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cormac
Joined: 04 Nov 2008
Posts: 768
Location: Xi'an (XTU)
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 Posted: Sat Jul 24, 2010 8:28 pm Post subject: Contract Questions: Your thoughts? |
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Just some sections out of a contract I received for a University position in Beijing. Most of the contract is fine, and falls into the norm of what I've seen here, but there's a few paragraphs that hit a strange note for me. Just wanted to check if you had any thoughts on them.
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| "There are three continuous days in May. And seven continuous days in Oct and 30 days in Summer and 20 days in winter and Xmas 3 days, New Year 2 days. If some important activities of Party A happen to be on holidays, the employee will attend as well and Party A shall make up the holiday(s) or pay for him/her. The employee is not allowed to ask for leave of tour except in holidays." |
Does this mean I have to ask permission if I wish to travel even if it falls within a holiday period?
and also is it normal regarding the need to be available of the University has some activity within the holiday period?
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| The employee must buy the insurance against his/her serious sickness while he/she stays in China. |
The last place I worked provided basic health care. Is it normal for Universities to require you to get private health insurance? I have another contract for a different University which says I need western insurance and I must be able to prove that I have it, before the contract can be signed.
Seems a bit weird to me, considering the language mill contracts all offered health insurance...
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| Generally 16 face-to-face teaching periods (45 minutes for each period) should be delivered to the students every week. And usually there might be 5 periods of English corner activities outside the classroom to be delivered to the students. |
I'm fine with the classes, but was wondering about the English corners.. I'm guessing that this is per month.. Is 5 per month normal? The only other Uni contract i have that mentions them, says not more than 1 every 2 weeks... so I don't have much to compare against.
Also should I query whether the English Corners would be done during the week or can they impact on weekends?
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| 3. Party B is suggested to come back home before eleven o�clock in the evening for the sake of Party B�s own safety. Party B has to cover the procedures of asking for leave of absence when it is necessary. |
I'm 33 years old for gods sake. Is this sort of rubbish normal?
Thanks for any info/thoughts...[/quote] |
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cormac
Joined: 04 Nov 2008
Posts: 768
Location: Xi'an (XTU)
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| Posted: Sat Jul 24, 2010 8:38 pm Post subject: |
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| Oh, just to add, I emailed the FT's email the school gave me, and he hasn't really answered any of my questions, and each response has taken a week before he comes back to me with answers. And TBH the level of the English used, and the grammar/spelling mistakes put me in mind with a Chinese person, rather than a westerner... Have any of you gotten the paranoid sense that its not a westerner that's answering your questions about a school/university? |
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rogerwilco
Joined: 10 Jun 2010
Posts: 1549
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| Posted: Sat Jul 24, 2010 11:53 pm Post subject: |
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| cormac wrote: |
| Oh, just to add, I emailed the FT's email the school gave me, and he hasn't really answered any of my questions, and each response has taken a week before he comes back to me with answers. And TBH the level of the English used, and the grammar/spelling mistakes put me in mind with a Chinese person, rather than a westerner... Have any of you gotten the paranoid sense that its not a westerner that's answering your questions about a school/university? |
I would pass on that school.
IMO, they are lying and playing games with you already.
Do not "guess" that the 5 English corners are per month, it is very possible that there are 5 "English corners" per week that are in actuality English classes that you are teaching for free. |
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Silent Shadow
Joined: 18 Oct 2007
Posts: 380
Location: A stones throw past the back of beyond
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| Posted: Sun Jul 25, 2010 12:54 am Post subject: Re: Contract Questions: Your thoughts? |
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| cormac wrote: |
Just some sections out of a contract I received for a University position in Beijing. Most of the contract is fine, and falls into the norm of what I've seen here, but there's a few paragraphs that hit a strange note for me. Just wanted to check if you had any thoughts on them.
| Quote: |
| "There are three continuous days in May. And seven continuous days in Oct and 30 days in Summer and 20 days in winter and Xmas 3 days, New Year 2 days. If some important activities of Party A happen to be on holidays, the employee will attend as well and Party A shall make up the holiday(s) or pay for him/her. The employee is not allowed to ask for leave of tour except in holidays." |
Does this mean I have to ask permission if I wish to travel even if it falls within a holiday period?
and also is it normal regarding the need to be available of the University has some activity within the holiday period?
| Quote: |
| The employee must buy the insurance against his/her serious sickness while he/she stays in China. |
The last place I worked provided basic health care. Is it normal for Universities to require you to get private health insurance? I have another contract for a different University which says I need western insurance and I must be able to prove that I have it, before the contract can be signed.
Seems a bit weird to me, considering the language mill contracts all offered health insurance...
| Quote: |
| Generally 16 face-to-face teaching periods (45 minutes for each period) should be delivered to the students every week. And usually there might be 5 periods of English corner activities outside the classroom to be delivered to the students. |
I'm fine with the classes, but was wondering about the English corners.. I'm guessing that this is per month.. Is 5 per month normal? The only other Uni contract i have that mentions them, says not more than 1 every 2 weeks... so I don't have much to compare against.
Also should I query whether the English Corners would be done during the week or can they impact on weekends?
| Quote: |
| 3. Party B is suggested to come back home before eleven o�clock in the evening for the sake of Party B�s own safety. Party B has to cover the procedures of asking for leave of absence when it is necessary. |
I'm 33 years old for gods sake. Is this sort of rubbish normal?
Thanks for any info/thoughts... |
I've worked for four colleges/ universities while in China and applied for countless other positions in such institutions and can't remember seeing many contracts with those clauses in, especially the last one.
Roger is right, the contract is not clear on whether the English corners are five a month or week. That alone would make me wary of the place.
Personally, I wouldn't touch this place with a barge pole. It sounds like a dodgy, untrustworthy, private uni, especially when you mention the ＂FT ｅ ｍａｉｌｓ�． I would look for something else. There are plenty of better opportunities out there. The alarm bells are ringing so loudly, that it's deafening. |
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xiaolongbaolaoxi
Joined: 27 Aug 2009
Posts: 126
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| Posted: Sun Jul 25, 2010 7:21 pm Post subject: Avoid |
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You should not have to ask for time off during holidays, but the fact that it is even hinted at in this excerpted contract shows someone who really likes to control you. Avoid.
The curfew (according to this site) is not abnormal, but I would not want to work in place that tells me that I must be in the apartment by a certain for my own safety. either they really want to control when and where I am, or it is so unsafe that I wouldn't want to be there. Avoid.
As for the emails, yeah, they're probably not from an FT. Avoid, but save the emails (minus the address/name) for grammar/syntax practice in class. avoid.
Review... possible control freaks, curfews, and posing as an FT when they are not. You hit the Trifecta!
PS: I would be shocked and amazed if the English Corners were not weekly. And if the calendar/schedule is not set, get ready for "you will have an English Corner in three hours. It will start at 2000. It will last two hours. Good bye." Then, all the various language/tourism clubs will get in on the action and go to the department chair asking... Avoid. If you want to do a Corner, make it on your time... there was a track and that's where I held my corners (as it were). I wasn't required to, but I knew students wanted it, so they were free to join me and walk laps, rain or shine. Got to know each other outside of class, it was public (you don't want to put yourself in a position where you are conducting extra language practice with the exact same student, noone will think of this in a good light), it happened when and where it was convenient for me and I lost pounds. One of the best decisions I made at that school. |
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