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Looking at a map (thanks Google!) it's pretty close to the middle. Of course, Texas is the southernmost state in the union, but it's not usually deemed part of "The South." Crazy world!
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Jan 22, 2014 10:18
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The Yangtze defines the North and South, and Shanghai is definitely to the south of that stream of filth. In other news: http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1410423/major-internet-outage-hits-millions-china-cyberattacks-suspected 
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Jan 22, 2014 10:20
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Sorry, The South is Guangdong, Fujian, Guangxi, and maaaaaybe Hunan. e: and probably Jiangxi but I'm not convinced that province actually exists. e2: Hainan? fart simpson fucked around with this message at 10:32 on Jan 22, 2014 |
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Jan 22, 2014 10:25
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New Coke posted:Yeah, Guestbob's posts are honestly really inspiring. I'm definitely not going to hang around in Shijiazhuang after this contract, but just in terms of setting your own standards and constantly trying to evaluate and improve yourself. quote:My school has treated me well enough, aside from chronically late pay, and I'm happy enough in Shijiazhuang, even though I know I'm aware I could do better. Holy poo poo  That is not well. .quote:If I stay another year I would prefer to live in the South for sure. Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Chengdu all seem like really interesting, relatively clean cities. Hong Kong would be pretty cool, too, I'm not sure if my qualifications are up to par (1 year working with adults part time, 1 year in a high school in Shijiazhuang, a B.A. and a CTESL certificate), plus I've been studying Mandarin pretty diligently and I would hate to have to start over with Cantonese + traditional characters. Seeing your credentials, you can definitely give NET a shot. North American teaching experience is very valuable and dealing with immigrant kids is a major plus. And China experience? Jesus, ask donraj or go check the HK NET website. You can definitely give a shot. They might give you reduced pay but it's still HK government program with a housing allowance pay. In terms with language, just stick with Mandarin. The city is being harmonized more year after year. Traditional isn't the end of the world, I managed to deal with As for geography.  You just offended me, please do not come to HK anymore. Just kidding. Magna and a few Cheng goons love Chengdu, it has its charms but really now, nothing can compare to MeramJert posted:Sorry, The South is Guangdong, Fujian, Guangxi, and maaaaaybe Hunan. Hainan. They actually speak Cantonese there. Fujian and Fulan? Nope. Hunan, Hubei, Jiangxi, Anhui and a few others are central. But those provinces are like Utah, Idaho, Arizona and New Mexico : nobody really talks about them.
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Jan 22, 2014 10:40
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Yeah ok that makes sense. What's Fujian then? East?
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Jan 22, 2014 10:45
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MeramJert posted:My first contract almost 4 years ago was dual language with a clause saying the Chinese version takes precedence if there are differences. My next contract was Chinese only. This is like a Laurel and Hardy sketch.
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Jan 22, 2014 10:49
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MeramJert posted:My first contract almost 4 years ago was dual language with a clause saying the Chinese version takes precedence if there are differences. My next contract was Chinese only. Every contract I've ever signed has been this way, even for my current company which is technically a Dutch JV. The signed, stamped, Chinese version is (as far as I know) a requirement for any sort of RP/FEC/etc sort of thing you need to legally work here. Also Chengdu is NOT the south. Don't say that crap here you'll get played majiang'd at. Ailumao fucked around with this message at 11:10 on Jan 22, 2014 |
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Jan 22, 2014 10:51
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synertia posted:If he didn't sign the Chinese version then how can it be legal? Well everyone high up can just say they didn't know it was forged and they were told he signed it. But if he wants to go that route he's gonna get taken to the bank because he has technically been here illegally for months. That's not the way he wants to go. It's pretty much half my job to act as the intermediary in disputes like this at my company, so it's not like I'm just making this stuff up
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Jan 22, 2014 10:51
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New Coke posted:Hong Kong would be pretty cool, too, I'm not sure if my qualifications are up to par (1 year working with adults part time, 1 year in a high school in Shijiazhuang, a B.A. and a CTESL certificate), plus I've been studying Mandarin pretty diligently and I would hate to have to start over with Cantonese + traditional characters. I can get you part-time at least, if you can sort the visa stuff
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Jan 22, 2014 11:28
