Looks as if the Yuncheng of 2001-2014 is a thing of the past.

I can clearly imagine how they treat non-native speakers from West Africa.

Since I used to see it first hand, no imagination needed.

Havana is gone along with the owner and dance instructor.

Two eras in YC.

2001-2008
4500-6000/month
FTs would all hang out., do scavenger hunts, could save good money, buy a local apartment, go on holiday, buy a car, start a restaurant, travel all over. Cost of living very low.

2008-2014
5000-6500/month
FTs would not hang out together as much, save some money, those there from 2001+ started a business, those who married bought an apt, bought a car, travelled. Cost of living low but rising. Lots of work at many schools to be had.
Paolos, Cafe Italia, Howards Kitchen, and the Walmart all made life easy.

2014+
5000/month
Cost of living no longer low, no community or camaradarie.
Hostility from locals.

2018
Paolos new owner, HK closes, fewer teachers, no permanent living arrangements, teachers shuffled around each month, West Africans paid much less than in 2001.
All long termers leave, as in the exodus of Beijing bloggers in 2013-14.

Seems the time for teaching in China is over.

Yep, it is a disgrace that "men" like him exist in this world. A tosser and a total waste of space for sure!

And you are the ultimate beta male wimp, haha!

I truly hope that your information is not correct. Selecting a Chinese woman in the first place is bad enough. To select one from Yuncheng is truly the pits and an act of utter desperation.

I doubt Taffy would stoop so low.

Your post is much appreciated. Interesting stuff, indeed!

I reckon Yuncheng must be pretty boring these days, what with so few FTs working there. A far cry from the good old days!

Sorry to hear of the demise of Howard's Kitchen.

I am not in Yuncheng anymore but know someone who is. EV no longer have the same amount of schools as they once did. A combination of all the new red tape, crap salaries and inability to get teachers are the primary reasons.

From what I have heard the number of native teachers is now far less than non native. I was informed that even all the FT's at Yuncheng University are now Africans. Even the Polish teacher they had quit. Apparently one of the county schools that EV has had FT's at since the beginning never has permanent FT's anymore and borrows them from other schools on an almost fortnightly basis.

The once popular hangout for foreigners has gone. It is now a hotel complex. Even the iconic owner went back to America.

I think unless the salaries are significantly increased then EV will eventually cease operations.

That 3 posters:

kev
foxy
silverboy

Responded to this new post within hours in a thread dead for 28 months, reveals just how much YC English Village monitors and guides the replies here.

No one would respond so quickly to a nearly 30 month old thread unless they monitored it daily, as part of their work duties and then informed the current FTs or foreign residents to reply and control the narrative.

And if you aren't, and still live in China, and live in Yuncheng, and monitor this thread because you have nought else to do:

WHY?

Why are you there? Waiting to be arrested and surveiled as a lifestyle choice?!?

The subject of this thread is definitely a hoary old chestnut.

You can add Shanxi Province to the list of places to avoid, period.

It seems that the 27th Army, based in Beijing, staffed by Shanxi farmers, were the ones who ran over 10,500 students in 1989 with APCs. Search for the Independent UK story week of Christmas, 2017.

If you talk with your students, you will find out how supportive they are of the Red Guard, who also had great support in Shanxi.

Research how the Shanxi Governor treated foreigners in July of 1900.

Just more of the same from Shanxi.

No reason to visit, live there, or work there.

Dec 24th, 2017 1255 GMT

Thanks Roxy for getting further clarification on this criminal check issue. So we can now add Shanxi province to the list of places requiring the police check from home. What is confounding me is this: is this now a nationwide thing, or only at the provincial level?

Standard in Shanxi, I think so in most of China. As in all things PRC, 'it depends'. All of the long termers did not have to do this when I was there; all of the new hires had to do it. It depends when you arrived.

The requirements vary from province to province or SAR or muni.

The requirement for a BG check began about 2-3 years ago, now it is a fairly standard item for a PRC teacher application.

I do not know if they are asking for the apostille stamp yet, that will likely come about in the future as a requirement.

You will need a local BG check and a national one to show your clean criminal record. Usually two are required.

