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Baozi man
Joined: 06 Sep 2011
Posts: 214
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 Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 11:27 am Post subject: Hired Guns |
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In order for school administrators to rise through the bureaucracy, they must pass an English test. This is true in other areas, such as health care administration.
Few can pass the test. Their solution is to grab one of their English teaching staff and have them take the exam in their place. English teachers who take exams for administrators are known as "hired guns" or "assassins." Various people, usually school employees are involved. The people checking the identification, for exampe.
Because this practice is so wide spread, the authorities recently demanded that the exams be taken in a facility away from their own locale. They also attached a jail term penalty to the punishment of those caught.
Corruption is so deeply embedded in every fabric of Chinese society, it is virtually impossible to root out. Every little man behind a little desk in a little office on a small street in a fifith tier city, is scheming at this very moment. If he's not thinking about how to make someone's life difficult, he's thinking about how to make his own easier.
How can the educators make an issue of academic integrity when they owe their own job to a lack of integrity?
Hopefully, soon, a flood will carry them all away.
Last edited by Baozi man on Wed Nov 09, 2011 1:56 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Lobster
Joined: 20 Jun 2006
Posts: 2040
Location: Somewhere under the Sea
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 11:42 am Post subject: |
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And your point is? 
RED |
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MisterButtkins
Joined: 03 Oct 2009
Posts: 1221
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 12:14 pm Post subject: |
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| The Chinese government English tests are absurd anyways. Has anyone else looked at the CET-6 tests? They have loads of ridiculous vocabulary no Chinese person has any reason to know, like "dandelion" and "pelvis". Yet the whole test is rife with grammatical errors. Some of the questions are flat-out wrong and were obviously written by a Chinese person who has less than great English. And yet somehow there are Chinese students who pass this exam and will answer me when I ask "How are you doing?" with "studying" or "eating". As far as I can tell the test does practically nothing to predict actual English ability, and some of my Chinese friends have said that many government tests are like this, ie, they have no relationship to real skills. |
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Guerciotti
Joined: 13 Feb 2009
Posts: 842
Location: In a sleazy bar killing all the bad guys.
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 12:42 pm Post subject: |
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| MisterButtkins wrote: |
| The Chinese government English tests are absurd anyways. Has anyone else looked at the CET-6 tests? They have loads of ridiculous vocabulary no Chinese person has any reason to know, like "dandelion" and "pelvis". Yet the whole test is rife with grammatical errors. Some of the questions are flat-out wrong and were obviously written by a Chinese person who has less than great English. And yet somehow there are Chinese students who pass this exam and will answer me when I ask "How are you doing?" with "studying" or "eating". As far as I can tell the test does practically nothing to predict actual English ability, and some of my Chinese friends have said that many government tests are like this, ie, they have no relationship to real skills. |
Yes I reviewed a few CET tests and they are terrible but I don't think they will change. Chrysanthemum? I'm not even sure what a chrysanthemum looks like aside from the fact that it's a flower ... I hope.
The mistakes everywhere make it difficult to convince the students that I'm doing things right. They won't search on google, using baidu instead. From what I've seen so far baidu links to a world of Chinglish. The only good part is that makes it very easy to check for plagiarism.
I also wonder exactly what the OP's point is. Universities and the education process here possesses a uniformity of corruption, sloth and teach-to-the-test mentality previously well beyond my imagination. So what else is new? |
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Miles Smiles
Joined: 07 Jun 2010
Posts: 1294
Location: Heebee Jeebee
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 12:53 pm Post subject: |
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Few can pass the test. Their solution is to grab one of their English teaching staff and have them take the exam in their place. English teachers who take exams for administrators are known as "hired guns" or "assasins." Various people, usually school employees are involved. The people checking the identification, for exampe.
Citation, please. Without valid citation of of this information, the comment appears highly inflammatory and defamatory. |
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igorG
Joined: 10 Aug 2010
Posts: 1473
Location: asia
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 1:00 pm Post subject: |
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| Lobster wrote: |
And your point is?
