Job Discussion Forums

The_Messenger · Joined: 09 Mar 2007 Posts: 8

If you really want to be rolled-over then here's the place to go.

I have just walked away after they breached the contract once again but this was the last straw when they refused to pay me two months salary owed. I will of course be following this up with a letter to the FE Affairs.

I'm not the only one. The THREE English teachers before me also left under a cloud and with no airfare money in-sight.

Naturally, they promise all and deliver nothing. Ah! that's not fair. They WILL pay your airfare ONLY IF you sign for another year and then they will only reimburse you after you return for the new term! That's to say that if you stay another year you'll lose out.

I was scouring the web for any other complaints and I found one from a 'Robert' I have met this guy and he never even worked at the college yet he had intentions of. even before he started (having signed the contract) they sh@t all over him from a great height.

I've been here for some years and never been treated so poorly. Especially when given constant praise for the work I deliver.

Stay away!

PS. Mr Sperling. I didn't just register to dress-down this college. I have a lot of input but this is important for people thinking about moving to Suihua.

hewlettpac

I�m sorry to hear about your bad situation that you faced with this school. Sadly in China most schools design contracts only benefiting the school not the foreign teacher. Contracts in china are basically a one way street. They are designed to protect the schools interests not yours. My contract is very unfair, they say I have two days holiday every week but sadly I have to work 7 days a week. One of my days off they give me a 2 hour class in the morning then after that class I can go home. The other day I have off, I have to teach a 2 hour class at night. The rest of the week I�m required to be in the office from 9.00am in the morning until 8.00pm at night. Most people here in my school are rather friendly and easy going but I as a foreigner have to be on my guard as from past experiences I know in china there�s more than meets the eye when dealing with these people. And sadly in regards to my contract there is no return air fare. But I live with that. Oh another scary fact is if I�m late for work, you get fined 100RMB per minute or miss a class. And If I�m sick I loose money too. But I live withy all that and strive to be a good teacher and show commitment even under harse conditions. I try to be positive, friendly with my fellow Chinese co workers. Next year I will have my own English language school and I will make the rules, with the help of my wife who understands the pitfalls of living and working in china.

We as foreign teachers need to stand together in china and find a way to address these issues with the Chinese government, and inform our governments at home. Me as a teacher here, I hope and wish in the future to see more honesty within the education system here in china in regards to schools working and co prorating with foreign English Teachers. It may take pressure from all of us as a collective to get things done.

Shan-Shan · Joined: 28 Aug 2003 Posts: 1074 Location: electric pastures

Brian Caulfield · Joined: 14 Sep 2004 Posts: 1247 Location: China

A big problem here is that Dave makes his money off the scoundrels . I too got burned at my last job for airfare and outlandish electric bills that were never itemized . But the school runs many adds on Dave's for 8 new teachers every 6 months . A catch 22 for teachers

Areut · Joined: 17 May 2006 Posts: 48

cj750 · Joined: 27 Apr 2004 Posts: 3081 Location: Beijing

unfortunately, since Dave's started charging for some of the advertising...the ads have more frequently been submitted by questionable advertisers..not to say all of the advertisers on Dave's are shady...just that the over all quality of the adverts became less..when they started charging...

Steppenwolf · Joined: 30 Jul 2006 Posts: 1769

Nonsense! Since Davae started charging for adverts there are fewer rather than more illegitimate advertisers!
In the bad old days anyone could post a prank advert, and get away with it!

clark.w.griswald · Joined: 06 Dec 2004 Posts: 2056

It is obviously impossible for each individual to think of all of the ways that a school could intentionally or unintentionally mis-interpret a contract and to that end posts such as the one from the OP are valuable in my opinion.

Having said that I often view some such posts with a degree of skepticism. I am not suggesting that this is not unfair to the OP but I wonder whether this was intentionally made unclear or whether it was instead something that was overlooked by the teacher or perhaps assumed.

Sgt Killjoy · Joined: 26 Jun 2004 Posts: 438

Right on, Clark. Internet research before signing on the dotted line can avoid stories like this as long as everyone does their part. It means that teachers who have been wronged need to make it public so that the next person coming along can search the net and find the truth. Google is your friend when you start a job search.

A'Moo · Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 6:08 pm Post subject:

Not certain that anyone else has this arrangement, but, fortunately, I am in a town which has a distinct lack of foreign teachers. I am not the most trusting of individuals at the best of times, so I make the school pay me weekly....Has anyone else arranged this?

smitten13 · Joined: 08 May 2006 Posts: 293 Location: Philippines

In addition to my 'day job' I have been asked to help out at the local Kid Castle - yes, I have read the many posts on this franchise.

I have specified exactly when I will be available for teaching, and will not give them an option to load me up with additional lessons or activities.

It appears that the weight of the adverse reporting on the franchise generally, is having an impact on individual 'outlets' ability to recruit.

I will require them to pay me weekly - and of course if they p*ss me around I will just walk away with minimal damage..

I am not dependent on them for any documentation or my status here, so at this stage, feel reasonably confident that it is worth a try.

tofuman · Joined: 02 Jul 2004 Posts: 937

hewlett pac,

It is people such as yourself, willing to submit to such abuse, that help to ruin the English teaching job market. The only reason job conditions like yours exist is because of people such as yourself who are willing to submit to them.

Sorry for you and the other "chumps" out there.

cj750 · Joined: 27 Apr 2004 Posts: 3081 Location: Beijing

cj750 · Joined: 27 Apr 2004 Posts: 3081 Location: Beijing

many schools are not set up for advertising...when payment is requested in electronic form..such as credit card...many of the schools in China do not have the cooperate cards required to pay for advertising much less a budget specifically created for staff recruiting......
the alternative to that is to advertise on sites that do not require payment...or local boards that cater to a distinct community...or to find alternative means to alert potential candidates...

or for example...a school in Changchun use to send a foreigner to the states once a year to employee search .... he used his money and credit card and when he returned ..he would be paid back in RMB...

I my opinion , the best schools and programs offered, are not advertised on paid sites......as the schools are just not set up logistically for payments .....

The_Messenger · Joined: 09 Mar 2007 Posts: 8

There were no such posts warning folk about this college at the time.

Thus the reason for my post in the hope that no-one need suffer the same again.