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tommchone
Joined: 27 Oct 2009
Posts: 108
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 Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 8:23 am Post subject: A rookie question.... |
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| I keep noticing people referring to "FAOs". What does that mean? |
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ttorriel
Joined: 13 Oct 2008
Posts: 193
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| Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 8:47 am Post subject: |
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| Foreign Affairs Officer |
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tommchone
Joined: 27 Oct 2009
Posts: 108
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| Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 9:04 am Post subject: |
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| Thank you. I'm assuming that must be someone at each individual school who is assigned that title rather than a government official; I've been through the wringer with the government and never heard the term. |
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Teatime of Soul
Joined: 12 Apr 2007
Posts: 905
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| Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 12:48 pm Post subject: |
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An FAO may be a title for someone who performs administrative duties on behalf of FTs within a school,
or
An FAO may be a real governmental office/officer.
It can be both. |
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tommchone
Joined: 27 Oct 2009
Posts: 108
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| Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 1:04 pm Post subject: |
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| Thank you; I'm trying to get as much info as I can, I'm the first foreign teacher in this town EVER and there have been some major MOD EDIT I damn near got deported because of an incorrectly filed residency form. Fortunately, the school stood with me. |
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brsmith15
Joined: 12 May 2003
Posts: 1142
Location: New Hampshire USA
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| Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 2:33 am Post subject: |
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If there is one "position" in this country that seems to attract the uncaring, the incompetent, the greedy, the dickweedy, the mentally challenged, o those of little brain, it's that of the FAO. Most are just bumbling fools who don't have a clue in the world what they're supposed to do, but some are downright dangerous. If you get a good one, it's a rarity indeed -- light a candle, burn incense, bow to Mecca, cut up a goat.
Sort of like security guards and maintenance folks at large US companies. |
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LanGuTou
Joined: 23 Mar 2009
Posts: 621
Location: Shandong
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| Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 3:06 am Post subject: |
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| brsmith15 wrote: |
If there is one "position" in this country that seems to attract the uncaring, the incompetent, the greedy, the dickweedy, the mentally challenged, o those of little brain, it's that of the FAO. Most are just bumbling fools who don't have a clue in the world what they're supposed to do, but some are downright dangerous. If you get a good one, it's a rarity indeed -- light a candle, burn incense, bow to Mecca, cut up a goat.
Sort of like security guards and maintenance folks at large US companies. |
To be perfectly honest, I think you have been far too complimentary to FAO's. You are obviously a master of the understatement or diplomacy. They are much worse than what you have described! |
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defenestration
Joined: 16 Jul 2009
Posts: 23
Location: Wait, what?
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| Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 4:45 am Post subject: |
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Damn.
Sometimes it's a little depressing to be in backwater Pizhou, but when people talk this way about FAOs in general I feel nothing but lucky. Mine is so kind and helpful and empathetic when I'm having a hard time. I jokingly call him "Dad." I can't imagine how rotten this experience would have been without him being so awesome.
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alter ego
Joined: 24 Mar 2009
Posts: 209
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| Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 5:34 am Post subject: |
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| brsmith15 wrote: |
If there is one "position" in this country that seems to attract the uncaring, the incompetent, the greedy, the dickweedy, the mentally challenged, o those of little brain, it's that of the FAO. Most are just bumbling fools who don't have a clue in the world what they're supposed to do, but some are downright dangerous. If you get a good one, it's a rarity indeed -- light a candle, burn incense, bow to Mecca, cut up a goat.
Sort of like security guards and maintenance folks at large US companies. |
Sorry, I don't bye this kind of generalization. That's a lot of bad mouthing with no personal anecdotes to back it up. How on earth would you know what security guards and maintenance folks at large U.S. companies are like? Why such a random comparison to these particular workers? How do their jobs have anything to do with being a liaison or administrator of FTs at a uni, school, or language mill in China?
Most of the folks who work in routine, dead-end jobs at large U.S. companies make crap wages and have very little responsibility, and some of them might be mentally challenged, etc. But at least they're working, not collecting welfare, and most of them are more likely to be just regular folks doing the best they can and trying to make a living in today's difficult economic times.