Fairly standard these days in the international hiring space. Many countries require this.

Thank you for your detailed response. It's very interesting. BTW, the direct employer of the girl is a public middle school in the Yuncheng hinterland. She has blonde hair, so she can expect to be the centre of attraction out there!

BTW, when you LEAVE your China job, it will be nearly impossible for the local police or PSB to give you a criminal clearance for China. They just won't do it. The usual PRC nonsense.

Yet another thing to think about.

Yes indeed. It could be detrimental to one's future employment involving contact with young people.

I have taught at Yuncheng University since 2012.

When I first came they never asked for one. Upon renewing our resident permit last year, we were initially asked to sign a disclaimer (basically a few lines that the University had written saying we are free of convictions).

This year (2015) we were advised in April that if we were renewing we need to obtain a police clearance certificate from home. It needed to be the original certificate.

I had to pay for a CRB check from the Disclosure and Barring (DBS) service in England. This was all done online. My Mother then sent me the original certificate which the University accepted.

Perhaps the rules have changed this year for Shanxi province, but as always in China it seems to depend on who is following them.

Another friend in Linfen reported the same as me. He had to get one this year or he would not be granted a resident permit.

Their advert actually says they pay 10,000rmb flight allowance plus 2,000rmb travel allowance.

It changes from ad to ad. 8k, 10k. This dynamic pricing is very common with Chinese online teaching ads. Figures change all the time.

They used to offer 6500, then 7000, now 7100. Two weeks from now it may change again.

Yuncheng English Village sent me on a dodgy visa run to Qingdao at my expense and then to Hong Kong where the paperwork was wrong so I had to hang out there at my own expense for over a week while they sent me the documents. I never to the day I left saw any of the promised reimbursements for the expenses. Needless to say I left at Spring Festival and found a job in Beijing. I received verbally abusive emails saying that I will be blacklisted and the like but nothing came of it. At least the new school were able to do things properly and even though I had to return to Hong Kong to cancel the mess that Yuncheng EV made of everything I have had no problems since.

This poor experience happens most of the time with new Yuncheng English Village teachers.

For those going on one, Yuncheng EV will tell you to not open the package. Bollocks. Matters not. Open it and see your faked, copied, or stolen credentials inside.

I received verbally abusive emails saying that I will be blacklisted and the like but nothing came of it.

There is no such blacklist in China for teachers - they were threatening you, as that is their business model.

A select few are cool with the visa run, get reimbursed, have fun with friends in Hong Kong, etc. Others, not so much. There is no way to tell how you will be treated. Chances are high you will pay out of pocket as you did.

Yuncheng English Village almost always bring people in on an invite letter set in Beijing, then get new teachers an 'F' (M now?) visa to start, then send them on a visa reset run to Hong Kong or Qingdao in Shandong.

The 'F' visa is not a business visa any longer it is a visit visa for study tours and such; the business visa is now the M visa. Strictly for business, which a teacher employee is not. This visa gambit is now expressly illegal, no idea why Yuncheng EV constantly do this as they are licensed to direct hire teachers by the .gov and one would think would have the ability to process Z visas locally.

Your story is one that I heard from just about every single new hire, and often they would travel in groups. The Ameson AYC bunch that landed in Shanghai did it as a group (likely so EV could get their hands on the Cengage MyELT textbooks and copy them). New hires often do it as a group to keep it simple and fun, lower costs, and help each other out.

The Qingdao visa run is to someone there that does them a favour. Since Yuncheng English Village place many advertisements through rememberesl.com which is based out of the Shandong Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference in Qingdao (easier to just refer to is at the National Congress or the Communist Party of China, Shandong office) it is likely that they are having someone do them a favour high up in the party and process visas illegally.

The fact is that the PROPER procedure is to get an invite letter and contract when back home. You take said invite letter, go to your nearest PRC Consulate, and get your Z visa there. You fly to China, go to your town, settle in, and go to work. If they have to always hire on a non-Z visa and then send people to Hong Kong or Qingdao, Shandong, to 'reset' the visa, they are doing something dodgy and illegal.

