"No matter how bad a "school" is you will always get some little twit of a Westerner sucking up to them. Whatever else Witty is or is not, it is the most unfriendly place on God's earth. That way, go ye not."

I've read everything written in this thread and although there is a degree of truth to many things said there is also quite a degree of exaggeration. Either way I expect I'll be labeled a "western suck up" for not agreeing totally.

I too worked at Witty and have experience in all three centers (Tianjin, Tonggu, TEDA). I've had both good and bad experiences and I can say that the good outnumbered the bad and that the bad was directly related to two individuals who no longer work there. These two guys (one local and one foreign), both in middle management, did their best to keep top management and frontline staff (teachers and tutors) from communicating. The reason they did this was to hide their incompetencies from the top and to also place the blame on the bottom. We should keep in mind those at the top speak no absolutely no English. The owners are best described as investors and bureaucratic support for their investment. Having said all the previous anyone reading this should keep in mind that my experiences are from a situation that differs from the current.

From what I've read in previous posts I can see many, if not all, of those posting lack experience not only in teaching but also in dealing with Chinese colleagues and management. I have over 8 years experience working in Chinese schools in both Beijing and Tianjin and therefore know that 'getting along' with the Chinese management is no easy task. If you approach the situation from a western perspective you will most certainly fail and walk away left with a bitter taste. If you approach the situation with western ideology and arrogantly see yourself as superior you will be left not only with a bitter taste but also scars for life. From what I've seen the latter is more common than the former and the previous posts in this thread support this.

We have to keep in mind that everything is relative and what we as individuals decide is relative to any situation will ultimately make us happy or unhappy. If one thinks his/her western way is superior and has the intention to 'enlighten' the Chinese they will fail miserably. The Chinese revere humbleness and loath arrogance. Yes, if comparing China to certain western behaviors and policies, I would say China is behind. But if I made the same comparison of what China is to what it was not so long ago, then they are ahead. We have to consider their rate of development and when we do we will see that they are more progressive than western nations. Again, what we relate China to will ultimately decide our happiness and satisfaction. Our degrees of, or lack of, happiness is a direct result of our expectations and those expectations are the results of how we choose to see things.

So, getting back to working with Witty. While I was at Witty one thing I have commonly seen in other schools was being (probably unintentionally) practiced there by the foreign teachers: class distinctions.

As a Canadian I was brought up to despise class distinctions. Take Disney cartoons for example, our first external exposure to cultural traits that will later shape and form who we actually are. The bad guy almost always has an upper class British accent while the good guy has a common North American accent. Although a small part of the greater picture this setting has profound effects on who we are to become. Yet, even though we N.Americans are taught to resist class distinctions I saw all the teachers, Americans, Canadians, and British, exercising this despicable behavior in a culture where class distinctions are even more despised. To be more precise, I was the only teacher that actively worked directly with the Chinese tutors to consult on curriculum and individual student issues. In fact, whenever a Chinese tutor had to enter the foreign teachers' staff room the tutor behaved very cautiously and timidly. They were afraid to enter. They asked permission as though they were asking the kings and queens for permission. I took the initiative and built communications and relations with the tutors to the point I felt completely accepted within their ranks. We were equals and because of this we could achieve a lot together. There were no class distinctions.

I know this is a rather long post but the situation is not as simple as what previous posts seem to indicate. The Chinese feel they are being mistreated and walked on by foreign teachers. The foreign teachers feel they are being walked on and mistreated by the Chinese. The fact of the matter is both sides are guilty. The root of the problem is miscommunication and I don't mean communication as in speech. That is only part of it. There is a lot of cultural misunderstandings on both sides. Both sides have false expectations based upon the cultural misunderstandings. Defense inspires counter defense.

I won't write any more for now. Whether I continue contributing to this topic will depend upon responses. I'll not waste my time holding discussions with those who choose to be aggressive rather than progressive. I'll not reply to personal attacks simply because you do not know me which leaves your attacks impotent.