http://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-bin/esl/index.pl?read=53222

UPDATE: Thank you so much for all of the great advice! We obviously decided not to accept this position and we're taking our time and searching for other options.

Just to set the record straight, we don't feel that we were acting desperate by considering this position. We've been looking for over a month and we've had a challenging time finding a quality school that'll accept all four of us because there's one person in our group without a degree or TEFL. We'll just have to look harder! This is our fourth **** job that we'll be turning down.

Thanks again!!

Thank you so much!!! We appreciate the help and the effort you all took to write responses. That being said, I have a few quick responses for those of you that had questions/comments:

*contract temlate is at the bottom of this reply* I left the school name out because I am not sure what is "ok" via forum rules.

Experience with kindergarten: Not teaching, but "in a daycare setting"... some of us (not me personally).

Regarding the other teacher: He is still there (in China). We are aware he may be being pressured, but that is the only contact we have right now beside one other person who has been unresponsive (yes we are aware this could be a bad sign). Important FYI: he is completing his contract and he has taught at this school 2 different times, and all the foreign staff has been there a minimum of 2 years.

Yes, we are aware that 20 hours is actual time (not 20 classes like here in Thailand-SUCKS!), this makes for A LOT of lesson planning...we have been sent a copy of the schedule and the contract (I will post it). It turns out we will be teaching both kindergarten and primary so the class lengths vary, thus 30-50 minutes.

Overtime: We have an e-mail from the "owner of the school" who we have been talking with. He said overtime is paid at our "normal hourly rate", but there will be no overtime...unless one of us must cover for another if they are sick! -But as you mentioned, this could be untrue, but we have it in black and white.

Regarding Visas: because we are coming from Thailand, we must get a tourist visa (L) and then have it changed to a work (z) once we are there. They toldus this is the only way because were coming from Thailand.
Why is Foshan so bad? We want to be in the South (due to weather) in a BIG city with access to everything (Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guanzhou are appealing to us). Please explain.

Public vs. Private: Well we do have an issue here, there are four of us traveling together and one in the group does not have a college degree (we allhave TEFL however). This being said, we are having serious problems finding somewhere that needs four teachers and will accept one without a degree.

Any ideas? We would LOVE to work in a public school that offers more time off and Summer/winter break! Please help if you can. =0)
Thanks again!

Contract:

I.Employment
_____School (hereafter the School) wishes to engage the services of ______________ (hereafter Party B) as an English teacher. The two parties, in a spirit of good faith, agree to sign this contract and pledge to fulfill and honor all of the conditions and terms herein.

II.Term of Service
The period of service will be from __________, 2009 to _________, 2010.

III.Duties, Responsibilities, and Expectations
Party Bs responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the duties outlined below:
(1)Party B shall be subject to the directions of the Board of Directors, Manager, Principal of the School, and shall accept the Schools arrangement, direction, supervision, and evaluation with regard to his/her work.
(2)In general, Party B is required to perform his/her services per the schedule that was previously agreed upon (TBD). Any classes beyond the agreed upon schedule will be deemed overtime and Party B shall receive additional remuneration. In addition, Party B is required to attend staff meetings, certain school events, and all meetings/conferences involving the parents of the students. Some of the meetings may be scheduled for evening and/or outside of normal working hours.
(3)Party B understands that the teaching position s/he accepted is a full time employment position. It requires the undivided commitment and attention of Party B. During the period of employment, Party B is prohibited from accepting any outside work, paid or unpaid, without the written consent of the Board of Directors, Manager, and Principal of the School.
(4)Party B shall be willing to fulfill the assignments from the head of the Schools English Department.
(5)Party B is expected to independently organize his/her own lessons and locate all appropriate textbooks. S/he must also be willing to teach and train local English teachers to improve their English ability.
(6)Strict attendance will be kept. Any absences must be approved by the School prior to the date(s) of absence. The School reserves the right to deduct salary for any unapproved absences.
(7)Party B is required to observe all proper protocols that are expected of a teacher. Party B shall observe the proper dress codes (i.e. no shorts, hats, T-shirts, sandals, etc.) while on School property during hours of operation. Party B is also prohibited from smoking inside classrooms, offices, or any enclosed rooms, and also in the plain view of the children, parents, and other visitors. Party B shall maintain an orderly classroom (i.e. no eating, drinking). Party B shall follow the laws and customs of the host country (China). Any act of gross violation or negligence of the aforementioned matters shall result in immediate dismissal from the School without remuneration or recourse to claims against the School. In addition, any act that is detrimental to the image and reputation of the School and/or the faculty will also make this contract null and void.

IV.Compensation
Party Bs monthly salary will be _______ RMB, payable on the 10th day of the following month during which services were performed. The salary will be wired directly into Party Bs bank account on the 10th, unless the 10th falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday, in which case the salary will be wired on the first available bank business day. The School is not responsible for any delays caused by the bank during the wiring process. Party B will be compensated only for days worked (i.e. no pay for absences). Requests for advancement of salary are generally not allowed and will be granted only in extraordinary circumstances. If Party B should work for less than a month, salary will be paid on a prorated basis.