Which, again, is odd as EV are licensed by the .gov to hire and place foreign teachers.

Rememberesl.com are in the Qingdao Laoshan People's Government Centre, Shandong CPPCC Science and Technology Mansion, No. 228 Liaoning Road, Qingdao, China. 266012. http://www.rememberesl.com/3.htm

Everyone I know who went there, paid the trip out of pocket. Mostly long bus rides or airfare. Fast train not yet to that part of China from Shanxi. A long, uncomfortable (if cheap) bus ride.

That school pays 7,100 rmb per month, provides a 8,000 rmb flight allowance in addition to a
2,000 rmb travelling allowance at the end of contract. Full salary will be paid for
July and August should you elect to renew your contract with us. Full salary is
also
paid during the Spring Festival vacation.

Their advert actually says they pay 10,000rmb flight allowance plus 2,000rmb travel allowance.

I think you are wrong! In some cases maybe they don't want to renew, and the FT might not
want to either. Get it right, and what about a TA? Do you get one? Or do you get each
subject teacher acting as one, not so good as they have different views of teaching
methods?

The calaculations are broadly correct. Yuncheng English village is clearly a scam which should be exposed. Yes, not every FT (or the school for that matter if they are not happy with the FT) might not want to renew but the fact they offer it speaks for itself and is certainly worth praise.

From what I know of that school from speaking with a former teacher they do provide a TA for their primary school position but not for their Junior or Senior school. Their regular English teacher takes on that roll. The reason being that they want to improve their English too. They are not their to influence your teaching just to translate. In fact from what I gather they are very hands off.

As for TA's they have their uses sometimes but cetainly the ones that are provided at Yuncheng EV are nit picking busybodies who will report on everything you do and even if you have no contact with them they will make up rubbish about you as they are 'expected' to report on the foreigners at their monthly meetings.

However, I think they do not deserve their hiring licence because they do not
treat their former FTs respectfully at the point when the contracts are up.

I have never taught at that school but do know some who have. I think its not just them, in China its often the case once you mention you are not renewing, its amazing how the relationship sours somewhat. You will not be earning them anymore money and they have to start looking for replacements. I haven't heard anything which suggests they don't pay you what you are owed. Certainly Yuncheng EV will try to nickel and dime you at every opportunity. At that school you might not be flavor of the month anymore but at least you don't get ripped off.

I did work for EV last year, they lied at every opportunity, brought us here under false pretences (firstly we were working in Shanghai, then Shenzhen then Yuncheng and then we were outposted to random outback places). I myself was outposted to Linyi so I do know about the direct hire school there and did regularly meet two of the foreigners that taught there, one left, the other I think is still around but might have moved onto pastures new by now as I lost contact with him.

They sent me on a dodgy visa run to Qingdao at my expense and then to Hong Kong where the paperwork was wrong so I had to hang out there at my own expense for over a week while they sent me the documents. I never to the day I left saw any of the promised reimbursements for the expenses. Needless to say I left at Spring Festival and found a job in Beijing. I received verbally abusive emails saying that I wil be blacklisted and the like but nothing came of it. At least the new school were able to do things properly and even though I had to return to Hong Kong to cancel the mess that Yuncheng EV made of everything I have had no problems since.

I seldom read forums or write reviews. My time is valuable. I was told about this forum so feel I should reiterate don't go to Yuncheng EV. They are con artists through and through. Avoid them unless you want to be ripped off and have endless hassles.

If you wanna be taken seriously, be accurate!

The direct hire job referred to will come with a TA. If you direct hire at another local middle school, TA as well.

If you are foolish enough to go through Yuncheng English Village, you get a TA that spies on you.

If you go direct hire to the University, no TA - but the English level of the students is high enough that you do not need a TA.,

Ad salaries and bonus vary depending - this will be due to recruiters taking part of the bonus, monthly salary, and such.

Some state 5000 bonus, some 6000, some 8000. These will change from week to week or month to month.

They were advertising 7.000 for air fare allowance,and 2,000 travel money for 2 semesters.
I doubt many of their staff were on a wage of 5,000/month! Even the IELTS outfit offered
6,000 for air fare!