Kindergarten Fail!!! But not the end of the world!

Hi All,

Just thought I would share my most recent experience.

If you have been keeping up with the forum lately you would have noticed I found myself a sweet kindy job!

The pay and location were great and the school very modern and new.

However, that's where the goodness ended sadly.

I left the position after the first day for the following reasons:

#1 The agreed upon parts of the contract never happened, including the contract.
- I was given the job on August 4th and by the first day of school and after 4 visits to the school they had still not filled in my contract (pre-written, only needed salary values inserted)
- Not a good sign if they cant sign a contract in a month or even after the first day of work

#2 Work visa only available after 1 year of work.
- Meaning 1 year of paying for my own health checks, visas and working illegally in the country, possibly leading to immediate deportation if caught.
- I have a wife and child here, deportation not an option... Police station RIGHT across the street from, the school.... I guess they thought they wouldn't notice....

#3 Salary changes and penalties
- Salary initially offered 12,000/mtn - Actual Salary 9000 + performance bonus
- Performance bonus based on the following : Times late, use of air conditioning and internet, lesson plan preparation and principals discretion

ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS talk to other teachers if possible before signing a contract. The other teachers informed me of how things work. Use Air con without 3 other people in the room, 50rmb fine, leave the computer on after using it, 50rmb fine, someone else uses AC or computer, but you are the last one seen walking out of the room, 50rmb fine. Every minute late, no exceptions, 10rmb fine. So 10 minutes late for whatever reason = loss of 1.5 hours pay....
- Other teachers said no one EVER gets the full performance bonus, no matter what!

#4 High turnover of teachers last term.
- school fired all (12) teachers last term but 3, who started in the middle of the term to replace all the ones who left. Story is they were all bad teachers, I suspect the pay situation and fines had more to do with them walking away

#5 Crazy work hours, Not discussed
- Original workload - 2 X 30 minute classes in the morning and 2 30 minute classes in the afternoon with breaks in between each and 3 hour lunch
- Actual hours 8 - 12:30 and 2:30 - 5:30 always on, no breaks, including feeding, changing clothes, wiping bums and clean up of 2-3 year old babies. English lessons EVERY second when not being a nanny.
- Next surprise - Home visits. Expected to take the city bus, in rush hour traffic after school, all over the city to visit parents homes (for some reason). 1 hour per visit, 1-2 hours (minimum!) No PAY for 3-4 hour overtime and have to pay own transportation..... Ummm, yeah right!

So all in all, a joke! I told them I would not come back if they tripled my salary, and indeed they tried. The parents and the kids loved me. Now they will be pissed at the school for trying to rush in a new teacher.

So where does that leave me??

No problem at all!!! Since I happen to be in China anyways I got a call from my recruiter the next day. She wasn't mad at all I left the job. In fact she is currently trying to make me even more money.

If I feel motivated I can take the following jobs, one or all!

Kindergarten - English Only - Mornings mon to fri - 6000rmb
Elementary School - English - Afternoons Mon - Fri 8000rmb
Saturday training center - 8 hours Saturday only 4000rmb

A quick look at the math shows that a 12,000rmb job that turned out lousy and was only going to be 9000 actually, can now be 18,000rmb if I am motivated.

I will be looking very carefully at all these opportunities before making any decisions, but the point of this posting is this....

Don't feel you have to accept something you aren't comfortable with. If you get here and don't like the deal you are given, look for another, there are always more out there.

Always ask for contact info for past or current teachers. It is from them you find out the real deal and it can make or break your teaching career.

Don't undervalue yourself!! If you don't feel the deal is a good fit for you, don't take it. Better to do a little more searching than work in a place you aren't happy.

So there you go. Now that the new term has started I know there are ample jobs out there, and I am going to take my time and be picky....

Wish me luck!!

Wow Anthony, what an adventure. I have just begun mine by enrolling in Global TESOL College. Halfway through my foundation course, five specialization courses to go and then the best part begins.

It was very interesting to read your post, i hope things look up for you in a future!

