Update....All i am able to find out is that the Guy had some issues in his life that were documented in His private Diary found in the apartment. He was drunk and was shouting loudly and the Police were called as residents were concerned for his safety. Unfortunately, upon entering his home he fell from the balcony and died. No further details are available, he had only been in Huadu for 10 days and was an employee of Walton. Hope he is resting soundly now.

I am sorry to hear you are one of the many either Naieve or deceived Teachers that went there to experience the Lydia and Walton crap. As Turnoi states to the absolute truth, if you know of any people that are working in places illegally, then do you, them, us and the general public a huge favour and report them to the PSB or immigration service. You may think this harsh, but the more "Fake" teachers we have here the slimmer the pickings for jobs and less trust we are given by our Chinese hosts.

I work with a guy employed on a F visa, capable of getting a Z also, but he has been on an F since he arrived in China 4 years ago, i dunno for sure, but i think he has blown his chances of getting a Z via HK as he has had loads of F's already. I have told him the consequences if he is caught, he does not care or seem to realise that it will indirectly bring me trouble as his name and my name are almost the same when said in Chinese, and i am not spending anytime in a Police Station just for them to realise a mistake if they get the wrong man! He is a nice guy and but a poor teacher ( how often have we heard that ) but, he is here chasing girls, hardly prepares a thing for classes and he isn't good enough to pull a decent class together without preparing either. I will discuss with him again about obtaining a Z visa....if that falls on deaf ears, then i have no scruples in reporting him.

WALTON SCHOOL in the headlines again ( although indirectly ) An Aussie guy in his 50's decided to jump of the 12th floor balcony when the Police turned up at his home. It's not entirely clear yet why he did that, if it was a Visa check, which happens regularly with Walton Teachers in Huadu, then it's a bit extereme to say the least. As i said, i will get more details on this story and post again, but he worked at Walton, and was married.

Walton thought i was still there, they charged me 708 RMB one month and 818 the second...I chellenged them on this and even showed them that the wheel had not turned on the meter....anyway

Yes, once again this shows incorrigible habits that these bosses of these "schools" have. I remember a similiar incident when i was working for Global IELTS in Yangzhou. I had a small, 50 square foot apartment and I didn't use the ac at all, just a small electric heater which didn't keep anything warm, and they still charged me 400 rmb for heating. The accountant at the "school" even claimed to have slips from the heating company.

How did you prove they were bullsh***ing you? Who had helped you out?

Human scum is the most appropriate name for these criminals, or Ren-zha in chinese.

You're right Emmanuel, as long as you continue to whine and whinge that you are better than others, you shall get responses whether immediately or eventually.

You refer to yourself during your notorious time at Walton school as "DOS." That of course means "Director of Studies." That is, you were in authority and charge of foreign teachers in their everyday teaching and preparations to include training.

You know that the title "Director of Studies" is the junior title of the two titles Walton school has for the foreign teacher who is appointed to supervisory authority over the foreign teachers. It is given to a qualified, but a lesser qualified foreign teacher who has a lesser experience teaching and in a management or supervisory role. You previously had been "Supervisor of Teachers," which is a lesser title than that of Director of Studies, but the two titles present a difference sans a distinction.

The title I had at Walton school, I being the graduate of a "major university in North America" to whom you refer, was Director of the Department of Foreign Services. As you (well) know, Walton school reserves this senior of the two titles for the greater qualified and more experienced foreign teacher it chooses to appoint to the directorship of the Department.

The position of Director of the Department of Foreign Services is greater and is broader in its scope as it includes direct supervision of the Chinese bilingual teacher assistants. A major focus of the Department Director is the quality of teaching, which means the DoD each day does extensive observation and evaluation in the classrooms of the foreign teachers and the Chinglish teacher assistants, individually and in their teamwork; intensive and constructive consultations are the follow up to the regular and frequent observations.

DoD additionally liaises with the community, to include corporate clients of Walton school as well as with the City and Provincial education officials to include cultural exchanges, etc.

For example, I edited the "Chinglish" into English of a 110 page book replete with magnificent color photos produced by the Guangzhou Office of Culture and Heritage. The Director of Studies would not get such an assignment as the director of studies typically - I say typically - is inter alia not a native speaker of English.

