San Migs
- 2012-10-26
well let me tell you that i was born and bread in the uk, I have a degree in fashion and then progressed on to a masters in Education. ive taught at the Oldham college for 2 years prior to china. and now that i have been back in england i was Knighted by my beloved Queen and made into a LORD of Dewsbury. so shove that up your candy arse.
This is all just drama/performance art/a windup, either way, killfile.
Jimmy Savvie
- 2012-10-26
You are now just trying too hard, most fake posters are happy to settle with pretending to have a degree, not a knighthood, lol.
ftz
- 2012-10-25
Native or non native,there are many FT's in China from those native countries who can't even spell or speak clearly.I understand this very well cuz i have been teaching in China for 8Years.They got no education at all.Can easily find them in training centers. [edited]
twiggie
- 2012-10-25
its funny how every one is criticising my english, im not on here to teach or give you guys an english lesson. i was on here to tell you guys and girls about my experience. sometimes i think why on earth do i bother, you guys are just as pathetic as the chinese nit picking on everything.
yeah its true my english does lack, thats because im dyslexic. i wasnt hired by Birmy for my grammar or my spelling but more for my spoken english. Birmy knew full well i was dyslexic throughout the whole process as i never hide these things. its important that they know.
some of you may even question me and say im not a native english speaker, well let me tell you that i was born and bread in the uk, I have a degree in fashion and then progressed on to a masters in Education. ive taught at the Oldham college for 2 years prior to china. and now that i have been back in england i was Knighted by my beloved Queen and made into a LORD of Dewsbury. so shove that up your candy arse.
if i was all that bad why has birmy asked me to come back, just this morning i got an email from jessica asking if i would consider a place in Taizhou or changsha. come on Birmy pull yourself together.
ftz
- 2012-10-23
AN ENGLISH TEACHER INDEED!!!YOU WERE LUCKY TO WORK THERE.YOUR ENGLISH IN HORRIBLE
San Migs
- 2012-10-23
I would like to dissect this post somewhat,if i may, as it all seems rather implausible to me.
yes the apartment in question did have cocrotches but it just need a good clean which he could have done. peter also claimed that the pay was paid out on the 10 of every month which is true but like all companies here in england its also the same, maybe not the 10 but in the first week of the new month
Aside from your chinglish, your posting here, at this time, is highly suspect. You expect a newly arrived FT to give a good clean of an apartment and put up with "cocrotches" after travelling many miles to get there? As for the pay, I am not sure of that, but an FT's flat should definitely be clean.
i can however tell you that its not at all what it seem to be. Birmy does make certain promises that it fails to keep and i have been at the brunt of it, its just good that i was strong headed and i got what i was promised.
Right. So you stood up for yourself and got what you wanted. But it should not be that way, they should keep their promises from the outset. These TC's are a disgrace to teaching.
Birmy as a company is very homophobic so if your gay stay away because they wont really like you.
Expected from a developing country and a society that has no discrimination laws. But birmy is not a country, they should be professional and responsible. Another reason to avoid this place!
yeah sure like all chinese they are nice to your face but stab you in the back when your not fully looking.
Of course, thats China 101. But as a filipino/fellow asian, I guess you'd know this better than a naive newbie westerner?
they always say to you that the teachers shouldn't have a relationship with their students but they are all at it. every single member of staff was having an affair with there students.
Hypocrisy, I expect nothing less. What is good for the goose is good for the gander, 6 of 1 and a half dozen of the other.
I can also tell you that Birmy International English is not actually International as you would like as they also can be very racist to asian people. again feeling the brunt of this one too. as i wasn't allowed to teach a class to the public because they dont want the public to know they have asian teachers working for them as quoted by the now CD of a particular branch. dont get me wrong i was happy, i didn't want to teach that class, coming to the end of my year i was fed up of birmy that i totally couldn't be bothered with it all.
It's good that you got to see the reality of their racist ways. The question is will you now do some good, and help to shut down this cowboy racist outfit, or just put your savings and bonus in the bank and choose to look the other way? All it takes for evil to prosper and all that jazz?!
other then that i have to say birmy is actually a nice school if it wasn't for those two particular incidents
I wouldn't call a school that discriminates in such a way "nice". Difference of opinion.
i wouldn't have minded staying another year or two, as the place i was placed in was really small and you could walk around the whole town in just 30 mins, it was my home and always will be. i made great friends and friends i would now call apart of my family.
Glad you made some friends, but that town is not a great place, believe me as I know, and you are better off out of working for them.
Jimmy Savvie
- 2012-10-23
You say that there is no need to use your name or tell us when you worked there. However, you obviously don't think it is important to use correct spelling,grammar and punctuation either. I'm partial to making to making a grammatical error or two, but your Chinglish is absolutely perfect.
Your post was also quite a clever way for somebody from the company to tells gays and Asians that they need not apply. I wish you good luck with finding a blonde haired, blue-eyed heterosexual white boy. However after reading your post, they may also feel that they need not apply either.
twiggie
- 2012-10-22
hiya guys and girls, i dont think its important i tell you my name or the dates of when i worked in Birmy International English, although i can say thats its not all that bad as peter has mentioned. peter did have some issues with the schools and in particular with the students to which i will not go into much detail. he does clam that he was made to live in a shared apartment that was infested in cocrotches which is not true. yes the apartment in question did have cocrotches but it just need a good clean which he could have done. peter also claimed that the pay was paid out on the 10 of every month which is true but like all companies here in england its also the same, maybe not the 10 but in the first week of the new month
i can however tell you that its not at all what it seem to be. Birmy does make certain promises that it fails to keep and i have been at the brunt of it, its just good that i was strong headed and i got what i was promised. Birmy as a company is very homophobic so if your gay stay away because they wont really like you. yeah sure like all chinese they are nice to your face but stab you in the back when your not fully looking. they always say to you that the teachers shouldn't have a relationship with their students but they are all at it. every single member of staff was having an affair with there students. silly really. their rule but they break it themselves. hahahaha makes you laugh, out of all the members in that school i think it was only me and one other member of staff that didnt, we got out and found people.
I can also tell you that Birmy International English is not actually International as you would like as they also can be very racist to asian people. again feeling the brunt of this one too. as i wasn't allowed to teach a class to the public because they dont want the public to know they have asian teachers working for them as quoted by the now CD of a particular branch. dont get me wrong i was happy, i didn't want to teach that class, coming to the end of my year i was fed up of birmy that i totally couldn't be bothered with it all.
other then that i have to say birmy is actually a nice school if it wasn't for those two particular incidents i wouldn't have minded staying another year or two, as the place i was placed in was really small and you could walk around the whole town in just 30 mins, it was my home and always will be. i made great friends and friends i would now call apart of my family.
San Mig
- 2011-06-24
Turnoi, I have found it now seems that Birmy Engrish are exporting their rattlesnake oil model to the maoist land of Changsha, Hunan. What cheating and deception can you expect there, now that the cunning hunanese, have adopted this business model in their capital city?
My guess is they will continue to hire the truly degree-less and unemployable ex dental workers and pizza hut bosses from the west in their quest for qua-rity edu-kashion!LOL!
Tsang
- 2011-06-09
Can i please ask you a few questions?
Yes, you can.
- What efforts did you make from your side to embrace the Chinese culture?
I did some research on the mutation of grovelling weasels in Yunnan province. Isn't that good enough? Now, I know where you are from..hahaha
- Did you make an effort at all to learn Chinese?
Yes, I can speak, read and write it fluently. And what's more, I can also speak Chinglish, that's a part of Chinese culture embracing, too, you know. I hope you can agree....
Birmy had no role in this except for cheating and disorganised management. My suggestion to Birmy is that they look for more competent people in education to run the place properly; selling apples, tomatoes, rattle snakes, and dog meat is not part of the trade that Birmy Firmy should be involved in.
Dongfang hong, taiyang sheng because Birmy is there! What a bright future ahead!...
My Chinese velly, velly good, and my Chinglish is even better!...LOL
Dragonized
- 2011-06-06
Mr. Tang, you may or may not have had a difficult experience in china. If you believe that Birmy is making an effort to change the community I ask you these questions.
What non-profit events has Birmy held for the underprivledged?
What amount of the money that Birmy makes goes toward a cause to help people who've suffered?
What kinds of volunteer work does Birmy do to make the community better?
The most important thing always will be how we deal with things,
might i suggest you change your view on this a bit.
