The main problem that is caused with TCs and public holidays is that the public schools in china insist on 'making up' classes that are missed as the result of the holiday (it begs the question why have the holiday in the first place?). These made up classes generally happen at the weekend, which is when TCs do most of their business so the TC is required to cancel classes at the weekend because most students will be at public school.

TCs teach adults as well as students, and the making up days for public holidays is not just a public school thing, it affects every industry in China!

Even the baboons that run most TCs understand the basic principle that you need to keep course production high in order to turn a profit so they will usually reschedule the weekend classes during the middle of the week when the students are off - the short holidays are usually 3 days with 1 day being the actual festival/official holiday which they usually choose to avoid scheduling classes on but they'll view the other 2 days as fair game and they certainly won't pay overtime for you working during them. From what I've seen of TC contracts they usually only pay overtime when you exceed your contracted hours and even then that is usually only calculated on a weekly average over the month, meaning you might get screwed with high hours one week as a result of them shuffling classes around due to public holidays but so long as they can get the average down over the rest of the month you won't be paid any extra. The other issue is when they decide to make you work during a public holiday and then give you a day in lieu. The day on which the holiday is taken is then usually decided by the employer and not the employee and you shouldn't be surprised to find that it'll be a day when the school is quiet - again course production overrides the needs and wants of teachers and in some cases the law itself (whatever that might mean in china)

That doesn't mean TCs are not doing wrong, some have been f**ked for breaking those laws in the past! Also, even if they are given that day off in lieu, they are still entitled to the double/triple pay for working on the public holiday according to the law, as far as I am aware, regardless of the terms of the contract. That has been the case of a few companies that I have worked at, some staff members would even volunteer to work during the spring festival to bank all this extra cash.

As far as awareness of these terms amongst teachers go, my mate who works part-time at a TC caught them out with this, noticing a discrepancy on his paycheck. He didn't call in the authorities though- he was technically working illegally anyway as it was part-time, he just gave a couple of gangster friends a call and lead them into the manager's office, lol. I trust that he got his money and did not work another single hour for them.

I totally agree that employers should explain these differences to prospective employees before they arrive in China. Most westerners will arrive here with the idea that a holiday is a holiday and doesn't require making up the time lost at an earlier/later date - this issue causes friction between foreign teachers and Chinese employers involved in both public and private education in china.

This needs not be suggested, it should be a given.

As for people complaining about the length of holidays. YOU WORK IN A SCHOOL!!! How are you supposed to teach students when they are at home. "But they didn't tell us that the holidays were so long" yeah, and you didn't think about it. They told you you would go to a school. Just get a part time job through the summer. It's only 2 months during the summer. "Yeah but winter and summer combined is 4 months!" Yeah but to work both summer and winter you would have to work for more than 1 year. That means you signed another contract. Why do that if the company is so crappy? Choose where you want to work just be realistic and remember your in China.

Here we have another wumao with the 'remember your in China' business, not only that an hilarious grammar mistake, but he is following the traditional tactic of discrediting the poster and implying that they weren't cut out for China...

Well, if you are going to hire some fresh off the boat newbie... Did the HR not ask them suitable questions about multi-cultural adaptability or knowledge during the original job interview? Do you not provide training or support for employees?

Some strange stuff about holidays there, confusing to say the least... Universities have very long PAID vacations. OK, contracts are usually 10 months these days...

Even at the shittiest of TCs, you are not paid by the hour, unless you work part time; which is technically illegal, so we have you encouraging illegal behaviour.
In fact, most TCs, whilst not following public school/universities schedules for practical reasons, will actually get more business during those school/university holidays. Most TCs will actually despite the lack of the long summer/winter vacation, at least follow general Chinese employment law and give you all public holidays off or a standard rate of overtime pay (usually triple). Most have the sense not to remain open on such days as they get no customers coming to class anyway.

I don't see what all the fuss is about. For a start most of the things you guys are talking about sound like stupid conspiracy theories i.e. "They keep secret files on all their teachers then send the information to Big foot's secret lair in a volcano on the moon." I've been teaching there for just under 4 years. Have I ever not been paid before? I am always paid on time and correctly. Have I had lessons canceled? Yeah, sometimes. Thats what happens when you work with schools. I've never had problems with my WORK VISA that they provided. My residence permit is safe in my passport which I have. No one is dumb enough to give people their passport. In fact you have a legal obligation to keep it safe as it is not your property but your governments. I know I have written a lot but thats because there is a lot of crap on this forum. I wonder how long it will be before Turnoi accuses me of being Helen or an evil clone of her from Mars. As for people complaining about the length of holidays. YOU WORK IN A SCHOOL!!! How are you supposed to teach students when they are at home. "But they didn't tell us that the holidays were so long" yeah, and you didn't think about it. They told you you would go to a school. Just get a part time job through the summer. It's only 2 months during the summer. "Yeah but winter and summer combined is 4 months!" Yeah but to work both summer and winter you would have to work for more than 1 year. That means you signed another contract. Why do that if the company is so crappy? Choose where you want to work just be realistic and remember your in China.

Tell me about it, Martin; you're not exaggerating , Mate. All I said, is that correspondence course doctorates suck; and I get accused of selling diamonds with Mugabe in Rhodesia and spending a lot of time inside UK prisons, in between throwing innocents tenants out on the streets of London. In the words of the great man himself "Ha Ha ha." I mean Charles Dickens of course, he used that a lot in his tales.