I started working at Hampson English in Chengdu in March and they seemed very nice when I went in for an interview but the supervisor pressured me into signing a contract then & there even though I still hadnt given the due notice at my old job. I started doing demo classes, which are not fun. You are told that you have a demo class, so you turn up & the set time & wait for the potential student to come (which can be up to an hour late, which happened to me one day) and then after the course consultant has shown them around the school to show off their certificates, facilities, environment & supply of foreign teachers, you sit down & try to win the student. This is done by various methods depending on the students age & level. The student will probably have a demo with another teacher as well, so that they can pick who they liked best. I was asked to do demo classes for students who were not within my area of expertise (I teach children) or who wanted class at a time I couldnt teach due to my schedule, so it was often a waste of time.

If a student decides they like you, you have a class scheduled without being consulted. If you cant do this time, then problems occur. The course consultant/supervisor/manager might ask you to do the first class at this time & then it can be changed the week after. I did this once & then when I asked when the class would be changed to, I was told that it wasnt good to change the time after the classes had began (despite what they had previously told me) & that it should stay at the same time.

I have taught one of my students for about 2 months now and she still doesnt have the textbook. I ask twice weekly for the textbook to be given to her but they dont have any spare or try to find a record of what books the student has or they forget or its given to someone else. This student has paid a lot of money and she doesnt even have a textbook yet.

I have been asked to do a demo class when I have a current student scheduled to teach. Ive refused to do the demo as I dont want to be late for the class or keep the student waiting. It seems the school doesnt have the same concerns or professionalism regarding their paid up students as I do.

Twice, Ive been in my normal classroom on a Sunday, which is quite busy and have been either getting ready to start a class in a few minutes or in class and the manager or supervisor has got into an argument with a teacher in the classroom. This disrupted my class and was carried out in front of other teachers, students and parents and I was asked to move to a different classroom to teach rather than the people involved in the argument move to the slightly more private office to carry on the discussion and keep it away from everyone else in the school.

The manager/supervisor/course consultants sometimes stand outside the classrooms to listen to what the teachers are chatting to each other about & then report the details back to management.

I have taught children for 4 years now and find that the best way to teach them is with flashcards, teaching aids, stickers, balloons etc, anything to make the class as interesting & as varied as possible for them and to help the play and have fun whilst learning English. There is no textbook for very young students (I teach 2 & 3 year olds) and only a few small animal flashcards, which will only get you so far. I have had to supply my own teaching tools to teach to the standard I expect as the school wont buy a few simple supplies. You have access to printer paper (sometimes used), coloured pens, 1 Ikea standing whiteboard (good for younger children), building blocks, alphabet soft floor tiles, 5 stool, a few laptop sized whiteboards & youll be lucky to find any whiteboard pens that actually work thats all. This is not enough for a 1 on 1 weekly 50 minute class with a 2 or 3 year old. I have bought different sized balls, hammers, hands, dice, stickers, balloons, flashcards, my own worksheets and other materials, which have been standard in other schools I have taught in and should be supplied at a school that charges their students so much money.

I was shocked by the treatment of the female foreign teacher who was attacked by the manager in public (in the main reception with course consultants, teachers, students & parents standing by). That such an incident occurred in the first place is almost beyond belief, but it did and what happened afterwards is almost as bad. The girl was fired and the manager was on a flight to Hainan for his holiday a few days later. No one at the school talked to the teachers about it or reassured us or told us that the manager had been dually punished. The teachers who backed up the teacher were then treated badly by having their reputation slandered by the manager/supervisor/course consultant to parents so that students changed teachers.

There is a lot more to say about this school but Im sure someone else will be able to add their own experiences to this. I have handed in my notice and will be happy to finish working for an average salary in such an unprofessional, disorganised, incompetent and untrustworthy school.