Might I share a story with you? There once was a boy who was taught about the magical wonderland of a kingdom in the far east, where 5,000 years of culture existed. This boy was taught that as a developing country, things only became better as the people developed their skills to become more open minded, humanitarian, equal, and the law of the land was upheld towards the highest degree. This boy was also taught that this was socialism at its finest. What with this kingdom from the far east spending tons of money printing their newspapers and buying out newspapers in the country the boy was living in, newspapers which used to be owned by people who emigrated from said country many years ago. A truly rosy picture was printed of a coming superpower which would provide a spiritual balance between countries that were labeled "western". This eastern kingdom will show up the current ruling status quo by bringing back the tradition of family morals, chastity, and honor to ones self. Not to mention taking pride in building ones own compassion for the community and the well being of others.
This boy went to the country where his ancestors came from and discovered that, as a matter of fact people from all over the world were coming to embrace the new utopia, the beacon of mankind that will raise the general civilization of all across the globe. The eastern kingdom provided a surefire model of decency with everything. From the purity of the government with no corruption whatsoever, to the cleaniness of the food produced, to the quality of a well rounded education that didn't produce automated robots, to the general caring community which always reached out whenever their were fights that broke out in broad daylight and physically broke up these conflicts. The air itself even smelled of purity thanks to the almost maternal care one would say that the entire community gave to their environment. Charities seemed to be opened up by anyone even touching the border of affluence for whatever cause they believed was good. This was a place that someone wanted to live in forever and ever.
NOW, this country is NOT CHINA.
I once heard a beautiful remark,
"If we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change"
See Johnny, I can understand this quote as well, but I have a different twist to understanding it. China does advertise itself overseas much as how I described the "eastern kingdom" in my 1st full paragraph. But for me and others, the 2nd paragraph is something that this country comes up just a bit short in. I hope you now can understand how me and many other foreigners feel regarding the before/after when dealing with the issue of china.
1664
- 2011-06-06
Can i please ask you a few questions?
- What efforts did you make from your side to embrace the Chinese culture?
- Did you make an effort at all to learn Chinese?
Ridiculous POV. That statement sounds like something a Chinese person would say.
I took the time to learn Chinese, oral and written, and most Chinese seem to hold the arrogant belief that only Chinese can speak Chinese...not outsiders.
As a result, and as an English teacher, I stuck to English...why bother?
Crap School Spotter
- 2011-06-06
Wow, another stellar review from someone that works in an ESL mill. More C.R.A.P. I was never stupid enough to work for Birmy and with their reputation being highly tarnished why would anyone work there in the first place?
In my own case and in the case of several posters here that I know personally, we all read, write, and speak fluent Mandarin, a few of us have Chinese green cards, and we have Chinese spouses, own homes here, and have investments in Asia.
The way I deal with C.R.A.P. schools is I call the boys over at the Beijing Blacklist and let them lay down the law and remind the corrupt SOB's running places like Birmy which is purely a for profit con game in the first place, that FT's don't like to be F-ed over in China or anywhere for that matter.
Life in China is not a challenge. Dealing with lying, and cheating, corrupt scum school owners is the only "challenge" for many FT's in China.
So go look at a pile of dog C.R.A.P. on some sidewalk and CHANGE the way YOU look at that and then you can feel better about eating it when some place like Birmy hands you a SHITE sandwich.
Birmy is an ESL mill, plain and simple and anyone that works for any type of ESL mill is a GW that needs to go back home and get a real job.
Johnny
- 2011-06-06
Hi there Peter,
I honestly cant see why you would have such animosity towards Birmy.
I have worked there for 2 years and it was a very rewarding and fulfilling experience,
sure life in China can be challenging.
I`m sure you could have foreseen that in advance before coming here,
but as for the people and staff in Birmy i mostly have just good things to say about them,
and respectfully appreciate their support and continuous commitment to making a better difference in their community.
Also there genuine sincere effort in reaching out to us as foreigners and trying their best in their
own unique way to make life more live-able for us.
Sure there might be some differences at times, but that`s to be expected.
Life in China is full of differences, i feel that is where your aggravation stems from and not so much with
Birmy and more with you being incapable of adjusting to life in China.
Can i please ask you a few questions?
- What efforts did you make from your side to embrace the Chinese culture?
- Did you make an effort at all to learn Chinese?
The most important thing always will be how we deal with things,
might i suggest you change your view on this a bit.
I once heard a beautiful remark,
"If we change the way we look at things, the things we look at change"
I wish you Happiness and Prosperity Peter,
Take care
John Isaac Quin
[Edited 2011-06-05 ]
Bavaria Bier
- 2011-04-05
Tap into that, and live like a king! Be a true proffesor, not a pretender whiling away his time at a public school for a mediocer pay!
Besides your awful spelling ( I do hope you aren't teaching writing!) training centre salaries in China aren't exactly great either...unless you like 25 face hours a week and 15 hours office time for a around 8-10,000 a month...
I'd much rather be a pretender earning 5,500 a month at a school with a free flat and only 12 class hours free to teach as I like than the other alternative...
Dragonized
- 2011-04-03
Hi Birmy/Chinawhite/Weasels?,
After reading your posts regarding your responses to the abuse of foreign staff, it's obvious you're too stupid/greedy/lazy to correct your problems. Calling you evil would be giving the likes of you too much credit.
I SUGGEST YOU WAKE THE HELL UP AND REALIZE YOUR GROSS NEGLIGENCE HAS OBVIOUSLY CONTRIBUTED TO THE CONTINUED ENCRAPMENT OF THE ESL WORLD IN CHINA. I feel sorry for any foreign teacher (or local one) for having to put up with your bullshyte/nonsense.
After all since you're in a developing country you shouldn't just go with the flow of everything. Since you're helping the country actually develop you should be contributing to the RESOLUTION of problems, NOT CONTINUING them. Life's not a game, buddy.
You're actually DEFENDING PUTTING PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT LEVELS IN ENGLISH CLASSES ARE PERFECTLY OKAY!! I suppose you may be used to being in a class of different animals all the time. What with the mooing, braying, barking, meowing, and quacking I'm sure your personal education was a unique one, however you must realize most of us were never that fortunate.
Having been employed by Birmy for a while, we see how badly the poison in the atmosphere has gotten into your head. You are imagining friends up to help you cope with the working conditions. Depending on how long you have worked there, I would say your sick state means you have been at this "school" for at least over a year, as every couple of months or so your personality has split again and a new "friend" has popped out of your head. I suggest a due course of action such as seeking out professional, psychotherapeutic help, preferably in a western country as they have better personnel and equipment to handle your malady. If you are still teaching at this "school" or another "school" you need to quit your job asap so as to not continue your torment and misery.
Not sure if you're understanding everything I'm telling you since you might be in such a high state of denial, but I will mirror your imaginary friends company by bringing out my very own imaginary friends group and mirror you as a sign of compassion for being a "teacher" at these "schools" in China for so long.
Festive Greetings
Thomas Jefferey Hancock
Bobby Jonesy Quinn Custard
Guy Dupont Chateau Marleau LaDouche
Fran Tarkenton
Al Smitey
Antonio Alphonso Broccoli Sphaghetti Gambino
BlowBlow Hardy
Tom
- 2011-04-03
Oh, yes, you do, do you! But just what did Mr Chinawhite say about the place? What he said was an embarrassment of really bad English from start to finish. You don't seem to be faring much better, do you, Dear Boy? I say you, but you could be Chinese too, your post sounds like it's been half taken from a double glaze sellers' pen and the other half from his iffy mate who does pyramid marketing.
"the rich will pay whatever it takes for the sake of their kids"
Tom
- 2011-04-03
A big Ni Hao to all the guys at Birmy... :-)
Pete - (A different one... just in case there was any confusion!)
"Teaching in China can be beautiful" Western folk don't say that- "wonderful," maybe.
I think we are being conned chaps. These people can't be natural born speakers. I think, they(Chinese?) are pinching sentences and expressions from all over this site and mashing them together.
They certainly cannot be teachers-perhaps a band of ill-educated Western crooks, making a killing, alongside Chinese cronies, out of this Birmy place. That means of course that any good teacher that comes their way, who will not fit in with their thievery, gets a very hard time indeed.
Bart Powell
- 2011-04-03
After all living and working here in China isnt a holiday camp & thats its all swings and roundabouts as we know with you taking it to a new level regarding your attitude.Play the game ...!!!
