Re: TS JILIN EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGES SERVICES CO. LTD - Teachers Discussion

This company used to be the infamous Tian Shuo Company. After earning a bad reputation in ESL Recruitment circles, it now mutated into something now known as TS Jilin Educational Exchanges ladidadida still carrying the same genetic mapping.. still wreaking havoc and misery on those they recruit.

A lot of rumours about this company circulate online. It's always better to know when a promise is too good to be true and when it is feasible.

Take care, People!!

seeking assistance - Teachers Discussion

Hello there!

I am interested in teaching English to young kids in China. Please advise me on some of the desirable places out there.

I am a Filipina and I graduated from reputable schools in the Philippines where English is the medium of instruction. I am comfortable with the English language and I prefer to teach young kids.

Your responses will be my guide. I am hoping to hear from you.

Bernadeth

TS JILIN EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGES SERVICES CO. LTD - Teachers Discussion

HELLO OUT THERE, ONLY I CAN SAY ABOUT THIS COMPANY IS OWNED BY A DEVIL PERSON.. NEVER APPLY IN THIS COMPANY (TS EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGES SERVICES CO.) WHEN YOU DO SO, YOU WILL BE WIPING YOUR EYES WITH TEARS... THE CONTACT PERSON IN THIS COMPANY ARE MAGGIE, MICHELL, AND KIKI.. THE OWNERS ARE MAMA WANG AND PAPA YU. THIS PEOPLE HAS NO HEART. SOMETIMES I AGREE WITH ONE OF MY FRIENDS SAYING THAT "HELL IS BETTER THAN THIS COMPANY" BECAUSE I'M NOT A NATIVE SPEAKER THEY PAY ME ONLY 2500 RMB. THE WORSE THING IS THAT THEY HOLD YOUR PASSPORT UNTIL YOU FINISH YOUR CONTRACT WITH THEM. THEY DONT EVEN GIVE SALARY DURING SUMMER WHICH MANY SCHOOLS DO. WOWOWOWO BEWARE MY DEAR FRIENDS WITH THIS COMPANY.. APPLY IN OTHER SCHOOLS OR COMPANY.

to lynn - Teachers Discussion

there are alot of good schools in china especially somewhere in guangdong province. im in shandong now... i hope u can send me ur email because i know w school that needs teachers...

if u are from the west it's not difficult to find a teaching job...

u might as well join this e-group,,people here can help u...

log in to:

raoul's china expat saloon

compared to other esl forum this group might as well be of great help to u..

goodluck!

re: info about school agency - Teachers Discussion

The answer is simple: AVOID ALL RECRUITERS IN CHINA! (Except for one; but good luck finding it.)

Information about the School/Agency - Teachers Discussion

Hi everyone there!
I am discussing with the recruiter nativeenglish in China and would like to know if someone have an idea about how do they help people getting job and the credibility.

LEE I got a question - Teachers Discussion

Lee,

What is the name of the school in Shanxi? YM/ MSN me the details ok?

Holla

:-)

lorraine and changchun - Teachers Discussion

i didnt get into the details of this thread anymore since i've already read the name TERESA YANG.

well, be alarmed. 3 of my friends are in jilin now,,,living a miserable life. they are all working for TERESA YANG, who doesnt actually exist. this name, according to my friends and several others is just a front.

they will promise u with the best of a waijiao life but nothin would be better than ur life now. my friends are supposed to receive 2500 yuan...as promised but they are receiving 1999. 8 hours a day work.they are also forced to work on weekends on training schools unfairly commissioned. they will bring u to different towns in jilin to teach. they will ask u to pay for rent and "a glass of water" if they ask u to work on weekends in other towns.

the worst? they're gonna take hold of ur passport...

the decision would always be yours my dear.
if u think u are willing to take the risk then go.
but if u think u are worth more than these...look for better schools!

goodluck amiga!

Be careful..make sure everything is in the proper place...!!! - Teachers Discussion

Hello Lorraine!

I've read your post....Well ,it's just very sad that they offered you a low salary because you are a non-native English speaker, what an offer!!!....it shows real discrimination...3000rmb per month is very low...!!!

There are lots of schools in China needing teachers not thinking which country you are from, as long as you can do your job well as an ESL teacher and your communication skills is quite good and mind you,can offer higher salary from 5000-8000rmb depending your qualifications and other benefits, as well.

