This particular article contains copies of correspondance between myself and a foreign teacher that demonstrates the necessity of being very careful in China, when seeking employment to teach English. NOTE: This article was updated March 2011 with fresh information directly related to the incident listed in this article..
An expanded version of this article with more information appears on my website.
What you need to ask when applying for a job in China.
Recently I received an email from a foreign teacher asking advice about working for a private school in China. She had read about my bad experiences with a private training school here in Baotou, and was a little worried about accepting a position with a private school.
I sent her a reply outlining some things that she needs to have clarified before agreeing to work for a private school.
Today, she wrote me to say that she had had a video interview and decided that she did not trust the honesty or integrity of the person doing the interview. Her email started like this:
I just want to tell you about my phone call with ....[private school] Now before I start, I have to say THANK YOU for all the questions you've advised me to ask them. The guy on the phone tried to duck and sneak about every question. I repeated a few questions triple until I got an answer like "it's negotiable".
The Following is the Edited Email Advice I originally gave her.
Questions to ask:
From your commencement date - how long do you wait until you are paid? Meaning - are they going to withhold some salary.1
In which city will your Working Visa be issued? If it is issued in/for any other city than where you will work - THAT IS ILLEGAL2 and you can be fined by the government for illegally working.
Directly ask about the style of your accomodation and ask for photos.
Directly ask about your 'return airfares'.
Directly ask about WHO PAYS for your visa and other legal documents
Directly ask how many days per week you will have off.
Directly ask what is meant by 25 hours per week.3
Directly ask whether you will have a Chinese teacher working with you IN CLASS.
Once you deal with that school regarding all the questions, just remember a few things:
They MUST take you to the police station and register you as a resident of the city.
They MUST return your passport within a reasonable time if you DEMAND IT. [IF YOU DON'T HAVE IT you can't leave if things go badly!]1
While they MUST obey the laws, you are equally guilty if they don't.
As long as you just do what they say you will be fine. Never argue with them. Never take any initiative. THIS IS A MUST until you really understand your Boss.
As long as you shut your mouth and do your job, you will be OK.
BUT - if there is anything at all REALLY WRONG with the way you are treated THEN IMMEDIATELY GO TO THE CITY FOREIGN AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT AND TALK TO THEM.
I may be scaring you - but all of this is about "IF YOU END UP WITH A TERRIBLE BOSS".
Give it a go!
As long as you obey the law and hang onto your passport - you will be fine.
Best Wishes
Some other things that should have been included but weren't:
- Ask who pays the electricity bill
- Ask who pays the water rates
- Ask who pays the building cleaning rates
- Ask who pays the internet bill
The Foreign Teacher's Interview experience.
I just want to tell you about my phone call with ....[private school]
Now before I start, I have to say THANK YOU for all the questions you've advised me to ask them. The guy on the phone tried to duck and sneak about every question. I repeated a few questions triple until I got an answer like "it's negotiable".
I asked if visa is paid and he didn't answer directly. When I asked "Is it my responsibility to organise the visa?" He said: "Yes" I then said: "Oh so I have to organise that" and he said "maybe the school 50%..I don't know" (something like that).
Visa will be issued in Shanghai and I will be working in ----, he said.
Accommodation is provided but the guy didn't know anything about it. He didn't even know where I would be accommodated.4
Working hours were mostly on Sat./Sun. but I have to be at school from start till end 5 days p.w.5
Airfare is negotiable6 (after asking twice) and the stupidest questions he asked me were:
Do you know an English song which you can teach the students?
Are you married and when are you going to get married?
Do you like children? and Why don't you have children?
OMG
They told me today that they want another interview but I'm going to tell them I got involved in another project now.
Mr. --* asked me to send him a recommendation letter from my last employer..so I'm trying to organise that one with the TEFL agency in --- who arranged that job for me. I hope I will get that asap to forward it to Mr. --. He has sent the conditions to me and I think they are ok and my feeling with ---- is much better than the impression --- made on me.
So thanks very much for your advice!
1 The reason schools will withhold your passport, your foreign Teachers expert certificate or withhold 2-4 weeks salary, is so that they have something to bargain with if you decide to just pack up and leave. If a private school needs to do this, then they have had a lot of troubles with foreign teachers. This begs the question: "What is it that makes foreign teachers just pack up and leave."
2 Whilst your work visa might be issued by the relevant authority in a city other than that in which you will actually teach, the Work Visa must be issued for the city in which you will teach. An illegal activity is one in which you are registered to work in Shanghai for instance, when you will be working in Baotou - as happened in my case. This illegal activity will complicate your future.
3 What you are told, what is in the contract and how much you are forced to work are not the same.
4 Accomodation surprises
5 Do not under any circumstances allow yourself to be conned. I was "asked" to be generous with my time in the beginning BUT then it was demanded of me. I worked 60 hours per week on a 30 hour contract.
6 'Negotiable' means 'No!' If it is negotiable then it is not being offered. If you state your requirement and it is not satisfactory to them, then the job is not satisfactory to you. If it is negotiable, then it is not part of the conditions. If you pat yourself on the back for getting something extra out of them, then be aware that they will find a way to get it back.
* After the initial contact with this foreign teacher, I contacted a particular school and asked if they still needed a teacher and then put both parties in touch with each other. If she gets that job she will be taking the job I turned down because I felt I had a moral obligation to come to my current school since they had already submitted my paperwork to the government. I do wish I had not been so 'moral'.
Full Version of this Article:
R.P. BenDedek
Email: rpbendedek@hotmail.com
March 19th 2011 V.I.P. Update:
This week I have had numerous email conversations with a Canadian University Student who has been approached by EET Baotou. I was so alarmed by the content that I forwarded his emails to a government official who is a friend. Although normally, any conversation outside of that person's office is strictly between friends and 'off the record', on this occasion that official phoned me and told me 'formally and officially' that E.E.T. Baotou is most definitely not a legally recognized private school. I was also advised that if that school is displaying an 'official sign' saying that it is an officially recognised school, (as one person had informed me) then they obtained that sign illegally and should be punished.
The Canadian Student who contacted me did so because like the person in the article above (also contacted by an EET School), he was suspicious of the evasions in directly answering questions. There was suggestion from the person who was pestering him to come to China, that he could come on a tourist visa. (Not legally permissible.) This student has no ESL or other language teaching qualification, and nor does he currently hold a Bachelor Degree of any type. He was advised that this did not matter. It certainly does matter if he were to be legally employed.
Please understand:
- The school must submit the necessary paperwork to the issuing authority and that authority must send you your invitation to work and you then obtain your 3 month temporary visa from your local Chinese consul or embassy. That visa is then changed over once you arrive in China.
Beware of the E.E.T. Baotou school and of the Shanghai Franchiser David Gao.
R.P.BenDedek is the pseudonym of the Author of 'The King's Calendar: The Secret of Qumran' (http://www.kingscalendar.com/), and is a guest columnist at Magic City Morning Star News. An Australian, he currently teaches Conversational English in China.
Stories from China at Magic City
"The King's Calendar" is a chronological study of the historical books of the Bible (Kings and Chronicles), Josephus, Seder Olam Rabbah, and the (Essene) Damascus Document of The Dead Sea Scrolls.
