Job Discussion Forums

[NGPD]

Hey,

I'm a recent graduate with no formal teaching experience and have been searching for a job in China.

Got an offer with Hampson Education and was wondering if anyone had heard of these guys? Are they reliable etc.. I've searched on the internet and I can't find much about them, plus their website is in Chinese, which I cannot read.

They are a private institution, and I was wondering if these institutions are any better or worse than public schools?

Here are some of the contact details:

7,000RMB/month, but no air reimbursment or accomodation.

8,000RMB bonus after 7th month and 15,000 bonus upon completion of 12-month contract.

Just wanted to know how this sounds and if anyone has had any experience with this company?

Would be loads of help. Cheers

[sharpe88]

Well you didn't say how many hours.

But I've been by their school for an interview. Below par pay and a demanding contract.

[tatsuo1]

You could also use an online translator to read their website.

[eliseinchina]

it's apparently one on one teaching where students come to the school and you teach them, however there's no guarantee of hours and if you are looking at working at one of their new locations, that would deter me very much.

I had a phone call from a very well spoken HR rep, who confirmed some details and then passed my CV over to their local team (shangahi, new branches opening there), the level of english they used when interacting with me was appalling, then I got another call from another person at their Head office asking if i wanted an interview and it just seemed that one hand doesn't know what the other is doing and that is never a good sign, and the fact that you could possibly end up with less salary because there aren't enough teaching hours was enough to have me take a pass on them.

do as you see fit, but honestly there are jobs that will at least contract a certain number of hours and not tell you " no really it's fine, we've plenty of hours for you". If I wanted to freelance I'd do that, not be shoved into it by a school who can't even keep notes on who has spoken to me when....

[CoachRichard]

I went to investigate this school.

They bombard local foreign run websites with jobs offereing grandiose salaries of 20,000rmb (false advertising). At around 100 rmb per lesson they would have to give you 200 classes per month.

Hampson is a Tutoring School. Classes are one on one, either in the center or in the student's homes.

Most of the teachers i saw at the center were non-native teachers who are on tourist visas.

Fact or Fiction: I have not met a Hampson teacher who has been offered a full-time contract with a Z-Visa. They don't provide visas, and if they did, they don't know how to process them. Lisa knew nothing about Z visas and neither did the manager Carl in BJ.

I was interviewed twice, once by the manager and once through Skype by Carl in Beijing. I even signed a full-time contract, with no seal, and i wasn't given a copy.

A week went by and they had no students for me, so i went to visit them again.

They told me that i had my first student/job, but as part of my role as a Hampson teacher. I was to perform a demo class, and was told my first student had already signed with them. They would also take a bond from me from my first 2 hours teaching.

I had to meet the student, but she was 1 hour late. I waited, read some of "their" textbooks (other publishers) borrowed from the local bookstore. I finally had the meeting with the student, and the student said she liked me. I spent 45 minutes chatting with her, and she liked my teaching style.

I left the school, thinking it would be nice to teach that student. Days went by without a any contact from Hampson.

I called them, but i am yet to receive any work from this school. I didn't get to teach anyone there, and they wasted my time.

Lisa called me again about a week later, and i told her i wasn't interested in Hampson and Lisa acted surprised by my experience.

Don't bother with this school.

[alter ego]

[panman36]

False advertising... no shit. I responded to their online ad which offered 10,000 -20,000 RMB per month. So I applied and was glad to hear back from them. Chatted a little on skype. I finally get a sample contract and says 7,000 RMB for full-time teachers. WTF! Stop wasting my time.

There's also stuff about hours I don't even understand. Then further down it says if any kid asks for a refund because he is unhappy with the teacher, they take 500 RMB from your paycheck. Don't think I've ever seen that one.

[tianjinrobbie]

I have to disagree with the statements made about Hampson to be honest.

I have worked here for just over a year now, I am employed as a full time teacher not part time. I enjoy paid national holidays as well as 2 weeks paid holiday for travel. I get sick pay, unless I cancel classes on the day. I get paid my salary regardless of any time spent not teaching and also enjoy 3 bonuses a year. They applied for and got my visa to which they absorb the cost too.

