Re: Re English First Shanghai (Shanghai Normal University)

Hi everyone,
interesting discussion:
Let me first say that I had not received notifications of the latest posts on this topic - probably the subject headline had changed - so up till 10 minutes ago the last email I was aware of was the one from Silverboy: and boy, would I like to thank you for that!!!
No Turnoi, I am far from a "newbie", I might be older than most of you (approaching 49) and I thought I had mentioned that I have worked in Vietnam and Asia - in the context of that I wouldn't be too easily fazed about a cold apartment or strange food on the street :-)
I have 6 years of teaching experience - but I have never been to China! I do not quite understand what you mean by doing my homework, Turnoi. Of course I have googled, searched, read, before posting here. The "official" websites told me all is easy peasy, so comments on sites, boards like this one seemed to be written by 20 year old boys complaining that China is not so clean or organised as the UK, or US. No offense meant. Furthermore I was specifically asking about EF AND the Normal uni - all the post I had read were about EF in general, teaching kids, etc., in a normal language school setting - which obviously is quite different to working in/for a uni.
I did not go into these details, but I find it increasingly difficult to find work (with a German passport) and what appealed to me was the 2 times 17 weeks uni-terms, allowing me plenty of time to return to Sydney in summer and winter. I also really don't like teaching kids. THOSE were the reasons why I even considered the job.
Again, Silverboy, thanks for taking the time - I am sure others, who are contemplating to go to work for EF, or the Normal Uni, now will find it much easier to do their homework. As for Turnoi: while I am a little lazy, I have learned that reading someones post thoroughly helps preventing misunderstandings a lot - you may also consider that you say you are far too busy to reply to my questions, yet you were obviously not too busy to reply to Silverboy's mail in quite some detail - please do NOT take this the wrong way! I do notice that you had even replied to my post before Silverboy did and that your position: NOT to reply in depth to my questions is certainly fair enough.
Being curious I had another look at my initial post, where I said: I have worked in India and Vietnam, and maybe those problems that other teachers have experienced as big problems would not faze me quite as much?

Again, I DO NOT want to be right here, I may never ever talk to you guys again. It is probably, most likely, just a sore spot of mine, when I see that people (TEACHERS!!!) don't even READ emails properly and then come up with explanations which are obviously not appropriate at all -

again, no offense and thanks to silverboys really detailed explanations!

Jurgen

Re English First Shanghai (Shanghai Normal University)

Hi guys,

Thanks for your advice. I haven't heard anything back yet but given all I've heard I won't be working for them!

Re English First Shanghai (Shanghai Normal University)

EF is the worst school in China. You don't need to take this website's, or the people on it's, word for it. Look around Shanghai, apply for jobs via echinacities.com or whatever other website you use for job listings, and compare contracts. However, if the school is blacklisted, has consistently horrible reviews, that says something, and with EF there is much to be said. Do yourself a favor and don't pick this school, once your in, they won't let you out without a battle. I know it is very hard for them to get teachers, because everyone is too scared to work for them, which means when you want to leave, they will probably say 'stay or we'll kick you out of China'. I know many people that have had to leave China because of EF. I am now happily employed in China, at a great school, but I have done my time at EF, and it was the worst 6 months of my life. Believe me. You will have a class in the morning, and a class at night. You will work very long hours on the weekends. You will have no time to go out, no time to travel. While you're working 50 hour weeks, teachers not at EF get paid months off, with a bonus. At EF, you're a slave. It's that bad.