RED |
Perhaps a point may be that such people get to supervise students, staff and even FTs. Just imagine if such people rise up the ladder as far as to the directors, managers or even owners of schools based on lies and deceit. FTs employement agreements with clauses to follow moral codes in the country is a slap in the face then. But we know that already, don't we?
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Guerciotti;
I reviewed a few CET tests and they are terrible but I don't think they will change. |
No kidding. As far as i know, not many actually pass those tests and there're plenty of locals that teach with all sorts of questionable accreditation. Perhaps, such testing is just a joke so many disregard it pretty well. What the local education system is based on is one hell of an amusement park. |
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steve b
Joined: 31 May 2011
Posts: 293
Location: China
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 1:01 pm Post subject: |
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Baozi Man, if the practice is so widespread why is it not common knowledge?
And why do you hope a flood carries all educators away? |
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Opiate
Joined: 10 Aug 2011
Posts: 630
Location: Qingdao
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 1:07 pm Post subject: |
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| Miles Smiles wrote: |
Few can pass the test. Their solution is to grab one of their English teaching staff and have them take the exam in their place. English teachers who take exams for administrators are known as "hired guns" or "assasins." Various people, usually school employees are involved. The people checking the identification, for exampe.
Citation, please. Without valid citation of of this information, the comment appears highly inflammatory and defamatory. |
It certainly passes the smell test. Wouldn't you agree? |
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igorG
Joined: 10 Aug 2010
Posts: 1473
Location: asia
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 1:10 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
if the practice is so widespread why is it not common knowledge?
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I understand this question isn't aimed at me but 'cause i am on and i have an observation to share on this one i'll answer. It's for one reason and the reason is "discretion". Locals use more discretion than westerners. They also are well aware of the consequences if they did or didn't use it. |
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steve b
Joined: 31 May 2011
Posts: 293
Location: China
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 1:14 pm Post subject: |
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| Hmm. Two English teachers here and that's all and neither of us has been asked to play "ringer"........ |
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Miles Smiles
Joined: 07 Jun 2010
Posts: 1294
Location: Heebee Jeebee
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 1:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Opiate wrote: |
It certainly passes the smell test. Wouldn't you agree? |
I've never heard of "hired guns" or "assasins" [sic] referred to in the context of Chinese teachers. Stand-ins for tests? Sure, but they were student exams, not teachers' exams.
The allegation certainly meets the criteria for inflammatory
and defamatory. What many perceive to be corruption in China would be considered (in many cases) really bad business decisions. |
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The Great Wall of Whiner
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
Posts: 4946
Location: Blabbing
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 2:15 pm Post subject: |
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| Lobster wrote: |
And your point is?
RED |
Probably the same point that the guy posting about the Chinese diplomat 'saving' so many Jews, except this is now and that was in the 30's.
You reckon? |
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The Great Wall of Whiner
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
Posts: 4946
Location: Blabbing
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 2:20 pm Post subject: |
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| steve b wrote: |
| Hmm. Two English teachers here and that's all and neither of us has been asked to play "ringer"........ |
My wife has been asked to play ringer, as have several of my English-speaking friends.
It is an actual well-known fact that this happens. We foreigners are not asked to do this for obvious reasons. |
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steve b
Joined: 31 May 2011
Posts: 293
Location: China
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 2:22 pm Post subject: |
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| So well known neither I nor anyone I know is aware of it. |
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The Great Wall of Whiner
Joined: 29 Jan 2003
Posts: 4946
Location: Blabbing
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| Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 2:23 pm Post subject: |
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| Miles Smiles wrote: |
Few can pass the test. Their solution is to grab one of their English teaching staff and have them take the exam in their place. English teachers who take exams for administrators are known as "hired guns" or "assasins." Various people, usually school employees are involved. The people checking the identification, for exampe.
Citation, please. Without valid citation of of this information, the comment appears highly inflammatory and defamatory. |
Try Google. Outside links are forbidden on the forums. |
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