Job Discussion Forums

[Nauczyciel]

Folks,

That's what I've just found on www.eslteachersboard.com:

[limits601]

This is the kind of shit thats going to give us fully qualified, hard working, trustworthy teachers a bad name in China.

Grrrrrrr

[Guest]

Interesting

I came here with Yakup International in August 2003. They promised me 4000 rmb per month (despite my lack of qualifications etc) and when I arrived here at School my contract stated 2,500 rmb per month.

I was not that concerned as money was not my motivation for coming here anyway - so I signed a 10 month contract at 2,500. However, a month later a new teacher arrived and signed a contract for 3,500 - so the rest of us received an increase.

I am now in my second year here and still receiving 3,500 per month, but hopefully I will get an increase next year.

[badtyndale]

You've only just noticed???

Yakup are notorious for luring the naive and desperate into a servile existence in the Motherland. There are so many threads about them on this board (including 3 or more contemporary ones) that perhaps it would be a good idea to create a collective folder for the lot and file it for reference.

[Nauczyciel]

OK guys, so this "recent regulation" is nothing but their own invention? My intention was to find out whether there might be this sort of regulation now introduced in China, not to rehash the old story about Yakup Intl.

[Brian Caulfield]

There are no rules anywhere about you having to have any credentials for teaching . It is just in the best interest of education to have cerified people . I mean it is a business and if no one pays , the business folds.
I have worked and learned from many unqualified people . The problem in China is not this . The problem is that qualified good teachers are not being used properly . They are merely poster boys and girls who make the school look international .

[Roger]

This prompted me for the first time to visit the Yakup website; I was not surprised to learn that 'Yaku' is the name of its founder. Who is Mr Yakup? We don't know, but it is a Turkish name.
How come a Turkish business founder is well-connected to the Chinese authorities? That's the mystery.
And, how come a foreign business can act as a recruiter on behalf of various CHinese public schools? On one hand, public schools are allowed to hire on their own (unless they are middle schools), and on the other hand, we have a private commercial outfit acting as a go-between, which means Yakup is adding to their recruiting costs.
That is not kosher.

I then read a couple of testimonials - all accessible from Yakup's website.

They were full of glowing plaudits for Yakup, their overlords, Chinese authorities, hospitality, students; everything reads like it was lifted straight from a fairytale novel.

I tried to contact a few of those posters; all my emails bounced!

[tarzaninchina]

According to Chinese law, here are the minimums an employer must provide a full-time foreigner with:

- 2500RMB/month
- free lodging (with furniture, bedding phone, toilet, tv, fridge, heating and cooling facilities)
- if you're staying for more than 6 months, a kitchen must be provided
- free medical care (not including registration, transpo, dentistry, face lift, massage, glasses, hospital meals, tonics, and house calls)
- providing transportation to/from work (or an allowance)
- roundtrip economy class airfare from the nearest airports between China and your home country (e.g. Beijing to Vancouver if Canadian)
- holidays for Jan. 1st, Spring festival, May Day, National Day, 2 days for Christmas
- if for 1 year: a paid holiday of 1 month
- if for less than 1 year: a paid summer/winter holiday
- unpaid private affairs leave of no more than 10 days (with necessary documents)
- 3 day salary deduction for each case of absense from work without host's permission

- right to claim appropriate compensation for a breach of contract if it exceeds the amount stated in the contract, but only if immediate action is taken
- 30 day written notice to cancel the contract
- pay 100% of your salary while you're sick, but if you're sick for 30 days, the contract is automaticlly terminated (new change, before if it was longer than 30 days the employer could choose to still pay you 70%)
- monthly payment when less than the full month was worked will be paid on a daily basis (e.g. 11/31 * salary)

These are the minimums. Have fun getting more, like the rest of us.

[Nauczyciel]

Now, this is very useful indeed. Tarzaninchina, could you tell me where you have it from? Is it available on any government website? I would like to use it to enforce some of my rights when negotiating the contract.

[yaco]

I had dealings with this organisation around July/August 2003.

After 2 weeks of corresponding by email, sending resumes educational documents they announced they had found me suitable employment.

After several emails the only information they would give me was

- It was a Middle School
- It was in Jiangsu Province.

Of course, I refused the job !!!!

[Dragon Lover]

This website claims as the "only Web site providing China Government Information about teaching in China."

http://www.china-tesol.org

Just wondering if this website is not bogus. The salary package is very attractive.

[tarzaninchina]

You can go to your embassy or the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs (SAFEA) office nearest you. Ask them for the "Guide to Employment of Foreign Experts in the fields of Culture and Education" compiled by the Department of Cultural and Educational Experts of the SAFEA. (ISBN7-5600-3214-1/H.1654) It comes in Chinese and English.

What I typed in my previous posting on this thread, I copied it verbatum from there. The first 80 pages has lots of stuff on what schools need to have, what foreigners need to have, what joint owned schools need to have, basic arbitration procedures, etc. Select what you want and photocopy (which is what I did). I have two copies sitting here for personal reference after having given the others to foreigners at other schools.

In one of the October or November English-language newspapers, there was also a listing of officially-approved law firms (which happens at that time every year). Got that too (by chance).

POINT TO NOTE:
The Chinese will often say, "This is what Beijing can let us pay you" (e.g. 4500). WRONG!! That's the "suggested" amount, but 2500 is the bare minimum. They'll often do the same thing for airfare, so watch that by specifying the cities. Small print, Chinese know how to milk it when dealing with a foreigner in the dark.

[Nauczyciel]

Thanks for your info. I guess this guide can prove invaluable in dealings with some of the schools (if not all of them).

[casimpson]

@Roger

keep clear of Yakup - but you've probably figured that out

[GeminiTiger]

He probably figured that out 4 years ago when this thread was still alive!