No need for you to have a demostration lesson....a week demo classes without pay??? And coming to China using an L visa and later on change to Z visa? Be careful with that??

Nowadays, restrictions in changing visa varies from city to city and province to province depending their
relationship to the local authorities.

I've learned a lot of cases from foreign teachers being promised by a recruiter to change their L visa to Z. But, the reality, they can't even provide that Z visa, but ended to just have an F visa, which is more complicated because you have to go in and out of the country every 60-90 days and renew it after 6 months. what a hassles, isn't it???

Ask them if they can help you secure permit and formal invitation letter,so you can get the Z visa in your country before entering to China.

I am just very concern about this because I myself, is a non-native English speaker, but fortunately, my school offered me the same salary and benefits with that of native speakers.Additonally ,they sent copies of original contract issued from SAFEA(The State Administration for Foreign Experts Affair),official permit and invitation letter for me to present in getting the wroking "Z" visa before coming to China. So, I think ,there are many schools who can offer you more than they can offer.

Did your contact person tell you which school are you working at? Or tell you the name of the school?

So many ladies contacted me (until now)from a company in Jilin province offering teaching position, but, like you, being offered a low salary because I am not a native English speaker. I've turned down their offer......try to contact directly with the school principal not a recruiter or a company who is not so realible...sorry, I'm not telling that this company you are coordinating with is not reliable....but, I'm only giving my personal views.

Just be careful....Find out more.....Search more ,I know you can still find...Good luck!!!!

A school in Shaanxi province accepts non-native speaking teachers..TRY!! - Teachers Discussion

You can find many schools in other provinces. I've read a school in Shaanxi province, they need native English teachers, but still consider those non-native English speakers as long as you have some experiences in teaching from Kindergarten to adults. And they offer higher salary and good accommodation. I've chatted one of the teachers there and she said ,the school is quite good, much more the principal is a nice person....How about trying this school???

Hope you and your husband will land in a good school with a fair treatment..Good luck!!

Lorraine and Chang Chun - Teachers Discussion

Sorry Lorraine, I don't mean to be an alarmist. I just read another post here from someone who points out that Teresa Yang has made numerous "black lists." The fact that your contact person's name is not Teresa does not alter the reality that it's the same company; furthermore, it is common practice for these unscrupulous recruiters to change their names once their dishonesty has been discovered, and it is not uncommon for them to use various names at the same time.

That they haven't told you they are collecting a fee is inconsequential - they normally collect their fee from the school for whom they are doing the hiring. The reason they are offering such a low wage is that the money that should be yours is going in their pocket. The reason they think they can get away with paying you so little is because you are a non-native speaker.

Dig deeper into the archives here and discover the ill treatment many non native speakers have received in China as English teachers. A further concern of yours should be that since they are paying such a ridiculously low wage, they will without a doubt stick you in a dump of an apartment.

And yes, you should demand that they give you some contact information of past teachers. When they refuse to do so, that should be your final warning.
You will not be protected in any way by any contract they offer you. The contract is for their benefit, not yours.

I hope you will not be too disappointed by all this, but it looks very much like you and your husband very nearly made a grave mistake. Take heart though by the fact that by making inquiries here in the forum you may have saved yourself some serious heartaches that others could have avoided had they done the same thing.

Regarding the Changchun Job - Santiago - Teachers Discussion

Ey, Santiago! That was very alarming!

OK let me tell you everything. Our contact person is not Teresa Yang. It is a different person. We suppose to go online a little later on our MSN and we will talk about our employment. Since I read a dozen of not-so-nice news about teaching in China.

Our contact person never mentioned that we will be paying her a fee or something like that. We are actually arriving with a tourist visa and she told us that since they are working for the Government in Jilin Province, they will be the ones to work on our Z visas and that would take place in China then,we'll have the visas in a month. As what I have mentioned, we will be paying for the Z visas, our medical check up fee and our residence permit. My husband and I are now very confused. They offered us 3000RMB since we are not native speakers (although we have acquired the American accent and we have the american culture background).

About the teaching demo, our contact person said we need that in order for them to determine what age level we should be teaching (on our previous jobs, we have taught ESL to a preparatory and middle school, and in a company, for young professionals that is). The one week training demo will be unpaid.