Grow up dude; stop being a spoiled brat. You always whine and spit, then complain immediately that you're reciprocally for sure going to get a bite taken out of your arse. If you want to dish it out, then you need to be able to eat the same dish you throw at others that you identify by your own peculiar choosing.

Hello,
I read what you wrote about Walton and sounds great!
I would like very much to apply for an English teaching position at Walton Language School. I have been teacjing in China for nearly 6 years and have over 15 years of teaching English both in USA and China.
Can you please tell me who to contact at Walton's to apply for a position...???
I cannot seem to find their direct website.
Can you help me please.
Thank you.
Best regards,
Franco

I was at Walton Language School from the summer 2008 until Feb 2009.The manager was a Taiwanese woman, Lydia. My contract, which I assume was similar to others, stipulated that a paid class period was defined as 60 minutes as opposed to the more typical 40-50 min. Which means every teacher was being at paid at a lower hourly rate than the typical.For the range of 22-27 periods, the teacher would get a 1000 RMB bonus.All salary payments were made in the following month.

I decided to work for her because this is when the government made changes in the visa laws related to the Olympics and I was unprepared to return back to the home country.There were major inconsistencies in her management.The first was in getting my residence permit. After two months, Penney, the assistant, said it would be ready in 1 week. Then, management reversed that, said there were troubles, but if I did a favor, then, they could make it happen. That favor turned out to be a stupid video.Later, Lydia presented my permit to me.She also requested I do some extra classes to make up for the "extra cost". The Foreign Teachers Director, Peter Sroka,missed a few of his classes. His students ended up with me. In Dec, he pulled a stunt where he disappeared from his apartment.We got to hear his lectures on Wed. about teachers being late for class.Apparently Lydia was pulling stunts on his contract.

In November, I asked the day before payday what time the salary would be ready.The next day(Sat.) Lydia said she wanted to review my classes. On Tuesday's review, I used the book that Walton management had given me. Lydia looked at the vocabulary on the board, asked what it meant. I said it was from the first page of chapter one of the book you gave me.I asked her if she had even read the book. Lydia said she was the boss, that she didn't need to read the book. The students, she said were bad, but my job was to make them happy. She was also withdrawing my monthly bonus.I decided to get sick and left the room. I stuck around because I hadn't reached some financial goals for my other country yet.Lydia has a certificate on her wall showing an MBA from City University of Oklahoma. I have my doubts. One time,she had me interview a prospective student. Then she pulled out two sheets of paper showing a system for organizing English training using 14 levels from a particular system.She asked me where he belonged in the system. I told her we didn't have the books for that system. She acted like she was clueless that she needed the books.It was just something she got off the Internet.My 10 year old nephew would know the right things to think about.

There was also the character Fabian. A polite,glad-handing Frenchman. One day in Oct.,I believe, he comes asking for money.We were about 13 days from the payday. He says he needs to get through the period. He doesn't trust Walton to borrow money. He needed 200 RMB.Then the following Tues., about 4 days before payday, he gets in a taxi,to go to Guangzhou central. Well, it costs about 200 RMB to get back-and-forth.He had class the next morning. Something doesn't add up. He did pay me back. He asked to borrow money again the next month.I politely declined.There were a couple of British 19 year olds who Lydia wouldn't give their plane fare to return home at contract expiration. After some haggling and maybe 3 weeks of additional work. They got it. Throughout the Fall 2008, there were two teachers who simply disappeared.In Jan.2009, Lydia, called me in, told me the students didn't like me, but she would try and also rewrote another contract. I went along because she controlled the apartment. I'll say a few positive things. The apartment was nice. Lydia did take the teachers out for a dinner. She took me out for a dinner by myself.This was after withholding my bonus.She probably figured she got to keep 900 RMB(1000- 100 for dinner).

There was Christopher, from Wisconsin. He was generally ok but had the habit of publicly agreeing with management, while often he privately disagreed.The management, especially Dannie,will be complimentary and polite.They will also act like they are doing you a favor.Don't take it with sincerity.For my part, I had about 35 hours of teaching including weekends.The workload did go down. But it does seem like these people strive to live by the lowest possible common denominator.