Unlike you, Tom, I have to agree with what Chinawhite posted about Birmy. If you are proffesional teacher, you can play the game at a training school and make your verstility pay off. Great pay, a career structure second to none, and a feeling of self-satisfaction awaits for the enthusistic, energetic,multitalented foreigner with basic English level who is not afraid of hard work. The private sector is the best bet and the rich will pay whatever it takes for the sake of their kids. Tap into that, and live like a king! Be a true proffesor, not a pretender whiling away his time at a public school for a mediocer pay!
Tom
- 2011-04-02
I SUGGEST YOU TRY COMING DOWN A PEG OR 2 AND THAT AM SURE YOUR EXPECTATIONS ALONG WITH SOME OTHER PERSONAL ISSUES HELPED CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR UNFORTUNATE EXPERIENCE. And that I feel sincerely feel sorry for everyone involved in Birmy for having to put up with all your nonsense.
After all living and working here in China isnt a holiday camp & thats its all swings and roundabouts as we know with you taking it to a new level regarding your attitude.Play the game ...!!!
.
Your actually complaining about social talking /conversation classes having mixed levels.
Listen to yourself !! How difficult can it be ? Rain check please !!
Aye, aye, we have another Chinese Birmy person, trying to pass himself off as a native born English speaker. Either that or you're (not your) the proof of what it takes to have a gay old time at rubbish Birmy; namely, that you're not required to actually teach them[the poor students] English.
What does it mean 'to take a rain check' because you do not appear to have the foggiest idea? I know, even westerners make mistakes in their English when hurriedly writing these posts but yours are too numerous to particularize further to be anything else but a Chinese pretender.
What's an 'overblown rant' when it's at home? Can we also have an 'under blown rant'
Pete Haslam
- 2011-04-02
I'd like to add my name to that list - I also enjoyed my time at Birmy (Nov 2009 - April 2010) and had very few problems there. Teaching in China can be beautiful or terrible - it all depends on your attitude - Just get on and teach your students and enjoy yourself.... But, like anywhere else in the world... watch yer back! If it all gets too much, then leave gracefully and politely; move on to the next thing and hope it turns out better.
A big Ni Hao to all the guys at Birmy... :-)
Pete - (A different one... just in case there was any confusion!)
Comrade Major Admiral Whitherottom
- 2010-12-06
I don' think that you have the right to appoint yourself as a spokesperson on behalf of the Chinese people and of China in general.
Nor are you defending any of them; you simply defend that crappy Birmy business.
Mentioning the people of China and the PRCh in context with this crappy business is not only pathetic and out of proportion, it sia also a disgrace for the millions of hard-working and absolutely honest Chinese people.
You have placed the Chinese character HE2 meaning "peace, harmony" at the end of your post; you should have better chosen another character that represents the meaning concept of "not knowing anything"....
And imagine - you even do not know who you are talking to: Now, what if that poster was a native Chinese and thus a part of that population that you claim to speak of in their favour? If I was a Chinese person reading this, I would say:
"Go, home, Long Nose, and keep your unsolicited wisdom to yourself, we Chinese are not in need of it".
And as a Westerner, I would add: "Another grovelling weasel and useless pretend sinophilist of whom we have seen so many here already. You and your crappy business will be history soon!"
Rock'n Roll Joe
- 2010-12-06
Hugs & kisses
Hugs and kisses to all Western grovelling and snivelling weasels in China!
Dragonized
- 2010-12-06
Thank you so much for the kind and gentle advice. It's so obvious for "all to see" why I was rejected! It's because of what you say! It's so easy to label someone as "having a personal vendetta" or just saying that my apparent attitude is enough reason to say I deserve whatever I got. You're really the nicest person I have ever argued against, really. You're just quite the angel and represent truth, so you shouldn't mind me talking about what you and people like you are, keep on blowing that bubble until it may finally burst one day.
Dragonized
- 2010-12-06
with you being a very bitter & non understanding soul and that its clear for all to see why you were rejected , please see it as a wake up call ....
I got my wake up call working in China. It's obvious you haven't received yours yet, and maybe never will. Since you already know me so well and the experiences I've had I guess you've mastered the art of controlling all emotions and never letting anything get to you so my reactions to things may seem trivial to you, in that case congrats on reaching true sagehood. Either that or you're accusations against me have exposed you to everyone as just another Sinophiliac or Asiaphiliac.
You're defending something that is not worth defending, but since you choose this path I can't do anything about that. As long as you or someone else comes on here trying to speak against us on certain topics you will see opposing views put against you.
I've got two characters for you too:
Chinawhite
- 2010-12-06
Dragonized i haven't got the time nor the dedication as to what you have, but its very clear from your previous squabblings that you have a personal vendetta against The Peoples Republic Of China with you being a very bitter & non understanding soul and that its clear for all to see why you were rejected , please see it as a wake up call ....
Good advise is to take your Girlfriend / Wife out shopping wine and dine her & tell her how much you love her , put a smile back on her face...!
Hugs & kisses
Chinawhite
Dragonized
- 2010-12-05
You can reconstruct your conscious to something more truthful and be less hurtful of others with you sad efforts to cover up the same crap that has been going on for so long in the country you are defending. Stop snorting the coke Mr. White, it's not something to be proud about.
PR
- 2010-12-04
"I 'arrest' my case?" Really? Did you read this case its rights first? Very peculiar indeed...
On another note, many thanks again everyone for all your support. We have been flooded with support the past few days, as word of the evil machinations of these mindless charlatans going by the name of Birmy International English has spread like wildfire across the web.
We received a huge and very welcome boost this morning; several students & staff (both former & current) of this festering snake-pit they call Birmy International English, have decided to join forces with us in our class action. Many of them will also be taking on these troglodytes personally, as they have been royally cheated out of their hard-earned money here.
Through this, some extremely disturbing additional information has come to light. This includes Birmy's intimidation of staff (especially reception, which now completes the picture as to why we would often find them in tears at work) and their spy system (just like the cold war era, where one of the Chinese tutors spies daily on foreign teachers' comings and goings, both in & out of the school, reporting back to head office in Jiaojiang).
This has given us added impetus (not that we needed it) to nail these deplorable neanderthals (our deepest apologies to early man here) called Birmy International English. Our sincere thanks again to all of you for all your support. There is justice in the TEFL world after-all. We'll keep you posted!
P.S. Oh, just a quick tip for the Birmy minions who will no doubt also be reading this: as any lawyer worth half their salt will tell you (and we're guessing you can afford one given the cash you're raking in off unsuspecting students), you can only sue for defamation if what is being said is untrue. Put THAT in your new Audi R8 paid for with your conned students' hard earned money and try driving it.
The Lawyer
- 2010-12-04
This is China full stop if you cant stand the heat then vacate simple as that & remember Teaching in China is only a stepping stone onto bigger and better things.
Afraid it is not as simple as that. I know a few guys from Aussieland/NZ who have been stuck in the same city in China for in some cases 10 years, to others maybe 4-5 years...with nothing to go back home to.
Before this strikes as stereotyping antipodeans as useless bums (and they are not, I'm proud to say I miss all my aussie/kiwi mates a lot), there are many for who China is home. So they have to make the best of it, don't they?
Others as you rightly assert go onto bigger and better things, and a brighter future. I guess China is what you make out of it if you stay there for good, and what you take from it if you move on.
Cheers
L
Chinawhite
- 2010-12-04
Ever taught in the gulf states/middle east? You cant compare sorry ..!
This is China full stop if you cant stand the heat then vacate simple as that & remember Teaching in China is only a stepping stone onto bigger and better things.
I arrest my case .!
Chinawhite
- 2010-12-04
It comes with the territory and that you can't please all so move on and forget about it & concentrate your efforts into s/thing more constructive.
Get a life x
Dragonized
- 2010-12-04
There is no such thing as exploitation or "bending over backwards" being right. Crap is crap. If you decide to stay at the school for a very long time (that being more than a few months) then it goes to show that not only do you know nothing about the culture you are in as you're too busy working and not thinking about what other people around you may believe in, but you also weren't properly educated in the developed country in which you are from. You should've been educated on the values of freedom, truth, etc. that are present in developed countries. However you apparently weren't inclined to understand this properly so you just blindly see anything that happens to you in a foreign country as coming from "culture" which in your mind is something good. Go back to school.
Foxy
- 2010-12-03
Whiners at Birmy are expendable and replaceable by other foreigners who will relish the opportunity to show off their teaching skills.