Recently, for example, I read that a a job as a university custodian somewhere in the U.S. had more than 500 applicants. How many of those folks were the same kind of greedy, uncaring, incompetent, and mentally challenged bumbling fools you so blithely speak of? I doubt anyone, except for the person who did the hiring, would be in a position to say.
Making such a general comparison of security guards and maintenance personnel to your negative definition of an FAO is just plain mean spirited.  |
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The Ever-changing Cleric
Joined: 19 Feb 2009
Posts: 1523
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| Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 5:56 am Post subject: |
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| alter ego wrote: |
| brsmith15 wrote: |
If there is one "position" in this country that seems to attract the uncaring, the incompetent, the greedy, the dickweedy, the mentally challenged, o those of little brain, it's that of the FAO. Most are just bumbling fools who don't have a clue in the world what they're supposed to do, but some are downright dangerous. If you get a good one, it's a rarity indeed -- light a candle, burn incense, bow to Mecca, cut up a goat.
Sort of like security guards and maintenance folks at large US companies. |
Sorry, I don't bye this kind of generalization. That's a lot of bad mouthing with no personal anecdotes to back it up. How on earth would you know what security guards and maintenance folks at large U.S. companies are like? Why such a random comparison to these particular workers? How do their jobs have anything to do with being a liaison or administrator of FTs at a uni, school, or language mill in China?
Making such a general comparison of security guards and maintenance personnel to your negative definition of an FAO is just plain mean spirited. |
you're right. wild generalizations such as the one made above about FAOs are inaccurate and cant be backed up.
we had one guy at our school last year who treated the FAO like dirt. not only the FAO, at one point i listened in on a phone call where he was berating (screaming profanities) a student assistant to the FAO about his pay being a couple of days late in the bank (payday always fluctuates a couple of days depending on holidays or if the month ends on a weekend etc). his experience at the school wasn't good and thankfully he left. i wonder why? the rest of us do our job, make valid complaints using the appropriate channels and have had a relatively good relationship with the same FAO.
there are probably others here in china who claim FAOs are idiots and also have bad experiences. i'm willing to bet that very often they're the authors of their own misfortune. |
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chinatwin88
Joined: 31 Aug 2009
Posts: 379
Location: Peking
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| Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 6:34 am Post subject: |
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brsmith15 wrote:
If there is one "position" in this country that seems to attract the uncaring, the incompetent, the greedy, the dickweedy, the mentally challenged, o those of little brain, it's that of the FAO. Most are just bumbling fools who don't have a clue in the world what they're supposed to do, but some are downright dangerous. If you get a good one, it's a rarity indeed -- light a candle, burn incense, bow to Mecca, cut up a goat.
Funny, I just heard an FAO describing FTs in the exact same manor.
when you depend on your self and not a chinese, you will nver be disapointed. I am curious what a good FAO acts like. I would like one that would shine my shoes, but I have a feelin that will never come to pass. |
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tommchone
Joined: 27 Oct 2009
Posts: 108
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| Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 8:27 am Post subject: |
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Little did I know that my innocent query would provoke such a flood of controversy!! Now that I know what FAOs are, I realize that I HAVE encountered them in the past, except that they just did not happen to have that specific title. I say that all FAOs are EXACTLY alike: they are all PEOPLE. Unfortunately, human nature is that people in authority tend to abuse the authority, but there are exceptions. The FAO equivalent where I'm at has refused even so much as monetary reimbursement for his out of pocket expenses.
MOD EDIT |
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Jayray
Joined: 28 Feb 2009
Posts: 373
Location: Back East
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| Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 3:24 am Post subject: |
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| brsmith15 wrote: |
If there is one "position" in this country that seems to attract the uncaring, the incompetent, the greedy, the dickweedy, the mentally challenged, o those of little brain, it's that of the FAO. Most are just bumbling fools who don't have a clue in the world what they're supposed to do, but some are downright dangerous. If you get a good one, it's a rarity indeed -- light a candle, burn incense, bow to Mecca, cut up a goat.
Sort of like security guards and maintenance folks at large US companies. |
You should include the SAFEA in your summary. |
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