Dear Jason:

Thanks for sharing your recollections of your employment with us from December 5, 2012 until March 2, 2013.

I didn’t respond to your first post out of principle.

You were just 26, and not everyone’s cut out to live and work overseas.

I, too, had it tough my first year in China in ’89.

Like you, my second teaching job was a better fit for me than my first one.

I honestly can’t remember if the second school was a better company or if I just needed
that first year to get my sea-legs.

———————

Your second post was written when you were already 30 and had already returned back to the U.K.

I remember you as a bright, happy, tall and handsome gentleman who played guitar in our band,
used his forensics computing skills to fix some computers, and hit the ground running after having been trained a bit.

Until about three weeks into your stay with us (late-December 2012), when homesickness kicked in, you told us that
someone back home got murdered during a drug deal, and you relapsed.

Your branch manager gave you paid time off to pull yourself together after you received this traumatic news.

We suggested return to the United Kingdom for a while, but you insisted on staying on with us because you said
you liked it here with us.

An eclectic, mutually-supportive teaching community, we have a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy regarding our staff’s off-the-job behavior
- as long as it neither affects the team’s on-the-job performance nor jeopardizes our legal standing here in the P.R.C.

Our greatest fear is a team-member’s bogging us all down in an alcohol and/or narcotics-related deportation or incarceration situation.

As happened to several foreign instructors at a neighboring school after you left, authorities here not only incarcerate and deport
the offender(s), but also impose draconian fines on - and place on a probationary blacklist – the hiring institution.

———————

In addition to feared potential legal liabilities, your mounting absenteeism, tardiness, mood swings and negativity affected your
colleagues’ ability to do their jobs because we had to cover for you on an almost daily basis.

We, your friends, naively tried to recover the “old you” by providing ample downtime, space and support.

Locating a full-time replacement on short notice past the hiring season is difficult in a third-tier city, so we had to bring in
part-timers and increase everyone’s workload.

———————

To clarify, we fulfilled our side of the bargain by providing you with everything we had promised you prior to your arrival.

You received an apartment in the same building as your branch, loaner clothes and jackets from your colleagues
(which were reportedly used as toilet paper they discovered when fumigating your apartment), and our local staff helped
replace your phone and belongings whenever you misplaced them.

Your salary was punctual, and you received bonuses and cash advances when your funds ran short.

Among other things, I also bought you your own personal guitar because you missed yours back home in Newport.

———————

You suggest that you were coerced to come to China.

Like hundreds of others, you responded to our online ad, and my colleagues and I showed you as many aspects of
your future life teaching with us as we could via Skype, email, photos and videos throughout the Spring of 2012.

We e-mailed our employment contract, which you read (while still in Wales), we discussed at length online,
and then you, me and our CEO - after going over it yet again - signed an identical version of, on November 29, 2012,
right after you arrived.

———————

Your Hong Kong visa run was the last straw.

In mid-January of 2013, when you were showing some signs of progress, we flew you to Hong Kong to renew your visa.

Prior to your departure, your branch manager held a foreign-teacher staff meeting to delineate each step of the
visa procurement process.

According to you, you went on a three-day alcohol and multi-substance tear in Kowloon upon arrival.

You said you lost your backpack, wallet, money, phone and air ticket.

You said you pawned your wristwatch to call us to request more money and another ticket.

We forwarded more funds and sent you a new ticket.

You said you relapsed again, spent that money and missed the second flight, too.

After you finally returned from Hong Kong, your colleagues and I agreed to assume your workload until it
was decided that you were ready to teach again.

That point never came.

Your colleagues voted you off the island.

On March 2th, 2013, you made your final tactical retreat.

We never heard from you again.

———————

You may have hit a rough patch working with us, Jason, but we’ve never stopped believing in you.

You say you're doing well right now, and we're happy for you.

However, some of us find it curious that you're still so traumatized a three-month gig years ago and,
for whatever reasons, have yet to move on.

In fact, we interpret your repetitive postings as signs you want to get back in touch with us.

If so, we’d like nothing more than meeting up one day to iron out our differences.

If I’m wrong, that’s ok, too.

Thanks for your service.

We wish you the best.

