Job Discussion Forums

[myesl]

Do you live on campus or off?

Do your guests need to sign in? Or are they or you in some sense under any kind of curfew or restrictions?

I am living at the Stalog 17 of campuses now. Gates, fences, guards, sign-ins, time, and timed.

Last year (at another school) I had none of this as the other teacher and I put an end to it. Now I live with the biggest wussy FTs imaginable who enjoy having their civil liberties curtailed "for their safety". I know some teachers at other schools have no sign-ins or restrictions of any kind at their uni.

Like to hear other folks' experiences.

Thank you.
[This is job-related since your residence is provided (and often required) by your uni.]

[erinyes]

You know that if you don't sign in someone will notice you, and write down your name on your behalf anyway right?

Registering guests would be not for your safety, but the safety of the students. It is a school after all. At least they don't scan you with a metal detector. Who can name the free countries of the world where this DOES happen?

If you have a curfew that does suck though. We used to get locked out by the lady downstairs and had to wake her up.

[myesl]

Could we please have replies to my question, not free for all posting?

At my last school there was NO signing in, active or passive. I am quite sure of this (once we did away with it).

I know of an FT who's girlfriend comes and goes as she pleases, including whole weekend stays, and this is NOT a problem at his school.

My joke was that the lie the Chinese tell us is that it is for our safety whereas the truth is they think we are all banging our students, even though my FAO is banging the asst party secretary.

You lost me on metal detectors and free countries. Good luck to you

[goose]

[cubit]

Careful goose, myesl will get upset that you didn't answer the questions, but have the temerity to ask your own.

This year I live off campus with no restricitons. For the previous two years I lived in an apartment was provided by the school, our teachers took two floors of the apt building. Towards the end of my time there they were telling us to register guests at the front desk as a theft deterrent, said that the police required it for foreign residents. I think it was to keep a particular crazy foreign ex-teacher from getting in causing any more problems with the police.

I also heard tales of teachers being busted for calling in sick because of a hangover. How did the boss know? Called the security guards to find out said teacher had a schwak of beer delivered the night before or didn't come home till daybreak.

Sucks to be watched but it usually happens just because previous teachers have messed it up for the rest of us.

[anthyp]

I live on-campus and have done so at the same school for two years.

No restrictions of any kind are placed on me, however. Guests do not have to sign in, I have had plenty of friends spend the night (ahem, don't tell the wife). Just the other day I had a dinner party for all the other laowai in town (there aren't many of us), which didn't break up until well after the gate had closed. Nobody cares.

About the gate, as I have said many times before, it's something EVERYBODY working for my school has to deal with, not just me, so it's not a big deal. If everbody else at your school has to deal with the signing in and things, then I really don't have much sympathy for you. You can be a diva about it all you like ("But I'm a FOREIGNER"), but the fact is, you just want special treatment.

To wit: if the signing in and guards and all is something special for just the foreigners, I would refuse to continue teaching until they treat you better. If not, oh well, do you expect them to pick you up in a limo for work every morning as well, or would allowing you to ignore the rules everybody else has to live by suffice?

I know a lot of other posters will disagree, but then again, we do have a lot of delusional divas here running around in the forum.

[chengdude]

Last job:
-Teachers had keys and could come and go as they pleased.
-No teacher curfew.
-Students had to sign in (hit-and-miss enforcement on that one) and leave by 10-10:30PM...they'd be SOL with regards to their dorms after that time, anyway.

This job:
-10:30PM teacher curfew; waking up assorted fuwuyuan by knocking/tossing objects at window is the only alternative after that time.
-Students are noted as they come and go.
-A polite call to teacher's apartment is placed if student is known to be present at "closing time".
-Over Spring Festival break, door was locked 24/7 and teachers had to request to leave/enter by knocking at manager's, who had temporarily moved on site just to accommodate this inconvenience to the Chinese staff. They had planned on simply locking up the building and leaving for 5+ weeks, but had to make other arrangements when they learned teachers would not, in fact, just pull up and leave for the entire break.

Next job:
-Not this job.

[Roger]

In 4 mainland schools, only the very first one applied a sort of control over who stayed in my home. My then HK girlfriend, although we arrived together from Shanghai (and before that, by air from overseas) was asked a fw days into her stay to move to the guesthouse for visitors on the campus. It was a mere formality because whether she slept there or not no one cared. But for the record's sake, (I guess), she had to register as a guest there.

3 of those employers were or are public institutions. None applied any curfews (as I have so often heard others grumble about). They all had or have gates and you have to be documented to enter, but in reality, you can easily smuggle someone in.

In most recent times, students have begun cohabiting, and some even have gone to court to fight for their right to marry while they study...

Things are changing fast.

[Spiderman Too]

[Joe C.]

[therock]

Thats why when I applied for a job at a university I asked if there was 24 hour access. There would be no way that I would work at a school which placed a curfew on foreign teachers. My first school, the gate was left open and the door to the rooms were left open. Guests were required to sign in, but the lazy guard didn't care.

Second school once again no curfew, not sure if guests have to sign in. If you don't like the signing in or curfew....simple, find another school.

[Kurochan]

It seems to me that guards are tougher about having Chinese people sign in than they are about having foreigners sign in to visit. I'd guess this is because of the two major concerns: sexual shennanigans (bringing prostitutes into the dorm, sleeping with students) and theft. Hanky-panky is only a concern when it includes Chinese people, and I guess they'd assume that foreigners have enough money that they wouldn't want to steal each others' stuff.

Unfortunately, your experiences with be affected by what went on the year before you were there -- if there was some sort of trouble-making horndog the year before you, or someone got robbed and made a fuss the year before you, they'll probably be tough with the signing in.

[myesl]

[Joe C.]

[cubit]

Wow! myesl posted a thread to ask us about our experiences and insights, got them, then proceeded disagree with everything we had to say.

The school I worked for watched the foreign teachers because some of the previous foreign messed it up for the rest of us.

The Chinese watch me cus I'm so damn good-looking! See picture left.

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