Shortly after I made the above post I decided to try sending an email to the British Embassy, and copying in the relevant people at New Dynamic Institute.

The very next day the money was transferred to my bank account in the UK!!

I'm not suggesting the British Embassy did anything to help me - their reply stated they don't get involved in commercial disputes, and they gave me a link to a list of English-speaking lawyers in China - but just the fact of sending the email, and making NDI aware that it'd been sent, seems to have persuaded the school to pay up.

I understand non-payment at the end of a contract is quite a common problem with language schools in China. So if anyone else has the same problem perhaps they could try the method I used.

BTW The branch involved is in Shijiazhuang in Hebei province, and the member of the HR staff who dealt with the matter is called Mandy Wang.

In the past several months this school has been closing down offices. I work in one of these schools and the head office is offering one month severance pay for termination of the contract (as redundancy pay).

There were rumors the school may close 'soon' but no specified date. There was a delegation from Shanghai that was meant to come, but they delayed for two weeks (tomorrow next Friday etc etc) and when they arrived they announced the school would close the next day. I had to counsel a student who arrived yesterday to have a class but wasn't told. That's how sudden this was meant to be done. The redundancy pay was pitiful (1/4th the size it should legally be), and they still haven't paid it. Making excuses about how it isn't the correct bank account (even though they have been paying into it for over the past 12 months). They are also withholding salary for work already done.

The local staff may be reasonable, but Shanghai/Wuhan will screw you over. There have been several foreigners who have been screwed by similar schools. And the law will not help that much, as the school has declared it's local area bankrupt (can't get blood from a stone).

My advice, do not DO NOT work for this school.

I have learned never to accept a deal where you agree to do things with the promise of payment afterwards or based on performance. If you do something for them get your money upfront or you will never see it. thats how most of them tricktheir workers with promises of great things only to never deliver. Protect yourself cause no one else here will.

LMAO with your message.

Anyone looking to work with NDI should seriously do their homework.

Putting the easy money aside; should you at anytime find the teaching material making your brain smaller and decide to leave unfinished contract, they will have no hesitation in making sure (with fabricated comments to the the local immigration) that you cannot renew your working permit with any other company in the state.

Are you serious? these guys didn't pay you for 3 months? You gotta be kidding me! Why didn't you duck off after the first 2 weeks after the 1 st month?

most training schools are [edited]. Why are you waiting to leave ?

When I read your post, Teacher John, it made me feel quite queasy. In fact I had to leave the computer, make a cup of tea and smoke a cigarette. I'm bound to say that I've never read such a load of of bilge in all my life.

HAHAHAHAHA. For me, my first thought was: IS THIS GUY IN A CULT?? Was he brainwashed? It doesn't sound like a true human being, but you know nowadays we get all kinds of illegal aliens in countries. Maybe John actually is a refugee from some star in some far away nebulon in a galaxy light years away and he has just made his escape into the milky way via wormhole built up by the Galactic Refugee and Victims Protection Group.

John, please. As you are newly acquainted with this planet you shouldn't jump to conclusions so fast. Maybe after living here for more than, let's say a month should you draw a conclusion on if this place really is the right one for you. You still have a mighty long way to go with knowing what earthly education really means, my boy.

"I have been teaching in China for 4 years now, and I have to tell you, I love it. And yes, I have had my ups and downs, but I've learned valuable lessons from them all.

To work properly in China you have to learn to understand the Chinese way of thinking. It's very complicated and I mean this in a good way. They do things different than the foreigners, and once you learn to understand their way of doing things, life will be a breeze.

I love teaching in China, and it's great to be here!

May God bless China!

With love,

Teacher John"

When I read your post, Teacher John, it made me feel quite queasy. In fact I had to leave the computer, make a cup of tea and smoke a cigarette. I'm bound to say that I've never read such a load of of bilge in all my life.

What on earth to you mean "they do things different than the foreigners?" You are in fact Chinese yourself, are you not? The different instead of differently didn't let you down, it was the the. We FT's do make certain mistakes, especially when hurriedly writing these posts; however; a foreigner always stands out, even if the original text was written by a Westerner,a Chinese can't resist fiddling and changing.

Also, we have the 'Teacher John,' the 'with love' and the 'May God bless China' to consider.

Listen here, Darling, all the Chinese have to do is to tell the truth and adhere by the contract that they themselves have written and we'll all get along very well.