Hey Mal,your final sentence says it all. It's a red flag for anyone contemplating teaching for Birmy. Anyone fool enough to go there deserves what's comin'. I didn't try to quantify until now how many foreigners are in the country who are prepared to put up with all kinds of grief in the name of so-called Chinese culture. Undoubtedly you are among 'em. With a subservient attitude like yours, it won't be too long till you come a cropper. For the rest of us who are prepared to stick up for ourselves, it's a great pity there are so many foreign teachers like you here. Your tolerance of any employer abuse that comes your way makes it that much harder for those who dare to speak out against that kind of thing to get things changed for the better!
The Lawyer
- 2010-12-03
@ Mal, not pro training centres, just saying we don't matter as much as we think we do in China, not at all...
Mal
- 2010-12-03
.....we are all expendable in China anyway, esp. at the training centre level.
You've hit the nail right on the head, lawyer. Flexibility is the key. Do whatever you're asked, no matter how dumb it might seem to you. Do not make waves, even though you may have to ask for something to be fixed in your apartment ten times before it's actually done. Don't protest about anything, or else you'll be deemed a troublemaker and quickly ostracised. Go with the flow, and you'll be just fine. The trouble with forums like this one is that they attract wingers and culturally insensitive know-it-alls. Give Birmy a break, they're only trying to make a little profit, so it figures they do not wish to antagonise their foreign staff. As I have already said, flexibility is the key. We foreigners teaching in China should always try to satisfy our Chinese employers, even if we have to bend over backwards in the process. Please cease your whining, all you detractors! Whiners at Birmy are expendable and replaceable by other foreigners who will relish the opportunity to show off their teaching skills.
Dragonized
- 2010-12-03
Your response shows a decent lack of knowledge of the plight of what many teachers have suffered and been through. If you enjoy the exploitation and the head in the sand culture of so many groveling foreigners that's your business. Seriously though you don't even know the man so well and I doubt you actually made an effort to. Stop it with the hypocrisy and the self important "know all" attitude.
If the experience worked for you, then that's your business. Many people from Germany and Japan enjoyed having good jobs under Hitler and the Emperor too. I guess as long as you have a job you'll see anyone holding more money or power as not being at fault and only your fellow compadres who are on your level financially are the ones to blame. Way to go for being such a successfully mature human being...NOT.
The Lawyer
- 2010-12-03
Your actually complaining about social talking /conversation classes having mixed levels.
Listen to yourself !! How difficult can it be ? Rain check please !!Having been employed at Birmy for a good length of time along with 6 other close friends who all reside from SA ,UK & Canada then our time at Birmy was an extremely enjoyable experience one with no problems arising whats so ever (names shown below) were the School bent over backwards to help accommodate all of us into helping everyone feel safe and secure and with the working conditions being second to none , probably one of the nicest working environments i have ever seen in China
As to the staff and most importantly the management then i cant thank them enough for everything that was done and that am sure my fellow workers as shown below all have the same sentiments.
One question to you band of teachers and your cohesive posting against an unfortunate individual?
Ever taught in the gulf states/middle east? You see there you adhere to a textbook only, social/conversation classes/english corners/salons simply don't exist!! You TEACH for a living there, as opposed to talk. Perhaps Peter is a teacher who cares about the welfare of his students and wants to them develop and progress, much like a true mentor and teacher should. So yes it is frustrating to be a whore for a training centre and have to discuss inane topics especially when you have some students who are eggheads with good english and an opinion on everything under the sun, and some who are factory workers who have no interest, and who don't know the difference between "I think" and "In my opinion" for example.
I've spoke to many people who have worked for WEB and so on, and they all say it has NOTHING to do with teaching and everything to do with ENTERTAINMENT working at training centres in China. When I tell them that in the ME there is a curriculum and it has to be STRICTLY adhered to, they seem shocked that such a rigid structure exists.
It's your right to say he is a bad person/teacher, but there are others who may well level the same accusations at you. When in glass houses, and especially China, it's better not to big-note yourself above your fellow humble laowais....just my two cents...we are all expendable in China anyway, esp. at the training centre level.
Cheers,
The Lawyer
[Edited by Administrator (admin) Friday, 03 December 2010, 08:49 AM]
Chinawhite
- 2010-12-03
Hi Peter ..?
After briefly reading some of your previous overblown rants in regards to Birmy International English Jiaojiang Office. Then its obvious you have too much time on your hands..
I SUGGEST YOU TRY COMING DOWN A PEG OR 2 AND THAT AM SURE YOUR EXPECTATIONS ALONG WITH SOME OTHER PERSONAL ISSUES HELPED CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR UNFORTUNATE EXPERIENCE. And that I feel sincerely feel sorry for everyone involved in Birmy for having to put up with all your nonsense.
After all living and working here in China isnt a holiday camp & thats its all swings and roundabouts as we know with you taking it to a new level regarding your attitude.Play the game ...!!!
.
Your actually complaining about social talking /conversation classes having mixed levels.
Listen to yourself !! How difficult can it be ? Rain check please !!
Having been employed at Birmy for a good length of time along with 6 other close friends who all reside from SA ,UK & Canada then our time at Birmy was an extremely enjoyable experience one with no problems arising whats so ever (names shown below) were the School bent over backwards to help accommodate all of us into helping everyone feel safe and secure and with the working conditions being second to none , probably one of the nicest working environments i have ever seen in China
As to the staff and most importantly the management then i cant thank them enough for everything that was done and that am sure my fellow workers as shown below all have the same sentiments.
Am not sure how long you have been in China , but with an attitude like that then I wish you all the best.
Festive Greetings
Thomas Renton
Johnny Quin
Rudulph Du Plooy
Terry Bradshaw
Scott Shlay
Bruno Boiluea
Jo Jo Cameron
PR
- 2010-12-02
Dear Dragonized, seamallowance, EU'ER, Sanguine, Turnoi, Ex-TC and all others who have given us so much support,
I would like to thank you, on behalf of both myself and my teaching colleagues, for your tremendous show of support against these despicable varmints.
My female teaching colleagues and friends have been especially heartened by your overwhelming show of support, as it makes it slightly easier for them to try put out of their minds the hell they had to endure on their first night in China, courtesy of the vermin that are Birmy International English.
My apologies that I could not thank some of you in person; this is the only alternative I could find!
All the best to you all and well keep you updated! 
Torts are BS
- 2010-12-02
Your threats of suing teachers for speaking the truth is seriously laughable and messed up at the same time. If anything WE have every right to sue you and your corrupt cronies until you're
I agree with what you write here. What most Chinese/Foreign DOS's don't understand is that the RIGHT to sue can also be equally applied against them. I have had a chinese lawyer assist me with contractual issues on a school before on some occasions, even on a no fee basis. The tide is turning, and you reap what you sow in modern china.
Dragonized
- 2010-12-02
What's more, you fail to provide any actual evidence of teachers who supposedly enjoy their stay. You claim so many teachers have been working here for over a year. You claim you are capable of providing the teaching access to the USB ports. You say this and that but you actually fail to provide an adequate environment for the teacher EVEN WHEN the teacher has made it known of how uncomfortable he is.
You are smart enough it seems to talk about the details on how much of an effort YOU made on your side. Yet you completely miss on what the teacher WANTS when he is trying to tell you about his needs. To you just giving the advance on his salary should solve all the issues. Well he put in the hours for you at work, didn't he??? You make it sound as if he didn't work much for you and it was only you giving. This alone shows you are LYING and nobody should take you seriously.
DO YOU REALLY THINK ALL THE TEACHERS ARE THERE BECAUSE THEY LIKE YOUR SCHOOL? If a better job opportunity in China came they for sure would leave. It's the crappy labor laws in China which make it hard for a foreigner to switch jobs that allows you to bolster your numbers and pretend it's your school that is praised and liked by foreigners. You can bury your head back in the sand now. We're not interested in listening to your fantasies of how innocent you are and how equal your school is. Justifying everything you did is enough reason for us to not believe you.
Dragonized
- 2010-12-02
You people are a pathetic, disgusting, lousy group of imbeciles who have nothing better to do than defame innocent people. Why don't you go back to your hole in the desert or the bottom of a rubbish pile in some junkyard. Your threats of suing teachers for speaking the truth is seriously laughable and messed up at the same time. If anything WE have every right to sue you and your corrupt cronies until you're only wearing your trunks. You have no right to treat people the way you do. Go back to primary school and learn basic etiquette. Or better yet if you want to cause less grief in this world shut your idiotic school down, that way you'll actually have some redemption.
seamallowance
- 2010-12-02
The word is out and you will only get the most desperate, non-native English teachers now.
