Re ‘Echo English’, located in Binjiang, Hangzhou

They are the worst.

Re ‘Echo English’, located in Binjiang, Hangzhou

This is a late reply, but I'm hoping it will serve as a warning to anyone considering working for them. I worked for them for six months as a teacher in a local school and my overall advice would be to AVOID them like the plague. They're little more than glorified human traffickers. Here's some of the things they've done to me alone;

They'll rip you off, taking well over 50% of your paycheque. I have it on good authority (several disgruntled Chinese employees that have left the company) that each school pays Echo 13,000 RMB (£1,393 or $2,000) per month. The teachers see 6,000 (£643 or $923) of that. Every other foreign teacher I've met has been literally astounded by a contract and wage that bad.

Within a couple of hours of my stepping off the plane, one of their employees started sexually harassing me. She kept touching me inappropriately (squeezing my arse etc), making suggestive remarks relentlessly, even when I told her I had a girlfriend. You may not bat an eyelid at that, but imagine if the genders were reversed.

They're encouraged by their manager to lie to your face. When they told me where my school would be, they told me it would be in Taizhou and there would be other foreigners, expats and Western comforts there. Instead it was Tiantai, a town in the middle of nowhere and I was isolated as the only foreigner for a hundred miles. I've never felt such crushing loneliness in my life. When I forced my way out of that school, they tried the same trick again, telling me the replacement school was in Wenzhou, when instead it was hours away in Yueqing.

When I was in Tiantai, in complete cultural and lingual isolation and genuinely considering suicide as a result, they flat out refused to find me another school. They threatened to fine me $1500 and blacklist me from ever teaching in China. They were both empty threats, but I didn't know that at the time.

I managed to get round that one by teaching badly on purpose (sticking a movie on as soon as I got into class). When that happened, they stopped paying me and one of their employees called me 'an asshole'. I didn't want to resort to that, but I was genuinely concerned for my own mental health due to isolation and lack of human contact (I had some weekends where I was too depressed to leave my bed). As far as I'm concerned, they forced my hand

It stipulates in the contract that you sign that Echo will pay for your working visa for a year. They don't. Instead, the schools cover the cost. I discovered this when I got my passport back and the visa in it was only valid until February the 8th. The school in Tiantai only ever had any intention of hiring me for one school semester, so they only paid for my visa for that amount of time. Because of Echo's penny-pinching, I had to leave China during Spring Festival anyway. A blessing in disguise. I've found work in Vietnam and have never been happier.

These agencies will try and make you believe that your services are worth very little; they'll probably tell you that there are loads of foreigners going for the same job as you (there aren't), that you don't have enough experience (the schools don't care) or that foreign teachers don't make that much (they really, REALLY do). Even if you have no experience whatsoever, you can still get a job in Shanghai, earning 13,000-16,000 RMB a month. No matter what bullshit agencies like Echo tell you, do not settle for anything less.

Re: ‘Echo English’, located in Binjiang, Hangzhou

I have applied for a teaching job with this company and over the last few months I have gone back and forth with one of the recruiters, they have amended my contract (English and Chinese) they have increased my housing allowance and they have specified the working hours as per my request, they have sent me copies of their legal documents and I have checked all the information with a Chinese friend I went to university with.

I have found them to be very courteous and understanding when I have have asked so many questions. I understand everyone has a different view of recruiters - the way I see it is they are providing a service, the same way that Randstad or Hayes does back in the UK they find you a job in the area you want to work.

I came across this thread today an some of the comments are a little alarming (although some just seem like haters) obviously I am not in China and I have not seen the apartment or the school I will be teaching at so I might be disappointed when I arrive, I hope the last few months of negotiations will provide me with what I have asked for.

I originally considered one of the big language schools but decided I would prefer to work for a school over a language mill, I cam across Echo English and decided to give them a chance , I have spoken to three of their employees the recruiter, the guy who is the liaison for the teachers (American) and one of the new teachers (a young lad from the UK) they have all given me information on what it would be like to work in china.