RJ

Good day to whatever individual is currently reading my personal account of working for Dr. J at Greenhill. You are probably like me – in wonder of this guy who loves the Chinese people because of this two decades of study of Chinese literature and poetry, but yet who has absolutely no reservations about reprobating people who, foreign or local , are there to take advantage of his deep investors’ purses. And before you read this, no matter who you are, do you have a degree from Harvard in classical Chinese like Dr. J or are you some schmuck or putz, sorry, I’m Jewish-heritage, to come here to try out China for the experience?

By the way, I’m typing this out on a keyboard and I’m sober; I’m not going to add a bunch of Chinese ESL teacher bs about not being able to to type out because of the medium or, frankly, J[edited] [edted] I’m drunk or stoned.

And if you, as an ESL fill-in don’t like my using your real name in this posting, well, sorry; we’re all here in China trying to make a difference. Make trouble for me all you want, as you have our Dr. J, who picked up up … taught you Chinese .. . and who got you started here … respect, brother, respect.

You might not think it matters to you because you can find a barfly girlfriend or maybe you might enroll in classes to translate China for you; however, for others, like my Dr. J, he paid his price and he did his share and he knows all your personal information (part of application process) but still didn’t lift a finger against you … he knows where Sean is in Yunlin … he’s a mensch and would never Welsh on his bets, no matter what you say. … You know me. You know you can write all this bullshit about Dr. J and he won’t do anything because he loves you, as he does me and the rest of the world. He is our modern-day Jesus-figure who forgives people and who tries to give them a new chance.

Please allow me to point some things out immediately before I say my piece. First off, I am no longer an employee at Greenhill, due to my own shortcomings at the time, so I do not have anything to gain from this commentary whatsoever. I came to Dr. J and Greenhill from another Asian country (Korea) and like you, that you like to omit, I was coddled to the point of embarrassment and yes, I maybe might have worked on Christmas, but, you know what, brother, we’re in Asia now. It’s just like asking for teacher’s day off when you’re gainfully employed anywhere in the British Commonwealth, including the USA. We come to Asia to experience Asia, not to expect that it’s the same Asia as our grandmother/father’s world.

Second, you can refer to me as RZ and I have given Dr. J permission to personally give my Skype account information to anyone considering working for Greenhill or taking the previous, ridiculous slander of his company seriously. Third … I want to point out that I am not here to slander the previous posters or call them liars, as I only know one of them and I refuse to stoop to the level of humanity that they have reduced themselves to. I understand this was your first time to leave the Kingdom and, yes, it might have caused you some discomfort, and yes, I know that you have a degree in computer forensics, which means that you know to manipulate the WEB to make your postings come up first everywhere. Good for you! … Now, get over it.

You guys probably couldn’t make it in your own country … and I’m sorry for that … but don't dis the master due to your own weaknesses. It’s just weird; you might need some time for reflection to understand this, but this is the truth!

This man and this company are emotionally important to me and my life and it is my correct, undisputable, and factual opinion that the previous posters are either; misguided, hurt for some reason, misinformed, or simply lacking moral capacity … .so I guess this post is not opinion after all. So, without further ado, let my story begin:

When I was left I was still high and dry and jobless and looking for a solution to my life in Korea, a man you all know of as Dr. J contacted me with a three-page, personal e-mail, describing his company, his positive ambition, and information about his company. We began to talk on the phone and through e-mail and shortly after, he said to me:

“I’m going to a take a chance to hire you and get you the visa you need to come over here (which I eventually prepared and submitted legal documentation for). The man trusted me; he loved me from the start, even telling me about the love of his life, Partricia. At the time, I was debating taking a university job in Korea and could have easily walked away from this offer; leaving him at a loss … but despite the advice of others, I trusted him and felt that I knew him before I even left for China.

When I arrived in Shanghai with my cat, a very kind Greenhill woman met me at the airport and started to carry my bags away. I began to panic, as it was my understanding that I needed to find my own way and transportation to Wuxi. After the joke was up, the woman handed me a phone and Dr. J was there to greet me, saying: “Surprise! I bet you didn’t expect an escort!” Dr. J and the woman got me safely to Wuxi, where I began to wonder: “Is my promise of a high-rise, skyline view, 2-bedroom apartment really going to happen?”

