TEACHERS DISCUSSION FORUM
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#1 Parent Turino - 2009-11-13
Re: Higher education equals money

For me, the worst is that I have worked for them for more than 4 years and that I have put my effort into learning their academic product.

I'm sure you have grasped the ins and outs of teaching GAC efficiently to Chinese students.There's no substitute for experience when it comes to teaching courses such as GAC.

Now, that I know it well enough to facilitate many of their subjects, I am forced to leave as I had little choice in the middle of my contract but submit my resignation letter at GAC Chongqing. Applying to some other GAC centers, I have discovered that they do not want me.

That seems to indicate that the GAC providers here in China do not consider the employment of the best and most experienced teaching staff for their students as one of their main priorities.I suspect that doing so is overridden by their overwhelming desire to dupe and milk the rich.
Another example of their lack of professionalism worth mentioning is that they will knowingly break the Chinese visa regulations by employing louwai without work visas.In the case of one GAC centre,it has come to my notice that both FT's initially employed there had tourist visas while teaching for about a month,and after one of them left,his replacement,who would also be working illegally there for a few weeks on a tourist visa would be no less a person than a Stanford graduate and former senior director of an American multinational.How low will people stoop to make money here?The old adage 'when in Rome do as the Romans do' might very well apply!But the new Rome is China,a country where there is more often than not no rule of law.

GAC Centres here are all probably dodgy outfits after a quick buck,best to be avoided by rich Chinese students and prospective FT's alike.

#2 Parent Monitor - 2009-11-13
Re: Higher education equals money

Sorry to hear of your troubles re GAC Chongqing, English Gibson. That said, a ropey outfit like that is undeserving of the services in the classroom of a dedicated and talented professional teacher in the field of EFL like you.
Before leaving them for good, please make sure you obtain your release letter from them so that you will be able to find a new position here in China in a timely fashion and without hindrance.
I'm sure I won't be the only one on this board wishing you all the best employment-wise in the future.
Chhers and Beers, Monitor.

#3 Parent englishgibson - 2009-11-13
Re: Higher education equals money

On topic of "higher education equals money", I have to say that it only does, if it is a real quality HIGHER EDUCATION. If the quality goes down the drain, so will the money (one day). Just imagine the leaders, managers, CEOs and who knows who else that make calls/decisions based on their knowledge, experience and education. If these people have gone through classrooms full of clueless students with brain racking professors thinking of how to approach their classes and/or who to really issue the fine BAs or MBAs graduation certs, they will likely make some dreadful mistakes that'll come costly to many of us...one day (has it not happened yet?)

Regarding the GAC, it has really become an attraction to Chinese high school dropouts and/or spoiled kids of their rich parents that do not have a, to them reasonable, choice on their homeland mainland. From my experience, it also has become a "family immigration program" as some of my previous students suggested. The Global Assessment Certificate academic program is supposed to be a uni preparation really, but in fact it has become meaningless as the American ACT company that now owns it has corrupted the program with its ACT preparation courses for the ACT college entry exams in the US. Moreover, this American company has offered the ACT exams on mainland which claims the exams are unlawful. Either the local governments are closing their eyes (accepting bribes) when exams are administered at individual GAC centers on mainland, or there is something much bigger that we do not know. In the GAC center where I currently am finishing my last sad month, "better GAC students" are allowed to take the ACT exam on premises of the center, but the "worse GAC students" are sent to Hong Kong where the ACT exams are also offered. According to my manager, the Hong Kong ACTs are owned by "another company" which to me is a fallacy as there's only one ACT company. GAC is supposed to be owned by the ACT Education Solution Limited which is based in Australia, although this company has not got the ACT college entry exams to US unis. It's Australian. :)

To sum up this farce leadership of some in this business, there are great fallacies offered to many, if it's customers or employees. This all might be for the MONEY as centers, ACT or the western unis profit out of. However, this all might as well be serving as a LAUNDRY MACHINE to some and/or as A WAR in between the ACT and SAT in the great United States of America. Needless to say that this American company wants foreign students to the US unis rather than other countries unis. Yes, there're centers that do not just focus on the US. Those surely do not fall into the last mentioned category, although how long can they resist the fine pitches of Tod Andrews, the fine American, that manages and signs licenses to individual centers, and that comes around once in a while. He surely cares little about the GAC, as my recent correspondance with him has suggested.

For me, the worst is that I have worked for them for more than 4 years and that I have put my effort into learning their academic product. Now, that I know it well enough to facilitate many of their subjects, I am forced to leave as I had little choice in the middle of my contract but submit my resignation letter at GAC Chongqing. Applying to some other GAC centers, I have discovered that they do not want me. Sure it's just a suspicion that the center's managers pass on or blacklist the few facilitators that they have around, but it's something to consider as about four GAC centers that have just advertised declined my application. Would you actually believe that these GAC centers on mainland have more qualified and experienced individuals???

Cheers and beers to the fine ACT company that owns this exporting jungle of GAC centers on mainland

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