The staff at Hampson are very good, or at least in my experience working else where are anyway. The schedule is pretty good, I work 40 hours a week and have 2 days off.

It is true that being a training centre, you do have to give demos in order to get students, but I think its fair to say that is true of any training centre at the end of the day. If you do not like the way training centres operate then I think the old saying 'Horses For Courses' applies here, you should be thinking about working in a school instead.

It is also true that they take a deposit from you initial salary as security, I do not have an issue with that. They will pay that back if you decide to leave and the reason they have to take one is because on many occasions there have been teachers who have just disappeared without giving them any warning, leaving them in the position of having annoyed students turning up for classes without teachers which can and often does result in loosing the business, personally I think the deposit is fair and justified.

As for the bit about refunds, that is technically not correct. If a teacher basically takes the p@@s and does not teach the classes properly, keeps talking on their mobile phone during the lesson, spends the vast majority of the lesson watching movies with the student or whatever then the student has the right to complain they are not happy, and rightly so, and the teacher has to teach the class again free of charge. So the bottom line is if you are a competent teacher and do your job properly you have nothing to worry about. Hampson are not stupid, they know there is the possibility that students may try to manipulate that clause. Everything you do during the lesson you record notes in a teaching book which each student has so they can see what you have been doing during the lesson. Also the classrooms are glass so people can see what you are doing and the SA's at Hampson keep an eye out for things too. Plus there is your overall track record, if all bar one of your students is very happy and one makes a complaint like that.......o_O I have yet to see anyone working here be put in the situation of having to repeat any classes at all.

And they also do not 'expect' teachers to be on site for prearranged blocks of time as such either, if they have a demo for you they will call you and ask if you can come in to do it, they will try their best to arrange your demos within the same time period, however some things are beyond their control, so if a student cannot come in at a particular time, and you do not want to hang around they will give the demo to someone else instead, theres no rules saying you have to sit twiddling your thumbs all day.

It doesn't take most teachers long to build up a schedule and they will often give you demos when they know you are in. In general, it tends to be teachers who come in dressed like they are going to a rave or festival that tend to find it difficult to get students and/or demos because they project the wrong image to the students. Hampson does not enforce a shirt and tie policy like for example Wall Street English do, but they do expect, again quite rightly so, that teachers at least dress sensibly and project the right kind of look, they are a business in the education sector after all, not a nightclub.

Another inaccuracy posted here is the timeframe for the demo, demos usually last for around 10 to 15 minutes, or at least the time spent with the teacher is around 10 to 15 minutes at least. The SA will discuss things with the student before and after the teacher has done their part and the demo is about working out the students requirements, their strengths and weaknesses and making a few suggestions, not really about 'teaching a class' How can someone just sit down and start teaching a class to someone they no nothing about!!!

As for the part time salary being false advertising, again, completely inaccurate. There are part time teachers at the Tianjin outlet who easily make that kind of money. Hampson open at 10am and close at 9:30pm.
Now granted to earn that kind of money you have to be there for a long day but that is your choice, you can teach as many or as few classes as you wish here. My god, people work in the UK, as I am sure they do in the states too, and on top of their general working day, do overtime to earn extra money. Same kind of thing really, you want to earn more money you work longer hours.

As for visas being fictitious, anyone that wishes to pop in to Hampson and ask about the visas, I will be happy to show you mine. Granted not ALL staff at Hampson know the ins and outs for visas, but thats not their job. Beijing deal with the visa process and have staff there that specifically deal with that aspect of things, for example Michelle in Beijing.

I would recommend Hampson to anyone. I am very happy there and they give me no reasons to want to think about changing employment at all. Given the sheer amount of back street, cut throat setups there are in China and your chances of getting screwed over when teaching in this country, Hampson are pretty damn good at what they do. You cannot expect everything to be just like working for a company back home but Hampson come pretty close in my opinion. QED.

