Job Discussion Forums

[peterrabbit]

Grand Canadian Academy, a Canadian B.C. certified high school in Nanjing, China, is one school that professional teachers should avoid at all costs.
Teachers are brought to the school from abroad, with a signed contract, only to find out when they arrive and begin working that the contract is not followed in many respects. Teachers are promised a week vacation in May and October, as well as 21/2 weeks during the Chinese New Year. What they are not told is that they are required to work weekends at times to "make up" for some of the days that they are told were holidays. This equates into teachers working 7,8, and even 9 days straight, with no extra pay or time in lieu.
They are charged exorbitant fees to have their paycheques deposited into their bank accounts in Canada, without them even being informed of this.
They are promised a living allowance of 1,000 RMB per month for the term of the one year contract, then at the end of the teaching year, are informed that the Kingston Group policy is that they will not recieve this allowance if they have not signed on for another year, a total violation of the contract terms.
Teachers are contracted to teach a maximum of 25 hours per week, which is a heavy workload by Chinese standards. However, they are also required to step in and teach classes for teachers that are ill. In many instances, they teach beyond the contracted hours, with no compensation whatsoever.
No accomodation is provided, another standard at most Chinese schools. Airfare tickets are refunded at the end of the school year, but many teachers have had a hard time receiving the funds from the company.
The English levels of the students at the school are sub standard, but basically anyone that has the money is given a seat in the school. Student rules are never enforced. Cheating is rampant amongst the students, with no meaningful consequences.
The principal of the school is simply a puppet for the owners. He has no decision making powers that a normal Canadian high school principal would have. He is governed by the principal of the Nanjing Foreign Language School. All school decisions must go through this person before being implemented.
The school has been notorious in the past for not paying teachers on time, deduction money from paycheques at the discretion of the company, offering no sick days or sick pay, and totally ignoring the needs and concerns of the teachers at the school.
Students pay a high amount of money to attend this school. However, many classes do not have textbooks, the facilities are crowded and inadequate, resources are poor at best, and students are promoted to a higher grade without actually achieving the necessary marks required by the B.C. Ministry of Education.
This school is a place that serious professional teachers should avoid. The company has no compassion nor care for their employees. Morale at the school has always been low. Good teachers are not offered contracts with no explanation whatsoever.
The Kingston Group does not own this school, it simply manages the school. It's number one concern is money for the company, and trying to get students to attend it's university in Canada. Teachers that have dedicated 2 and 3 years to the school have been simply let go, with no explanation or reason.
Having spent a lifetime at this school for one year, I suggest that anyone considering working here investigate this operation fully before making what could be a major mistake.

[Sinobear]

You bring up an interesting point, PR. With so many schools hiring locally, it makes one wonder why so many schools are still looking overseas for their teachers? I certainly doubt that in the major cities, a school cannot find a qualified, experienced teacher, so perhaps it is only the grunge schools that are still recruiting from o'er the pond?


Cheers!

[Lobster]

Yes, tell me all about it. If you would have done more on-line research and contacted me or the ex-principal before you took the job, we could have saved you from this nightmare. Oh, I remember now, that posting and the job journal was removed a while back, and the school did a name change. If you'd have known it was the infamous Greenwood Academy, maybe you wouldn't have been blindsided.

How about not telling you that they weren't deducting taxes so you get hit with a massive assessment when you get home? Or asking you to teach classes AFTER you've been summarily dismissed? Or cheating you out of your return airfare? Or having the NFLS school staff assault your visitors? Or giving you a bag of spices to wear around your neck to ward off SARS? Or ripping off the parent company for its name and profits? Or reading your personal e-mail? And on and on and on...

The ownership and name of the school have changed, but obviously their modus operandi remains the same. Please contact the BC Ministry of Education to air your complaints and concerns.

RED

[peterrabbit]

Hi, Lobster, it appears that you worked for the company in the past.
And, yes, based on your comments, nothing much has changed. The teachers are constantly frustrated with the Chinese staff at the school. The principal of the school impliments school rules, only to have the Chinese staff do the exact opposite. They have no respect for his positon, and they simply do what they want, whether he or the Canadian teachers like it or not.
And the income tax deduction issue is a reality also. Many of the teachers that have worked at the school were put into a very bad situation with the income tax authorities when they arrived back home in Canada.
And, of course, another appalling thing is the individual that works as an assistant to the principal, a chinese man, who calls himself the vice-principal, tells the students parents that he is the principal of the school, has taken monies from parents to get their students into the school when they did not meet the admission requirements, has arranged apartment dwellings for teachers and inflated the rental charge and pocketed the difference. The list is endless. Everyone knows that corruption is a fact of life in many areas of the Chinese system, but to allow it in a Canadian Certified school, where our duty is to teach students to be role models in society and good people? That to me is unfathomable. Of the students currently enrolled in the school, maybe, just maybe, 5 - 10% would have a chance of success in a Canadian high school. Of the graduating class this year, hardly any of the students would be allowed to graduate from a high school in Canada, let alone attend a Canadian university.
Oh, and should I add that the Kingston Group is owned and operated by Chinese people that emigrated from Hong Kong to Canada? Or that the majority of the starff in Vancouver that work for this company are Chinese descent?
I have chosen to work for another school next year, the decision was made long ago. It did not take me much time to realize what a low rate inferior school this really was. I have dreaded every day at this terrible institution, but soon I will be set free.
I feel pity and sorrow for the poor individuals that will work there next year under the assumption that they are working for a Canadian high school - it is Canadian only in name. It is simply a front for a Chinese school, run by Chinese, and the only reason the Canadian teachers are there is because the B.C. government requires this. Well, now, I guess they don't, because now there are American, New Zealand, and Australian teachers there - whatever they can get, education degrees or not. It really does not matter, because the quality of the programs at the school are much inferior to what is taught in Canada.
Some things just never change, this school is one of them from my experience here this year.