Do you think it would be a great thing if I would ask from them a contact number of a person who used to work for their organization/ company? How could I really check their legality? We've never talked about the apartment yet. We've called our contact person last night and we weren't able to talk very long since she is having a holiday dinner with her family. So we scheduled for a chat with her today.

We are very sorry to know about your bad experience and indeed very grateful for helping me and my husband out.

I have been checking about the organization and I can't find anything about it online. We might be visiting the embassy again on Monday and will be asking about the organization. It pays to be safe.

Thanks for everything and I will give a heads up on what is going on regarding our China plans :-)

Take it easy and enjoy your Saturday.

Lorraine re Chang Chun - Teachers Discussion

No, I haven't heard of their organization. I just read one of their adverts though and there isn't anything in that particular ad that sets my mind at ease regarding their suitability as an employer. I'm always a little uneasy when I see that the employer has requested a response to a private email address. In this case it's Teresa Yang - is that your contact person? In fact I saw a few of their ads by doing a google search with "chang chun esl." Their offer seems to be about normal; albeit, I would never accept a job that didn't offer a computer for the apartment.

They are definitely hiring for a private school. Meaning they are a recruiting agency........another red flag. Their offer states between 4000 and 7000.......another red flag; that seems to be purely arbritrary on their part and I'm quite sure it won't be based on your suitability. In other words, it's a lure. Expect them to offer you 4000 or maybe slightly more. And believe me, your efforts are worth a lot more than that. Anyone who accepts such a paltry sum is being cheated and is helping to pad the corrupt pockets of someone else - yeah, they're taking the money that should be yours.

The teaching demonstration you spoke of will have little to do with your skills as a teacher. What it will determine is whether or not the students like you, and/or in this case perhaps what age level they think you should teach. It will also give them an excuse to ask you to leave if for some reason they don't like you or if you start asking too many questions regarding the legality of your situation. And how about that first week? Will they pay you for it? Will that be in writing?

You didn't mention whether or not they have provided you with the contact information of former employees. I would definitely ask for that if I were you.

Jilin Province is very, very cold in the winter. What kind of heat will be provided in your apartment? If it's gas be very careful; gas leaks are common in China. In fact, I was very nearly killed by one myself. Indeed, had I not had my cell phone next to where I collapsed I would have died. If it's electricity, who will pay for it? How close is the apartment to the school? Another important question because, believe me, you won't want to deal with the severity of the weather.

Don't be put off by these warnings, but please be aware that recruiters are considered a blight by most experienced teachers in China. They make huge amounts of money by promising you everything and delivering little. Take a look at one of my recent posts wherein I've posted information from the US Government about teaching English in China. Yes, of course your contact person is quite friendly to you on the telephone - she's a salesperson and she stands to make a chunk of money by getting you hired.

The question of whether this organization is truly licensed to hire foreign teachers is a thorny one. I think there's a way to verify it, but you'll have to do some serious surfing on the computer to find out how to get that information. Or, contact a Chinese Consulate in your area and ask them for their help.

Again Lorraine, good luck. You and your husband will no doubt decide what is best for both of you, but I can tell you in all honesty, based on the little information I have, that I would not accept the position.

Lynn; some tips - Teachers Discussion

First, welcome to China. Second, be very careful. Have you signed a contract? Have you seen a picture of your apartment inside and out? Are you working for a public school or private? Have you communicated with past employees? Who will pay for your work visa? Is the school you'll be working for actually permitted to hire foreign teachers? These are only a few of the questions you should have answers to. I sincerely hope you've done your homework because you seem like such a nice person, full of excitement and hope, and I really hope this works out for you.

Yes, you can buy winter clothes fairly cheap in China. The quality is generally pretty good, but that of course depends on where you buy it. Street vendors and little shops often have great prices but shabby wares. Check out the zippers and the threading carefully - often the coats for example are only single threaded and will tear easily. The zippers are often low quality plastic and fall apart after a few days of use. If you do shop in such places, remember that being a foreigner you will automatically be quoted a price at least four or five times what they are willing to get and sometimes even up to eight times the price a local will pay. Learn to bartor; even better, until you get the hang of things you should have a trusted local help you with most of your purchases. Well anyway, pack lightly and save yourself the burden of traveling with too much luggage. Traveling by air in China is inexpensive by comparison to domestic flights in America, but they'll really sock it to you for excess baggage. Traveling by train can be a great way to go, but jostling your luggage around so many people can be a real hassle. And then there's the added factor that thievery is rampant - especially on sleeper buses.