I will update my experience after I arrive, I was told by the liaison guy that if I was not happy he would organise a new school or apartment so that I was happy the way I see it if I am not happy where I live or work then I am not going to be a good teacher and for the company to succeed it is their interest to make sure teachers are happy with their conditions, this company has been running for 8 years if they were that bad then they would have closed down by now and I would expect to see a lot of negative posts from disgruntled previous teachers, which I haven't!

I will update in the new year

take it easy,

Mike

Re: ‘Echo English’, located in Binjiang, Hangzhou

Every experience in life is subject to ones point of view. Sometimes in life things doesn't go your way, but what defines you is how you deal with it.

So let’s take the apartment for instance, when you realized you were not happy with the apartment, did you go to an agent to try and find another place to stay?

When you asked for a raise, what did you base this on? If the school just gave you a raise they would have to raise all the Foreign teacher’s salary - what is good for one teacher is good for the other.

This is a training school, and it runs very differently from a Private school so if you wanted 10 000RMB basic a month you should have gone to a Private School in the first instance.

Working till the last day of your contract is a very general practice all over the world, why should it be different because you are a teacher? A work day is a work day - be innovative do something to better your surroundings instead of complaining - it takes the same amount of energy

I have been working here for a long time and I can say that I am very happy. Don’t get me wrong it’s not sunshine and roses all the time, as with all things in life, but we have freedom here to come up with solutions and not moan about the problem. We have the freedom to voice our opinion and be heard. We work as a team.

As I said in the beginning - it’s all based on one’s personal point of view. Maybe you were not right for this position - by the sound of your message you actually would like to work in a Private School so maybe you set yourself up for failure by pursuing something that you are not suited for.

I truly hope that you have found a position that makes you happy.

I have definitely found my position at this school that makes me happy and that challenges me every day to better myself and give me the freedom to work with great people from all walks of life!

Re: ‘Echo English’, located in Binjiang, Hangzhou

So before they were hiring teachers illegally you are saying? Wow, not to be trusted.

Re: ‘Echo English’, located in Binjiang, Hangzhou

Hi, I have received an invitation from echo english to work with them, I just want to get more details is this a Legit company? and can you possible provide the exact location? Any suggestions or more information will be highly appreciated. Thank you.

Re: ‘Echo English’, located in Binjiang, Hangzhou

Hi Laura,

This is my first time to find out your questions and these comments on ESLteachersboard. I'd like you to see things a little bit differently :
All these comments are made on 2012, yet things are just so different from what it was because with regards to the license to hire foreign teachers, Echo IS licensed to hire now. If you do not believe if a school is licensed or not, just ask the HR recruiter who recruited you to send you a copy of their license, and then you will see it yourself with your own eye. You're welcome to ask me for a glance of it :) So it's not necessary to say that this school is legitimate enough. Whoever deny it will be considered fraud or slandering.

Secondly, the Hangzhou subway has just begun its operation on October. And this subway happened to stop right at Echo English's block. I often take the subway spending 20 minutes to LongXiangQiao, the very stop that you can see the Westlake, and 3 stop to be the city train station, and 6 stops at the very center of Hangzhou. What's more, if you are not living in Hangzhou, you may not have any idea that Echo is located at the Star Avenue, which is the center of Binjiang Area. This area maybe a little bit crowded than some small cities that you have seen.

If you're not living in Hangzhou, you may find it hard to imagine there are few big trainning school in Hangzhou because it is not such a good idea living in downtown if you don't have enough money due to the high rent. I guess you mean downtown with convenient transportation and foods and population. It is not hard to find area even 1 hour away from Westlake, because that's how big cities supply to its fellow citizen. Xiaoshan is itself a city before it's included as "Part of Hangzhou". So there is not fair to state Xiaoshan as a rural area with barely nothing (Xiaoshan people will say it's soooo untrue) (They got the Hangzhou Paradise Theme Park there)

If you have any questions, please ask me freely or just ask local people who does live here or who current working here. It will be more true and more detailed than any other comments :)

Re: ‘Echo English’, located in Binjiang, Hangzhou

I wouldn't work for them. It just sounds like another language mill/TC to avoid imho.

‘Echo English’, located in Binjiang, Hangzhou

Hi guys. I was wondering if anyone has had an experience with Echo English before. I tried googling reviews them and I got no real hits on them. Is this a legitimate school? Has anyone dealt with them before?