It did. In fact, the apartment was so expensive that they paid double the promised housing allowance for it, which I eventually paid back even though they would have never pressured me to do so. I learned over the next few days that Dr. J was exactly as I saw in the Youku video (in your crazy “You’ve Been Greenhilled Youku Dr. J … videos you intend to dis the master, but rather I just see a professional American aside a wanna-be-star Europengyou … who carries you the entire way … politely and masterfully as Dr. J always does …

Frankly, when I see you beside the Master, all I see is someone who wants to shine like we all did, but you cut out and cut into the bottle (everyone knows that Dr. J doesn’t drink, and at bars he arrives beforehand asking for grape juice with soda … it takes a while to learn Dr. J’s method) before Dr. J could train you, but that’s not your fault. Just leave it at that. Three million viewers will differ from you; if you don’t like him, well, that’s your own beef … just keep the free English lessons coming!

Some of which include me: aka ‘brother from a different mother’ and others). Here was a man that most people couldn’t understand; Dr. J is an artist like only Harvard can produce: Simplicity and complexity on the same vin. People were afraid of his positivity so much that they started to create methods in their minds to avoid the fact that he simply was a guy who cared so much for his employees and lost sleep over it every night.

In fact, as we grew closer, people would confront him with situations, questions, even asking for 9000 yuan loans because a certain employee smashed a phone in a bar (you or another hater’s comments … we don’t have time for splitting hairs) … people took J’s lack of immediate response as a lack of caring or hiding. People didn’t see him nearly in tears in his office trying to decide what answer to give and how to avoid hurting anyone.

Shortly after things became settled, I met an employee who I’ll refer to as ‘Jaybles,’ for all you fans out there of people who create fake accounts to support their own post (since it is his post that started everything – and if you don’t know China then you’re all accept everything as true … but China is a place where competition runs as thick as blood everywhere … and where foreigners are often given sweet bonuses to dis their Western friends/employers are schmucks for a beer or a hundred or two … this is China … cut-throat

. This was a guy, you Jable, who did not pay back his loans. You were there, although Dr. J studpidly loved you, as a a guy who who showed potential Dr. J was willing to pay for but who was unlike any teacher that I had seen in my career, which has been more than 6 years abroad. This guy was told not to come to China until the visa issue was sorted out. Instead, he showed up in Hong Kong, got trashed, missed his flight, and asked Dr. J to pay for it. Instead, Dr. J literally gave him the clothes off of his back, gave him a guitar at 1200Rrmb, and asked for nothing in return other than some good work. What did sir Jaybles do?

You had never been Asia-screwed but you were more like your well-meaning progeny who has turned half the globe into your debt; yes, we didn’t want this and that but yes when we were weren’t cogent with the crown’s wisheses, al be it, it it often seemed like the Queen of Amsterdam’s wishes, we were just stagnant, worthless yankee trash who were either serving the CIA or the Rothschilds, whichever your buzz led you to …

Well, I did not know him well, but I do know that I wound up teaching several of his classes as he was standing out in the hallway gossiping and not giving a crap about his job. I do know that he took a week off from work without saying anything and did not get fired for it. I remember you saying that “Dr. J respects the Eventually, the emotional stress he caused the company caused an unfortunate series of messages to be sent Crown and doesn’t dare differ …”

that I am sure you have read about. This is humanity. People have emotions. I am not sure that Jaybles did. The guy took off with the guitar, clothes, money, and has done nothing but create problems for a man he does not even know well. Any prospective employer should be more afraid of Jaybles than an employee should be afraid of Dr. j.

During my time at Greenhill, I never had less than 2 days off per week, always in a row; they offer two days a week in a row had holidays that were recognized. Promises of promotion were lived up to as I became a branch manager, as well as everyone else who has stayed (there are many employees at Greenhill who have been there for years………..and for one particular great woman, more than 13 years).

