Very interesting recruiting promotion, Mr. Barry. I also worked for a few "colleges" (I use the term loosely) in China. I agree with you that in most situations I worked in, I enjoyed the students tremendously. I noticed beyond the "wonderful people" factor that you tout, you conveniently failed to mention any details about the actual working environment(s). Yeah, you offered a positive post, but only because you told as few actual details as possible.

The Chinese "colleges" I worked in provided no office/work area for foreign teachers (only Chinese teachers had offices), and each and every classroom I taught in was on the top floor of the building -- always with aboslute no heat or air conditioning. That might have been OK except for the fact that the school "leaders" (those pocketing huge sums of cash from parents for their child to have foreign teacher) were usually napping in their heated and air-conditioned offices while I was either sweating profusely, or the students were shivering in their down coats.

Little or no teaching materials were ever provided, nor was any classroom equipment (outside of chalk). After all, providing such frills would have reduced the personal profits of these dedicated leaders. They pocketed on average, 30,000 RMB per student, per year (ten different groups of 40-50 students per class -- you do the math) while I was paid 6000RMB per month. Yeah, "wonderful" all right!

I also quite agree with Choatle's post regarding our repsonsibility (or lack of) toward promoting educational "institutions" in China (or Korea).

When employers want to start promoting FTs who have endured tough and often unreasonable (and outrageous) working conditions and have managed to remain dedicated to the progress of their students, then I might consider recommending one of their "colleges."

Does anyone ever poist a postive review? Didn't you just now? I suppose the answer is yes than.

Other than you, what need is there for people to do so? The only thing people should be worried about is if someone is talking about a certain school. If there is nothing written about it that usually is a good thing.

We don't work as marketing reps for these schools,, it's not our job to pay them positive lip service. If we do our job and they do theirs, there is nothing laudable about that. Do the schools go online and post about us and say we did great when we simply do what were being paid to? Of course not, and I'm not going to go out of my way to advertise for the school just because they do what they are supposed to do. What kind of world is it where we give people so much credit just for doing their job.

Now, if a school is bad, and doing what they are not supposed to be doing, then people should be warned, period.

It's good that you had a great time here, don't knock others for not posting the same, they have no need. ONly when employers are bad is there a need.