Having actually worked there I can answer this. I agree that there are problems with TDM Hankou; however there is more to this school than merely the one branch.

Firstly I would like to talk about the teaching quality; the teachers who work for this branch are hard working, if overworked at times. They are experienced, knowledgeable and ready to assist at any time they need to. At times this is the only security for new arrivals there is, and it is appreciated. To belittle their skills on an open forum shows that a person is unfamiliar with the professionals who are currently here.

Secondly, I would agree to the miscommunication, and add that this is common in many ESL schools where local hires are working alongside FTs. There is a general lack of understanding on both sides, and no one is entirely faultless in this. I have found that the local hires at TDM Hankou work hard and do try to address problems to the best of their abilities; however they often fall short on delivering with confidence.

Thirdly, I agree that the living arrangements leave a lot to be desired. I have one of the nicer "apartments" in the building and it is cold, damp, and dirty. But I am assured that other arrangements are being looked into. I am content to see what happens.

TDM Hankou seems, on the outset, to have a lot of problems: Staff moral, low pay and lack-luster accommodation being just a few. And yes, TDM will probably be a short-duration-stay for me because I am finding that there is a constant stream of complaints that I am finding on everything from pay through to not being informed of things.

I think the biggest problem I have is the "Time off" policy.

Imagine this is your work week:

XXXXXXX (seven continuous days of work)

and you want to take Tuesday and Wednesday off.

Your new schedule will look like this:

X__XXXX
_____XX

This means that they don't actually give you time off, but move the time you work around to accommodate, while still expecting you to work a full 21hour (ACTUAL HOURS) week. To me this is not actual paid time off, but rather back-loading the schedule. You see this is a salaried position and so your paid time off days only count if you work less than 21 hours in the week because then you will be paid for it. Otherwise it is merely a wasted day and you will work harder on the other end of it.

It seems to exploit a loophole in the contract that says you cannot refuse hours if you have not worked 21 hours in the week. This is also exploitable in that it allows extra classes to be added to your schedule that will not be removed from future weeks, meaning your 21 hours could be pushed as high as 29-30 hours.

That being said, I again state that it is not the quality of the teachers, nor the quality of the staff that need addressing but rather the quality of pay, proper stress management and clear communication with on-site representatives that will, ultimately, fix these problems. That and a nice warm apartment minus the buffet, naturally. Ive eaten enough bugs this year, thank you kindly.