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Ceciltron posted:The answer is simple: The contract is in English. No one at any of the visa bureaus read it, obviously. Anyway, I have to wait till tomorrow to find out what the gently caress happens next. Just be aware that the English bit may be an "appendix" to the SAFEA generated boilerplate which is in Chinese - I have no idea how this work but it goes back to what GBM mentioned. Obviously, if they wave that around and it lacks your signature then that's a ding dong right there. On the note of "doing a good job": it's really important to find a place where this sort of thing is going to be rewarded, and I don't always mean financially. There aren't many colleges or universities in China in which a foreign member of staff could make a case for running the spoken element of the TEM4 and have that idea accepted and acted upon. As of this year, our little vocational college in bumblescum Henan is now one of only 10% of universities in China which formally grades English major students' speaking skills as (an externally examined) part of their undergraduate studies. I was a little part of making that happen, but a much bigger part was an institutional ethos which is willing to try new things and actually wants to do better. Someone who is diligent, has good intentions and is open to adapting and thinking critically can go as far as they like in China's tertiary environment if they find the right place. And, obviously, it isn't going to be handed to you on a plate. GuestBob fucked around with this message at 12:55 on Jan 22, 2014 |
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Jan 22, 2014 12:53
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simplefish posted:TEFL Blacklist is a good site, because it gets read. What's the URL for that? Is that "teflblacklist.com" (which appears to be down) or one of the blogspot or wordpress sites? There are a bunch of them.
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Jan 22, 2014 12:58
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GuestBob posted:Just be aware that the English bit may be an "appendix" to the SAFEA generated boilerplate which is in Chinese - I have no idea how this work but it goes back to what GBM mentioned. Obviously, if they wave that around and it lacks your signature then that's a ding dong right there. Again we are in the same situation. My company has improved every year I've been here and I think I'm a decent part of that. When I do teach now it is my own curriculum based on what I deem important but a fair amount of my work now is all of the paperwork, visas, recruitment, contracts and HR stuff with my company. When I came over here we had two foreigners. We now have nine and are opening a third branch/office this year. If you can find the right fit you can do very well over here. It probably won't be at a place like EF, Orange English or Happy Baby English, I don't think. But you never know.
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Jan 22, 2014 13:12
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goldboilermark posted:If you can find the right fit you can do very well over here. It probably won't be at a place like EF, Orange English or Happy Baby English, I don't think. But you never know. And even if you can't make sweeping curriculum changes (part of my uni job is to do this, though, which is nice) you CAN do this within your own class/with tutoring. At the very least, if you're here short term, you can put together a solid portfolio. I don't know about elsewhere in the world, but getting a high school job in the US normally requires the presentation of several sample units, so rolling in with a binder full of plans/worksheets/ppt that fits core standards is really, really helpful.
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Jan 22, 2014 13:57
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Chengdu is a nice city mostly for its feel. People are laid back and accepting. "Whatever" and “随便” are two of the most frequent words I hear here. The pollution's not great and it's far away from everything though. It's in the West, according to Chengdunians. People have different concepts of where things are. Caberham would probably tell you that Shanghai is in the North, and South consists of Hong Kong and possibly parts of Guangdong, while Hainan is West and Beijing is a myth of dubious provenance. Sort of like the way a Chicagoan is horrified to be lumped in with Nebraska and is confused about Maryland's geographical status. Arglebargle III fucked around with this message at 16:36 on Jan 22, 2014 |
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Jan 22, 2014 16:33
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China actually has a Mason-Dixon line created by the Huai River and Qin Mountain Range. It's a liiiitle bit north of the Yangtse, actually. I learned this from Wonton one time when we were eating wontons.
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Jan 22, 2014 20:11
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Once I actually got a 随便你* when inquiring about the price of a ride on a tricycle taxi. I wonder if you would get that response in other parts of China. *whatever it's up to you
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Jan 22, 2014 20:20
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caberham posted:DON'T be that angry bitter drunkard who just wastes his savings away at the bar. I don't like to mention names but there are a few in the forum who are/were like that. Blaming their bad decisions/life choices on being in ____________ country instead of owning up to themselves. I would say you're talking about me, but my life has been super awesome since I moved back to America, so obviously that's not the case.
