Dear Frank,

Currently right now I am teaching in Jiangshan Shi Yan Middle School which is in Jiangshan city. It is a wonderful school and I need to find a teacher that can replace me starting in March. If you arrive by the end of January the school will pay you for the month of February even though you don't work.

You teach 20 lessons a week that are taught in the mornings or afternoons. You have every Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday off. There are no office hours and once your classes have been taught you can go home. Accomodation is very nice, it is clean and well equipped. The school also gives you a laptop computer and there is internet access in the flat and in the school office as well as the classrooms.

The school doesn't charge for utilities and food is free in the school cafeteria. ( and it is pretty good!) The monthly salary is 5000 RMB a month and that is more than enough for this city as the cost of living here is very cheap(taxis cost 3 RMB!!) We are in close proximity to downtown and grocery stores......there is also a school up the road that has foreign teachers so you won't be lonely.

Honestly the school has never paid me late once or given me an ounce of grief EVER!!! This is the best school that I have worked in my 7 years in China!!!

Now comes the answer to the question on everyone's mind and it is .......if it is so good at your school why are you leaving????? Quite simply my partner and I have opened a clothing boutique in Shanghai and I need to be there to assist with the shop. Also I want to live in the same house and city as my partner...........so if you are interested please let me know as I am leaving on January 26th and would really like to find them a teacher.....

Classes are finished on June the 28th 2007!!!

Jules,

Again, thanks for the rapid and kind response. Yes, it is all quite bizarre! I try to be very careful before I post something negative in this forum and have my facts and scenarios as well prepared as possible.

Thanks for the invitation to meet you in Shanghai. Do you teach in a place that you would recommend to others?

I worked for three years in Nanjing, and now I am in a horrible situation in Anhui that will end (thank, God!) in a few weeks.

Best,

Frank

Greetings, Jules!

Thanks for your reply and the important additional information. I don't doubt your sincerity, but a few months ago when I responded to an ad represented by "ilovebluefish," it was Maggie who met me in Suzhou, and it was Maggie who gave me a business card that read "ilovebluefish."

The reason I claim "Isabeil" is also this person is that when I had a heated, private message exchange with Maggie, via AsiaXpat.com, several weeks ago, the same user name box (san47873) accepted a message from me last evening for "Isabeil" who was representing yet another position in Suzhou.

Does the Maggie you know also work directly for Suzhou University? The one I met in person (also claiming to be "ilovebluefish") gave me a tour of the SU campus and introduced me to various administrative folks at SU as well.

Perhaps I am mistaken -- as you say -- that Maggie and "ilovebluefish" are one and the same person. All I know is that the day I met Maggie she was also representing herself as "ilovebluefish," business cards and all. Again, I am CERTAIN that Maggie is also "Isabeil."

Perhaps the real "ilovebluefish" (Joyce) should have a serious confrontation with the fake "ilovebluefish." (I'd buy tickets to that one!)

Thanks again for your reply, and shedding additional light on the situation. Please extend my apologies to Joyce for any trouble I have caused her. It is "Maggie May" a/k/a "Isabeil" I am trying to warn people about.

I did a bit of digging and found the ESLteachersBoard.com job posting (below) which first put me in touch with Maggie May, First via email; and then in person a few days later. After the SU job fell apart, she introduced me to another Suzhou enterprise that was a disaster (all the while claiming to be "ilovebluefish" and "Maggie May" as one and the same):

suzhou - English job offered
Posted By: Suzhou University <ilovebluefish@yahoo.com.cn>
Date: 11 September 2006
Suzhou University is currently looking for one ESL Teacher
# Workload: 20 classes/week, 45minutes per class hour
# Monthly salary (RMB): 6500RMB
# Trip allowance: return international tickets
# Courses to teach: oral english and TOEFL/IELTS
# accommodation : 1800RMB housing allowance monthly
# Z visa
# Medical insurance
# students age : 18-20
# class size: 25-30 students
# start date : SEPT 17,2006
Requirements:
# nativeative English Speaker
# Bachelor's Degree
# teaching experience to TOTEL/IELTS is preferable

Best,

Frank