There are too many different FTs on too many different boards who advise everyone to STAY AWAY FROM BIRMY!
Oh, and Jim? Here is some advice. When you are already in a deep hole, stop digging.
Birmy International English
- 2010-12-01
Recently, we've found out that an ex-teacher of Birmy International English, Peter has made the same post in different ESL forums.
We feel sorry that Peter did not passed his probation period (His work duration in Birmy was 12th Sep. 2010 to 14th Nov, 2010 and his first working day was 14th September). During an employee's probation period, both the employer and employee have the right to terminate the contract with 7 days written notice. The reason for termination was that Peter's teaching style and behavior were not suitable for Birmy, its staff and its students. We understand that he felt frustrated about the termination, and the school hopes he won't pursue any further personal attacks on Birmy.
For all the things that Peter has written, we'd like to explain as follows:
1. When you arrive, if you are a girl, you will spend your first one or two nights in a shared, filthy, tiny dorm-room with 5 or 6 Chinese, English tutors from the school. You will have to do all your ablutions (going to the toilet, trying to wash yourself with no shower, bath etc.) in a tiny, filthy shared space with absolutely no privacy (you will be trying to wash yourself whilst surrounded by tutors defecating & urinating right next to you, with no-one ever cleaning up after themselves). Your first night, you will have to try sleep on what amounts to no more than a wooden board, crammed into this tiny, filthy space with 5 or 6 of the tutors. The next morning, you will have to make your way to the hospital to have your medical, very likely after not being able to wash yourself or get any sleep due to the appalling conditions. To add insult to injury, you will have to pay your medical check-up expenses yourself, which the school should actually pay for you but are to cheap to do.
When Peter first arrived in Jiaojiang district on 12th Sep., the school arranged for him to stay in a hotel in near the Jiaojiang school(the head office), because he was given training in Jiaojiang. After two days basic training, he was sent to his school, in the Yuhuan branch. The Administration assistant took him to look for his flat. After days of searching, he insisted on staying in the flat which tutors live in based on two reasons: 1. He claimed that he would be alone. 2. He didn't have much money.
The condition of the flatfour bedrooms, two bathrooms, one big living room. There are two Chinese boys sharing one bedroom, 1-2 Chinese boys sharing one room and 2 Chinese girls sharing one room. Peter had his own bedroom (as do all foreigners who choose to stay there).
2. If you are lucky enough to be a guy in this instance (yes, the school is sexist), you will spend your first night in the cheapest motel available. Anything above 140 RMB & you'll have to pay the extra yourself.
The school has never asked Peter to pay the hotel fee. The hotel name is Chuanshichuanbai. It's a nice hotel near the government building.
3. You will have to cover all your visa costs yourself (the school should actually pay these for you) and, if in China already, will have to go to Hong Kong, at great expense, to try obtaining your work visa there. The school will not tell you that certain nationalities (such as South Africans) can no longer obtain a Z visa in Hong Kong, and must return to their home country first. So, if you discover this only when you arrive in Hong Kong, you will have no choice but to return home again, after having wasted your time and money.
Birmy pays for the visa fee, though we are not responsible for the travel fees. This is told to every candidate when they sign a contract. The school provides legal documents for new teachers, if there's any chance that South Africans can't get Z visas in HK, Zhejiang Foreign Affairs Office would have informed the school, however, no such notice was given. Peter didn't even go to Hong Kong for a visa, as Birmy can process a Visa locally with the government office if a residence permit has been given, and the school was in the process of doing so for him. South African teachers who work for, and who have worked for Birmy have had no problems in obtaining Visas in Hong Kong.
4. When you first arrive, the school will tell you to take one or two days rest to recover from your long journey. What you may mistake for kindness here is only a rouse on their part for, when you receive your first month's salary, you will find they have deducted those one or two nights jetlag recuperation off the money they owe you. You did not ask for this rest nor were you told they would deduct this from your salary, but they will do it anyway.
The exact word was ask
EU'ER
- 2010-11-27
Jim, typical Chinese boy's english name, typical Chinese response to a post they don't agree with by diverting to a fear of the other. If you are a native speaker of English I apologize, but it sure doesnt look like it very much pal!!
Your attacking the person, not the point. The point is these training centres are pure crap, entirely motivated by greed and profit, and not the welfare of their teaching staff. To place a western woman, newly arrived, in a dorm room with strange Chinese women she doesn't know, and expect her to share one bathroom is WRONG!
He quit in the middle of the class. Boohoo. Yes it is more professional to tough it out till the end of the class period, but have you ever actually taught a language class, or are you just being like your average chinese person in education/training and proclaiming yourself a self qualified expert on everyone and everything?
He would never find a job in China, what a laugh!! Every day on eslteachersboards hundreds of crappy schools offer jobs for peanuts in far better places, and your saying he would never find a job in China, grow up!!
He reserves the right to sue you for your posting, ever heard of the new tort law that your countrymen are so willing to use against foreigners...it cuts both ways pal!!
Neil
- 2010-11-27
things always as good ones or bad ones, human also!!!
you are good guys or bad guys?
Dragonized
- 2010-11-26
Waaay to go Jim!!! Horraaay for the exposing of the bad person!!! Now would you please fix that nasty problem of spelling your words wrong so we won't, ahem, mistakenly believe that you might be a lackey trying to assassinate the person's character? Or has living in China for too long degraded your Native English abilities, haha I was just kidding about the native part!!
Jim
- 2010-11-26
Would you shut up Please! I feel shamed of you! People who know you all know that you're such a wierd person, no matter students or the collegues don't like you. You even make the other foreign teacher want to quit just because they don't like working with you. Cos you never stop murmuring which really makes the others upset! You even quit in the middle of the class and told the others that the student is too weak that you can not teach him, it hurt the students and it was very unprofessional! Those are the real reasons that got you fired!You would never find a job in China anymore, because you're such a dishonest and unprofessional one! You tried to bring every school you've ever worked for into disrepute! Have you ever asked yourself why you always put the others into difficult and bring unhappiness to people around you and why the other foreign teachers can work happily in Birmy and you can not?
Dragonized
- 2010-11-26
Yes!!! That awful 
Staniszewski
- 2010-11-26
OH MY!!!! so awful?
Eu'er
- 2010-11-21
Not sure dude. I haven't had much dealings with training centres in JJ. I was mostly in Linhai. TBTH not a big fan of training centres/kindies in China at all.
Other reasons for leaving Taizhou...well the big Chemical/Mercury factory/town to the north of JJ and the south of Linhai where you can taste metal in the back of your mouth and can't see blue sky is perhaps another good reason?!
Cheers for post
EU
Sanguine
- 2010-11-20
Eu'er, might I ask if the school in question had a fat western woman working there, along with a fat Chinese guy, and the fat Chinese guys student? If so let me know, they are a well known threesome not just in taizhou, but in China itself. Let me know if these people sound at all familiar.
Sanguine
- 2010-11-20
Well I"m sorry to hear you had such a bad experience, welcome to China 
Seriously though, this is often what you will have to deal with at a private school. Some are better then others, but most are crap.
As for that lawsuit you say is coming, I wouldn't expect anything out of it. The school will likely bribe someone, or the authorities simply won't do anything. The truth is that you, as a westerner, have few if any rights here, except to feed them money and be taken advantage of. It sucks, but that's the reality of living in China and working for one of these places.
Dragonized
- 2010-11-20
I would say Raoul's China Expat Saloon and Dave's Esl Cafe would be the other 2 that I would pass this story along to. Seriously though I would think about posting this on maybe some other tefl or esl discussion boards. It's just that I only use eslteachersboard and the aformentioned two since I see the most people going on them.
Dragonized
- 2010-11-20
Sure! It sounds like the proper name for them! Especially considering the people running this "school" have probably been living underground most of their lives and have never actually interacted with living, breathing souls on the earth's surface 
EU'er
- 2010-11-20
There are plenty of other options available, including universities which - on the whole - give ample paid leave time; pay one's return airfare in full; cover all visa costs and provide a decent and conducive working environment.
