, etc.). |
Last summer I was in Zhuji, they put us up in a nice hotel and served us our own private dinner everyday. If you ask for the meal money instead of dinner at the school you may not get it despite what the website advertises. The meal money seems to be at the discretion of the school you work at.
The reality of this camp is that if you want to experience China and are flexible it can be a great opportunity. If not stay clear. The reason is that they have no idea how many teachers they need. John Zhou runs two camps of his own from what I know and the rest of the teachers are hired out to other schools. Mr. Zhou collects a nice $500 + for each teacher he recruits. Meaning he pockets a nice $35,000 + through this business. Plus what he makes off of his own summer camp. He is hiring teachers in January and the reality is that he has no idea how many he will need and when. So he will end up trying to get teachers to switch weeks at the end when things become final. He tries to make these changes a week or two before you leave. So if you have to change your ticket it can cost you some money.
If you are flexible and want to plan a four week trip out of this you will probably be fine. Head to China a week early, so that if he wants to change dates you will be there already and won't have to change your ticket. That would allow you one week of traveling before or after the program however it works out.
If you have more questions feel free to ask. If you want a second opinion I can probably get you in contact with someone else that worked at the camp last year. |
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vikdk
Joined: 25 Jun 2003
Posts: 1676
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| Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2006 3:14 pm Post subject: |
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| a recruiter earns 35,000 bucks plus - the recruits are often inconvenieced by the the recruiters money grabbing antics - hope any one taking part gets a decent share of all that cash which seems to be flying about - and what about all those poor kids taking part - what kind of summer treat do they get????????????? |
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kev7161
Joined: 06 Feb 2004
Posts: 5880
Location: Suzhou, China
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| Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2006 3:54 pm Post subject: |
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If you (and by "you", I mean anyone reading this thread) are stupid enough to take a job with "Global TEFL", run by John Zhou and Helen ???, then all I can say is BEWARE.
It's a lackadaisical program run by a shifty guy who is really and truly out to make a wad of money. There seems to be little concern for the students that sign up (and pay for) this program. There is precious little planning, it seems, and last minute changes abound throughout the entire 4-week (or less) program.
Whatever you do, get all your agreements in writing. It's January now, so "John" has plenty of time to air mail you a confirmation letter that SHOULD state where you will be located, how many weeks you will work, what food and accomodations you can expect, what your REAL pay will be, regardless of last-minute changes, arrival time, teaching materials, school/classroom type, etc. Then make him stick to those assurances once you arrive or raise holy hell with him. In China, "in writing" often doesn't amount to much, but it can't hurt.
Yes, it is only a 4-week course, so how bad could it get, really? Some posters here have actually had pretty good luck with the program and for some, like me, it has been disastrous - - and I was fool enough to do it 2 summers in a row! I did meet some great kids (which is the main goal by the way), but every day was a living HELL due to confusion, the god-awful Zhejiang summer heat, the quibbles about final pay (when the program is cut short without notice), and so on.
There are lots of summer programs and it is only February (almost). I worked a fairly good program last summer down in Dongguan. The pay was excellent and my accomodations were really quite nice. I had one small class and we did a bunch of indoor and outdoor activities beyond the mediocre English lessons (mediocre on my part, I'm sure). You have time to shop around before committing to anything. But if you are dead set on this Global TEFL thingie, well best of luck to you then. |
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HunanForeignGuy
Joined: 05 Jan 2006
Posts: 989
Location: Shanghai, PRC
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| Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2006 4:39 pm Post subject: Summer Camps |
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| kev7161 wrote: |
If you (and by "you", I mean anyone reading this thread) are stupid enough to take a job with "Global TEFL", run by John Zhou and Helen ???, then all I can say is BEWARE.
It's a lackadaisical program run by a shifty guy who is really and truly out to make a wad of money. There seems to be little concern for the students that sign up (and pay for) this program. There is precious little planning, it seems, and last minute changes abound throughout the entire 4-week (or less) program.
Whatever you do, get all your agreements in writing. It's January now, so "John" has plenty of time to air mail you a confirmation letter that SHOULD state where you will be located, how many weeks you will work, what food and accomodations you can expect, what your REAL pay will be, regardless of last-minute changes, arrival time, teaching materials, school/classroom type, etc. Then make him stick to those assurances once you arrive or raise holy hell with him. In China, "in writing" often doesn't amount to much, but it can't hurt.
Yes, it is only a 4-week course, so how bad could it get, really? Some posters here have actually had pretty good luck with the program and for some, like me, it has been disastrous - - and I was fool enough to do it 2 summers in a row! I did meet some great kids (which is the main goal by the way), but every day was a living HELL due to confusion, the god-awful Zhejiang summer heat, the quibbles about final pay (when the program is cut short without notice), and so on.