[xiaolongbaolaoxi]

SO, saw an ad a while back and sent my resume in... Got a call, my wife took it as I was in a classroom at the time... Basically, they flipped out on her [native speaker of three Chinese dialects] that I would not be able to start in another city the next morning. Yep, 16 hours to leave a city, go to the next one, and don't worry about the school you're already with. Apparently this went on so long/badly my wife literally hung up on them. Regardless of the interesting management practices pursued in China, pissing off the wife of the teacher is not a good recruitment tool.

Avoid.

XLB

[Mr. English]

I interviewed at this place some months ago, within the past year. Their contract was from hell: it ran six or seven or eight pages and nearly half of them fell under the category of "discipline", which is to say there were dozens of reasons for which they could fine you or withhold pay. At first they did not want to even let me walk out the door with an unsigned copy of it; sign sign sign, if you have any questions ask me, said their Chinese contract expert, but the boss in Beijing or wherever she was was impressed by the video interview (during which she could see me and I could not see her), and she told the Guangzhou guy to give me a copy. I re-wrote the contract and sent them a friendly email suggesting we negotiate the terms; they never answered. I would not trust this place.

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

[LarssonCrew]

Well, I've worked at this place since I got stabbed up at kid castle back a while ago.

Anyways, the low down, they provide nothing but 100 rmb for 45 or 50 minutes of teaching.

It took me a good two months to fully have enough students to make it close to 'full time', but I not pull in maybe 13,000 a month from this place.

Most of the one on ones are easy, and several of the students in their late teens invite me to do other things, to have class in a restaurant, whilst playing pool etc. and I'm helping several apply to universitys in the UK.

Basically it's quite laid back, they let me get on and teach what I want, provide some books (although most are stolen from other sources) and the negatives are that there seems to be little input , the school looks flashy, but, for instance, when inquiring if more activites for younger learners could be purchased, we were basically told no.

Having said that, most parents are supportive, the books are alright and the lessons can be fun, however, if you have someone who is constantly tired and bored, it can be a nightmare, especially as the management seem to want to see the teachers drill the books.

If you work here, it should be as a supplement, to a university job, for instance, which provides your basics and low hours, you can then use Hampson to boost your pay up higher.

[tianjinrobbie]

Congrats on your very first post. Did you sign up just to defend Hampson?

No I joined because it looks like quite a good site, saw the post about Hampson and given my experience is very different, thought I would comment.

Fact or Fiction: Do they provide housing, like 99% of schools in China?

No they don't, but then given Hampson is a training centre much like New Oriental or Wall St. English and NOT a school...... I don't need accommodation anyway I have a bought and paid for house. But given some of the accommodation provided by many schools is the crappiest around.....

Fact or Fiction: Do they provide airfare?

I get mine as full time, cannot speak for anyone else.

Fact or Fiction: Do they do anything that other schools do?

Again, a training centre, not a school, but please elaborate, exactly what other things do you mean?

Fact or Fiction: Do they make you go to work but not be paid? (this means at the job site, on the clock, unable to be free... this means restricting your freedom of mobility)

I am full time, therefore classes or no classes I get paid. Part time FT's have to come in and give a demo free of charge to gain a student but no, they are not expected to spend time 'on the clock' as you put it, on site and they do their best to arrange demos when you are there. I tend to do the demos when there are no part time FT's available, but thats no biggie for me, I am after all being paid regardless. Again, its a training centre, not a school. It really depends on what you are looking for, I think I said before its horses for courses.

Fact or Fiction: Do they withhold money from teachers?

You need to elaborate, if you are referring to the deposit then yes. But given the amount of times some FT has found another job and just disappeared and not bothered to inform Hampson I think thats pretty fair. You get the deposit back and it at least goes some way to ensuring FT's will take a little responsibility and give Hampson some notice before they just up and leave.

Fact or Fiction: Do they advertise 20,000 RMB a month, but not pay 20,000 RMB a month?

