Chengdu ft
- 2009-07-31
This in regards to the Korean International School in Shenzhen.
I am not at all if this is the same place, but if it is you are probably lucky.
About three years ago a FT from Chengdu left to go work.
It was supposed to be an international high school. The courses included English, Chinese, and Korean.
Supposedly they paid about 17,000 a month (why my friend left to go to Shenzhen).
It wasn't in town, but way out in the sticks. When I say sticks, I mean 15-20 on foot to the nearest restaurant/general store, but they at least had cold beer.
All of the students were living in on campus dormitories and confined to campus.
He was back after one maybe two months.
Half the FT left after a month or so, the half were from the Philippinnes and busy looking for jobs before they quit.
Let put this first, he wasn't a groveler and has been to China several times and speaks Chinese reasonably well.
He described the place as hell the worst of Chinese and Korean management systems combined.
He was supposed to have an apartment, instead they were sticking all the teachers in the student dormitories.
The students were all rich kids from Seoul. He described it as basically a reform school for the well off.
Students were expected to study from 8am to 10pm etc.
The worst was the head master that was running around screaming and yelling at every one all the time. They had one old Korean man that had to check and make sure the students weren't ditching class or sneaking out of their rooms at night. When one of them got caught, he got his ass chewed and it was his fault. The guy either had a stroke or heart attack and was dead in four weeks.
Unrealistic expectations on students and teachers, and then when they don't do well, you are a bad teacher, and they are a lazy teacher, etc.
Combine that with all the other crap they usually pull here. You dont get the apartment promise. Your salary is late, but only after you lead a rebellion to get paid, and then there are still deductions or it isn't the full amount promised, etc.
This was quite a while ago, so I am not doing it justice. But you get the point.
So you just may have been lucky. Pity that poor Korean teacher.
Theo
- 2009-07-18
Thanks for your comments, Dragonized. For those of you who are required to teach/facilitate English Corners (ECs with older students) I found the subject of social/business drinking and smoking to be a great topic for discussion. Students usally have lots to say on the subject, and opinions often break out accrding to generation and gender. Some very interesting ideas will likely emerge.
Dragonized
- 2009-07-18
It really is unfortunate how much alcohol and smoking has been ingrained into modern China. But remember if we are to do anything about this all of us must lead by example. As Theo has stated there are MANY people in China who drink and smoke because they are forced to. Hopefully when the younger generation of Chinese people take power something will be done about this. I certainly will NEVER acknowledge smoking and drinking as "culture" because it's harmful and foolish. Addiction is something people have because they have something missing in their lives or they are trying to get away from something. However this is going to take a while and it will be a long struggle. But changing this is something I support fully.
Theo
- 2009-07-17
Wow, there's so much to respond to here Draginized, but I'll just focus on one aspect of your saga(s) and that is the subject of drinking Baijiu (a/k/a Chinese "wine"). Like everyone else, males especially, when I first arrived in China, employers, managers, sometimes students were offering me glasses of Baijiu and cigarettes as a gesture of hospitality. As I don't smoke or drink, I politely declined these offers. What I quickly discovered is that if one refuses such invitations the first time, the host(s) usually will not continue to offer and understand that you have a different social habit.
I understand that drinking alcohol and smoking is an important cultural component of conducting business in China. Of course, it's not the same in the U.S. I learned as much as possible about Chinese culture and social practice and traditions before I went to China in 2003. I tried to honor and respect Chinese tradition as much as possible, but on the subject of drinking and smoking, I felt no obligation to indulge as it is determental to my health (and judgement). As I am diabetic, that was an additional reason I avoided drinking Baijiu (I also happen to intensely dislike the smell of Baijiu).
If you take one drink with them, they will never allow you to refuse a second or third round of drinks; but if your establish your own preferences to them politely, they usually will refrain from making follow-up offers (at least in my years of experience). It can also be quite amusing (and/or horrifying) to be the only sober guest at the table.
I sometimes discussed this cultural/busniess tradition with my adult students in English Corner. It was amazing to me how many men admitted to me that they truly did not like to participate in so much drinking, and smoking especially. It's outrageous to me that so many Chinese people will do something unhealthy that they don;t want to do just to develop a "business relationship," or not "lose face."