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Jan 22, 2014 23:50
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Ceciltron posted:Don't get me wrong, I'm not holding my breath either. This is a last ditch effort. I can, after all, just leave. All this ordeal is loving garbage, but to be fair I'm not entirely surprised you ended up with lots of complications in the end. It was a risk from the start, much like any overseas work though I guess. I wouldn't have the guts to go for something like this. I'm glad things are sorta looking up for you though, even if you get nothing out of this in the end. I just hope everything works out, Cecil buddy! Otherwise how will we ever stuff our dumb faces full of sushi and alcohol again sometime?  Hope that fucker you had for a boss doesn't try too hard to take you down.
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Jan 23, 2014 01:35
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tacoman165 posted:I would say you're talking about me, but my life has been super awesome since I moved back to America, so obviously that's not the case. I only make good decisions, so I don't know who he's talking about either. My prediction is that after much consternation Ceciltron will have to leave China full stop and move back home or to another Asian country.
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Jan 23, 2014 03:48
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Predictions, dictations, I'm sure he will come in here and fill us in! Next thread title has to be China Megathread IV: Go Quit Your JobBloodnose posted:China actually has a Mason-Dixon line created by the Huai River and Qin Mountain Range. It's a liiiitle bit north of the Yangtse, actually. Geographically there is a border line splitting the country but the cultural boundaries are a lot more fluid. Sichuan is considered the "west" (Uighurs don't count remember  )And Shanghai is Shanghai. Everyone likes to hate on them.
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Jan 23, 2014 04:00
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caberham posted:Next thread title has to be China Megathread IV: Go Quit Your Job I'm still a partisan of "babby in pipe" but this is also an acceptable choice.
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Jan 23, 2014 04:09
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caberham posted:Predictions, dictations, I'm sure he will come in here and fill us in! Next thread title has to be China Megathread IV: Go Quit Your Job This is telling, as I know you were joking, but how bad a lot of jobs are. It isn't just Cecil's job. There are tons of jobs with a lot of turnover because bosses suck, overtime isn't paid, schedules are changed on a dime and there isn't a lot of creativity in work. Cecil's job sounded bad but it didn't sound all that different from a lot of English teachers that I know in Tianjin and the jobs they have to do. I mean there is an international school here that is regularly behind in paying their teachers, sometimes up to 3 months. It is not like this country is filled with excellent jobs for people. It's not. And Chinese people will tell you that, only difference is if they quit a job they just go get another one, no transferring visas, they are still living with their mother, and just find a job down the street. You can't really do that as a foreigner and I don't think a lot of people over here realize that.
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Jan 23, 2014 04:16
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So, the NET recruitment people got back to me asking for "an official letter to state that TEFL course in China from SAFEA in 2012 has met the NET scheme TEFL/TESL qualification requirement (at least 100 contact hours and teaching practicum)" I am not entirely sure I can provide this. I plan to contact the program director from my old job, but is there any other way I can go about verifying this for them? My training program was about eight hours a day for sixteen days, so it should meet the hours requirement.
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Jan 23, 2014 05:11
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Type up the letter in English yourself and give it to the program director, ask her to sign and stamp it. Don't ask her to write a letter for you.
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Jan 23, 2014 07:23
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According to the lawyer, the contract is highly illegal in multiple places. He says our chances are pretty good too, at the very least get what we want with arbitration/settlement, but that litigation could also be considered. And well, even if things go as poorly as Bad Day predicts, I can be represented by lawyers in absentia. The main things are: Overtime is supposed to be paid at 150% your hourly rate (80 teaching hours at 8000=100/hour, so 150RMB overtime. China doesn't recognize salaried positions as different the way North Americans do, so the laws on remuneration apply. The contract is also illegal insofar as vacations must be paid. They can't be handwaved with a clause that says "the first vacation will be unpaid". My boss also broke the contract multiple times by not allowing me my 2 days off a week stipulated. At this point, my boss also cannot actually terminate me without proper written notice. Texting me that she is going to cancel my visa would essentially amount to unlawful termination. The skinny as far as I understood it: my boss can't get me kicked out of the country. The RP and Work Permit are issued through different branches of government. According to the lawyer, while she may cancel the work permit, she would literally have to bribe the police or some official to do it, during spring festival no less. The lawyer(s) figured that if this happens it could be even more damning for her. So I'm safe for now. There's a bit of breathing space. I am still walking on eggshells here, I have to last long enough to get through SFest to be able to sit down for arbitration (the lawyers are all going on holiday soon -the fuckers). I've probably forgotten some stuff, if I remember I'll post it here. I just really want to get past this part of my life and my 土豪 boss.
