Riverina
- 2010-11-20
You are not obligated. They have not had to pay for anything for you yet. You have the right to change your mind before you begin working without any problems. It is done all the time.
I take a diametrically opposite view to what you have said above. That is because once I have signed on the dotted line, I feel it is encumbent on me to follow the terms and conditions of my contract as best I can. And I expect my employer to do likewise as soon as he has countersigned. It all boils down to one's moral philosophy, and I'm sure the poster who originated this thread will act according to his. Whatever others do in this regard won't sway what I would do. Of course, it could well be the case that someone who has signed and then reneged on his contract by not turning up at the school on time could be blacklisted for teaching anywhere in that country as a result. That will depend on the seriousness of the potential employer's view of the letdown he has unexpectedly experienced.
I know that if he changed his mind after offering me a position for which I had a scanned contract signed by both him and me, I'd definitely be demanding financial compensation for unfair dismissal!
Sanguine
- 2010-11-20
Too late, mate! You've no right to change your mind now. You should teach there, and put your
mistake in signing down to lack of both experience and information. If you choose to go
the dishonest way by not teaching there, you're giving the Chinese a bad impression of
Western culture. Despicable, in my opinion!
Well then it's a good thing you posted as anonymous, whoever you might be, since this gives your post far less credibility, and leads us to the belief that you work for a Chinese school, and are either a foreign sell out, or a Chinese person. Regardless, your advice is bad, and just plain wrong. The contract in question is not legal, and is demanding unethical, as well as illegal things, such as withholding the persons pay. Taking this into account, and the fact that no work permit or visa has been issued as of yet, the contract is not legal as of yet. Given that it was not legal in the first place, it would not be binding, ever. These seem to be things you missed "anonymous" in your self righteous rant about how this person is giving foreigners a bad name. Funny that you say this when referring to Chinese schools, businesses that have some of the worst business practices on earth. I would say that their trying to get this person to let them essentially take part of his salary for rather spurious reasons gives Chinese a bad name, certainly Chinese schools.
Let's not attack someone who is trying to be victimized here, or others for giving what is good, solid advice. Don't ever agree to let someone withhold your salary, especially in China. There is no good reason for such, and any school that would ask this is of low quality and can't keep teachers because of this. That they need to do something like this proves that. I think such a school should be worried more about what we westerners think of them, as without us they have no business to speak of.
Hunt M. Allen
- 2010-11-20
Ignore anyone who says you should go and teach anyway. You are not obligated. They have not had to pay for anything for you yet. You have the right to change your mind before you begin working without any problems. It is done all the time. In my last school, several teachers changed their minds before coming to Korea. No problem. Yes the school wants you to come, but you are not obligated until you begin working. They you have a contract to fulfill. Do not let anyone talk you into doing something you do not want to do. Changing one's mind is ok. We all do that at one time or another. My advice is not to get into something for a year or more that you are not committed to doing. That would be far worse. It is not too late. Tell the person, Riverina, that it is not despicable to change your mind. Let that person take your place if he/she wants to. Believe me, as an experienced teacher in several Asian countries, any reputable school would prefer not to have a teacher who is not fully committed to teaching at their school. One who is not committed will not do a good job. Make sure you are going because you want to, not out of guilt.
Dragonized
- 2010-11-20
Alright now, you can get back into your cage. C'mon, in you go!
Riverina
- 2010-11-19
Too late, mate! You've no right to change your mind now. You should teach there, and put your mistake in signing down to lack of both experience and information. If you choose to go the dishonest way by not teaching there, you're giving the Chinese a bad impression of Western culture. Despicable, in my opinion!
Hi
I've just signed a contract with a school, but there's some stuff in there which I've realized is pretty bad. Such as lower paid probationary periods, and such.
I've signed the contract and sent them a scan, but then I came across all of this information which made me change my mind.
What can I do?