V.Other Benefits
(1)A room with private bathroom will be provided by the School, along with the necessary furniture, a TV set, a refrigerator, a washing machine (shared with other teachers), an air conditioner, and hot water. Utilities are covered except for electricity, which has a maximum allowance of 300 units/month (equates to approximately 14 hours of usage/day).
(2)General medical care will be administered by the School doctor. Maximum coverage for medication is 20 RMB/month. Party B will also be covered under the following insurance policies paid for by the School:

100,000 RMB/year Accident Insurance
20,000 RMB/year Hospitalization Insurance

(3)3 meals per day at the School Cafeteria will be provided free of charge. However, during the public holidays, the School Cafeteria will be closed and unable to offer meals. Party B shall be responsible for his/her meals during this time no reimbursements will be provided by the School.
(4)A telephone will be available for Party B to use in his/her room. Party B will need to purchase telephone cards to use the phone.
(5)Internet service is available at the Schools office/computer lab. Party B may not use the internet for private purposes during the working hours.
(6)In addition to weekends and National Holidays, Party B may enjoy up to 2 weeks during Chinese New Years in accordance to the Schools schedule.

VI.Renewal of Contract
This contract becomes effective on the date signed by both parties and will automatically expire when the contract ends on __________, 2010. If Party B requests a renewal of the contract, s/he shall forward his/her request to the School three months prior to the expiration of the contract. Renewal of the contract will be considered by the School based on the performance of Party B. Vice versa, if the school requests a renewal of the contract, it shall forward its request to Party B three months prior to the expiration of the contract.

VII.Termination of Contract
The School has the right to cancel the contract under the following conditions:

Party B does not fulfill the contract obligations according to the terms stipulated, and has failed to amend his/her actions even after the School has informed him/her.

According to the doctors diagnosis, Party B cannot resume normal work after a continued 30-day sick leave.

If Party B shall terminate the contract before it expires or is dismissed due to gross violation of the terms set forth in Paragraph III, Party B shall compensate the School for the roundtrip airfare and all the fees the School incurred to secure the visa and work permit, including the costs of physical examination. In addition, if Party B terminates this contract without giving the School a one-month written notice, then one months salary will be paid by Party B to the School.

Brandon have you seen you actual contract, or at least template contract?

On ths surface, this all looks reasonable (for China). However, these are things to consider... Do you ahve experience teaching kindergarten-age children? Because I had been a university instructor prior to China, I did not wish to teach children (in China, or the U.S.). Chinese students and parents expect foreign teachers to always be entertaining, offering game activties, etc. I would imagine this position will require high energy, because in the beginning, the children will mostly just stare at you as if you are a zoo animal.

Is "last year's teacher" still at the school? If so, that person might have been pressured into giving the job/school high praise (I know from experience). In fact, if they were resigning prior to the end of the contract, it is often considered THEIR duty to find a replacement teacher. Do you feel fairly certain that last year's teacher spoke to you from their home country, or at least some sort of neutral place?

It is standard for school to offer return flight home, but as you will read on this and most other ESL forums, many school don't provide the ticket at the end. It's a consistent complaint about many employers in China. Once your duties are fullfilled, many employers view the person as no longer useful/profiitable to them, and as a result they do not come forth with end-of-contract pledges.

It also says: "Provided at no cost: hot water, aircon, utilities, etc." but many schools will put a low limit on the amount of utility allowance they will provide. Oftentimes the foreign teacher must pay whatever exceeds the monthly limit -- which will be the larger percentage (I think). Also, they are not likely to ever show the bills to you, so verification of such deductions from your salary will be difficult/impossible to verify/justify.

"3 meals/day at cafeteria," is also a shot in the dark. I worked at many schools, and I am in no way a "picky eater," however the range of quality is wild. Many students, staff, etc., think the school food is close to intolerable, and so you might get stuck at a school where the quality of the cafeteria food is quite challenging to say the least.

If you are new to China, there will be many foods you wil not recognize and/or not prepared or equipped to eat. For example, one of the first things I was given for lunch at school was "belt fish" a very long fish that is cut into 1-2 inch pieces and fried. It is FULL of bones, and if you eat it incorrectly, it's like eating a razor blade. Once I learned how to eat it, I came to love it, but no one will likely warn you what difficulties you might encounter with food.

Most schools will say things like "no paid sick days" because they don't want to encourage foreign teachers to ever be sick. They are making lots of money off of you, and if you are out (and it is likely you will be sick during the first week or so) they might have to cancel class -- resulting in angry and complaining parents, crying children, etc. There's lots of pressure not to be sick - or if you are, to get well ASAP.

Finally, as for "20 actual teaching hours" but "on campus 8 hours a day" means that they will likely ask you to do all sorts of other things when not in the classroom. The possibilities are endless; perhaps doing promotion for the school, writing/developing teaching materials/lessons/games that they will consider THEIR property for future use (perhaps sales). Doing activities, such as accompanying students and Chinese staff on verious adventures.

I don't mean to sound so pessimistic, but I lived and worked in China for 5 years and it never ceased to amaze what could happen or what things were expected of me. I worked for public and private schools (as I siad always teaching students ranging in age from 18-55), but no matter how many questions I asked, there were always unexpected traps and frustrations.

I hope other experienced FTs will offer you some advice and comments regarding the terms of the position. Perhaps some will agree, others will disagree with me.

Good luck and keep asking questions!!! Don't settle for typical responses like" Don't worry about that," or "No problem."