Job Discussion Forums

NickH · Joined: 29 Jul 2005 Posts: 40

Hi,
I have been offered a job at Anji Shangshu Private High School apparently connected to Zhejiang Yuxiang Foreign Languages College. Does anyone have any info about these places? I can't seem to find any. I have been dealing with someone who calles themselves "Mandy," and this is the third offer of totally different places and schools she has showed me, so I assume she is some kind of recruiter, but I don't know what sort of organization is it through, if any. Luckily, she agreed to provide the numbers of some foreigners who have worked at this place before, so I guess I'll see what they have to say pretty soon when I give them a try.

Other than that, I'm currently awaiting to see the actual contract for a middle school in Luzhou, and a job offer from START in Wuhan.

Any advice?

bearcanada · Joined: 04 Sep 2005 Posts: 312 Location: Calgary, Canada

Nick;

I have some general information here that may help: go to
http://www.bearcanada.com and click on the 'esl' button.

Also, check the ESL Teacher's Website at:
http://www.eslteachersboard.com
They have lots of reviews of schools and you may find something there.

Cheers,

kmanisok · Joined: 19 May 2004 Posts: 13

Hello Nick,

I lived in Anji for ten months until June of this year. I know the owner of the school you mentioned (I didn't work there, but know several people who did and a lot of info about the school, owner, and city). I don't like the owners for many reasons: I caught them in several lies, they pretend to care about westerners, but when it becomes show time (pay day), they find ways to dock your pay; they have had several midnight runners but will say they nver had one; they don't give you dicipline support in the 60plus-student high school classes, they demand that you stay on campus after 10pm, or you will be docked, the pay is too low for the hours and class sizes; Anji is an extremely "Authentic Chinese city" complete with dozens of deep stares when you veture into the town, no nightlife, and about 7 total foreigners most of whom you will never see, etc!!!!!!!!!!!

I would strongly recommend not working there. I would consider them on the lower end of Chinese teaching jobs.

Please answer my PM for more details.

K

NickH · Joined: 29 Jul 2005 Posts: 40

Thank you for the reply and good advice! I sort of got that feeling from the correspondence I have exchanged so far, so I guess this is just confirming my gut instinct!

HunanForeignGuy · Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Posts: 989 Location: Shanghai, PRC

I believe that I know both Miss K. Manisok and the school in question.

To the OP of this thread, you would be well-advised to seriously consider what she wrote.

Mytime · Joined: 17 Jan 2006 Posts: 173

PLEEEEEZE PM me give me their email address, I'll see what they say.

HunanForeignGuy · Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Posts: 989 Location: Shanghai, PRC

Really no further comments needed.

Anji · Joined: 05 Mar 2006 Posts: 1 Location: Anji, China

I teach at Anji Shangshu and the affiliated Zhejiang Yuxiang College, and have done so for 13 months.

Anji is a small town but it is the friendliest place I have ever lived. Shopkeepers go out of their way to interprete our needs. Of course the odd teenager will call out "helloooo" & we do get the odd stare from small children who have never seen a foreigner, big deal. I love it here.

The management of the school are incredibly helpful. Problems with apartments are fixed promptly, wages are paid on time, schedules are rearranged to suit our whims. Yes we pay for electricity OVER 150 KW per month, but I have only once exceeded this in 13 months; Yes we pay for gas at the going rate on the streets of Anji - we do not buy it through the school. However our contracts are clear about what we get and back home surely we'd have to pay for ALL our utilities.

Does this sound like a school to be avoided? I consider myself lucky to be teaching here and meeting wonderful people. I didn't meet K Manisok while he was in Anji but I would hate to see the reputation of this school muddied by a few people who don't know what they are talking about.

vikdk · Joined: 25 Jun 2003 Posts: 1676

dashu0506 · Joined: 08 Mar 2006 Posts: 1

As an English teacher at Anji Shanghsu Private High School in Anji, China, I too feel compelled to defend this school�s reputation in light of recent remarks on this thread.

I first heard about this school through Daniel Wright, Director of the National Bureau of Asian Research in Washington, DC and former Executive Director of the Hopkins-Nanjing Program of John Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). In 2002 he traveled Zhejiang Province researching private and private/public-hybrid high schools. He found this school to be the best in terms of reputation and campus life. When I told him I�d lived in Philadelphia, New York and Washington, DC and was looking for a school off the beaten path, he strongly recommended this institution.

Since my arrival in August, I have been extremely happy here. The administration is trustworthy, helpful and caring. The terms of my contract have always been honored. My visa was handled smoothly. After one semester of service, in accordance with my contract, the cost of my flight to China was reimbursed in full. My accommodations are free (except for electric � see Anji�s comments). I find my five-room apartment to be spacious and perfectly suitable for my stay. It�s no Ritz Carleton, but I�m living one hour outside of a major city (Hangzhou). It�s better than what I expected and the fix-it guy on campus takes care of any issue promptly and without charge. Every month I am paid in full and on time. When my overtime services were required in September because a teacher never arrived, I was compensated well in accordance with what was stipulated in the contract. I have even been offered advances on my salary when money was tight due to personal extenuating circumstances.

In fact, the family that runs the school has gone above and beyond to accommodate me. For those of you who have not yet taught in China and do not have a strong grasp of Mandarin, I can�t stress enough just how important it is for you to have a helpful administration on your side. They assigned a Chinese English teacher to be the foreign teachers� point person for various needs that arise throughout the year. This man is an angel. In addition to being a liaison and interpreter, he�s helped me buy a bike, make hotel and flight reservations, and adjust my schedule when I need to free up time. The family that runs the school has been friendly and approachable. They�ve invited teachers to fancy dinners, scenic field trips, even to their home.

As for teaching, I would be lying to say there aren�t issues. There are issues at every school.

I teach eight different classes, each twice a �small week� (16 total 45-minute periods). Each class has anywhere from 25 to 50 students. The school does not function according to the normal seven-day business workweek. Instead, there are repeated clusters of 5-day �small weeks.� Two or three of these �small weeks� are combined to form a �big week.� As a foreign teacher, I teach only on days 1-4. Day 5 is always a free day. Following a big week, all teachers and students have a holiday (long weekend) of, on the average, four days. These extended holidays are ideal for travel.

The students are a mixed bag. Some choose to come here because of the school�s reputation for language study while others are unmotivated students who come from wealthy families. This can create discipline problems and be a distraction for those students who do want to learn. This is not a school for a teacher who cannot command authority and control a classroom. While the school does not always offer fantastic discipline support, the flip side is that they give you free reign to create your own curriculum and develop your own teaching style.

The school is located in Dipu Town. Las Vegas it is not. It�s a relatively sleepy town that, like much of China, is changing rapidly. There are many things to do here. There are at least five nightclubs, several pubs and KTV bars, teahouses, tons of shopping, and even a KFC and McDonalds to satisfy your Western fast food cravings. I am part of a group of friends that make up the foreign teaching community here. There is a 10:00pm curfew at the school, which I admit sucks. But I�ve returned later than this countless times � just befriend the guards and don�t take advantage.

If you are looking for a trustworthy school surrounded by beautiful bamboo-covered mountains that is located within five hours of five major cities (Huzhou, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai) and gives you flexibility to travel, you can�t beat this place.

vikdk · Joined: 25 Jun 2003 Posts: 1676