They say you CAN earn UP TO 20,000RMB a month. Lets look at a typical advertisement on the net from them shall we:

1. A very competitive salary (depending on how many classes you have).
Job Title : 6000-20000 RMB per month in Hampson English

I think those two statements pretty much speak for themselves, no one is false advertising or trying to deceive in saying this. It clearly states the salary range and also states the fact that it depends on how many classes you have. I have seen schools out there who boast a 12 month contract that pays xyz a month but fail to tell you that you will end up taking lengthy periods of unpaid time when the schools close for their holidays. Most of these people do not want you working for anyone else either, regardless of the fact they have no work for you, that's what I consider to be false advertising.
There are many companies in the west use exactly the same kind of advertising as here, telling people the highest amount you may be able to earn, come one, you have to use a little common sense here. When I saw the 20,000RMB figure I certainly did not assume they were paying you 20,000RMB for general teaching hours, if anyone is reading that and thinks "WOW!! they pay all that money for standard hours, all my prayers are answered" then I am sorry but they have to be a bit on the gullible side.

There are some FT's who work long hours and do earn that kind of money. They pay part time FT's per class at Hampson, are open from 10am to 9:30pm seven days a week. If you are willing to work the extra hours you will obviously earn that kind of money, just as someone earns more at a company if they decide to work overtime, or is on additional commission and sells more than others.

Some FT's don't get as many classes its true, but that is usually down to their appearance, their personality and sometimes their standard of teaching. Some FT's walk through the door dressed like they are going to a rock fest and do not set a good example, some are even extremely forward when talking to potential female students, making them feel uncomfortable. Many students are put off by this and therefore those FT's do not get many classes, if an FT cannot understand that and then go on to blame Hampson it is hardly Hampson's fault, I think the same thing could be said of any training centre to be honest.
Hampson do not enforce a strict dress code like Wall Street do, they are generally quite relaxed about what you can wear in the centre. Wall Street have a strict policy of shirt and tie, blouse and skirt. They want to portray a very specific look and although I have no experience of Wall St. I can only assume it does them justice, first impressions and all that.

I could go on.... I suggest, as a long-time English teacher, avoid this place. I have heard of too many horror stories.

I wouldn't call your opinions about Hampson a 'horror story' I would say that it simply suggests that working for a training centre is not suitable for you personally. I would be interested to hear any horror stories you have though, provided they are backed up with some evidence and not just hearsay.

[tianjinrobbie]

Just a little additional point to go in here, as there seems to be a lot of negativity being thrown around.

As any seasoned expat will tell you, never take anything you read at face value, be it a good comment or a bad one.

Negative comments tend to outweigh good ones, that is a definitive fact regarding any subject and one which has been talked about and studied for years. When people are satisfied with something, they tend to use it and thats that. When someone is peeved with something, especially if they feel they have not got satisfaction during the outcome when making an initial complaint to the persons involved, they tend to feel angry and since the birth of the e generation, will make comment after negative comment, not simply to warn others, but also to gain some satisfaction from the fact they are in some way getting back at those they feel let down by.

Not every education environment in China that receives negative comments is a bad one, but its true that China does have it's fair share of back street Mafioso type companies that are greedy, manipulative and exploit foreign labour, some of the blame has to fall at the feet of the government too, simply because of they way the system is allowed to operate, allowing these people to manipulate it in the first place.

The best advice anyone can give is, yes, certainly read everything you find, just make sure you take what you read with a pinch of salt that's
all, take the information away and then take the time to find out for yourself. There is no point in reading some negative press and simply thinking screw that, if you do, you will really limit your employment options as if you look hard enough, you will find that most companies and schools have at least some negative press somewhere online. The same thing can be said about positive press too. You do not know anything about the person(s) who have posted it and therefore cannot be 100% sure of its validity.

In other words read, digest but ultimately go and find out for yourself. Online comments are just one small part of a bigger animal.

[Adeem]

Just a few quick calculations.

At an hourly rate of 100RMB /hour

20,000 a month means earning 869 per day (23 workdays)

Even at 7 days a week it means earning around 650 a day.


Who has the time/students to do all these 1 on 1 classes? Bravo to them if that is how they work.

Are the 20,000 earners full time workers who get paid a straight salary, and then top it up with a large amount of overtime? Or are they just part time teachers with an even better work ethic?

Just seemed funny when I read it.