To you, Vancouver Mike I make a few finer points of current fact:

* The "Director of Studies" title you like to use hasn't been a functioning title at Walton school for some time. Again, VM, you are passe' and out of date.

*As to the union in which I was a national official, I was a regional vice president of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE);

*I was responsible for operations in six states of the AFGE National Council of EEOC Locals. The EEOC is the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission of the U.S. Government;

*EEOC personnel are trained, professional investigators who investigate charges of discrimination in employment ledged by employees who work in either the public or the private sector in the USA;

*Thus, the union to which I refer is an organization of professional employees who range in standing in the Official U.S. Government Pay Schedule from that of being a GS-7 to the highest GS ranking of GS14. At EEOC I was a GS-11, which is a high professional ranking. (I retired from the U.S. Government, Federal Communications Commisiion, the Equal Employment Branch, at GS-12.)

Further, in response to your reckless and irresponsible question: "...how does a blue collar worker suddenly become a skilled, experienced teacher?", I offer the following facts:

*I began teaching while an undergraduate in 1966 in the U.S. Government's compensatory education program "Project Upward Bound." I've taught at university and secondary levels in the USA, Korea, Thailand and presently hold the certificate of a "Foreign Expert in Culture and Education" issued by the PRC Government (the requsite 'Z' Visa).

*I have a Graduate level Educator Certificate from the USA; a Master degree and a Bachelor degreee from accredited universities there. I have 13 years experience in East Asia teaching ESL or TEOFL.

*I opened my own small English language school in the south of Thailand. I later sold it at a tidy gain.

I am current and up to date in respect to the terms and conditions of employment of foreign teachers and of the Chinese teacher's assistants at Walton school. The fact is you are not.

Clearly, your grudge doesn't allow you to recognize the substance of my posts regarding Walton school. Nor does it allow that you recognize the significance of my posts.

Indeed, you're now trying to get at Walton school by attempting to expand your bent focus on me, myself, and on my own quality of professional experience and my excellent academic credentials. Clearly, discussing Walton school with you is not a useful exercise or experience.

Whatever it may be with you, try to get over it. Each of us has to and does at one time or another.

Cheers and good luck.

I agree 100% with you Mike. It doesnt matter if Walton has turned a new leaf as far as management or any other structures for that matter (as if) Bottom line is that they are dishonest and have stolen money from employees in the past. I was personally done in by them for 8 000RMB. Tangmo is fully aware of the fact and is working for the very same person who did it to me and to many others (Ghosts) in the past. I have given them ample opportunity to rectify the problem. Ive mailed them the links to all my postings about their dishonest behaviour.
Sothey obviously dont care about it because of the lack of competition in Huadu.. maybe. Only thing we can do is to keep posting so that the word can spread..Beware, it will happen again.
Funny thing is that I worked in Taiwan for 7 years before going to China and never had any problems regarding money there. I found the Taiwanese people to be nice so it was a shock for me to be so blatantly taken advantage of in China.
BTW .Waltons other big partner in crime is: Perlandas Recruitment Agency http://perlandas.bnet.net.cn
But thats another story by itself..

Walton has a foreign teacher named S. He's from the UK but doesn't own much beyond the clothes on his back. On the other hand, the president of Walton School is a woman from Taiwan who holds an MBA from an accredited university in the USA. (She's the mother of three daughters, including twins.)

I was a (regional) vice president of my national union in the USA, so I heartily recommend "Making Capitalism in China" by You-tien Hsing. I wouldn't recommend trying to hijack a thread to pursue one's own agenda, however, regardless of how worthy the agenda may be.

The DOS title presented in a previous post by another ghost from the past likely refers to "Director of Studies", which is a defunct and passe' title no longer used at Walton school.

The present, successor title is Director, "Department of International Services", or DIS. Anyone with current, i.e., updated information or knowledge of Walton would know that; such persons would also be aware of much else current to Walton school that I present in my posts.