I never got paid late. Even when I quit, I got my money. I was allowed to stay in my apartment for nearly 2 months after leaving the company because they didn’t want to see me have a hard time. Dr. J even gave me money out of his own pocket to help me get back on track and never asked for me to pay it back when I moved to Shanghai……….which, by the way, was a move facilitated by Dr. J, who asked an employee to drive me to my new home. My time at Greenhill was a time to remember for the rest of my life and I hope that someday, I can work side-by-side with this great man again. He trusts his employees and sometimes crosses the boss-barrier. He laughs in the face of obstacles and smiles, saying ‘we’re getting there.’ He does not let the stresses of his work affect others. I remember only one incident where he asked people to work overtime for an emergency…….which was strictly VOLUNTARY! How do I know this?..... Everyone who was currently employed at the time (even mothers) volunteered to stay and “I” was the one who left to go have fun. I never received any negative feelings from him for it. Instead, throughout my time there, I got free haircuts, hats, and some clothing just because he thought it looked good on me and might look good at the school. These gifts had NO hidden intentions and neither does the man. His curriculum is the work of many years of university, including a degree from Harvard, and this doctor of a man knows more languages than I can count. He even likes to visit IKEA to read the Swedish books which he actually understands. He does invite his employees out for fun at times but has never asked for anything in return. Those nights out were some of the best I have ever had and talking about them at a nice, laid-back work environment where I made music, never taught more than 25 classes in a week, and where I could feel secure was just as great. Apparently some people do not like teaching one class and having 8 office hours. I guess those people are just to idiotic to consider the point that the school was having trouble getting students in the Dong-Ting branch that year and that they were assigning those full hours to certain teachers to justify paying 100% full salary to them without breaking contract. Seriously people, stop complaining about jobs where you work LESS than your contract stipulates!
When the time came for me to leave and address my health concerns, Dr. J was extremely cooperative, as well as his wonderful manager Eleanor. They helped me with release letters (which I still have copies of), good recommendations to my new employer (which I can show a business card for), and smooth transition of my FOREIGN EXPERT CERTIFICATE. I do not know what the seriously-troubled posters before me were thinking at all. Perhaps it was their own delusional reality that convinced them to change the actual reality of a situation. No one is ‘trapped’ at Greenhill. If you think you are trapped; that is your own fault for being paranoid. They DO provide absolutely legal visas and FEC’s, which truly aided me in finding my new job. Their housing is always top notch. They truly, honestly, care about every student that walks through that door and their way of doing things, as unique as it may be in China, is the best that I have ever had the privilege to witness at a private English-teaching company (which also happens to teach may other languages as well). People don't EVER get yelled at. People do NOT get kicked out of their houses unfairly. People DO get legal visas. The contracts are FAIR and ABIDED BY. In fact, most of the times, teaching hours are less than the contract states and employees who do stupid things are usually just handled in the friendliest manner possible. This man, his wife, and their manager do their ABSOLUTE BEST for people. They are human, so do not expect them to be perfect.
Listen to me and listen to me carefully: The people who are out to slander Dr. J and his company are people that I, personally, cannot consider human. Humanity is about compassion, understanding, and love for your brothers and sisters, which Greenhill gave me and everyone around me. Even Jaybles, who has so unfairly attempted to hurt Greenhill was treated with love. His countless violations, lack of professionalism, and behavioral nonsense was forgiven over and over again for more than a month before he was let go and Dr. J was actually in TEARS over the situation………so do not hold it against the guy for having a drink and using a foul word in a text message that was accidentally sent to the wrong person! If someone stole the clothes off of my back, insulted my students and my dignity, and took my care for granted, I would be angry too and THAT IS FINAL! All I know is that to this day, Dr. J and the Greenhill family remain close to me even though I do not currently work with them. They have always taken care of me and if I could go back in time, I would not change a thing. When I get married next year, I want Dr. J to stand next to me on the stage because he has done more for me than even my father has in the last six years and THAT IS FINAL. Anyone who says otherwise, really needs to look within themselves and realize that they either have problems within themselves, or some serious trust issues……..and THAT IS FINAL. As for my buddy Jaybles, the guy who forced my hand to stand up for these wonderful people; I cannot blame his actions, for it was his first job. However, after seeing the way he has attacked this compassionate company without dignity………..any prospective employer of his should realize that his first employment should have been his FINAL. I was ‘Greenhilled.’ I hope that I always remain Greenhilled. Good afternoon, good evening, and goodnight.