Let's make one thing very clear, most of us who criticise crap outfits on this site get along very well with ordinary Chinese people, but as Turnoi would say, scumbags is scumbags, is scumbags whatever nationality they is (notice my little artistic license with "is" that's cos native born speakers and some rare Europeans are allowed to play with their own language. You ain't allowed.

You are right about one thing, scumbags are convoluted and complicated in the way they think.

When you talk about how lazy of others, please think about yourself. Do you sure you are an industious person?

I am sure I will be a lazy guy now as you always fail to pay in full and on time. Why should anyone work for your crap place without payment in full and on time?
Tell me....-

I agree with the previous post. At LEAST you got paid. Before coming to China I was warned of the racist behavior of Chinese but never did I imagine it would go as far as it did/ Not only did they employ me but after a few months they broke the contract and did not pay me.

I must warn foreigners who want to work at this school for many reasons but do be clear the school does not pay you for 90 days. They will tell you all schools do this when in fact that is not true.

Also PLEASE BE WARNED of the school in Taiyuan. They are not licensed to give you a residency permit and management is hilarious. There is only 1 official "teacher" who can speak English and her English is just so-so if at that. If you have any matters that you really need to speak with upper management about do note you must bring in your own translator.

I have called the school management many times about paying me my money and no one has even responded to the calls. First they said they were investigating it and now their saying the matter is closed. All I can say is, be warned about this school, for they make all Chinese look bad.

haha you have no idea what you are talking about. it had nothing to do with employers, during the Olympics they completely changed the requirements for visas, for example, you count get a tourist visa without a return ticket to your HOME country. I was in Korea, and my friends had to cancel a trip because of that. you gonna blame that on NDI too?

You claim that NDI in Shanghai is badly run. That's just your opinion. Whether it's true, is another matter altogether.
NDI opreates as a franchise. Branches in other Chiense cities, such as the one where I'm the academical manager, might well be run much better. That's part of my responsiblity, to assist the owner increase the number of English learners here. to do this, we need real teachers here, not scruffy backpakers! As it's demanding work, the pay is rightly way above average.
I've not named my branch, so as to not be accused of advertising by you training center bashers reading this.
Don't tarr all of NDI's branches with the same stick, and don't bother applying for jobs with us if you're a slacker. We don't need those who are afraid of hard work, they'll be found out and let go after a week or two!

Why don't you google NDI (Shanghai)? I expect you'll be able to discover the e-mail address of that branch of NDI by doing so. Then you can contact the DOS there with ease.
Undoubtedly, Shanghai is a more westernised location than Wuhan. But bear in mind it may be more difficult to snag a teaching post there than it would be in the likes of Wuhan. However, if you succeed, you'll be able to meet loads and loads of foreigners there. And of course the night life there is far superior to that of other Chinese cities!

It cost me 5,000 rmb moving to Wuhan... another 400 rmb for z visa ... another 400 medical fees and 1,600 housing bond... I paid all this out because a recruiter at NDI after interviewing me over the phone offered me a job. All I will say is don't go ... don't take the job... really not a good place ... for a place that earns money just from the fact it has Foreign teachers... you would think the managment would adopt a Western style managment rather than treating you like how they treat each other (Chinese) like trash. Funny three months ago I was reading things like this and thought it won't happen to me... well take the warning... go elsewhere ... so many better teaching positions in China.

Hehe, when I say "hic-cup" what I basically mean is "refusal"

I had no problems whatsoever attaining my work visa, but I did have to front all the costs and go about getting the paperwork by myself. A real hassle that was, but nevertheless one that was solved with a bit of elbow grease and determination. I just never sit around and wait for others to get things done for me, that's a common mistake made my teachers on L visas I feel. Anyway, I digress...

During the Beijing Olympics my visa expired and I wanted to renew it. Completely out of the blue I was told that I have to leave the country and never return. No reason was ever given. The headquaters of NDI followed this up with some questioning of their own (and probably with some under-table antics), I was then told I could return in 3 months. Which I did. All the meanwhile, my branch encouraged me and awaited my return. They didnt replace me, nor did they penalise me in any shape or form.

I've been working for NDI for two and a half years now in the Shanghai, Hongkou branch.
I can quite happily say that this has been the greatest job I have ever had since I have been in China. Although, at this stage I should admit that I have only had 2 other jobs in the past; still...

