Its been brought up that approximately 2000 RMB has been reduced in our salary. Turns out this happened the last 5 months as well! The only viable explanation was that it was a “systematic” error but no mention of exactly how much they will reimburse. Not only did they delay our pay again but they shortchanged everyone once again as well.

To make the situation even more frustrating the school asks us to do another background check that very same day. Once again CGS is full of ridiculous requirements and we as teachers have no choice but to follow them. We need to stand up for our rights and hold the administration accountable for their actions and ridiculous requirements.

After already having requested a full background check earlier last month with a questionable third party company, it is completely ridiculous for them to ask us again. It’s almost as if our right to privacy does not exist. How many companies must we share our information with? Including our passport and social security numbers? This is especially bad because CGS has a history of leaving important private documents lying around the tables at FAO. Last year someone’s identity was stolen due to this very reason and it took ages to correct the issues through the expected bureaucracy while living abroad.

Furthermore, it is the absolute worse time for them to be bothering teachers with this matter. They have already, or should have conducted background checks before the hiring process or during the summer. Most teachers have come from reputable schools or organisations such as Search Associates and it’s insulting to keep being bombarded with these ridiculous demands. It’s no wonder CGS has been officially removed from Search Associates. It is only a matter of time where other reputable organizations follow suit. This is a busy time for us, we don’t have time to waste on this cgs gestapo nonsense.

Lastly, it does not mention anywhere in our contracts that at the end of the first semester we would be required to do a background check. Any due diligence the school wanted, should have been done pre-arrival. They have no grounds on which to force all staff to obey this demand. If they have a particular problem with some admin staff members, they should deal with them personally and leave the teachers out of it.Will we have our passports back in time for the Chinese New Year Holiday period? We all bought our plane tickets, months ago.

We need to stop this kind of behaviour before it gets worse. Believe me, CGS will take advantage of you and throw you out when you are no longer useful to them (previous teachers, think contract delays after Chinese New Year). Stand up for your rights while you still can. For those of you that are new to this school, simply go online and read the reviews of what happened last year at CGS. Last year before Chinese New Year Holiday, cgs sacked 25 local Chinese teachers and forced them to vacate there dormitory rooms.They also sacked, 5 Western teachers and 4 Western teachers pulled runners.

[edited]