You should be able to manage through your first month with about 500 US Dollars - that's around 4000RMB.(Later, depending on your lifestyle, you may need less than that to live comfortably.) However, I would suggest having a lot more than that on hand if you are able to do so because you are walking into an unfamiliar situation where having the means to beat a hasty retreat can save you a lot of heartache.

If you haven't signed a contract yet, please don't do so until you've seen your apartment and the environment in which you will be teaching. I cannot stress this enough Lynn, and I speak from three years of experience teaching in China. My guess is that your new boss will have a contract ready and waiting for you to sign, practically from the moment you step off the plane. They may whisk you off to a restaurant to show you how kind and wonderful they are, after which the contract will suddenly appear. If they insist that you sign it then and there after your repeated wishes to check things out first, leave. Rent a hotel, find an internet center where you can do a job search and take it from there. There are thousands of jobs available, but unfortunately only a small percentage of them are legitimate and/or operated by honest and above board employers.

But just so I don't end on a sour note, back to the clothes thing. I love the scarves you can get in China. I've ended up with quite a collection of winter scarves. You can buy them on the street from vendors at incredibly cheap prices - often as low as 10 yuan; slightly more than a dollar. I've even gone so far as to go to yarn shops where I've picked the material and paid to have them made, and even that ends up being a great deal. I've ended up with so many scarves that I've had to take some of them home to store when I go back for vacations.

Well then, good luck. China can be a great experience if you keep your eyes open. Some of the above may seem awfully negative to you, but I'm just hopeful that you won't make some of the same mistakes so many of us have made by being overly optimistic. Oddly enough, my Chinese girlfriend, who I've been with for more than two years now, is often telling me to not be so trustful. My meaning is that if she can be so open minded about the negatives of this society than so should I. Yes, don't be too trustful, but don't let mistrust get in the way of what can be a great experience.

INQUIRY before leaving for China :-) - Teachers Discussion

Good day! everyone! I will be in Chanchung City this coming week and will teach ESL. I was wondering how much pocket money do I need to bring good for a month or so. Also, since we dont have winter period here in the country do you guys reckon that it is wiser if I will just buy my winter clothes in China instead since I was told the prices there are cheaper? What about the quality of the clothes? are they good? Is it really cold in Chanchung now? OMG! I got a lot of questions I will be very grateful if you, mates would help me

Take it easy everyone... I am very excited :-)

Re:Specific Recruiter(New Times Hebei Int'l) - Teachers Discussion

Don't go to New Times Hebei International Education Services.They are always advertising all around the net.
They are dubious.I've not had direct contact with them but i've friends that had.
Avoid them like a plague!
A word is enough for the wise.

Phillip

Specific Recruiter - Teachers Discussion

I was wondering if you knew anything about a specific placement company - www.teachinchina.cn
Or how one can find out about the legitimacy of a specific organization. Do they have something like the US Better Business Bureau? Thanks.

Test some waters... - Teachers Discussion *Link*

Hi Rebekah (and Adam)!

I think you can find a number of places that may get you close enough; optimising things might take a bit of exploring and experience.

Much of the natural beauty of China was eaten long ago. This is a place of extremely high population pressures, and most land that can be developed/exploited already has been. Most areas of high natural beauty that still remain in China are well away from any cities. It can be hard to find jobs in such places; harder still to find one that pays much at all. A few cities score fairly well on this criterion: Hangzhou (West Lake), Suzhou (famous gardens, canals, local architecture), Qingdao (seacoast, hills, cool European architecture), Lijiang and other secondary cities in Yunnan (mountain scenery, ethnic peoples) and Guilin/Yangshuo (amazing local scenery) come to mind in the "nice to look at" category.

Getting away from hard cold is easy (although be advised that even very deep southern China can have some sharp cold snaps in winter), but getting away from pollution is virtually impossible in China. Pretty much every city here has a large industrial base. There are lots and lots of cars. High-sulfur soft coal is burned in large amounts. The use of nasty agricultural chemicals is widespread in rural areas, and there are lots of rural factories, too. There is very little meaningful environmental regulation or enforcement. If you're going to come to China, you're simply going to have to accept a certain amount of this. However, you might find places that present a pollution level you'll feel you can live with for a while. Cities on the coasts and in the mountains tend to fare better than others, and some cities such as Suzhou, while highly industrialized, don't permit the building of the dirtier sorts of factories.

