1.) Does this school seem reputable? Do they have a proper office? If they do - ask to speak to one of their full time teachers. Don't do it directly but just say you need some advice from a foreign perspective on living in Beijing or teaching these type of classes etc and they might be willing to let you speak to one.

2.) Always remember where you are. If there is a chance you may get screwed you probably will, look at the administrative system and see your liability should things take a turn for the worst. Here is my definitive guide of stuff to think about when starting a new full time job. If anyone has anything they would like to add or change please let me know.

Deposits/Holding: does the school hold anything in deposit? Salary, documents etc. If they do then beware.

Delayed pay days: When do they pay? If they pay more than 15 days after the month ends, ditch. Most plays have a delayed pay day to prevent teachers skipping out, but if you are working nearly a month in advance then it is not worth it.

Minimum Hours before pay: A few lame one on one centers operate a policy whereby you must teach a certain number of hours before you can get paid anything that you are earned. If a company says the do this – spit in their eye and steal some stationary on the way out.

Fines: I hate to say it but fines are necessary, a lot of schools don’t use them but I actually think it’s a good idea. A lot of teachers are flakes and that’s just the reality. What you need to watch out for is excessive fines and ambiguous language. I once worked for a company that did RMB1000 for a missed class but another that takes your whole months pay. I was in a bike accident and in hospital for 3 days and missed the class that day. My fine was around RMB14000 as it was the end of the month. Do NOT think it will not happen to you, all of us start a job thinking we are going to do the best job possible, never be late etc. Sh*t happens. If the fines are more than the equivalent of what you would have been paid had you gone then don’t accept. (Someone places offer clients free classes if a teacher skips when they have come for class which I think is fair from a business perspective). Cumulative late fines are not acceptable – 5 mins 100, 10 mins 20 etc. A late fine should be a flat fee of a reasonable amount with a reasonable allowance. Furthermore, watch out for bonuses masked as fines (your base is average but with your bonus its good types). Many companies will find any reason not to give you a bonus and have you working on a low amount almost permanently. Especially avoid customer satisfaction bonuses unless the base salary is good to start with – if you aren’t good enough then the school should get rid of you, not have you working on a promise then pull the rug out at the end.

Interviews: Straight up rule – if they bring you in on a promise of one thing then it changes in the interview. GET OUT! They did it once, they will do it again. It is a test, if they tried it once they will try again because they know you can be pushed around. Doing it this early is a clear indication of their style. If you tell me one thing on the phone, I get there and its different – you have not only lied to me but wasted my time. I once tried to get someone to pay me an hours salary for wasting my time. It didn’t work of course but I hope it made him think twice before trying again

Part Time Masquerading as Full Time: These places work basically farm you out when work comes but they want to be sure they have teachers so they try to obligate you without giving in return. They will give you a really low guaranteed salary or none but tell you that they can give you LOTS more. Its true. They will give you lots more but due to the nature of the industry the times and days are nearly impossible to fix and seeing as you are getting a guaranteed salary you can’t turn them down. Welcome to 6 or 7 days a week, huge gaps in your days and a mediocre salary with crappy work/life balance. A certain large company will take away your bonus (1/4 of your salary) if you turn down a class, even if it is given with less than 24 hours.

Travel: Any company worth their salt will reimburse you for travel expenses (not your time). If they don’t then it is not worth it. This includes most 1 on 1 tutoring companies. Also be sure to factor travel time into your accept or reject calculations, it adds up. I always hear the argument that the time you travel can’t be used to work so you should not calculate it at the same rate as work time but personally I value my home time especially when you are working many hours. Really good companies will pay you for an 8 hour shift and if you have a class then you travel within that shift and essentially get paid in that time. This of course if fulltime and thus the hourly rate is much better as there is more variety and stability.

Cancellation Policies: I believe in fining teachers for being late and missing class. These companies are businesses and they suffer if teachers mess up. People should take responsibility for their actions. The true works in the reverse, if you tell me that my 4PM class is canceled today then I have made no plans to do anything else. There is an opportunity cost. I should be compensated. As a rule a 24Hour or same day cancellation policy is a must. If a client cancels on the same day then I should still be paid. Many good companies do this but find out how it is administered first, who is the onus on? When I first started I went to ShiJingShan (middle of nowhere) for a class and when I arrived the client forgot and was not there. I called the centre and they just said tough luck try again tomorrow.

Stability and Security: Going Full Time means sacrificing a higher hourly rate for some degree of stability and security. If a company cannot guarantee your salary/hours or whatever for the length of the contract, DO NOT take it. You should be given Holiday pay, insurance (under Chinese regulations it is actually required to issue a Z Visa), and the cost of your VISA reimbursed at minimum. Outright payment of visa is not regular as many people just ditch once its done, so some companies pay it back monthly of the length of the contract but if you leave they cancel it (every business has a set number of slots for Z visas and if someone runs off it makes things difficult). If a company will let you keep a Z visa afterwards then they have gone through an agent. Teachers should not have the whole liability of their VISAs. If a company will not get help you on a Full time contract. Don’t sign.

Work Schedule: Teachers are not machines. Surprised? Many employers are apparently. Work schedules should be fixed at the beginning of the week at least. Of course there are emergencies which teachers as full time employees have an obligation to help out but day before/same day class schedules should not be the norm. Before signing a contract find out how and when work is scheduled. Full time work should be 5 days a week. No more. Weekend work and 2 weekdays off is common and understandable though. If a company offers you few hours a day but on more day then don’t bother. If you want to work 7 days a week get a set job with 5 days a week and add a couple of part time positions to your days off. There are many benefits to this (your Tax liability is spread if you have one and it spreads your risk should things go wrong.

Tax: If you have been here too long (Guilty!) or if you have never worked in your home country then you will probably get upset about having to pay tax. Sorry to break it to you, the good companies charge tax. The good companies also pay more. When considering a job always compare the NET incomes along with the other benefits, and make sure you ask whether advertised salaries are NET or Gross before you go in for an interview to avoid disappointment. It is true however that there are many good companies that don’t charge tax but they are very few and far apart as any company big enough to get a Z visa will charge tax because you are on the books. Oh and the foreigner tax rate operates on a graduated taxation system starting at 4800 (2010 – any new info?) with 5% and then deductions. If it’s a flat rate then they are screwing you.

Part Time Tax: They are liars. Unless your visa comes from them you cannot legally work there and thus cannot be taxed. Always ask NET salaries.

Probation Periods: Its common in contracts for Chinese employees to offer a lower hourly rate for their probation periods. This is NOT the norm in the English teaching market. A probation period should only affect the amount of notice that either party is required to give when they wish to terminate the contract.

Notice: Notice should be equal on both sides, the company should not be able to unilaterally cancel contracts after the probation period with less than (minimum 2 weeks) a months (Recommended) notice.

Late Payment: While this is not normally done at the contract stage I just want to add a suggestion that you clarify with the employer that if they do not pay on the specified day then you will cease to work until paid. Many times I have heard of teachers being strung along with promise of payment essentially getting themselves deeper in the hole until they could not afford to live anymore.