Job Discussion Forums

[ghostdog]

Is anyone aware of the existence of a China blacklist not for schools and institutions but for teachers? I may be a little paranoid but I have had a couple of experiences in the last couple of weeks that were unexplainable even by Chinese standards so I am wondering if it's possible for someone to get on a website known to other schools and slag off someone they may have had a disagreement with. Please feel free to PM me if you don't want to reveal yourself on the board. Thanks very much.

[erinyes]

Is this all in the same city?

I know that Chinese teachers form different middle schools in the same area often get together and have meetings and other things. They often talk to each other about the quality of the FT they have. In my school a few people haven�t been considered for this reason.

[China.Pete]

It's possible you could be "blacklisted" in a particular city, especially if you made the leaders of your school look really bad. It's less likely that any blacklist would extend beyond that province. Better look for work further afield, if you think something might have caught up with you, and watch your step next time.

[jammish]

Agreed, it's highly feasible that most schools know pretty much who all the teachers are in a particular city, and keep tabs on the best ones.

However, I doubt very much if it's a nation wide thing. The Chinese just aren't organised enough for that!

[KarenB]

Yes, they definitely blacklist, especially in the same city or in nearby areas. It's mainly word of mouth, not something on the internet.

One of my good friends recently lost her job (she was difficult to work with) and none of the other universities in her city will take her. She did get a job at a kindergarten, but got fired from that too (once again, uncooperative), so now she's just doing tutoring to support herself. At any rate, she WAS a problem on her jobs, so it's understandable that she'd be blacklisted.

One thing that's commonly done, if the people interviewing you haven't heard about you already, is that they will check with the school where you were formally. They might not necessarily check with your FAO or even the Dean -- it all depends on who they have a relationship with at your former school.

In my case, this worked out well for me. My FAO and the Dean of the English dept. at the first uni I was at weren't too thrilled with me (I made a lot of stupid cultural mistakes in my first couple years in China, not knowing how the system worked), but my fellow Chinese colleagues liked me a lot (they respected my teaching, which I took very seriously, and we often did things together socially). Well, when I applied to my current school (on the other side of China), the leaders of my present school had a relationship with one of my fellow teachers (who knew me well), and he gave me a glowing reference, and that paved the way for a wonderful relationship with my current school.

[ghostdog]

I'm thinking more about private language schools and training centres rather than public schools (or schools teaching children, at any rate) and am wondering if any "list" does go outside the city or area. Any opinions? Thanks very much.

[Joe C.]

[Malsol]

The local Provincial Foreign Affairs Office keeps records that are accessible by any potential employer.

Schools do send negative comments after foreign teachers leave.

[jammish]

Also I would add that schools generally complain about teachers more for when they argue over terms and conditions, and demand things, than their teaching. You are unlikely to be blacklisted if your lessons just aren't great, more likely if you've kicked up a sandstorm about stuff pertaining to personal conditions.

[Joe C.]

[jammish]