Western girl is bu hao!
- 2012-03-10
I agree with you. She sounds like a GW. I bet she came to China because she [edited]. And then, we get the inevitable, "Western men are scum, Western guys are crap", etc, etc. It is total jealosy IMO, we get hot looking Chinese girls hitting on us, they get nothing!
San Migs
- 2012-03-10
but still he had to come in the middle of December because ‘his life was a disaster in Cork, Ireland’.
You sound like a Grovelling Weasel western woman to me....is it really necessary to broadcast the personal problems of the OP and where he hails from on a public board?
Use some discretion, and look into the mirror....pathetic!
Elke De Fauw
- 2012-03-09
I would just like to say a few words on Michael’s 'story'. I am one of those ‘liars and dangerous people’ as I work for the College of International Education of Liaoning Medical University. I have been associated with Liaoning Medical University for over the past 7-8 years (I lost the count, it’s kind of dark in that anus over there), in the first 2.5 years I was employed as a foreign teacher, then I studied a bit of Chinese and since September 2009 I have been working in the International Office, being responsible for the admission and daily handling of foreign students. Ah, and I’m from Belgium and certainly not communist, just thought this was essential to add.
Let’s start from the beginning. I got most of the information from my colleague, Kevin, the Little Communist Henchman, as I’m not responsible for foreign teachers (Thank god!!!).
We signed a 6-month contract with Michael Obrowski, which stipulated that during the winter vacation the salary amounts to RMB5000. Mr. Obrowski knew that the semester was only starting in the last week of February, but still he had to come in the middle of December because ‘his life was a disaster in Cork, Ireland’. I kind of understand him, who wouldn’t want a holiday in China and also getting paid for it? The contract stated also that when the medical courses would start (end of February), his salary would be RMB8000. Unfortunately, he never saw that paycheck as he decided to take off at the end of February (coming back to that later).
About the living conditions: the pictures we send to him ARE of the building where he was going to live, the dormitory where also foreign students live. He was never promised a flat, nor did we send any pictures of other places. I do admit the heating in that building is not super duper, but it certainly is not an iglo. Moreover, every room is equipped with an airco, which can also blow hot air. I myself lived there for 2.5 years, and guess what, I survived it even without frostbite. There are about 50 Kazakh and Russian students living in that dormitory as well (and they are used to super duper heating back in their country), but none of them complains about the heating! Also, the thing about the electricity being turned off from 23.00 until 07.00 is not true. Duh, who would even believe that is true??? How could you keep foreign teachers and students in a building with no electricity at night??
I would also like to say some words about how we treated Michael Obrowski. He was asked twice if he needed to be picked up from the airport in Beijing, which he refused, saying ‘I am a excellent traveler, I can come to Jinzhou by myself’. So he ended up taking the D-train, which takes 3.5 hours, not 6. From the first day after he had arrived, he was taken by the Little Communist Henchman to do the physical examination, have his residence permit issued, was taken shopping and got all the help he needed to adjust in Jinzhou. We even bought him a new microwave oven and a small fridge.
On Christmas Eve we invited him to have dinner. Lucky me was placed next to Michael, and although he had stated ‘Me being a surgeon, I never drink. Did I mention by the way that I am a surgeon?’, he seemed to really like the baijiu. The Head Criminal Communist – Paul – was even not drinking baijiu and certainly he did not say ‘we promised you fake things, so you would come here’. Probably the baijiu got into Michael’s head and he imagined it. I would also like to mention that Michael seemed to have a very good time at dinner and in the KTV afterwards (we even songs some songs together, woohee). Would this be the behavior of somebody who was just told by his employer ‘Haha we lied to you, now you’re here and you can’t run away, hahaha’???? Duh!
Also, Michael didn’t have money to pay for his plane ticket to China, so we paid it for him, although the contract says that plane tickets can only be refunded at the end of the contract. That was pretty criminal of us, as we did breach the contract here …
On February 20th, Michael told my colleague his ex-wife was in the hospital because of cancer and his 17 year old daughter was in London and he had to go there to pick her up and return together with her to the US. He promised he would be back in a week’s time, which we thought was hard to believe. Before he went, he asked us to pay him the salary of February. At this point, there was one week left before he would actually start teaching, his schedule had been made and everything was arranged. By leaving at that time, he would be causing inconvenience and also be violating his contract. But we understand how important family is and we gave him the benefit of the doubt by allowing him to go. However, paying him the salary for February would be a bit outrageous. At that point, we had no insurance he would come back, so we told him we would pay him the February salary when he got back. Fair enough I think. He’s already had a nice holiday in China: free plane ticket, free accommodation and a salary for doing nothing during two months except complaining. And we also had to pay the agency for their services. Bling bling, I guess I won’t see a pay rise this year.
And apparently, we have done the right thing by not giving him his February salary yet. Not only does he run away, but he has to post inappropriate false information and lies about our university, its employees and the agency on the internet. I can assure to everybody that he was treated at our university only with kindness and he was never lied to.
Sorry it got a bit long, but I had to say something, as my workplace, my colleagues and boss had been dragged through the mud. Anyway, for all of you who are looking for a teaching job, there is an opening now at our university! Drop me a line if you are interested!!!!
Elke De Fauw
Dragonized
- 2012-03-09
Oh my God! I sincerely hope you will be able to get over this terrible experience. I know how you must feel because I've been there as well, feeling screwed over and left out in the cold(literally). I also wonder if that was a real policeman at the Beijing airport, he shouldn't just randomly tell you what you can and cannot take. Pants and toys are things that you should have every right to bring back with you. Did you ask to see his ID? In some developing countries there will be paid thugs who dress up like cops and also real cops who are just walking around looking for a bribe.
