Turino
- 2009-12-16
Hi Trevor,I'm sorry to hear that you've had the unfortunate experience of having dealt with a greedy recruiter,be he Chinese or otherwise.Even so,we shouldn't tar all recruiters with the same brush.
As for your impication that they are superfluous,I'd have to disagree with you.They DO have their uses.Just suppose an FT died on the job in China.Given the red tape and beaurocracy that entails getting a replacement from the West,I say from there,as most foreigners in China are already in employment here,an agency can provide a replacement much faster than a local employer can find one,generally speaking.
So,agencies have their place.The problem is that many are
dishonest,profiting at the expense of foreigners.My advice re foreigners going through agencies for teaching posts in China is to avoid the big boys.You can get a much better service from small agencies that are less inclined to cheat foreigners.another point worth noting is that small agents tend to be aware of the workplace situation at particular schools and colleges.So,they'll do their best to avoid placing a square peg in a round hole whenever they place their foreign clients - a good thing in the long run for returning clients and their profits!I almost always use an agent.He negotiates on my behalf with the employer re my salary etc.I don't want to lower myself to the level of bargaining in my pursuit for a teaching job.Where I'm from,that's NOT the culture,and I cannot change in this respect!So,I let the agent do the dirty work on my behalf in that respect!by the way, make that aschbool incorporate an arbitration clause in your contract.if the director refuses to do so,run a mile and look elsewhere for a job - plenty out there for experienced EFL teacheras like you.
Trevor
- 2009-12-15
Hello The Owl,
Regarding the agency Owl, i would rather keep that to myself for now due to the ongoing investigation into this agency. It will come out in due course. They know who they are and believe me they duly get what they deserve in the end.
The previous school though were absolutely great though. It was just a shame that they were controlled by this dodgy gangster agency to start with. This is the problem with teaching these days in China that there are to many agencies getting on the bandwagon for a get rich quick scheme. Personally myself i think it should be just the schools who hire foreign teachers and not agencies.
Lets just hope the Chinese authorities take more control of this, because if they don't they will find that more professional teachers will in fact teach in better places in the world and China will be left behind with uneducated teachers with little knowledge.
CSUWS
- 2009-12-15
I feel that nobody should have an open mind in regard to crap schools like Omeida Language "College". I also get really annoyed when crap training centres in China call themselves colleges or institutes.
And Josh, I think that you are foolish to go to work for any school that has been getting a large amount of negative publicity on this site and others. You seem to be overlooking a major problem with English teaching in China: When people such as yourself knowingly work at schools that are crap you are contributing to poor educational standards in China. As many training school owners are involved in criminal activities, if you work for them and turn a blind eye to the corrupt and immoral practices occuring at such places, then you are also contributing to criminal activity and corruption in China ( guilty by association )
Any crap school in China should be and must be blacklisted, if nobody would work for these "schools" they would go bankrupt, and how great that would be. I would be very
happy to see training centre owners and the criminal DOS that they employ end up going bankrupt and living on the streets, or better still, be put in prison, it is what they deserve and where they belong.
Josh Brannigan
- 2009-12-15
As for Omeida, it's good that you continue to have an open mind. What's one man's meat can be another man's poison. I've taught at schools and colleges that have had bad reports on the net. I discovered subsequently that some of them were actually okay to work for despite the trashing they had been subjected to online. Nonetheless, I was glad to have been forewarned of possible problems there via the net. On one occasion I had worked for a college that had neither good nor bad reports on the net. I had found my job there to be unenjoyable during the two years I taught there. I had pointed out the bad aspects of teaching there to a foreign teacher I had happened to meet while travelling in China. Howevever, I did stress that I would not blacklist said college despite the problems I had had there. When that foreigner quizzed me about what I had said, I replied that one man's meat is another man's poison. It's quite feasible that those who taught there after I had left, enjoyed their time there. I can see from your last post that you are not naive. However, it seems to me that the poster who reckoned you might well be, is probably the naive one. Omeida having gotten bad reports on the net has probably made it easier for you and your wife to snag jobs there. Every cloud has a silver lining, as the saying goes. The important thing for both of you now is to ensure that your contracts are fair and unambiguous. Good luck there, but remember to insist on the strict application of the terms and conditions of your contract. I think that college is not in a position to replace teachers who leave without considerable difficulty, due to all the bad publicity about it online. That's good for you and your wife, as it gives both of you more clout as well as a great opprtunity to iron out any shortcomings in your new contracts before you start teching there. Be sure to let us know about you and your wife's experiences working there. Finally, I feel that I must say that I wouldn't teach there, as I've no interest in dealing with unruly students from rich families. that's a no-no for me. But sb has to do it. Some teachers actually thrive on the challenge, but here in China you can sidestep those kinda jobs, as there are so many vacancies available that don't require teachers who are disciplinarians.
The Owl
- 2009-12-15
Would you like to share the name of the agency with us?
Trevor
- 2009-12-15
Hello Guys,
Firstly i thank you for your comments... However just to let you know im not a naive person, i have been around a bit. I have previously taught in China in Shandong and enjoyed teaching in the government run senior high school there. The only problem i had was with the lies the agency told me regarding that job. This is why i am more cautious now. I wont go into it because it wasn't actually the schools fault but merely the agency i was working for.
I have found that working in China is a test of patience and understandings of how the Chinese people run organizations. It can be a little stressful but in all i do like China and have met some good people there before.
After my last teaching job in China i was offered a position in Afghanistan for which i have just finished and returned back to be with my wife who is also a teacher. I came back for the simple reason that my wife is pregnant and we are expecting our first baby. So now this is the reason i have decided to again apply for another position in China. We all know there are uneducated teachers teaching in China which is a real shame which makes a mockery out of the system when you have educated guys and girls like yourselves who are genuine intelligent people.
I myself have a degree from my university in Australia in Education. I never really used this degree fully to my advantage as i completely changed my career path and became a Culinary Cuisine Chef with a Michelin Star to my credentials. I have only been teaching for a few years now as i wanted a break away from being a Chef and decided that maybe its about time i used my degree that i spent 4 years at University for.
My first teaching job was in the United Kingdom which i enjoyed. I then went to India and volunteered my services while on holiday there. I then flew to Thailand and did my Tefl Certification. After Thailand i was offered my first China teaching job. As i said i enjoyed teaching at this school but the agency was a little on the Gangster side.
I really appreciate the the feedback from other professionals on this website as it is very encouraging reading peoples views. Myself i will always take views in but at the same time keep a open mind. Cheers Guys.
Best Wishes
Trevor
CSUWS
- 2009-12-14
Turnoi, I think that Trevor is a bit naive. Odar is just like many crap school owners/managers and recruiters I have previously come across. Yes, they will always be "nice" to you when they send you e-mails or you talk to them on the phone.
As all of the experienced posters on here know, crap schools and recruiters are always desperate for new teachers, they will say anything to get you to work at their "school", usually they want teachers ASAP.
When the teacher arrives at the school, he/she will quickly discover the true colours of the people who own and manage the school. You rapidly find out how nasty those previously "nice" people are. Most people at Chinese schools are not nice ( especially training centres )
Trevor should listen carefully to people like yourself and Ex-TC, before he walks into the minefield that is EFL in China.