An another instance of major changes that many who post here miss, the DIS now includes the Chinese Teacher's Assistants as well as the foreign teachers. Streamlining two critical departments into one is another welcome change to Walton school, and is one which brings the two groups together under one manager (director) instead of only in the (non-tertiary) classroom.

Indeed, I'd suggest that statements that would be on message, responsible, informed and current would be welcome additions to the thread.

Anyway, as always, cheers.

First of all,

For all teachers considering this school,

Do you really want to work for such an abusive, demeaning, insulting person as the foreigner (or maybe not a foreigner) who wrote the message to which I am replying? Instead of answering all of the issues that were raised by so many, here and other boards, this so-called "DOS" simply insults and belittles...

Now, what does that tell you? RUN, RUN, RUN.

He admits that weekly teachers' meetings now occur in place of the previous daily meetings...he admits that teachers no longer have to share apartments, etc. For all of you contemplating a job in China, avoid this school. The reputation that it had in terms of how it truly mistreated its foreign teachers was so, so malodorous that even in spite of what this "DOS" writes (or was paid to write), if you like dancing with wolves, than no problem.

He claims that that they have teachers from various countries....go look at their website, even if it is accurate (and that may be another story) and what he writes is not what is on the website.

It is a known fact that even if you are paid on time at this school, your paycheck will shrink for whatever reasons management deems valid. If you like "the disappearing paycheck", then this school is perfect for you.

He claims that the school is perfectly legit and all have Z visas (working visas for teachers in China). Not true at all. It is highly unlikely that you will ever secure working visa if you go to work for this school.

Next, the owner is a Taiwanese businessman and if you have ever been to the mainland, you will know that dealing with a Taiwanese businessman is like pouring hot gasoline on your body and then lighting a match (meaning don't do it).

Under no circumstances should any foreign teacher consider this school.

Ha ha this is laughable. I know the guy who is trying to recruit for Walton. He used to be the biggest complainer about Huadu (the area) and the Taiwanese bosses when I was there, He is the only one who stayed behind when our whole team walked out about 6 months ago because of the school ripping some people (me included) off. Not only is it the worst school Ive worked for as far as materials and working conditions are concerned , they are also thieves and wouldnt blink an eyelid to rip you off. They have been reported to the education department and the government so beware of working for them on the wrong visa. They will get raided. Just Google their name and have a look.

Walton Language School, which is in the pleasant HuaDu District of Guangzhou City, China's 4th largest, has had me on board for about a year now.

During the past 12 consecutive years that I've been teaching ESL/EFL in East Asia, I've experienced first hand the extremes on offer to we who are in this industry.

In Korea, for instance, the government's educational system (and the society) are highly structured and super organized; heirarchial, sexist, predictable; there exists such fixed routines that there aren't any surprises at all. It's also boring, mundane, static.

In Bangkok, Thailand, the government and the proprietary schools (as with the society) are disorganized, unfocused, at times chaotic, often confused and confusing, unpredictable, capriciously managed by ameteurs and fixed in tradition and custom. It's hopeless there.

Walton Language School is a more than happy medium.

*One can teach any grade level along the continuum from KG to college/university to adult learners.

*Curriculum, textbooks and materials are among the best I have ever seen or worked with.

*There;s an RMB 1,000 monthly performance bonus which is a cakewalk (be present, on time; have lesson plans completed). The monthly bonus can total to an additional RMB of 10,000 to 12,000 in a year.

*Learners in China treat foreign teachers (Laochi) with respect and pleasantly. It's almost embarrassing to say that Chinese learners want to learn, but the consistent fact is they do.

*On the opposite bank of the canal that flows alongside Walton school are outdoor cafes, restaurants, bistros, to include barbequed food. The canal continues into a large and pleasant public park across from the front of Walton school.

*Foreign teachers live a few blocks from the school in modern, rent free housing (my service charge last month was RMB 84). Accommodations are new and spotless, well equipped (wall tv, dvd player, microwave etc), comfortable, secure and well kept. We live on the top floors. The buildings are next to the largest shopping center in the area.

Contact me via or at the Walton school website . I look forward to talking with you and to meeting you here. We're only a few hours from Hong Kong or Macao and convenient to the Guangzhou International Airport.