Indeed. To be fair the training centres seem to dominate Jiaojiang. If you want a more relaxed experience at a public school I'd suggest Linhai. It's only 50 mins by bus from Jiaojiang and much more relaxed, scenic, friendly people and you can still go to Jiaojiang for partying it up in the clubs if that is your cup of tea?!
Training centres will just cause problems, and I am pretty sure this birmy isn't the only dodgy one in Jiaojiang.
PR
- 2010-11-20
Hi again Dragonized
Just thought of a name for these clowns - Wormy English! Seems fitting given the low-life, pond-scum (sorry, did not mean to insult pond-sum here) they are. What do you think?
All the best Peter
PR
- 2010-11-20
Hi Dragonized,
Can't thank you enough for your brilliant and incredibly supportive response to my post about these abominable excuses for human beings.
Myself, my teaching colleagues and friends and all of you who have been kind enough to respond to my post, will not tolerate this kind of thing a nanosecond longer.
As I told these clowns when I left, they are playing a very dangerous game here (one with people's lives and emotions) - one they will not win.
We will not rest until every branch of this snake-pit is shut down and exposed for what it really is. Our goal is to make 100% certain that only the real, decent English schools in China - of which there are pitifully few - survive.
If we help even one teacher through this post, it has been worthwhile. Hopefully, we will be able to prevent as many as possible from reliving, or even experiencing for a second, the hell we went through here.
All the best! Peter
P.S. Can you recommend where else I can post this to reach as many teachers as possible? Thanks!
PR
- 2010-11-20
Hi Ex-TC
Thanks for your kind words of support - much appreciated! Yes, you are spot-on. Cesspools like these need to have their true colours exposed so not a single foreign teacher will even spit in their direction. I will disseminate this information as widely as possible and hope others will help me in this quest. These miscreants are playing with, and ruining, other people's lives here; we will not let them get away with it any longer!
All the best Peter
Ex-TC
- 2010-11-20
Congratulations on your post, Sir! Exposing this pit and others like it, is what is needed, more and more, and on a wider scale, until these places are shut down or are unable to hire FTs anymore.
I suggest that anyone who exposes a school copies (or is aided in copying) the report to other relevant websites for maximum publicity.
Thank you Peter and have a speedy recovery!
Ex-TC
Dragonized
- 2010-11-20
1. When you arrive, if you are a girl, you will spend your first one or two nights in a shared, filthy, tiny dorm-room with 5 or 6 Chinese, English tutors from the school. You will have to do all your ablutions (going to the toilet, trying to wash yourself with no shower, bath etc.) in a tiny, filthy shared space with absolutely no privacy (you will be trying to wash yourself whilst surrounded by tutors defecating & urinating right next to you, with no-one ever cleaning up after themselves). Your first night, you will have to try sleep on what amounts to no more than a wooden board, crammed into this tiny, filthy space with 5 or 6 of the tutors. The next morning, you will have to make your way to the hospital to have your medical, very likely after not being able to wash yourself or get any sleep due to the appalling conditions. To add insult to injury, you will have to pay your medical check-up expenses yourself, which the school should actually pay for you but are to cheap to do.
This basically says that the school does not care a hoot about anyone and would just put new teachers in a hellhole or an underground bomb shelter if they could get away with it. Apparently the owners of the school were still living in the chaotic, warmongering era of 50 - 90 years ago in China. They must have grown up living with 10 people in a room shared with cockroaches, spiders, lizards, birds, and maybe some sluggish monstrosity which paid them visits once in a while from the dark earth underneath them.
You will have to cover all your visa costs yourself (the school should actually pay these for you) and, if in China already, will have to go to Hong Kong, at great expense, to try obtaining your work visa there. The school will not tell you that certain nationalities (such as South Africans) can no longer obtain a Z visa in Hong Kong, and must return to their home country first. So, if you discover this only when you arrive in Hong Kong, you will have no choice but to return home again, after having wasted your time and money.
This school has done the unthinkable: Assuming it's easy for ALL foreign teachers to just come and go therefore believing that we can just waste money because it's China. This is like begging for us to believe that this country is total crap and the system is completely broken, which it is but this is obviously scamming and cheating.
When you first arrive, the school will tell you to take one or two days rest to recover from your long journey. What you may mistake for kindness here is only a rouse on their part for, when you receive your first months salary, you will find they have deducted those one or two nights jetlag recuperation off the money they owe you. You did not ask for this rest nor were you told they would deduct this from your salary, but they will do it anyway.
The only justice you can get because of this would be for ALL FOREIGN TEACHERS at this school to JET THE HECK OUTTA THERE. Maybe then the administrators can feel some "jetlag" themselves as in always having a sinking feeling because they have NO TEACHERS who would want to work there.
Speaking of monthly salary, the school will cheat you out of this too. Dont count on getting any more than 1/3rd of your first months salary. They use some bizarre, crooked system which deducts all your paid leave time (you are entitled to 2 days paid leave per week in accordance with your contract, but they will say this is unpaid leave). Plus, the fingerprint reader (which makes you feel like youre in a prison every time you clock in or out) is faulty and operates only in Chinese, many times not recording your clock in or clock out times or, telling you in Chinese that it has been accepted and then a few minutes later saying in an electronic Chinese voice, which of course you cannot understand, that you need to re-do the process as there has been an error. I kept an exact log of ALL my clock-ins & outs and was still cheated by Birmy on my monthly salary. They said the fingerprint reader indicated that I had clocked in late several times that month, a total lie and something fabricated by the HR department as they can alter these figures at will. You cannot argue this as its all in Chinese and they will say the machine is infallible.
WAT in the name of all that's good is the school doing with a fingerprint reader??? Have they watched too many bad movies from hollywood or something? This is a school, not some ultra high tech computer facility. Seriously the people who own the school are freakin' losers who never had their wet dreams of being anyone come true so they're acting out their childish fantasies by putting this thing in, pathetic. Maybe they're afraid the Terminator will come and destroy everything, which would be totally awsome.
There are no lesson plans at all for upper level students and, the ones you may find hidden in a cupboard somewhere, are nothing more than Google-translated ramblings on the most complex and hopelessly uninteresting and useless topics. Upper and intermediate students will often come to class clutching just the first page of this so-called lesson, whilst you come in balancing reams of Google-translated material which the students were not given but should have been by their Chinese, English tutors beforehand.
Google translations, from my limited experience, can seem to do a no better job than babel fish and other translating software. The poor students who are subjugated to this Nazi method of teaching are being ripped off. People in the west do not use google translated material as the answer to all nor do we revolve our lives around dreary topics, we have fun you know.
After your first one or two nights in a filthy dorm room or fleabag motel, you will have to find your own apartment. The school will (if you are lucky) have arranged only one or two for you to look at AND you need to be at work to do training during this time too (which they will try get out of paying you for). Considering you will be training and working till after 9pm every night, it will be almost impossible for you to find a decent apartment in such a short time. For any apartment you settle on just so you are not sleeping on the street, you will need to pay at least 4 to 6 months rent as a deposit upfront. Considering that you will be cheated out of most of your first months salary, plus the fact that you will have had to pay for your medical and flight ticket upfront, with no help or reimbursement from the school, you will not survive even a day at this new job in China unless you arrive with at least 15 thousand RMB to start.
15 thousad RMB is well over 2000 dollars in this day and age, which is what most Japanese schools require for you to start with. Does this school think of itself as the equal peers of any school in the world or something? I think anyone with 15 thousand rmb to spare would stay away from taizhou. If the school can't even do the basic, menial task in this ESL business of helping a teacher find an apartment I doubt any teacher can believe the people at the school can even chew gum or tie their shoelaces properly
Although your monthly salary may seem good at 8 thousand RMB per month for your first two or three months probation (make that 3 months as the school will lie to you again in negotiations, saying you will only have to do two) & 10 thousand per month thereafter, the school is actually paying you one of the LOWEST salaries an English teacher could possibly earn in China. You will be working 40 hours a week; be called to meetings (often 3 to 4 hours long) during your off days, for which you will not be paid; you will have to outlay so much money in the first month and are being cheated on your first months salary; you will receive only 3 days paid leave per year (the lowest of ANY English school in China); you will be cheated out of Chinese public holidays too (for example, you will get only 3 days leave instead of the obligatory 7 days over Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival)
This sounds like a Mafia run school. I mean I think illegal workers who come to the USA get cheated less than this, which is kind of scary. They will do anything to save money and not see you as the human being you are. Calling them scum would be kind of an insult to some scum. I find it amazing that in our species there are people who achieve such a high magnitude of progress not only for themselves but even for the world yet there are people like this who are less helpful to the world than a plate of gluttonous maggots.
