Job Discussion Forums

[theoriginalprankster]

Gateway/Global Language Village in pretty Zhuhai is to be avoided.

http://new.pinghe.com/english/school/zh-campus.php

I was heading down to do a six week summer camp, and as per their offer I was to get a room in a hotel, and paid every two weeks.

When I confirmed these offers they replied "we feel you are not a good fit, we can only offer shared accommodation and pay at the end of the six weeks".

So there you have it, another nail in the coffin that is China, for me.

[rogerwilco]

[rioux]

Insanity.

Did they ever give you a reason or reasons why they suddenly felt your were not a good fit?

[OhBudPowellWhereArtThou]

Wait. The OP is not a good fit, so the school will pay only at the end of six weeks and make him/her share a room?

So you're a better fit when you're getting scrod.

Nice one.

What makes them think that this line of thought even makes sense?

[theoriginalprankster]

There'll be FOBs that'll take the job.

Me - no.

[getbehindthemule]

Sorry to hear that, really sucks! They've probably already found their sucker to replace you.

[MsHoffman]

I must admit, I'm confused about the OP's experience with GLV.

In May (just a month ago), both my friend and I applied for positions with GLV at the same time. We both received solid offers (competitive pay, free meals, fair contract), within a week of each other. Mine was for the training center, his was for the summer camp.

Shared accommodation was always a part of both offers - it's a part of their standard offer for all new employees.

As for a "not a good fit"? or promising a hotel? My theory is they have hired some people to run their summer camp who were misinformed/didn't have great English/etc. Also, they may have gotten a little confused about their summer hires vs. their long term hires. Honestly, I see school owners having mini meltdowns about their summer schedules all over the place right now, so confusion at this time of year is kinda normal.

I think the "not a good fit" thing could have been an English mistake. They have a probation period, perhaps that's what the person meant? Or perhaps this is only a short term contract? (They mostly do 1-3 year contracts).

Regardless, as someone who lives in the area and has talked to people who currently work there, GLV has an extremely good reputation here in Southern China for how well they treat their employees.

I do not discount OP's account of events; I agree they happened just as he or she said they did. I just wanted to offer another view, as this school really does go above and beyond what most training centers do to accommodate foreign teachers.

As for me, I did not accept the offer, as I decided to continue working in a university environment. But I will definitely apply again in the future.

[theoriginalprankster]

To further clarify, I interviewed on skype with a head female teacher at GLV. About 30 minutes. We covered many topics, including what my role would be. We also covered accommodation and salary.

It was agreed I would have a hotel room and get paid for every two week session as it ended.

In follow up emails I confirmed this with Kelly, a Chinese staff member. Her reply was "we don't think you're a good fit".

I think they wanted to put me in the shared accommodation and pay me at the end of the six weeks.

Internal miscommunication perhaps.

[OhBudPowellWhereArtThou]

[MsHoffman]

I don't know the OP personally.

I can say that during the interview/contract offer process Kelly from GLV was great with me... but then I must also pause and say that China is no different than the U.S. in this regard - companies are going to treat different employment candidates, clients, vendors, etc., differently. It's just the nature of most companies. It happens all the time in the university where I am now.

So I guess my main point is SSDD no matter the continent...

But anyway that's why I wrote that I believed the OP completely. Because no company is perfect anywhere. And it's too bad that GLV's imperfections are all the OP got to see, because they really did impress me during the interview process. In addition, as a resident here in Guangdong province I met some nice people at expat parties who work for GLV. The one thing we all do at parties is complain about our jobs, so it does stand out when people talk about how much they like their work. The GLV people really seem to enjoy what they do, and they're doing some unique things other training centers aren't, so I would say if you're interested in the area, they're worth a try. And if you talk to multiple people, remember that Kelly has the final word on all things

[canrun30]