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#1 Parent Extc - 2010-04-11
Re: Henan Business College - zhengzhou, Henan Province

Dear Charles,

I can fully sympathize. I am at a College in Hunan, and this what me and the other two foreign teachers here have experienced so far:

  • Asked to teach western culture with no long term goals or real materials.

  • Schedule changed several times without us being informed.

  • Tests held in the middle of the year without prior notice, teachers had to stay up late into the night to make an improvised test.

  • Staff including professors who failed to deal with our basic requests (ie use of a printer.)

  • Any complaints met with abuse from the head of the waiban, teachers and their families spoken down to like they were kids & threats to not renew contracts etc.

  • No explanations given for anything.

  • Department encourages students to make complaints about foreign teachers, creating a barrier between us and them.

  • Chinese teachers who spread malicious rumours about FTs, especially the one of us who is African.

  • Inability to promptly repair broken equipment in FT's apartments, one teacher had to live for a fortnight without hot water.

  • Salary late, a few times, but we did not mind this.

  • Medical dispensary once gave an FT radiation poisoning medicine for a mild stomach complaint.

  • School guards and other staff who report on you behind your back.

  • Lecturers in the political department who spread political hatred against western culture.

  • Students so rude to you & launch political attacks on you in class!
  • The thing to do is just ride it out until the end of your contract, then move on. Unfortunately, where I am, there are no opportunities except at places that have the above traits.

    As the Chinese say, just tolerate it: 忍 [Knife over your heart]!

    Charles England - 2010-04-11
    Henan Business College - zhengzhou, Henan Province

    This is a long sordid tale of what a school should not do in its treatment of foreign teachers.

    Before I start, I love the students here, they deserve the best, where I have the issues is the way the school does business.

    First we agreed on a salary but what I found out was I had to pay for my apartment. They said they told me, I said they didn't and I was stuck because my visa was going to expire that month.

    Second, they told me my apartment would be ready in one week after my arrival. They put me up in a hotel where I stayed for two months with every deadline broken. Not a great way to spend the summer.

    Third, my apartment is furnished with old student desks. I have no soft chairs. My old TV is on two beat up folding chairs.

    Fourth, I had to pay all the expenses of my visa, medical exam and expert certificate.

    Fifth, I was not paid for the reduced hours when the freshman students did their military exercises and to add insult to injury, the military canceled it because of the bird flue and told the students to stay home, then the next month they decided they would have it, so I only got paid half salary for two months!

    Sixth, they promised to have me work a four day week with either Monday or Friday off so I could have a long weekend. Last term they gave me Tuesday off, this term they gave me Thursday off.

    Seventh, the president of the college promised months ago to come by and see our living conditions since we were complaining. To date, he has never set foot in any of our apartments.

    Eight, they asked for the original copy of a letter of recommendation from my last college, then they lost it and have failed to secure me a new one as promised.

    Ninth, they are usually late with pay, this month it was 9 days late.

    I have racked my brain from one side to the other in trying to think if they ever kept a promise. I can think of none.

    I have complained bitterly to my co-teacher, he is very sympathetic and concurs with what I say. I have told him if the school continues to treat foreign teachers this way the school will get blacklisted and will find it increasingly difficult to hire new teachers. Also, that no teacher will stay more then one year. I have run into other teachers who have taught here and they all agree. I really hope they change their ways, but I fear the biggest obstacle to this problem is the president of the college. As the old adage goes, people rise to their highest level of incompetence, the administrators at this college are full of them.

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