Perhaps I only speak for the school I'm in when I say:

Pros:
- A HUGE feeling of being part of a family, where your colleagues losses and sucesses are felt by yourself and others.
- Diligence is rewarded. A hard working teacher is capable of renegotiating his/her salary. In addition, upon renewal of my contract (after one year) I was given a hefty 5,000 rmb bonus.
- Superiors have an understanding. When I encountered a hic-cup with my visa, the school was amazingly supportive and stood-by me as I had to travel back and forward from hong-kong to shanghai several times.
- The staff recruited are easy-going, fun and energetic. The course consultants blend well with the education department and there is no friction that I once felt from previous companies.
-

Cons:
- Outdated/Insufficient class material. This is a definate problem, it's probably 10-15 years old and severely lacking in structure. A teacher is hard-pressed to stick with the class material provided and must use his/her own initiative to fill-in the blanks.
- Too dynamic. Therein lies the irony. I feel the school is pushing itself too fast and introducing several new ideas and concepts per week that it cant keep up with.
- Stingy. I have my markers, blank paper and air conditioning rationed. Roughly, I use 10 white board markers over 3-4 days and I'm not entitled to more and so have to buy my own. The air conditioning is always switched off at 6pm. This is terrible for the peak of summer. The school actually loses students because of this.

Conclusion:

The pros by far definately out-weigh the cons. I'm in love with this company and the job. Everyday for me is refreshing and challenging. It's far from perfect, but I do feel however that the full-time teachers are treated better than the part time teachers. As I look opposite my desk now, my Canadian co-worker has also been here for over two years and my other workmate has been here for over a year now. We've encountered no "major" problems from NDI that will warrant others to "stay away".

I guess those who are satisfied with something don't go out of their way to praise it to the general masses. This is not "a dig" but we have to agree: those who are not satisfied are more readily able to make a complaint.

Peace:
Daniel Tadd

Hi

I'll be a bit more gentle than SMACK (not a good name if your colleagues are ex-police officers, but that's beside the point).

The situations you describe at this particular institution are perfectly NORMAL for most Chinese schools.

A quick review of your concerns: Salary late or incorrect -Normal. At least you get paid. Sometimes a school will keep the money in the bank to take advantage of the banking system (more interest for the company) or so I have been told. But it is a normal situation.

Old, outdated material - Normal. Every teacher in China faces the same problem. The system is locked in a time warp and the teachers like to do things the 'traditional' way. You have often heard 'China is a country 'rich in tradition' and it's true. It just can't get out of second gear. Change is not on the agenda. If it ain't broke (even though it may be) don't fix it (because we're not ready for something new yet or we just plain don't know how).

Not accepting suggestions from foreign teachers. Normal. An endless source of frustration for FT's because 'That's just the way we do it in China'. Almost every 20 something-year old foreign teacher has more grey hair than he or she wants over this one. Chinese solution to this problem -"Don't worry, be happy". Probably the worst song ever penned by mankind, but it seems to be their anthem. And remember, frustrations and anger are bad for your health. Drink a cup of tea and the world will be all right.

Learning, per se, is not on the agenda. Our real job is to entertain and keep the kids happy. Smiling faces sometimes don't tell the truth but they sure bring in the bucks.

Waiting for them to get out of their own way or discussing a problem to death - then bringing it back from the dead just to take forever to kill it again - Normal. My experience has been it is a matter of who gets to make the final decision and even if someone else has a great idea, they must not make a higher up 'Lose face' or appear to be incompetent. The trick is to let them do what you want them to do and give them all the credit. Annoying sometmes, but easy if you can get what you want.

Marketing inconsistencies. Normal. Most Chinese marketing people are not aware of new marketing concepts. It's a combination of the time warp and they Chinese way of doing things. Just take a look at the television advertising. You don't need to understand Chinese to see what I mean.

I will take serious issue of the comment about lazy staff. For the most part, Chinese teachers are overworked and underpaid compared to our jobs. The ones on the bottom of the totem pole, usually the females, catch hell from both sides. They have one job - "Shut up and do what you're told". Try to consider what time that person may have gotten home the night before (if it's work related) and the obligations they may have at home (family etc..)
I have no sympathy for any male sleeping off a "Gambei" hangover, but I hold in highest regard the work that some of these women do.

When you think about it, are you really WORKING? If so, it won't kill you. But like some (hey, I said SOME!) of us, probably not. Sit back a give your school a real good look and you may find you're better off than you realize. And try to be a little cautious before jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.