Goodluck!

Tough break, Anthony. Sorry to hear that but I'm sure you will be fine. You seem very industrious and determined. Good luck to you and keep the posts coming!

BTW, where in China are you located?

Thanks Jere,

No worries at all actually. I am just lining up the jobs and seeing which ones shine through. Currently waiting to hear on an opportunity in Hong Kong which could be a life changer. Either that or a gig in the most modern and ultra cool area in town, featuring Starbucks, Pizza Hut, Dairy Queen, English book stores and ample relaxation facilities, all 3 minutes walk from home through a park.... Extra nice to be able to work without a commute...

Either way, win win!

I live in Shenzhen, the direct next door neighbor to Hong Kong. Truly an amazing city but since it is a high tech center and one of the fastest growing cities in the world, there are many headaches as it grows (traffic is a nightmare) and it lacks in culture compared to other Chinese cities because here its ALL business ALL the time. What it loses in culture however, it more than makes up for in opportunities!

I hope you have better luck with your next job or job's. Your posts are always very informative, please continue writing about your experiences!

So far so good Megan...

I applied for a few big corporate jobs with "Big" companies, but they weren't hiring, I was just applying.... Big Bucks, but corporate life.... Yuck....

However, using a local Expat site I found a couple very interesting positions. Always worth doing a Google search for "expat websites (insert city here)". Can often find not only opportunities, but advice and warnings as well.

#1 is a training center very near my home in the city center alongside Starbucks and other coffee shops, bakeries, art galleries, museums, etc. I often hang out there anyways. Likely would be kids classes. Nicest thing is it is a walk through the park from my home. No buses or commuting other than through nature.

#2 is very interesting. It is a business English school here in town that does Online training. SO I could make $20 Canadian an hour by sitting at home and having classes via my webcam. How cool would that be? NO commute at all!!

I applied for both yesterday and today they have contacted me looking for interviews. The kids job likely is part time, so I might well be able to do both! Should be interesting anyways.

Just goes to show, opportunities are everywhere in China so for those unsure of where to go or having difficulties in other places, you may want to have a look over here....

8)

Update #2

Out of the kindy, back into business English??

Yep, looks like that's the direction I am headed. once again demonstrating the opportunities one can find when abroad. And the benefit of getting off your butts and getting out there!!!

I was looking forward to 12,000rmb a month, 3X my original salary in China, but when the kindy didn't work out, I decided to look in more directions.

As I mentioned in past posts, a legal job is of UTMOST importance when working abroad.

For example, and in reference to several other posts on related topics, there is a "purge" scheduled for the city I am in over the next 3 months. It will be targeting foreigners who are:

A: Living in China without registering their residence. This DOES mean you need to go to the police station and register. Not optional as other posters on the forum have suggested. Wait for them to come knocking, and you are on your way to the closest airport or jail if you haven't got money for the ticket home. If in China, PLEASE make sure you find and go to the nearest police station and take care of this relatively easy step.

B: Working on any Visa BUT a Z (work) visa. Period. If you show up for work and find officers in the school, and you do NOT have a Z visa, you will once again be escorted to the border. It is not the school, the visa agent or recruiter that will get in trouble, it is YOU!

C: Foreigners with expired or invalid visas. The last I checked the standard fine for having an expired visa was 500RMB a day until you leave (and pay the fine) or you renew the visa. So 7-8 days of waiting or forgetting could have cost you a months pay, now it could cost you a months pay AND a quick trip to the border.

Not fun right? Trust me, look for the legal jobs and live worry free.

Speaking of,

As per the tidbit mentioned above, I have had yet another successful interview, however this time teaching business English to adults.

Since I have ample experience and am here, I simply need to do a demo class, and I have the gig.

And what a gig it is. The school is very flexible in schedule, so the students can come anytime they like, which makes it more attractive to adult students. The center was literally buzzing with activity this evening when I was there! And to keep it interesting, some of the classes are trips to Starbucks (who provide all the coffee for staff and students in the school anyways), big English corners and activities like pool, bowling, and parties and heaps of other activity type things.

