Paul you are absolutely correct - the schools often have a 30-day probationary period. This is their 'Demo'. In fact, having someone do a single first-time class at a new location isn't going to tell the story anyways.

They can train a little or give advice, let the teachers get comfortable, give them a few classes and they can let a person go if they can't adjust.

So there is no practical or meaningful reason for the 'Demo' and besides this what interviews and resumes are for anyways in terms of getting an idea of personality, presentation etc.

I can't actually name a single school doing this because this season its EVERY SCHOOL. Its being done as if a standard granted right they have to get a free rotation of pre-sign up classes.

Now.. my advice might be this. IF asked to do a "Demo" under the promise they are very interested in hiring? Then agree to doing a paid class. 200rmb maybe. IF THEY HIRE YOU then say you will wave the fee.

Watch how almost every single one of them will refuse the agreement!! It means they were not going to hire you anyways. (if they were they'd accept the low low risk offer).

This isn't new but wow does it now seem to be worse than ever this August 2016!!

Let me start with the opinion that nobody should ever be doing a 'Demo' for staff and bosses before being hired. They get off on that as a way to make you "KowTow" and no Westerner with any self-respect needs to do that.

But this scam isn't new and yet I saw it worse than ever before this August as many many training centers, kindergartens and private schools gear up for the big new school year .. and of course the big new sales pitches!

Whether you've applied or they've found you or an agent has hooked you up - the school enthusiastically wants to talk business and is sure they will hire you. They are sure about it but just one thing... Can you come in a do a little 'Demonstration class'. Just a demo. We want to see your teaching style.

You show up to a happy big excited class of kids and do 30 minutes or an hour and further more the school will keep you around before and after for a while (usually in the front room or window) and have a long chat about things. Often they want to masturbate their egos by giving you some 'Feedback' with the usual stupidity of saying what your class wasn't like.

They will never call you back. Or if they are really want to get in an extra taste of juice they might even explain how they were not satisfied with your class and teaching.

But either way, you won't be hired and they never intended to hire you anyways. Even more interesting you might even find out later they did hire some Eastern European with a thick accent and that person never even did a 'Demo'!

And don't be surprised if this happens 3 and 4 and 5 times in a row because in fact... agents/managers are actually passing around your name one to another to partner schools or other friends so you can do 'Demos' for all of them. And what you don't know is that you were actually just one of many foreigners they invited to do 'Demos'. In fact, during the big sales pitch each of these schools has had a foreign English teachers doing classes all week long!

In one case I happen to know the school even charged the parents 50rmb per student for a special Foreign English teacher class... except... the teacher was just doing an unpaid 'Demo' as far as he knew!

Of course, the parents and kids are the scam victims too. They may be quite impressed with the 'New Foreign Teacher' (or they believe 3 or 5!) and sign up and a week into the thing start wondering where the foreign English teacher is?

Again, this is not a new scam but what disturbed me this season was that all schools are now onto this and really its now just a totally standard way of business. Everyone is doing it like it was just business and standard and almost like its their right to do it without apology. The problem is that job-seeking foreign teachers are ultimately working for free for two weeks from school to school (plus costs, transport etc) and often assured they are hiring but need this 'formality' done.

Do not fall for this and for crying out loud - you foreign teachers that are doing 'demos' need to stop that already!

*please note I have nothing against the Polish or Russian hires. They themselves often know nothing about it. But again, the schools will show 'Their New Native Speakers" for the sale and so the parents don't demand refunds they often put a Russian on a tourist visa in there for half the salary and even hope the parents don't know the difference. In a way I feel as bad or worse for the Russian teachers.

Guys.. this is pandemic now. I watched almost everyone doing it and have not only overheard managers chortling about this (as if they are so obviously clever and outsmarting the fools) but Chinese staffers have confided they are well aware of this or even themselves complained about this happening.