Most cities of any size will have at least some foreigners, foreign comforts, and nightlife. This is of course most true in the largest cities, and the cities in the greater Shanghai area (Suzhou, Nanjing, Wuxi, Ningbo, Hangzhou, and Shanghai itself) tend to have the highest levels of this.

Finding a good school is by far the hardest challenge you will face. It's my opinion that nearly ALL schools here are dodgy in one way or another; like the pollution it's a matter of finding a level you can live with. You learn a bit with experience (sometimes the hard way, I'm afraid) but take it from me- finding a reasonably honest place to work is something that worries even long-term China veterans. What can you do? Research. Read the online reviews with an open mind. Plug into the China-based online communities (my own forum site is one such but there are others). Read contracts carefully and ask hard questions; get any negotiated contract changes appended to the contract in writing. And pray.
Oh, and one more thing: never, ever use a recruiting agent to find a teaching job in China. They tend to be even dodgier than the schools, and right now you don't really understand what a scary statement that truly is. If you can't deal directly with the school or other employer, terminate communications and walk away.

I like Xi'an...nice little city, some foreign presence, some local scene, a great wealth of history. However, it does fail on some of your criteria: It's cold up there- you're far enough north, and far enough inland, to still get a hard winter. It's also a bit dirty- some industry, lots of soft coal burned, and the surrounding area is heavy coal-mining and industrial country. There is scenic beauty in the region you can travel to, but Xian itself is not a strong contender in the looks department. A good friend of mine, who's also an admin at my site, has lived in Xian a long time and LOVES it there. However, bear in mind that this lady is a real China Warrior...she camps in Tibetan villages, goes horseback and camel riding in Qinghai and Inner Mongolia, gets into drinking contests with ethnic Tu Jia village women...that kind of stuff. Hardly the typical case!

I've taught in Suzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, Changchun, and Dalian. I've found things to both love and to hate about all of them. IMHO Suzhou is the center of the universe, but really all of this region around Shanghai can be nice. I also liked Dalian a lot, but it does get cold there despite the presence of the ocean. Beijing and Shanghai both offer delights, but can be big, expensive, and complicated to live in. Of the two I greatly prefer Shanghai. Changchun has great people and other comforts, but it is bitterly cold and dirty.

Based on my own experiences and visits, the experiences of people I know, and my own research, I especially recommend the following cities in no particular order. (These are the ones I like; there are other nice places too!)

Suzhou Jiangsu
Shanghai
Hangzhou Zhejiang
Wuxi Jiangsu
Nanjing Jiangsu
Qingdao Shandong
Dalian Liaoning
Xiamen Fujian
Kunming Yunnan
Guilin/Yangshuo Guangxi
Zhuhai Guangdong

Some cities I recommend avoiding include:

Taiyuan Shanxi (dirty, polluted, cold, backward, horrible)
Changsha Hunan (xenophobic, boring, provincial, dirty)
Chongqing (enormous urban pressures, dirty, horrid weather)
Nanchang Jiangxi (boring, provincial, dirty, backward, polluted)
Guiyang Guizhou (boring, provincial, backward, dirty, polluted)
Shijiazhuang Hebei (xenophobic, boring, provincial, dirty, polluted, backward)
Lanzhou Gansu (boring, provincial, dirty, polluted, cold)
ANY city in Anhui or Jiangxi Provinces (extremely xenophobic, backward, dirty, boring, provincial)

I'm sure all these places have their fans ready to argue with me. ;-{)

Good luck,
Raoul

Best of all worlds - Teachers Discussion

Hi Raoul,

Well, we want to be in an area of natural beauty and away from cold and polluted areas (i.e Northeast) We don't want huge cities, but we don't want to rough it. We want some western normalicies and some city life. We'd also like some other foreigners and to make sure we don't get a dodgy school! We were thinking about Xi'an province in Northwest China, do you know anything about the area?? Where have you taught? What have your impressions been?

Thanks!
Rebekah

China: Where to teach??? - Teachers Discussion

Hi there guys and gals!

My partner and I are looking to teach in China for the first time and have no idea which areas (towns, cities, provinces) are well renown for good environments and teaching situations. Any first hand experiences or advice on which areas to focus on or stay away from?

Any advice would be much appreciated!!

Beka and Adam xxx