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Jan 23, 2014 07:42
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I really would love to see a copy of your contract and can't wait until your boss hears all this from a lawyer.
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Jan 23, 2014 07:50
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Ceciltron posted:The skinny as far as I understood it... That's some good news for you right there: it sounds like you might actually be able to get some stuff done. Have a stab at recovering your legal fees why not. The one thing is the Residence Permit: if your employer cancels your FEC and terminates your employment (if they're doing it all legally mind you) then it does invalidate the RP, which is tied to you actually working in that job. Your employer is your sponsor and has brought you here to do a specific job (notionally) and if you ain't doing it then there's no reason for you to be in the country. She doesn't do the cancelling of the Residence Permit though: she tells SAFEA who in turn tell the E/E PSB. The former isn't open during the holidays as far as I know, although the latter may be. But that doesn't matter if your employer isn't doing things properly. Also, do settlements normally come with non-disclosure clauses (I honestly don't know). Because I can certainly see your employer wanting to keep this quiet if she owns three branches of a franchise and she may be willing to pay for that. GuestBob fucked around with this message at 10:56 on Jan 23, 2014 |
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Jan 23, 2014 10:52
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GuestBob posted:
I actually think that he has more of a chance due to this--"don't send your kids there, she's such a cheat a foreigner sued her!"--than anything else.
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Jan 23, 2014 16:24
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I want to get a Taiwanese movie where the Communists are evil. I've been looking on my own but it seems the Taiwanese generally avoid this subject on their TV shows, as opposed to the mainlanders whose TV is full of war drama. I assume this is because they lost while the mainlanders won, but there must be SOME TV dramas or movies where Mao is strutting around fellating children while Chang Kai Shek pulls babies out of gunfire or something. Any tips? I'd love to show this to my family, and maybe to one of my classes to talk about propaganda.
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Jan 23, 2014 16:54
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FearCotton posted:I actually think that he has more of a chance due to this--"don't send your kids there, she's such a cheat a foreigner sued her!"--than anything else. You know things are bad when even the foreigners hate you. They'll love anyone.
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Jan 24, 2014 00:45
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Ceciltron posted:You know things are bad when even the foreigners hate you. They'll love anyone. Based on the way she has treated you, she's going to have massive problems with other staff if you are successful in your case. If your contract isn't legal then their contracts aren't legal and suddenly she has no power over her staff when it comes to things like forced overtime and lovely conditions.
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Jan 24, 2014 01:03
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HAHAHHAHAHAA oh guestbob. Now I see why everyone thinks you are so funny.
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Jan 24, 2014 01:29
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Just read the last eight days of posts, and wow, what a lovely, suspenseful turn of events! I'm sorry to hear about your nightmare of an employer, Ceciltron. I hope everything works out well for you and you don't have to flee the country. In marked contrast, my first term here in Zhuhai has been extremely pleasant. Had a few minor issues with regards to my living arrangements, which were all dealt with--sooner or later--by my company. The bosses are all very friendly and seemingly reasonable. Recently, I shared a cigarette and a glass of wine with the head Laoban at the annual party while he discussed his favorite Bob Marley songs and claimed to be the first DJ in Zhuhai. I'm pretty sure they're all secretly (or not secretly) members of the Baha'i faith, so that might have something to do with it. I've never been asked to work overtime, and rarely ever work "time", and my pay is never late or hosed with. Additionally, I have other schools hearing about me through laowais about town and asking me to come in and work for them, so there's been plenty of opportunity to earn extra scratch. Zhuhai seems to be in great demand for waiguo teachers right now, and it's a really nice place to work if you don't mind living in a relatively small, quiet seaside city and not a smog-choked dystopia. Although, I am really curious about life up north because I hear from students that they eat more noodle than rice there.