[Lobster]

Geez, you don't mean to tell me that "Dr. Xia" is now trying to run everything there now? That would really explain a lot. Drop me a PM if you want to chat about it more. I'd be interested in knowing if some of the old-timers are still there, although I very much doubt it.

RED

[peterrabbit]

So you know the infamous Dr. Xia? Incredible.
Tell me who some of the oldtimers that worked there were and I will update you on their status.
By the way, what is a PM? I am new to this site and not sure what this is.

[Lobster]

So it is Dr. Xia! Gaaaah!

PM refers to Private message. At the bottom of each post is a picture of two people and pm. You click on that. I'll send you your first one.

RED

[kev7161]

I worked for a school for two years that had similar traits (although I'll admit, with time and distance they don't sound AS bad as this school).

[Lobster]

I think the worst part of the situation is that the school passes itself off as a Canadian institution with western management, standards, and practices. Then when the unwary teacher arrives, they pull all the same tricks as their more seedy Chinese counterparts. They take advantage of the fact that they're approved by the BC Ministry of Education and are affiliated with some "Lansbridge" University (which is not a physical, but rather only a virtual entity) to catch their recruits off guard. Then, when the newbie arrives and is all disoriented, they whack him/her over the head with a sack of bullsh1t and say, "Hey! This is China! You gotta bend over!"

Dr. Xia is a creepy guy who'd come up to me while I was working on the computer in the office and start rubbing my shoulders. I finally told him to keep his paws off me. I know I'm irresistable and have a glossy red coat (see avatar), but really!

RED

[peterrabbit]

The real twist here is that the contract signed by the Canadian teachers states that the contract will be governed by the laws of British Columbia, Canada.
And the company is Canadian. So, a Canadian company, signing a contract with a Canadian teacher, governed by the laws of a jurisdiction in Canada, but when the teacher arrives in China, this Canadian company totally ignores the contract.
Some of the teachers have decided it is time to test them with the labor board in Canada, for overtime, overpriced medical, (we paid 50% of the medical coverage, which ended up being like 100 cdn dollars per month each), being subjected to poor work conditons, being forced to work overtime without our consent nor it being in our contract, etc, etc.
Time these guys realized that just because they came from China to Canada, they should not be allowed to treat Canadian citizens like peasants. If had my way, they would be deported back to China, then honest Canadian teachers would not have to deal with this disgusting bunch of lawbreakers!
Forcing teachers to teach cerified subjects that they are not certified to teach, in order to get their 25 hours per week out of them, it all happened here - and it is time an end was put to it.
Fortunately, this is a Canadian certified school, so something can be done about it - for the benefit of the teachers, the students and the innocent parents that are being fed a bag of manure by these people. And yea, Lansbridge University in Canada? Please, give me a break, how many Canadians have ever heard of this institution? It is simply another front for ripping off innoncent and unknowing Chinese people. If they only knew the game that was being played.

[clark.w.griswald]

This certainly sounds like a school to be wary of.

[Lobster]

Yes, I vaguely remember being asked to sign a second contract, all in Chinese, in order to "facilitate the visa process". This is where I'm sure the NFLS connection comes into play. One thing I feel I should add is that, when I was there, the salary was extraordinarliy high for China. Whether this is still the case, I don't know. By the time Peter gets back to Canada, the time limit for a Labor Board resolution will probably have passed. He could also try the Vancouver media, as they still have an interest in this outfit. As for the legal approach, their lawyers will have you jumping through hoops for a long, long time.

RED

[peterrabbit]

The company has cut back on the salaries from before. The living allowance is down to 1,000 RMB a month, with no apartment provided. The salary scale starts at 32,000 cdn per year and ends at 43,000. This wage is for teachers with a degree in Education, certified to teach high school in Canada. Benefits have been slashed to almost nothing. Sick days have been taken away. And teachers must pay for their air transportation, to be refunded after the school term is finished. Of course, taxes, cpp, and ei are deducted from wages now, so the take home portion of the salary is about 12 - 15,000 RMB per month, for 25 contact hours per week, plus various other duties that all teachers are required to perform. I estimate that the average teacher is actually working 40 - 50 hours each week.
Last year, some teachers were not paid for the months of July and August, even though their contract specifically was for 12 months. After complaining to the labor board and the Ministry of Education in B.C., they were finally paid, but only because the company was forced to do this.
Teachers that work for a reputable firm should not be treated this way, they should not have to fight to get what is legally owing to them.
Again, avoid this school and the Kingston Group.

[Malsol]

In all fairness, why not tell the school FAO about this thread and let us hear the other side of the story.

This kind of bushwacking must end.

[Lobster]

Good idea Mal! Why not drop him a line and invite his participation? Be sure to invite both faces.

The Vice Principal
Grand Canadian Academy
c/o Nanjing Foreign Languages School
30 Beijing Dong Lu
Nanjing, PRC

He's also a 'real' doctor, so he can prescribe your anti-psychotic, anti-hallucinatory or anti-trolling medications. And maybe you'll get a nice shoulder rub thrown in, too!

RED