China has 50% of all liver cancer in the entire world. This tragic fact is largely due to the high volume of smoking, drinking, and consumption of "preserved" foods. So many people are killing themselves, not because they actually enjoy drinking and smoking, but merely to uphold an archaic social business tradition and expectation. Insanity.
Dragonized
- 2009-07-17
Yes Theo and I have limited experience in this department. However I must add that Korean businesspeople (including Korean Americans) who have a wicked personality WILL bring that personality wherever they will go. Some have opened up International Schools here in China and brought that attitude towards foreigners with them. I personally have gotten screwed twice by two ethnically Korean owned schools in my time here in China. The first case was with a Korean Intl. school in ShenZhen, these jokers had already sent me the contract and I thought I would have bread on the table after leaving Ningxia(check out my earlier posts) with assurance from the Australian Principal there that I was hired only to have a Chinese girl call at the eleventh hour right BEFORE I was going to board to the train from Ningxia at the train station and tell me that HEY the CEO or owner of the International School who's Korean decided to hire another Korean teacher instead of me. Rememeber this school has at least 5 or 6 teachers from western countries like England, Scotland, Australia, the United States, etc. so maybe the owner saw me as at the bottom of the pecking order. Obviously I had to cancel my train ticket to ShenZhen.
The second case happened to me in early June. I was only at this school for around a week before I bolted (although I did give notice and was paid). The school's name is Barry Education and the owner is a Korean American by the name of...you guessed it: Barry!
This is a young man close to thirty who was born and raised in Los Angeles. However he has retained his Korean culture and can speak both English and Korean with a little Chinese thrown in. Aside from looking like a 20 year old version of Kim Jong Il (with a personality to match unless this individual is seriously suffering from a mental disorder)with matching glasses (okay maybe I'm a little jealous because they're gucci haha). This guy fits the definition of what you would call a CLOWN. He brags about how rich his family is and how he's so capable of making money. This guy likes to BLOW MONEY (similiar to that guy from Modern English Studios in Korea) and buy the most expensive computers. Teaching involves and I quote, "Just go on the internet and print s(expletive) out." This guy currently only has Korean students but he's trying to expand into the Chinese student market. He charges the Korean students at least 5 to 6 thousand Renminbi per month. The students come at least several times a week and stay for the entire afternoon with the 3 or 4 foreign teachers there (including Barry) giving them one hour lessons each. Here's where it gets weird: The students since they pay a lot of money some of them when they dont' want to learn just go to the "Game Room". This guy has a WHOLE ROOM dedicated to the xbox360(that's one of the latest generations of video game consoles for those of you who don't play video games and costs as much as $400 U.S. dollars) with a gigantic HD TV。 So sometimes the VERY IDEA of class is to play video games with your students to keep them "content" since they are the "customers".
Barry also likes to drop F Bombs at will. You sometimes get the feeling that if you did meet a person who is trying to get over tourette's syndrome, would that person be like him? When I asked him about my apartment on my 2nd day there he cursed me out in front of the other foreign teachers and then tried to act the role of condescending know-it-all by saying things similiar in the context of, "...that little head of yours...". To top it off he forced me to drink. NOW I DON'T DRINK but because of my Asian face that has caused some problems for me here in China as people like to perpetuate stereotypes here. I went to the bathroom and did a bulimic thing and threw up all of the alcohol. You get the sense that if you didn't drink with him he wouldn't like you, which would increase your chances of job insecurity. That's a feeling that I DON'T WANT TO HAVE ANYWHERE. I kindly told the guy that I wasn't used to the 5 pm to 11 pm schedule and so I had to leave. He then started to act like a monkey and pleaded with me to "keep in touch" and "send emails" and attempted to tickle me.
As a bonus, I must add that I have now had the priviledge of meeting jerks from both the east coast and the west coast (of America). Does something really really BAD need to happen in order for ANYTHING to be done?
Theo
- 2009-07-17
"Dragonized" and I have mutaully agreed to try and compile a "Hall of Shame" list for Korea, but frankly, it won't be easy for either one of us as Dragonized has not worked in Korea, and I only worked there for seven months last year -- and for one employer only -- that was PLENTY! Therefore, my scope of experience with and understanding of ESL business culture and practice there is quite limited; as opposed to my much broader and long-term experience in mainland China.
Please be patient, but we hope to yield/post a Korean "Hall of Shame" list in the near future. Any input from FTs currently working in Korea is greatly encouraged and appreciated!