Job Discussion Forums

Long ai gu · Joined: 22 Oct 2004 Posts: 135

This is for all the volunteer teachers in China working for schools that don't need them. Case in point: Chongqing Teacher's College, Si Gong Li, Chongqing. I use to work for this college and came across American Peace Corp members also working there as volunteers. I told them then that they were not needed here, that they are needed in poor rural areas, that this school was paying me and other teachers 4500rmb a month and that was 5 years ago. They said they would talk to their superiors about this.

This school has built a 4 star hotel at it's main gate and 2 huge apartment buildings on it's property since then. My former colleague, a retired Chinese English teacher who lives on campus has informed me now that all or most of the teachers are now volunteer Peace Corp. People, you are just lining the pockets of rich Chinese business men who are building hotels and apartment buildings while they charge the students extra money for you to teacher them as a volunteer---WAKE UP. Please inform your superiors, who i hope are not accepting bribes from these business men that you and your organization are being taken advantage of.

This of course is not the only school doing this, there are rich schools all over China partaking in this corruption and it's got to stop. If you are not in the country side teaching the poor rural people who can barely afford to send their children to school you are being taken advantage of, don't be a fool for some laughing Chinese business person. Also, you are taking jobs away from people who work as English teachers in China and who depend on the earnings to live on. China continues to play the developing nation card as to take advantage of charitable foreign organizations. This country has the 2nd largest economy in the world, they just don't take care of their own because of greed. Please, if you are in this situation talk to your superiors and help put an end to this corruption, thank you, God Bless.

XiGua · Joined: 13 Dec 2009 Posts: 91 Location: Hunan

True dat. Sad when schools start expecting to get volunteers and are less inclined to hire someone. I've seen a few schools like this. And you'd think that the Americans that went there would realize that they're not needed in a gigantic city like Chongqing. But I guess I give people too much credit sometimes.

Eyrick3 · Joined: 29 Mar 2008 Posts: 161 Location: Beijing, China

I wouldn't be surprised to find that most Chinese-run "volunteer" opportunities in China are turning a profit on the altruism of ignorant foreigners.

fat_chris · Joined: 10 Sep 2003 Posts: 3198 Location: Beijing

As a former Peace Corps volunteer in China (2000 to 2003), there's a few points that I'd like to make about the OP's post.

randyj · Posted: Wed Feb 10, 2010 1:57 pm Post subject:

A couple of years ago I interviewed at Chongqing Teachers College. I admit to being a little taken aback when told that two of the four foreign teachers came from the Peace Corps. I mean, Chongqing is not exactly a backwater. Chris makes some very good points, for which I am grateful. The term "volunteer" is often loosely used. For example, at our school last semester we enjoyed the company of a very lovely and competent French-Canadian lady, who the school classified as a "volunteer". The school paid her a monthly stipend of 1,000 RMB. She confided to me that her sponsoring organization also supported her quite nicely, thank you very much, so I stopped feeling sorry for her. As far as corruption is concerned, the Chinese have an expression, �天下乌鸦一般黑�。Crows are black all over the world.

Renegade_o_Funk · Joined: 06 Jun 2009 Posts: 125

mat chen · Joined: 01 Nov 2009 Posts: 494 Location: xiangtan hunan

I'd like to point out that not only are the volunteers exploited but the schools pay recruiters for the service of providing them. Xiangtan University in Hunan pays a FAO 5,000 rmb per volunteer. Students there pay about 20,000 rmb a year in tuition.

fat_chris · Joined: 10 Sep 2003 Posts: 3198 Location: Beijing

The Ever-changing Cleric · Joined: 19 Feb 2009 Posts: 1523

SnoopBot · Joined: 21 Jun 2007 Posts: 740 Location: USA

fat_chris · Joined: 10 Sep 2003 Posts: 3198 Location: Beijing

fat_chris · Joined: 10 Sep 2003 Posts: 3198 Location: Beijing

SnoopBot · Joined: 21 Jun 2007 Posts: 740 Location: USA

Long ai gu · Joined: 22 Oct 2004 Posts: 135

Sorry if i made it sound like I'm attacking the peace corp, I'm not. I was only pointing out an example of the corruption that I personally witnessed. I would like to appologize to Fat Chris, he took such offense at my posting and went out of his way to prove every little point I made to be of little or no use, took it quite personally I'd say.

The fact remains that this is happening and please don't make it look like it's ok because we're in China and that's the way things are done and there's nothing we can do about it. YOU CAN NOT PARTICIPATE IN IT--THAT'S WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT. And yes Chris some of us live off 4500rmb a month or less, don't compare it to American dollars we're not in America. So stop waving your flag and try not to take it personally, I'm sure that there are other oblivious organizations besides the peace corp that are participating in this also.

4500rmb per month may not sound like much to you. 4500x10=45000 plus bonuses about 50000 a yearx2 teachers about 100,000 rmb a year over 5 years 500,000rmb, I hope they said thank you. AND FAT MAN I WILL NEVER EXCEPT CORRUPTION HERE OR ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD AND WONT SIT BY IDOL AND LET IT HAPPEN BECAUSE IT'S THE NORM. And I'm not going home because I don't except it. If you except things like corruption and human rights violations etc. because they are the norm then you are only contributing to the problem. One person can't change things? I don't think that's true, I will never except that way of thinking.

An FT doesn't take away opportunities for locals, locals are not native English speakers-use your head boy. The school charges extra for us, our job is to practice the student in oral English, something their Chinese teachers don't do and cannot do properly because they are not native English speakers. The student's parents decide to pay extra if they want to, it could be the only opportunity the student has at speaking with or even meeting a foreigner. I should have pointed out from the start that I wasn't personally attacking Fat Chris...I mean the peace corp.

Mr. Ed · Joined: 11 Feb 2010 Posts: 46

Rhodes Scholars, Fulbright Scholars, Professors subsidized by their home university and ALL volunteer teachers have a negative effect on the TEFL job market in China.

Any teacher paid by other than the employing Chinese school is preferred to a teacher that costs real money out of the school�s budget.

I have heard from more than one public university that they would love me teach for them if I would volunteer. They claim to have many volunteer teachers so they feel no need to offer any salary.

This is becoming more common of late.