10. You will share an office with the Chinese, English tutors who are on the phone to students the whole day at fever-pitch volume levels, when not teaching, and encourage students to come in and out of the office at will. This will make it almost impossible for you to concentrate on your lesson preparations.11. The school has disabled all the USB ports & CD drives on the computers and the IT department is absolutely useless and hopelessly ineffectual. This will make your life as a teacher a nightmare as you cannot use or save any outside lesson material from USB, DVD or CD, nor will you have flash or the latest Internet browser on your machine to prepare video clips for your students.
Office management is obviously non-existent. Neither is common sense. The only thing who would want to work in Birmy's office would probably be Humma Kavala from the Hitchhiker's book. Only he would enjoy the backwards, idiotic setting as he sits on his fat rump and reads his poems while the office monkeys clammer for attentions by banging their books, folders, and computer screens on the walls and desks.
Dont count on actually working at the branch you agreed to work for in your contract. When you arrive, as so many foreign teachers are quitting in disgust every few weeks or months, you will more than likely be told you will be teaching at another branch. They will try force you to do this and you will be very lucky if you can get out of it.
So from now on every foreign teacher will demand a villa near the seashore just to mess around with the school. When they finally understand what you're saying to them, promptly reply, "BUT I STILL WON'T GO THERE BECAUSE YOU'RE TOO STUPID TO DO ANYTHING EXCEPT BREATHE PROPERLY."
When I first arrived at this awful school, I wondered why all the foreign teachers never had anything to do with anyone else at the school. They just silently came in, tried to prepare and teach their lessons, and then left as quickly as possible, not saying a word to anyone. I soon realized the reason when one of my fellow foreign teachers told me that, anything you say to any of the Chinese staff at the school, will immediately get passed around the whole school (to your students too), only to come back to you in some twisted or warped form, making it seem like you have been up to no good. This applies to your movements and interactions outside the school too. Many foreign teachers were furious when being confronted by Chinese, English tutors at the school as to why they were having lunch or dinner with a Chinese girl, reported back to the school by who knows which staff member or student. Its a free country (supposedly) and we are fully entitled to meet with our Chinese friends at anytime, especially being single and having the right to meet with whomever we want, whenever we want. How dare they pass judgment and cast aspersions on our character here. What in heavens name has it got to do with them anyhow?
The Chinese people who work there have nothing better to do with their miserable lives than to act out a sick fantasy where they actually do something which contributes to the greater good of man. Instead they believe they live in an age of evil where foreign demons come to attack and hurt them. They will satisfy their masochistic needs by constantly hanging on to your every word and movement and promptly overanalyze so as to justify that they do exist for a reason. The people behave in a way which reminds me of classic novel I read a long time ago called The Young Englishman(I might have gotten the wording wrong). In this book a man uses a monkey disguised as his "nephew" to keep the villagers away from doing his job.
Reasons 15-19 are common problems in the crappy world of esl and it's sad to see the superstition of the "waijiao" school being competent amongst Chinese people not go away but stay and take root. Because there are so many schools like this in China I suppose the parents and students carry a false hope that the next school will be better or just because the price is higher it will actually mean a better quality. This will probably not go away until the younger generation is in walking sticks, although this is just a wild guess out of left field. Maybe by then the ESL world here will have just mutated into some other imperfect boat of crap.
All of the schools are controlled from head office in Jiaojiang, Taizhou. Unfortunately, this creates massive problems as the people up there have no idea of the comings and goings of each individual branch, making their devastatingly incompetent and damaging decisions from the ivory tower, with no regard for, or interest in, the foreign teachers well-being. The director of our school knew no English at all, same with the finance and IT departments. You will incessantly be bothered at all times of the night and morning outside of working hours by staff asking you to do this and that and G-d knows what else. With little and often no notice at all, you will be asked to drop everything and go help out at another branch, often 2 to 3 hours away. You will have to get there first at your own expense, and will have no time to prepare anything (pack your things; plan your lessons, accommodation etc.).
Yes, the people are so busy being useless so why would they have any idea what our feelings are and what we're thinking??? They don't even bother to ask in the first place!! All of these people just assume they know. Degradation of the mind sure is easy to spread but teaching common sense to the masses can seem so hard.
Applying for leave will cause you the most headaches. You have only 3 days paid leave per year (worst for any school in China) and, to apply for unpaid leave, you have to find a teacher to take over your duties, who you must pay during that time. Even if you manage to pull of this feat (not easy when you only have one other foreign teacher at your branch, who was planning on going away the same time as you), they can pull the plug on this at a moments notice, making some excuse like they urgently need you at another branch. So, once you start at this school, plan on having hardly ANY leave per year at all.
If this school can get away with it, they would rob the graves of every western foreign country and administer some re-animating material to the deceased making them come back to life in a zombie state. From here they would make the zombies work 24/7. Then they would become the first school ever in the history of mankind to make a dozen billionaires out of an educational body while successfully managing the zombies. From there they will change the world and make Birmy the symbolism for wealth. But seriously at this point I think the only remedy is to give a lobotomy to the admins so they can be zombies themselves and that would be a better state for them to be in as they won't be causing so much damage.
We do not want any of you to experience the torment and misery we had to endure at this terrible excuse for an English school.
This isn't a school. This is a dump, a wasteland. It's dangerous to call this place a school as that might cause a misunderstanding with some people who want to work in China. Birmy needs an official nickname on the web so everyone will know it's on the level of EF, Web, Crappy Hamster, and Aston. Something like Bummy, Bummer, Bad Bird, etc. Anyone up for giving one??
Peter
- 2010-11-19
Hi EU
Thanks for responding to my post and adding some of your own thoughts and experiences too. My aim here, and those of the other teachers who have been treated in a similar disgraceful manner by this awful school, is to prevent others - especially new foreign English teachers - from accepting work at this place.
There are plenty of other options available, including universities which - on the whole - give ample paid leave time; pay one's return airfare in full; cover all visa costs and provide a decent and conducive working environment.
There will no doubt be a backlash from Birmy over my post, one which I welcome as I will know immediately from whom it is coming, judging by the tone and poor grammar in any response they may ill-advisedly choose to post here.
Best wishes and thanks again for your support EU! Peter
EU'er
- 2010-11-19
Thanks for your posting!
At last, someone posts about the hellhole of Jiaojiang, in Taizhou.
A place I know about. Fair to say this place sounds bad, but it is not the only training centre to avoid. If you work in Taizhou, there is a lot to be cautious of, Hangzhou it is not.
To any ft, seeking a position there, err on the side of caution...always.
Cheers
EU
Birmy International English (China) are one of the worst private English schools if not THE worst to work for in China. If you receive an offer from these scam artists and cheats, run as far as you can in the opposite direction.
Here is an account of some of my own, and some my teaching colleagues, experiences at this despicable school:
1. When you arrive, if you are a girl, you will spend your first one or two nights in a shared, filthy, tiny dorm-room with 5 or 6 Chinese, English tutors from the school. You will have to do all your ablutions (going to the toilet, trying to wash yourself with no shower, bath etc.) in a tiny, filthy shared space with absolutely no privacy (you will be trying to wash yourself whilst surrounded by tutors defecating & urinating right next to you, with no-one ever cleaning up after themselves). Your first night, you will have to try sleep on what amounts to no more than a wooden board, crammed into this tiny, filthy space with 5 or 6 of the tutors. The next morning, you will have to make your way to the hospital to have your medical, very likely after not being able to wash yourself or get any sleep due to the appalling conditions. To add insult to injury, you will have to pay your medical check-up expenses yourself, which the school should actually pay for you but are to cheap to do.
2. If you are lucky enough to be a guy in this instance (yes, the school is sexist), you will spend your first night in the cheapest motel available. Anything above 140 RMB & youll have to pay the extra yourself.
3. You will have to cover all your visa costs yourself (the school should actually pay these for you) and, if in China already, will have to go to Hong Kong, at great expense, to try obtaining your work visa there. The school will not tell you that certain nationalities (such as South Africans) can no longer obtain a Z visa in Hong Kong, and must return to their home country first. So, if you discover this only when you arrive in Hong Kong, you will have no choice but to return home again, after having wasted your time and money.
