This message is concerning an EF branch in Taiyuan. I write this to inform potential teachers who may be considering a position with this school. While I do not want to say much about myself, suffice it to say that I know and live in the area.

Basically, this school had a good foreign head teacher who stood up for the foreign teachers and maintained a balance that was necessary. Well, if you know anything about traditional Chinese leadership, then you know that bosses are suppose say Hao Xiang Fa, Tong Yi, Hao De (basically kiss this boss's rear). This great head teacher was fired and replaced by Chinese person who was born and raised in Jamaica. In his weakness, this person merely told the bosses want they wanted to hear and never stood up for the foreign teachers.

Here is the situation as I heard it. Please understand that I have not worked for this school, and my only interest is seeing positive changes that benefit the teachers and the students. New teachers were brought in under the incorrect visas and began teaching (This is illegal and those teachers should have known better). The teachers were told to fly to Hong Kong to get new visas. They were told everything had been prepaid (both the visa costs and the hotel) and it would take only a day. Well, they arrived, and the office had not been paid (indeed, they said it was not possible to prepay) and it would take three days. In addition, the hotel had not been paid. These 3 foreign teachers notified EF, and the management accused them of lying and trying to take an extended vacation on the company's dime. (NOTE: For those unfamiliar with Chinese workplace politics, this is too often the norm. No one uses their brain, and everyone simply tries to keep their job by keeping the boss happy. Stepping on underlings and foreign teachers is just par for the course.) After a lot of back and forth, the teachers got the company to pay the bill (one teacher was forced to return to South Africa by the visa office), but they found out on payday that they would foot the bill. When this happened, one teacher quit immediately and refused to return despite the pleading of the Chinese staff who now knew they would be facing many angry parents who were promised classes with a FT. Remember this last point if a similar situation happens to you, a Chinese school's Achilles heel is the parents.

Hope this helps,
Mark