jason mackie says:
reply to amanda howard comment

sorry you had such a terrible time and experience in the city of bozhou. bozhou is a real unique chinese city. (home to chinese medicine).unfortuately there are many who have the same experience as you have had and there are all sorts of schools promising the world. my 7 years experience in china has alowed me to see the good the bad and the UGLY.
if one is wishing to come to china one should do the research before coming to china and before choosing a school and signing a contract.(im my experience a feather has more wieght than a chinese contract. however one learns after 7 years to manipulate it in ones favour. i recommend that before you come to china look on line for any information about the school(is there any valid complaints about the school on line? is there any information at all about the school on line? if there is absolutly no write ups or articles concerning the school. then the school must be new or so small that it does not registar on the map.
also one should research the city that the are going to. to see if the enviroment is livable for a long term contract. china is NOT THE WEST.and for some new comers to china, china can be a bit overwhelming at best.

i know the owner of BETC and his partner. they are both friends of mine. and bryan is a great host and is very accomodating. i was never in need, i just had to ask if i had any needs.
many schools in china are ruff around the edges and seem to be on a shaddy side.
my recommendation is dont belive anything what anyone tells you in china. if it walks like a duck then it is a duck. though most chinese schools will tell you its a elephant.
the best way to go about your contract is for get the contrat. the business integrety in china is not that of the west. promises are white washed and many lies are told.
this is not a problem with BETC. its a china problem. many chinese english training schools will promise the world or answer your questions with the answer yes, yes,yes. thats because the chinese are not a direct culture and what we think is lying is just their way of avoiding a dificult situation.and telling you what you want to hear is better than telling the truth.
if after the first month you do not have everything as promised(contact, visa, schedule, house with all the bells and whistles) then leave... and leave quick. forget about having your costs covered. you have made a blind mistake and its not your fault. but do thake your bad experience as experience for the next school and or city you venture to next. do wait around and hope that new promises made are just around the corner. if a school starts to hold off on your salary, then the plan to get rid of you is already in action. and if your visa takes more than the 30 allowed on your visa. then the school cant do your visa period. yes a old saying in china is "there is no law in china just relationships" well this is trye and can very well work in your favour as it has me. but for many new comers to china they are more comfortable with the business integrety we have in the west. well this aint canada , america etc.

my strong advice is ask the questions all questions you have directly and if the answers seem to be not clear or forth coming in a fair amount of time then pack up and leave.
as for the chinese staff not being paid, well that is common in china very common. 100 hour weeks and little or no pay. thats a chinese thing and does not and should not affect you.(its their choice to work there as well.

in closing i have to say that bryan and his school is what it is and i enjoyed my time there and did not run into any of the problems miss howard ran into. BETC did not do my visa. i was able to take care of my self, so i can not comment if BETC can process a visa however i got all my pay and i was accomodated well (except for the stange chinese woman washing her feet in my sink) that was a hotel problem not a betc problem.hahaha like i said this is china.

if a training school is small and you upon arrival are unsure about things , maybve renegotiate your contact for a smaller period.

enjoy china everyomne , but beware.
china is not the best and lies are common in china.