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Jan 24, 2014 01:43
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GuestBob posted:Based on the way she has treated you, she's going to have massive problems with other staff if you are successful in your case. If your contract isn't legal then their contracts aren't legal and suddenly she has no power over her staff when it comes to things like forced overtime and lovely conditions. I still don't think he has even seen his actual contract. He has an English version and the lawyer is looking at an English version that isn't even his contract. I'm really interested to see how this turns out.
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Jan 24, 2014 02:27
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Rental Sting posted:Although, I am really curious about life up north because I hear from students that they eat more noodle than rice there. This is true. Head up to Xi'an and gorge yourself on noodles.
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Jan 24, 2014 02:42
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The Worst Muslim posted:HAHAHHAHAHAA oh guestbob. I am cute aren't I. But you see, I am a true believer.
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Jan 24, 2014 03:59
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Today's update: Yesterday my boss texted: "YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO DO WHAT I SAY! YOU WILL GO WITH ME TO THE POLICE AND WE WILL CHANGE YOUR VISA INTO A TOURIST VISA AND YOU WILL FIND WORK AFTER! OR I GO TO POLICE AND THEY WILL KICK YOU OUT OF THE COUNTRY!" I texted back asking her If I was fired or not, since she had never told me such directly, only had other teachers tell me that I was fired. Of course to be safe, we went to the PSB and talked to a wonderful police officer who explained to me in beautiful english that I was perfectly fine and my boss couldn't touch me. There was a long explanation attached to this but I'm exhausted at the moment. Rented an apartment, a nice little place, my only complaint is the absolutely claustrophobic bathroom and shower. But otherwise it's nice, warm and clean. Decent kitchen, too. We wait until SFest is over, now, to take my case to arbitration, with the lawyers. goldboilermark posted:I still don't think he has even seen his actual contract. He has an English version and the lawyer is looking at an English version that isn't even his contract. I'm really interested to see how this turns out. There is no chinese version. If I've never signed it, and the contract does not stipulate that there is a chinese version, and I never signed it, it isn't legal.
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Jan 24, 2014 06:37
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So I'm curious, with these new regulations who gets fined? The new stuff that made a big hullabaloo last Summer included a lot of stuff where schools get fined, recruiters get fined and illegally working teachers get fined. Since the crux of this whole thing is Cecil was working illegally and his school was being all shady about it, even if he had an RP and FEC what's the dealio? Because Cecil is bringing this up himself, are they going to cut him loose and not fine him for working illegally and concentrate on the school where they can probably score half a million RMB in fines/bribes/hong baos? What happens to his visa? I wish my company weren't so boring! e: There's a great new Thai place at the roof of the IFS mall in Chunxi Lu and they're running a 30% off the entire menu promotion at the moment. All Chengoons should check it out while it lasts. It's about the price of a normal Shanghai restaurant normally (aka eighty times that of Chengdu) so it's a pretty good deal now. Ailumao fucked around with this message at 06:48 on Jan 24, 2014 |
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Jan 24, 2014 06:45
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Magna Kaser posted:So I'm curious, with these new regulations who gets fined? The lawyer told me in no uncertain terms the only person I'd be paying at the end of all this is his fees.
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Jan 24, 2014 06:50
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Magna Kaser posted:So I'm curious, with these new regulations who gets fined? School - school gets fined for most things (with the exception of illegal working, which Cecil wasn't doing). Although the extent of that fine will realistically be determined by how much SAFEA was in collusion with this: Cecil, if you haven't signed anything in Chinese but have a FEC then either your employer has forged documentation or someone at SAFEA is breaking the rules. A signed copy of the contract in Chinese is an absolute legal requirement - did you sign anything written in Chinese before you came to China? I am glad you went to the E/E PSB, that was a good thing to do. I have always found them to be very helpful and clarifying your residence status is a solid move. May I suggest that you write down what you were told in note form, just as evidence that you sought advice: always best to keep a record about these kind of things. It would be pretty cool if she forged stuff because that's a criminal offense.
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Jan 24, 2014 07:00
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