4. When you first arrive, the school will tell you to take one or two days rest to recover from your long journey. What you may mistake for kindness here is only a rouse on their part for, when you receive your first months salary, you will find they have deducted those one or two nights jetlag recuperation off the money they owe you. You did not ask for this rest nor were you told they would deduct this from your salary, but they will do it anyway.
5. Speaking of monthly salary, the school will cheat you out of this too. Dont count on getting any more than 1/3rd of your first months salary. They use some bizarre, crooked system which deducts all your paid leave time (you are entitled to 2 days paid leave per week in accordance with your contract, but they will say this is unpaid leave). Plus, the fingerprint reader (which makes you feel like youre in a prison every time you clock in or out) is faulty and operates only in Chinese, many times not recording your clock in or clock out times or, telling you in Chinese that it has been accepted and then a few minutes later saying in an electronic Chinese voice, which of course you cannot understand, that you need to re-do the process as there has been an error. I kept an exact log of ALL my clock-ins & outs and was still cheated by Birmy on my monthly salary. They said the fingerprint reader indicated that I had clocked in late several times that month, a total lie and something fabricated by the HR department as they can alter these figures at will. You cannot argue this as its all in Chinese and they will say the machine is infallible.
6. According to your contract, the school cannot make you teach more than 5 classes a day or teach more than 5 days in row without leave. But, they will try cheating you on this at every turn, throwing in a 6th and sometimes even 7th class at a moments notice, often forcing you to work 9 days without a break.
7. There are no lesson plans at all for upper level students and, the ones you may find hidden in a cupboard somewhere, are nothing more than Google-translated ramblings on the most complex and hopelessly uninteresting and useless topics. Upper and intermediate students will often come to class clutching just the first page of this so-called lesson, whilst you come in balancing reams of Google-translated material which the students were not given but should have been by their Chinese, English tutors beforehand.
8. After your first one or two nights in a filthy dorm room or fleabag motel, you will have to find your own apartment. The school will (if you are lucky) have arranged only one or two for you to look at AND you need to be at work to do training during this time too (which they will try get out of paying you for). Considering you will be training and working till after 9pm every night, it will be almost impossible for you to find a decent apartment in such a short time. For any apartment you settle on just so you are not sleeping on the street, you will need to pay at least 4 to 6 months rent as a deposit upfront. Considering that you will be cheated out of most of your first months salary, plus the fact that you will have had to pay for your medical and flight ticket upfront, with no help or reimbursement from the school, you will not survive even a day at this new job in China unless you arrive with at least 15 thousand RMB to start.
9. Although your monthly salary may seem good at 8 thousand RMB per month for your first two or three months probation (make that 3 months as the school will lie to you again in negotiations, saying you will only have to do two) & 10 thousand per month thereafter, the school is actually paying you one of the LOWEST salaries an English teacher could possibly earn in China. You will be working 40 hours a week; be called to meetings (often 3 to 4 hours long) during your off days, for which you will not be paid; you will have to outlay so much money in the first month and are being cheated on your first months salary; you will receive only 3 days paid leave per year (the lowest of ANY English school in China); you will be cheated out of Chinese public holidays too (for example, you will get only 3 days leave instead of the obligatory 7 days over Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival)
10. You will share an office with the Chinese, English tutors who are on the phone to students the whole day at fever-pitch volume levels, when not teaching, and encourage students to come in and out of the office at will. This will make it almost impossible for you to concentrate on your lesson preparations.
11. The school has disabled all the USB ports & CD drives on the computers and the IT department is absolutely useless and hopelessly ineffectual. This will make your life as a teacher a nightmare as you cannot use or save any outside lesson material from USB, DVD or CD, nor will you have flash or the latest Internet browser on your machine to prepare video clips for your students.
12. Dont count on actually working at the branch you agreed to work for in your contract. When you arrive, as so many foreign teachers are quitting in disgust every few weeks or months, you will more than likely be told you will be teaching at another branch. They will try force you to do this and you will be very lucky if you can get out of it.
13. Not only are this disgraceful school cheating their foreign teachers, they are cheating their own government too. The school only pays a fraction of the tax it should be paying on your salary. It gets away with this by illegally forcing you to sign a document saying you are earning less than your actually are, so the government are none the wiser. But, we will be nailing the school on this too as several of us have gotten together to send a signed affidavit to the Chinese Education Bureau, detailing this deliberate tax evasion by the school. Make no mistake; the government will be contacting them about this VERY soon.
14. When I first arrived at this awful school, I wondered why all the foreign teachers never had anything to do with anyone else at the school. They just silently came in, tried to prepare and teach their lessons, and then left as quickly as possible, not saying a word to anyone. I soon realized the reason when one of my fellow foreign teachers told me that, anything you say to any of the Chinese staff at the school, will immediately get passed around the whole school (to your students too), only to come back to you in some twisted or warped form, making it seem like you have been up to no good. This applies to your movements and interactions outside the school too. Many foreign teachers were furious when being confronted by Chinese, English tutors at the school as to why they were having lunch or dinner with a Chinese girl, reported back to the school by who knows which staff member or student. Its a free country (supposedly) and we are fully entitled to meet with our Chinese friends at anytime, especially being single and having the right to meet with whomever we want, whenever we want. How dare they pass judgment and cast aspersions on our character here. What in heavens name has it got to do with them anyhow?
15. This excuse for an English school does not stop at just cheating you. They cheat their students too by making them pay 10 to 20 thousand RMB upfront (no returns at all if dissatisfied), plus making them pay for their own textbooks at great expense (they have to buy these from the school, of course). Some students have had to beg and borrow this money and it has left them in an extremely difficult financial predicament for years to come. Also, 50% of the coursework must be done by students on their own, so they are only getting 50% of what they are paying for from the very beginning.
16. The textbooks Birmy forces you to teach from are appalling. They are hopelessly out of date and peppered with all manner of English errors. They are of course written & compiled by the schools Chinese employees who are far from fluent in English. Most of the time, you will spend your lessons trying to explain to students why the lesson you were trying to teach them made little sense, and having to re-write and change things on the fly.
17. The promotional materials (videos, photos etc.) Birmy uses in their marketing are also misleading and fake. The westerners presented have either long since quit the school, have never worked for the school at all or certainly never agreed to, or received any form of payment for, their images being used to promote the school.
18. Although you will have specifically been told that you will only be teaching adults at Birmy, you will soon find yourself with classes full of children as young as 11 or 12, often mixed with adults in their 30s and 40s. This is because, although Birmy have spent a fortune creating kids teaching facilities in all their branches, they are too cheap to employ additional foreign teachers to teach in them. So, you will have to do most of the donkeywork.
19. In most of your social talking and conversation classes, you will have students of all levels in class, from absolute beginner to advanced. This makes your task as a teacher impossible, as the very basic students wont understand a word you are saying and the advanced ones will be upset if you keep things too simple. The school will in turn say you are a bad teacher and that the students are complaining about you.
20. All of the schools are controlled from head office in Jiaojiang, Taizhou. Unfortunately, this creates massive problems as the people up there have no idea of the comings and goings of each individual branch, making their devastatingly incompetent and damaging decisions from the ivory tower, with no regard for, or interest in, the foreign teachers well-being. The director of our school knew no English at all, same with the finance and IT departments. You will incessantly be bothered at all times of the night and morning outside of working hours by staff asking you to do this and that and G-d knows what else. With little and often no notice at all, you will be asked to drop everything and go help out at another branch, often 2 to 3 hours away. You will have to get there first at your own expense, and will have no time to prepare anything (pack your things; plan your lessons, accommodation etc.).
21. Applying for leave will cause you the most headaches. You have only 3 days paid leave per year (worst for any school in China) and, to apply for unpaid leave, you have to find a teacher to take over your duties, who you must pay during that time. Even if you manage to pull of this feat (not easy when you only have one other foreign teacher at your branch, who was planning on going away the same time as you), they can pull the plug on this at a moments notice, making some excuse like they urgently need you at another branch. So, once you start at this school, plan on having hardly ANY leave per year at all.
This list could continue for days but, suffice to say, this school is disgusting and you have only yourself to blame if you accept a position there. As I write this, there is a class action lawsuit being prepared against these despicable cheats, by many former teachers who have decided that enough is enough. The school will also be facing a legal inquiry from the Chinese government soon, in regard to their evasion of tax on foreign teachers salaries.
I hope this will stop any foreign English teacher from accepting work at this awful place. We do not want any of you to experience the torment and misery we had to endure at this terrible excuse for an English school.