San Migs
- 2012-03-08
I also asked for extra heating, he told me "put on more clothes and tights (like women wear) and we will give you a blanket, you don't need any more heat - we Chinese live like this"!!
Ah, this is normal and common gambit to justify saving money.
Truly sickening, and I hope you got out of that horrific sounding place safely!!!
LIAONING MEDICAL UNIVERSITY, Department of International Studies in JinZhou, Liaoning Province, China and ESL Consultant China (the e-mail they use is: workinchina2011@gmail.com)
AVOID THESE CRIMINALS AT ALL COSTS!
ESL Consultants lied to me about everything from Day 1, except I didn't find out until I was already trapped in China! I am an American born physician, living in Europe, I wanted to take a break from the daily grind of being a physician and see the far east, so I was promised a position teaching Medical English to Medical Students at the University by ESL Consulting China. They promised me 8,000 RMB a month in a written contract, sent me photos of a beautiful flat that would be mine and when I got to Beijing, no one was at the Beijing Airport to pick me up! Jinzhou is another 6 hours north-east by train and no one speaks English or they pretend they don't - everyone just yells louder at you in Chinese when you tell them you don't understand! I finally made it to Jinzhou, which is the anus of the world - I have never been in a filthier city in all my life! I was taken to student housing and dropped off in a room with no heating (this was Dec. 21, 2011 and it was -10C outside) paint and plaster was coming off the walls and left there.
The next day I met the head Criminal Communist, the Dean of International Studies of Liaoning Medical University, a Liang Zhongbao (calls himself Paul, mobile number +86-137-0006-8890) at a dinner. After he got a lot of horrible Chinese Alcohol into himself, I asked him where was the flat I was promised in the photos from ESL and because he was intoxicated, he told me "We just use those photos to get you here!!!!" I also asked for extra heating, he told me "put on more clothes and tights (like women wear) and we will give you a blanket, you don't need any more heat - we Chinese live like this"!!
The day AFTER the dinner, I was left alone, no information on where to exchange money, where to buy food, I had no refrigerator or kitchen facilities in my "room" (as that all it was)! The filthy cesspool of a kitchen was so dirty in the student building I wouldn't cook for a pig in there. Electricity is shut off in the student housing at 23:00 and comes back on at 07:00 - I was told because that is the time I am supposed to be asleep! The school closed for winter break and there was no place to even buy food! I am a physician, I am never sick and I had immunised myself against Influenza before I left Europe, just in case. On my third day in China, even though I was immunised, I got the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, where my fever skyrocketed to 43.3C and I had to go outside onto a balcony to cool my fever, it was -28C outside and I could have died. Luckily I had medicines with me which saved my life, but the pain from the HPAI Influenza was horrendous! I was sick for the entire 71 day stay. No matter where I ate or if I cooked for myself (I finally got a microwave and tiny refrigerator from them) I got sick from the food. They still eat dogs in that city (I was told this by several Chinese and an Expat American I met there) so I recommend you do not go anywhere near open food stands. I was paid once and only 5,000 RMB and they told me I wouldn't get the 8,000 RMB until March - maybe, if the Dean decided I could. I taught for only 2 weeks, but they were contracted to pay me for the full month at the end of each month, regardless of how much I was assigned to teach. I finally told them I had to leave due to a family emergency and they said "then we won't give you your salary so you come back!" This was told to me not by "Paul" but his little Communist Henchman Xi Yanzhe (calls himself Kevin - mobile number +86-137-0006-1837) and when I told them they were violating the contract, the little Chinaman became verbally aggressive.
I bought a flight out of Beijing and got out of the school 4 days later and took the express train back to Beijing. At the Beijing Airport my bags were torn open, things were taken away from me at random by a Policeman (they took some of my new American clothes and souvenirs I was taking home for my children) so the school probably contacted the Communist Police and had them steal from me. I naturally had done nothing wrong so all they could do was steal from me and say I couldn't take out a Chinese doll out of the country and the clothes were taken because they said I bought them in China and I had to pay a tax for them, as they exported them to the USA (they were brand-new American Docker Pants). I said nothing, I wasn't going to argue with a Communist Policeman with a gun but I had my cell-phone in my hand with the Emergency U.S. Embassy in Beijing telephone number on the screen ready to be dialed and call for rescue! I let them steal over 200 Euros worth of items, I was finally allowed to go through customs with no further problems in Moscow or London (of course).
I will NEVER set foot back in that sewer of a school or city again. The City of Jinzhou is a coal-fired city, all the heating is by coal so it is filthy dirty. There is absolutely nothing to do except one stupid Karaoke Bar, which is all they do. There are no movie theatres, no clubs, no pubs and no television in English, they have two channels at the school - Communist Army and some soap opera, all in Chinese of course. The Internet is blocked by the Communists so you have to use proxy gates to go around the blockades just to get on Facebook! Everyone smokes, including the taxi drivers, inside restaurants, etc. The Liaoning University staff, especially the Dean of International Affairs and his henchman are all liars and dangerous.
The lies and promises made by ESL Consultants were just that - ALL LIES! Stay away from them at ALL COSTS! The City of Jinzhou is the filthiest city in all of China and I was sick the entire 71 days I was there! Liaoning Medical University IS NOT on the Sea like they told me, that is over 75 kilometers away - the University is ranked in the world at 5,723 and would be ranked at over 6,000, except they get away with the claim of being by the sea. The "nearby" Great Wall of China I was told was "close by" is over 200 kilometres away!
STAY AWAY FROM THESE TWO ORGANISATIONS!