Sorry to come with yet another negative post of mine, but i must join in to say WATCH OUT for this chinese CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL. I myself have applied and recieved a Al Capone Contract.

Here below are a few parts of the Chicago International teacher's contract that I've actually tried to negotiate (all fell on deaf ear) with Philip (not Al)

Contract clause
Evaluations of the individual will be based on feedback from teachers and students

My request was as follows; "I do not know what the feedback contains and/or who would evaluate me there. Could you please send one of these feedbacks to me so that I know what I will work for?"

Contract clause
2. Work, Position, Tasks and Responsibilities
The initial responsibilities shall be specified in the Schedule 1 below. Including adults classes, kids classes, corporate training, marketing activities, TV appearances, lectures on or off site.

My following request was; "My appologies, but I was under the impression that I would teach teenagers and up, not "kids". Also, your corporate training is a bit of a surprise to me, a pleasant one as I enjoy teaching them. However, what are your academic materials that you use? And, if you do go to the companies, will you add the traveling time into my schedules and towards my hours worked? I really hope I don't have to be in the school, when I am not on schedule too.
Would you pay extras for my lectures and TV appearances and then would you count my marketing activities into my weekly schedule and teaching hours?

Here above is the evidence that Philip has misadvertised the job position on esl teachers board and here is his reply to my above inquiry;Philip said;

Further more, here below I pointed out that Philip and the Chicago International teacher's Contract was not following the Chinese laws

Contract clause
Attendance Rules
1.Effective immediately there will be a sign-in-and-out sheet or a fingerprint time clock at the school. It is every Foreign Teachers responsibility to indicate arrival and departure times. Chicago pays each Foreign Teachers salary according to their attendance over the period from the 20th one month to the 19th of the next.

My reply and request for Philip went as: "With all due respect to you and your company, I do not really think that you have a legal right to fingerprint me and I will not allow you to do so. Not that I am a criminal (with my family behind me, wife and one-year old son), to me it is a complete invasion of privacy. This is a teaching job, not a bank security or government one, isn't it? Confused or confusing Philip followed up, but not with his lawyer or knowledge of the Chinese or "Chicago" international laws; "They will make pay ment based on the sign in and sigh out. Everybody in the company do that.If you do'nt do that you can sign in and out every time when you come and go."
Here's another clause of the Chicago International contract where I pointed out some legal issues they (Philip) have

Contract clause
Illness must be reported to the relevant manager at the earliest possible time to allow for a classroom replacement. 60RMB is to be deducted from the months salary for each hour missed due to illness

I tried to reason;"That makes me feel I will have to work for quite a few managers. Forgive me but it sounds like a case of too many chiefs and just a few indians. I hope you know what that phrase means there. By the way, according to the central government's labor law in China, you aren't allowed to "deduct" but keep it the same as long as a doctors note is submitted. Do you know that ??? Here's yet another confused/confusing Chicago's Philp's answer;"Most of the time the teacher doesn't come to teach and all the students sitting in the class waiting for him or her.Usurally they will tell the school earlier that he or she has been sick and could not come to teach,but some of them do not tell the school or anyone else.The school has got much troubles from the students and their parents.What will the school do if the teacher is dishonest."

Finally, after I tried to reason and negotiate with Chicago's Philip, he came with a Chinese saying replyright into my email box

Dear Matthew,

I thought suddenly an old saying in Chinese for your reference.

签约双方表示，这种先小人后君子的方式可以更好地维护双方利益，最大限度地避免可能的纠纷。
The contracting parties that such "first person, gentlemanly" manner can better safeguard the interests of both sides, the maximum avoid potential disputes.

Best regards,
Philip

Now, I am glad I have not chosen Shenyang Chicago International as that would have been my second in a row tragedy in China. You all watch out for these kinda schools/centers and managers that think they can create their own Al Capone gangs around China!!!

Cheers and beers to the few reasonable schools/centers around this apparently 5,000 years old country with 5,000 years old approach to employment contracts :)