What’s up with schools and agents in Beijing?
- Joined: Nov 30th, 2009
- Posts: 669
I consider myself new in Beijing even though I’ve been in Beijing 5 months. I find Beijing too big and too diverse for me to see in such a short time. I’ve been in China for 5 years with Z visa and have been going back to states or EU at least 2 times a year. So I consider myself baptized in sleazy Chinese ways of not paying teachers, “workers” or just using people. As my daughter pointed out when she came for a visit when she was 17 years old “daddy, do Chinese really think we Americans are THAT stupid?” I found Beijingers to be bolder, more aggressive and the practice more widely spread than places like Henan, Shandong and Zhejiang.
I’ve been well indoctrinated in the US about obey and respecting laws so it’s not easy for me to brake even traffic laws while driving in Beijing but I do brake the law of getting laid here and there without being married LOL. I mean that I don’t do freelancing if I have not crossed it out of my contract. In fact I refused payments and even gifts when it was offered during my 1st year of teaching in Shandong because it was stated in my contract that I can’t. So I walk with no fear and a kind of self-righteous attitude.
I responded to 5 ads here about teaching on the side and was called to go to 3 interviews. In the 1st interview they took a copy of my passport, Z visa and off course my CV and I was asked to sign something that explained how they pay, their rules and so forth and I was told that I was referred to them by agents. Then I started getting so many emails about other schools and one-to-one teaching jobs. In the other 2 interviews they also took my picture but were not interested to copy my passport and Z visa.
So I want to know “what’s the deal” here in Beijing. I’ve done a little reading about scams and a site black listing some scammers. But I would think all these places would be black listed in my book. I understand that I have to maneuver within what is going on here but this does not mean that I must compromise my values and standards. How can I be self-righteous if I violate my own values LOL?
This turned out to be longer than I wanted to be but I wanted to be clear about what I know and what I want to know.
chess players plan carefully and work out the tactical details before making a move.
RemmyM
Re: What’s up with schools and agents in Beijing?
1. Never trust an agent.
2. Be wary of what schools promise you.
3. Understand that a contract in China between a foreigner and locals doesn't really mean anything.
I used to be an EF DoS. I was at one branch for a year that was pretty decent. They honored everything in their contract.
At another EF, however, they constantly lied about everything, never paid me my bonus or paid holidays/sick days. They lied and cheated the teachers all the time. They changed the EF contracts to suit them, over-working/under-paying everyone. I ended up writing an e-mail to EF headquarters- a reeeeeaaallly long one- about all the crap they were pulling.
All I got back was a: "Thank you for your e-mail. We will be in touch if there are any developments."
Two years pass, nothing. That school is still around, doing the same thing.
Oh, when I was at EF we always had agents coming in to see us. Basically they were guys who hung out in bars where foreigners went. They'd chat to them, ask them if they were looking for work, then tell them that they could help- you know, all friendly-like.
Then they'd come into the school and say: "I have a foreign teacher for you. Pay them half of their salary and pay me the other half."
No joke.
I personally turned these vultures away but I'm sure some got those kind of deals. Basically they get half (or a percentage of) a teacher's salary every month just for introducing them. The teachers, meanwhile, have no idea. They just think their salary is "low," and that their "friend" helped them get a job.
Very hard to find trust-worthy people.
Remmy be pimpin' in BJ, yo!
Jamie Shorter 13
Re: What’s up with schools and agents in Beijing?
Stick to public unis or tutoring. These days I just free talk and steal as much cash and jewellery I can when the parents are out. I am currently working on breaking a safe. But that is a toughie.
RemmyM
Re: What’s up with schools and agents in Beijing?
Why do I not think you're joking..................
Remmy be pimpin' in BJ, yo!
chaofan
Re: What’s up with schools and agents in Beijing?
Ah, the age old question in China, to agent or not to agent, hmm, you have to find out for yourself, we all had to. Sometimes they can help if you are new here.
TheIncredibleEgg
Re: What’s up with schools and agents in Beijing?