There are lots of summer programs and it is only February (almost). I worked a fairly good program last summer down in Dongguan. The pay was excellent and my accomodations were really quite nice. I had one small class and we did a bunch of indoor and outdoor activities beyond the mediocre English lessons (mediocre on my part, I'm sure). You have time to shop around before committing to anything. But if you are dead set on this Global TEFL thingie, well best of luck to you then. |
TO ALL OF YOU:
As a China-hand with a good number of years here, I can ABSOLUTELY confirm everything Kevin writes. RUN, RUN QUICKLY. There are wonderful summer programs in China if you want a summer camp. If you want to be cheated, if you want to be paid a different salary than that which you were promised IN WRITING, if you want to be fired because they don't like the look of your face, or because you happen to be black when they thought you were white, etc., etc., then do join this program.
And the heat in Zhejiang in the summer -- last year Hangzhou was a good 42 C. (110 F). for at least two months. It was unbearable. And unliveable.
A good agent for summer camps in China is www.china-tesol.org or something like that, based in Beijing and run by an Australian, Mr. Maher. They tend to organize and run camps in the summer and have a decent name. You may also wish to consider New Times International.
Now Helen Zhou used to be the Foreign Affairs Officer for Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, previously ZIST. She then somehow mutated into this business. which has become extremely lucrative for her and on the normal placement end, she can come up with some nice spots. BUT A BIG WARNING. Exercise caution and discretion here and if you are in China, check out the place, actually and physically, before you accept it.
Kevin, thanks for the good posting. I think that you were in Hangzhou last year and then moved to Suzhou or Wuxi or something. How goes it?
All the best,
Hunan Foreign Guy |
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kev7161
Joined: 06 Feb 2004
Posts: 5880
Location: Suzhou, China
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| Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2006 6:35 am Post subject: |
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Yeah, in Suzhou now and really enjoying it (my school, the area where I live). A VAST difference from Hangzhou. Thanks to my current position, I have no reason to work a summer job this year. I can go home for two months instead of two weeks - - or I can do a bit more traveling and still have plenty of time for a home visit.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who has bad things to say about Global TEFL. Not that I'm vindictive or anything, but I was starting to think that it was only me that had a bad experience there. I wish everyone could have only positive experiences in China, but we all know that is just not the case. |
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HunanForeignGuy
Joined: 05 Jan 2006
Posts: 989
Location: Shanghai, PRC
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| Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2006 8:22 am Post subject: |
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| kev7161 wrote: |
Yeah, in Suzhou now and really enjoying it (my school, the area where I live). A VAST difference from Hangzhou. Thanks to my current position, I have no reason to work a summer job this year. I can go home for two months instead of two weeks - - or I can do a bit more traveling and still have plenty of time for a home visit.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who has bad things to say about Global TEFL. Not that I'm vindictive or anything, but I was starting to think that it was only me that had a bad experience there. I wish everyone could have only positive experiences in China, but we all know that is just not the case. |
Dear Kevin,
Maybe we even know each other...I was brought to China on a tourist-visa at the behest of Helen Zhou to work at ZIST. She mailed me in March about three-or-four years ans she confirmed everything, signed contract, etc. Two days before I was to fly out, and I had already closed my apartment back home and given my notice-at-work, the contract "evaporated"...they found someone locally, I think. I was coming to China, no matter what, and I have good credentials, so a telephone call to Beijing and another agency and two days later I had another job, paying much, much more than Helen was offering.
I wrote her subsequently and she would not even answer my e-mails...thus, I can only urge EXTREME caution in dealing with this agency and with Frank Zhang / Aliin Buueer / etc., etc., etc.
I am glad that you are enjoying Suzhou. It's a great city.
All the best,
Hunan Foreign Guy |
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JZer
Joined: 16 Jan 2005
Posts: 3898
Location: Pittsburgh
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| Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2006 5:05 pm Post subject: |
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| Now Helen Zhou used to be the Foreign Affairs Officer for Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, previously ZIST. She then somehow mutated into this business. which has become extremely lucrative for her and on the normal placement end, she can come up with some nice spots. BUT A BIG WARNING. Exercise caution and discretion here and if you are in China, check out the place, actually and physically, before you accept it. |
Are you sure that you are talking about the same agency. I have never heard of a Helen Zhou??? There is just a Mr. John Zhou |
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JZer
Joined: 16 Jan 2005
Posts: 3898
Location: Pittsburgh
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| Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2006 5:12 pm Post subject: |
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Another thing, don't expect to see Mr. Zhou until he pays you. Which makes things a little scary!!! The fact is, he collects a U.S. salary in one month for doing little work. He makes his poor students be hostesses and you don't even see him when you arrive at the hotel. You arrive in Hangzhou and are sent to another city without knowing what is going on.
From Global TEFL's website:
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| Workload: 6 hours a day and 6 days a week with Sundays off and one or two free tour of the local city or towns for each program. |
Don't expect to see this tour unless you put your foot down. I don't even think the schools he hires you out to know about this clause. Last summer the other teachers and I complained and got what he had promised. |
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