G'day there.

Just wanted to let you and other teachers know of our good experiences with Bluniverse.
We are a mature Aussie couple who came to China about 4 months ago. We have been working for Bluniverse Go-Tone Foreign Language School in the head office in Hefei for the last three months.

We have found the owners/managers and staff here to be more than just helpful with everything we have asked for and needed. We came here not knowing what to expect and were somewhat sceptical about anything done the Chinese way. We have had some minor hiccups but the team have gone out of their way to ensure that these are remedied in the shortest possible time. Sure, some prompting may be needed but we want for nothing at this time.

On the whole, the crew are most friendly and we have made many new friends here. The owners were completely honest with us up front and admitted there were some management issues a while ago as they underwent an expansion program. We do see what we would consider in the west to be 'some planning/communications issues' but nothing that is worth getting your knickers in a knot over. All you need is a mature, sensible and common sense approach - no different from my experience of 28 years working in Oz.

I believe in the "you can't please all the people all the time" motto, but am confident in saying that if you make the effort, so will they. My experience so far is that these people will love and respect teachers who are willing to reciprocate. We know a number of teachers who have done much worse than us!

If you are considering a move to Hefei, or a job with Bluniverse, I would be happy to address any questions you may have about either. Please contact me via this site.

Enjoy the experience,

Cheers

Phil (& Lesley) Edwards
Hefei,Anhui, China
(formerly of Gympie, QLD)

Hey, this is China! The contract is for 20 teaching hours a week. The other times are for "as needed" situations. Level assessments and that sort of thing.
Just because you're in the office doesn't mean you have to be WORKING. Use your head for more than a hat-rack for heaven's sake.

I too teach Chinese teachers and my experience is that YOU could benefit from some of their knowledge. Yes, they know a lot of English (that is the nature of the job) but sometimes they need help in saying some things BETTER. And to AVOID saying some things that certain people regard as 'funny'.

The contract says you go where needed - read the thing first. Why anyone wants to be under the boss's nose all day is beyond be. Maybe there's another part of the anaomy you prefer to up, in or under.

If you can't use the office computer to play games, bring your own. And almost EVERY Chinese employee EVERYWHERE uses the company computer to play games. (Refer to the opening line)

Responding to some of the other negative comments about this school, I must honestly say that I emphatically DISAGREE with them. I've been here almost 8 months and have never been lied to, cheated or treated unfairly.

The nature of this job is esl as a second language. The 'e' ('E') stands for ENGLISH. Learn how to speak and write it before you try to teach it. It will go a long way to making my job easier.

Have a nice day.

Hey buddy, maybe yes our friend isn't quite as refined as he could be and should definately have a bit more patience. You though, my friend need to get off that high horse and realize that there are frustrations in this world and sometimes, have a bit of tact when you see someone frustrated. I am in a frustrating school now, a little crazy and off task most of the time but we all have to roll with the punches as we are all in someone elses home.

CODENAME maverick? are you sure your a new teacher? cause if your new why you know all the complaints?
well i heard about bluniverse according to your statement maverick your sounds like your not a new teacher i think your an old teacher! well that is true im an old foreign teacher of bluniverse thats the reason i left

Sorry, which planet did you say you were from ?

I'm a new esl teacher at bluniverse well on my experience i really feel that im in hell. in my contract i need to work 20 hours a week!the problem is why that im going to stay at the office for 8 hours a day? im not chinese ok? and according to the rules foreign teachers must teach the chinese teacher i think thats not good because they are all damn good they correct the foreign teacher of their pronunciation because of the accent!why should they? right? and that ambasador thing well in my experience its not good its stupid!beware of the chinese teachers they have this insecurities they are going to destroy you.. in my brach school right now i have many complaints really!!! and they dont follow the contract just like the egyptian teacher that they fired out without warning and any reason.. and in every branch school there is only 1 pc that your going to share with the chinese teachers and you cant easily use it because they are busy using qq and playing games. weel im planning to leave also.. i wish i can talk to other ex bluniverse teacher so that i can ask questions

Avoid Bluniverse like the plague. Until recently, I was in regular contact with Bluniverse to organize my employment.
Among many things, I was guaranteed a 5 day working week and was told I would not be required to be within the school outside class times.
The shock came when I landed in Hefei. They had the nerve to tell me AFTER I flew in from the other side of world that I would now have to work 6 days a week, and stay in the office 8 hours a day!!!!.
Now, I have few years of experience in the ESL game, and know what questions to ask and how to ask them. I know this wasn't just a case of miscommunication. They LIED to get me there, and I assume, they expected me to stay as I spent a good deal of time and money to get there!
Fortunately, I have worked in China before and know that ESL teachers are in demand here. Needless to say, I left on the first available train out of Hefei.
Stay well clear of this school. Bluniverse is bad news!!!!!!!

If you are in anyway involved with Bluniverse I strongly advise you to take care. The school is run by liars and WILL try and take you for a ride. They will offer you many things in your contract, but, at the end of the day you will have to fight for anything you are lucky enough to get out of them.

They will try and gouge you for everything they can get out of you. There are quite a few teachers of late leaving the school due to broken contracts and so on, and unfortunately it appears to only be getting worse.

They have no hesitation in breaking a contract or trying to coerce you into doing something you shouldn't have to do - and they will look you in the eyes and tell you that they will not adhere to the contract as it is a "special circumstance".

Remember that you will be living in China, where your options to pursue what you are entitled to are somewhat limited (or non-existent). So if you are involved in any way with this school, or are thinking about working for these people - be very carefull!!!!!!

Dear Carolyn, I have lived in Hefei for over 2 years. I have worked part time for Blue Universe for several months. Yellow is a good man to work for. He knows how Westerners think. He was approved last summer to hire foreign teachers. They use Cambridge textbooks. If you were dealing with John Wallace, he went home the first week in July. Send me an email if you have any more questions. Best of luck. David

Hi,

You could start your research at http://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-bin/articles/index.pl?read=1167

Good luck