I still don't get why anyone with a western background can stand working for a local management. It drains your soul and it's mind-numbing.
Kc_guy
Re: What’s up with schools and agents in Beijing?
I can relate to your advise from what I’ve seen RemmyM. Thank you and off course Scorpionking is joking. I have avoided private schools as my main contract because of hours per week that they require to work but for freelancing on the side I’ve learned to take some measures to make sure I get paid as agreed.
You are right chaofan, just like fire and love cannot be understood by just describing them and must be experienced.
Ironically TheIncredibleEgg I teach management science and take the time asking my students to write about and compare the local management style and practice vs. the western approach. I use their writing to also educate the management at schools I teach. But education is something that takes a long time and a good teacher unlike me needs to be patient. The local management style also serves me to learn to be more gentle and patient when faced with ignorant people with assumed authority. I am learning that not only I’m not a good teacher (lack of patience) but I’m not a good student either. There are times that I just lose it smacking the local management at schools by pointing out their ways are stupid and it is the reason China is still a 3rd world country and they are preventing China from developing. I do run into good students however that are interested and want to learn and good teachers (the local management) that continuously challenge and test my patience and help me to become stronger. So both my students and my teachers make it interesting and worth while for me to continue. My daily Yoga and meditation practices fill my soul with energy and keep my mind active.
I need to learn to say what I want in just a one or 2 liner LOL.
chess players plan carefully and work out the tactical details before making a move.
xinglish
Re: What’s up with schools and agents in Beijing?
The best answer is to avoid every broker and training school out there....every single one.
Uni's and tutoring are the only way to go if you plan on making sure you get paid.
"The EFL teaching industry in China is like Chinglish"
Jamie Shorter 13
Re: What’s up with schools and agents in Beijing?
I reccomend strongly you renounce your misguided faith and become a reborn Christian.
busyman66204
Re: What’s up with schools and agents in Beijing?
What is a Uni? Is it a University?
Do you guys ever get together for coffee/lunch at Hooters?
I hope I can get Western food there!
Later, Todd
International Todd!
busyman66204
Re: What’s up with schools and agents in Beijing?
Well from my Avitar photo, you can see I checked out the Hooters!
After 3pm is a bottomless cup of coffee, great deal, I love it. But I love perky cheerful gals more!
I would like to find a teaching position in Beijing that pays ok, and benefits like accomodations.
I am new to this block, if someone would tell me of where to steer clear, I would appreciate it!
Good luck to you, Todd
International Todd!
MrTang
Re: What’s up with schools and agents in Beijing?
Which ones you?
Im a f-ing Idiot.
xinglish
Re: What’s up with schools and agents in Beijing?
What’s up with schools and agents in Beijing? Greed and dishonesty. Finding an honest one isn't impossible just difficult unless you weed out the rest and find the best. Make sure to get at least 5 referrals from other teachers that have worked for said agent or school. Otherwise you're gambling.
"The EFL teaching industry in China is like Chinglish"
onlyme_t
Re: What’s up with schools and agents in Beijing?
The fact is that Most of all these so called training Schools, were registered with just little cash and from the law of the land here they can only apply for visa for only one or two teachers. so for that reason they allow the agents to take over the recruitment of teachers hence the agents claim to have connections to the visa office.
In the other hands the agents have known that the so called teachers here are sort of helpless cuz no matter what you do here if u go to the police you're wrong, they treat the foreigners any how they like hence you can not go to the police for fear that they might cancel ur visa which you must have spent more than two months of ur salary to get from the hand of the same agent.
So looking at it from the western school system, the whole thing here is bastardized unless (as many have suggested here) some of the universities.
I've been looking for you all my life; Now I've found you please do me a favour; Drop dead
Isis
Re: What’s up with schools and agents in Beijing?
Go to Hing Kong mainland sucks,you'll get scammed and conned by agents and Training schools,they're all a bunch of con artists and money hungry hoes.
Satisfaction is the death of desire
I never ask people for ANYTHING because they always have NOTHING worth asking for.