I just read your review pertaining towards the experience you had in working for Greenhill. I'm sorry to hear that you had an awful experience, but a long story short I want to say thank you for writting your post. I was suppose to leave in 2 weeks to Wuxi, and work for them. I do have to say also that I agree with you on how Robert seems very much high on himself. Having not been there yet, I was already having issues with them trying to get my arrival date right for my invitation letter. It's kind of funny Eleanor just wechated me saying that she will have someone come and pick me up from the airport. I literally sent her a message asking about it April 2. After having read your review even though it was the only one I saw, it was very willed in the sense of how unfortunate they use genuine people to catar to "there business needs". With all that is going around at Greenhill they are just hearding people around like cattle.

This article is an email extract detailing my first time experience with China and scam schools.

I worked for an American 'boss' in an English 'school' based in Baolong, New District, Wuxi.

He persuaded me to quit my job, come to China and enjoy a new life on a good salary, apartment, and Z visa.

This article is over a year old, but reading it brings back a strange feeling of nostalga. I hope it encourages you and other expats to be careful, and to share your own experiences:

To Sean,

I've been the nice guy, teaching, sticking to my word, working hard, trying not to complain about the bulls**t hours and 1 day weekends. I prefer not to bother people with how much I think about things, but my gut told me there was something wrong with this guy from the start. Infact my gut wouldn't shut up....

its a bi**h to type this on my phone pad so sadly ill have to leave out the other characters and side plots. after months of behind the scenes manipulation, and lies, I couldn't help but wonder how or why something about thus guy didn't add up. Was he just qwerky? Has he been in solitary confinement or something? I'm not normal, nobody really is, so im sure whatever it, its harmless, maybe we will get along if i just ignore it.

Weeks pass, hard work earned some popularity, I gained a little bit of his trust and he started asking me to 'hang out' after class - things got weird. he started talking racist about his chinese staff, slagging them off and coming up with names for them, explaining how useless thye were. He showed me how he'd pass the time by frustrating and antagonising the employees he didn't like, secretly recording their reactions on his little digiplayer and playing it all back to his own amusment.

It just doesn't add up, how the f**k did this guy end up as a boss at a school? Then he would start blaming people for things that were his fault. Like hed yell at his purely chinese speaking staff for getting his stolen copy pasted english curriculum incorrect, he'd mock students in class because they did not understand him. still I put this down to stress, lack of communication, culture, whatever...but i was getting sick of his sh*t by now. So for the last two weeks i stopped being a nice guy, i started to complain about the work load, stress, lack of pay, i had enough. So he started texting me, calling me a f*ggot and a british pig and started raving out of no where

The best part is that he sent me the messages by accident, he meant to send it to his manager.

It all fit into place, he was playing me too, not surprising really, but by now he sank off my radar. realising what happened he proceeded to sh*t himself and sent a string of apology texts then called me. At the time I was teaching class, but I explained it was the boss and I took his call.

he's started swearin - he had such mother f**king bad day and oh im at such a f**king loss without my best teacher and it hurts me so bad to know that you may leave our Greenhill family, blah blah blah...the false c*nt. He'd say literally anything to get what he wants from people, intimidate,, negotiate, scam

I'm glad I forgot to tell him he was on speaker phone infront of a class. It was pretty sweet. He had handed me a get out of jail free card, and I was overdue to leave the circus.

It is clear that this poor American pest has severely deep psychological issues, i see why his family doesn't talk to him, why he has no friends, why he moved to china, how he cares so little for his dignity. he's a dad, and he keeps it a secret - he tells nobody about his kids because they don't even talk to him - not even on christmas, the very day he emade me work overtime. What a complete b*stard.

I've been awake most of the night putting the pieces in place. Its fascinating what a specimen he really is. From now on i will trust my gut feeling,

in hindsight..... it was obvious, but I just couldn't bring myself to judge, to believe that a person could be that f**ked up, and still be able to sleep at night, or liv ewith themselves. I stand corrected.

This whole thing has taught me to be more judgmental, and above all it has taught me value, and importance of self respect.

Shortly after, the 'boss' disappeared and did not return my calls. After complaning further I was told to leave, I had not been paid a full wage in the 3 months of working there, but this month I recieved no pay for my work. They also kicked me out of my apartment, and tried to take away my passport and visa. I did not let them take it, instead I took my chances out on the street.

One year on and I still can't believe they are still doing this to people. You can check out Satan his future homless employees right here:

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzQ4MTE5MDc2.html

and this poor guy:

http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNjk3NDIwMjAw.html