So that's pretty cool already. Add to that a legal work visa, all Chinese holidays and 10 days paid leave, 35 hour weeks (30 teaching) and an ultra modern teaching environment with small classes and all materials pre-prepared... Then add the salary (now 4X my initial Chinese salary) plus a monthly performance bonus and things are looking pretty good.

I currently have 3 training centers making offers, but this one might just be the winner. The company if anyone is interested is called Wall Street Institute, and they are one of the biggest in the world with locations pretty much everywhere that doesn't speak English already. The Chinese division is called Wall Street English. Google either of them online and you will find the website.

Not sure how they are on hiring unseen over the internet, but you can fill out applications and send resumes though the website.

I ALWAYS research a company before I consider a job, and throughout the years ALL companies have complaints. The reason being pissed off people are much more likely to share their experiences online than happy ones. Human nature. But Wall Street is known for paying on time and without hassles, so that is a big plus. The only negative point I found was that they do expect you to use their branded materials, but you can teach them adding your own style. Since that was the only complaint I was HIGHLY impressed. I also have a good friend who has been working there for years who is very happy there still.

Anyhow, it is back to the world of teaching with wit, humor and charm as opposed to goofy songs and jumping around...

I will let ya know how it goes...

你好嗎 Anthony？我佷好。I am learning a lot in my mandarin course and my teacher 林老是 is really nice. Anyways how are your classes going? Are you going to make anymore videos on youtube? They were really helpful. Anyway just wanted to say hi and check up!

Hahaha!

Hi Megan,

As a matter of fact, still no classes.... :(

Shenzhen has dramatically changed their visa policy.

If you do not have a prior work visa in it (I had to get a new passport while here, so no go), you are expected to leave the country and apply from your home country. So ideally they would like me to fly back to Canada for a month to get the visa.....

No frickin way!

But Wall Street is good and they have found a way to get around it. It requires a letter being posted from canada, a trip to Hong Kong overnight to apply for the Z visa from outside the country, and waiting 2 months......

I know, annoying as heck, but what can ya do? Luckily I can afford it, but it is annoying. The company looks so good though. Even though I was officially asked to work for them in Sept, I don't actually begin till Nov 22nd.....

But in the meantime I get to go to all the company parties and events without having to do any of the teaching. I went to a Casino night last week and it was a blast. Next week it is a movie trivia game show night and a staff dinner and party with open bar and free food! When Nov 22nd does roll around I will be sent off to another city for 1 week of intensive training. So even though I have years of experience I get to travel, have a decent hotel and expense account and I will learn exactly what is expected of me and how they like their teachers to teach. That should make the actual job heaps easier in the long run.

So yeah.... No new videos or classes yet.... Though I did take one of the casino night with my boss having fun entertaining almost 100 student gamblers!

awesome to see you are studying the Chinese too! I have another friend who is coming in January that has been studying too. You two will both have soooo much more fun when you first get here. I think even just having the basics down before you come should make it WAY easier to deal with the culture shock, and the locals will LOVE you!!! The fact you are will be able to speak a little when you get here will make you a star attraction!

One thing though.... Be careful with your pinyin.... :)

You did very well till you got to your teacher.

laoshi in Hanzi is 老师 "old master" thus teacher

老是 as you have it literally translates to "old is" which is the equivalent in English to "always".


But please dont let me discourage you!!! By all means write in Chinese for your students, mistakes and all!!! They will all laugh and think its hilarious, but on the other hand, they will proudly tell others of how "THEIR" teacher can write Chinese.... If you think being able to speak some makes you amazing, even being able to write a little with mistakes will make you a super star!

People are amazed when they see we few foreigners that can muddle through spoken Chinese.... But when they see that I can read their language too.... Wow! Whole other level of respect!

Keep up the awesome work! You are sure to be a star!

Hey Anthony,
I hope your doing great. I have a quick question. When do you think I should contact the Buckland group? I want to go for next summer and stay for a year (2 semesters of school).