A lesson on teaching in China

China Daily website is inviting foreigner readers to share your China Story! and here are some points that we hope will help contributors:

Going to another country to teach is an enriching and challenging experience. But what can make or break the deal is the school or the organization that you go with. You have to be careful especially since the company can say one thing over the Internet and when you arrive, it's a different ball game.

Danielle Jadusingh [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

China is the type of country that no matter how much you read about the place, or study the language or watch documentaries, when you go there; especially if it's not the two bigger cities like Beijing or Shanghai – you really go there not knowing what you are getting into. Especially when it comes to being an English teacher in China I assumed it was a simple case of, I do my work I get paid. After being in a similar situation in Colombia I figured how difficult would China be?

The company I work for is legitimate - in the definition that they seem to have all their papers. There were two contracts of choice – the first being 9,000 yuan ($1,420) but without any benefits or reimbursement of anything. In that case you have to carry at least $2,500 or the equivalent in pounds. Then there was the second – between 6,300 - 7,000 yuan. They refund your plane ticket home, the money for the hotel you stay in for the first five days (they say three days by the way but their time is different from Western time that you stay longer), and other things. In this contract they provide housing – so I took the smaller deal.

One the first day when I arrived, disoriented and dazed that I was in China, I was collected and ditched in a hotel. They wanted to start teacher training the same day but I was fortunate that there was no power in the building so there was no training. Other persons were not so lucky – they would arrive at 5:00 or 6:00am, collected from the airport and training started at 10am. By the second day they sorted out my bank account and other little things and had me reading contract after contract and the third day was training, and the forth… and then nothing on the fifth, nor the sixth. It was only until I complained to the supervisor about the poor management of time that was when they conceded and started to cover my hotel costs.

I figured something was wrong when I noticed the company in the beginning made all efforts to isolate the teachers from each other. Sometimes there would be five new teachers in the office and one would never know because they keep everyone in a cubby hole. After a while I also realized that these same new trainees were in the same hotel that I was in and we weren't even told about each others existence. It was only after being nosy and asking questions that I realized that there are some teachers who have been here at least a year and a half. It would seem logical that in order to help the other teachers adjust you have some sort of meeting or the other with the teachers who have been here longer to give advice and yet there was none that. In the long run it works out to their benefit because there are some shady parts in the contract that when you are alone and still trying to get your bearings you will put up with anything.

• First is not being paid for two months since they claim it's the trial period. And the day that we finally get paid on is the 20th of each month. Why not the first week beats me.

• We were told to bring $1000 - $2000 to live off but they never told us actively to just carry 1500 yuan since you end up spending at least 800 yuan on all the miscellaneous stuff that you get blindsided with – the medical, photos, residence and other stuff you end up finding out was in your email address maybe four months ago but was not really reminded until the day before.

• Clause about bills. I would not have realized about bills had it not been for my roommate. The company takes 700 yuan for bills when we share an apartment and our bills are way below that mark. At the end of the contract the company claims they want to calculate the difference and see how much we own.

• If you are sick, for a 10 month contract you only have 3 days you are able to be sick. The only way you can take sick leave is if you call in early, find a qualified teacher who might be able to take over your classes and you have to go to the hospital. If you do not know anyone in the company that is nearly impossible - additionally in the contract they say if you fulfill your end of the bargain no money will be deducted. My friend got sick, fulfilled the tenets of the contract and still got 600 yuan deducted.

• Since they have complete access to your bank account, they will bill you for any miscellaneous bills that they claim you own and you will never know until too late.

• I find it strange that though I received material to teach with, I cannot teach from the book and still have to plan material from scratch which is very time consuming.

We got teacher training, but it was only later I realized that the people training us were never teachers – only one out of a batch of six young ladies. Stupid me decided to apply their advice in class – the kids chewed me up and spat me out the first day of classes. One thing that I am happy about is that I am an official English teacher. Sometimes one has to be careful because sometimes you apply for a job as a teacher but really become a "show teacher" - the foreign teacher is really there not for teaching but really to promote the company and show that as a progressing company they have the means of bringing in someone from another country to teach. Be careful of those because they will hinder what you do and you realize you are not doing anything. The concept of teaching English in the Chinese Psyche is played upon the idea of difference - both orally and visually; more so visually. The general idea about persons who learn English believe they should have a foreigner - foreigner being American, Canadian, Australian or British to teach: any color, preferably white but any color except Chinese. One friend attempted to get work with the company I am with - he is Chinese American and he got turned down because he looks Chinese and the companies want someone who the clients will be able to make a visible separation from themselves.

These are a few pointers of what could be your experience when you do not take all the precautions. The experience is not bad but it has made the time in China just a little more stressful than necessary. I thought I was thorough. I read through, I queried and yet here is a piece on business ethics or lack there off. Most I can do is take it one day at a time hold up my end of the bargain and hope that all will be well.

The author has her Bachelors of Science in International Relations and has been teaching ESL English for four years: 2 years in Jamaica and 1.5 years in Tunja, Colombia. Now she is teaching English in Guangzhou.

The opinions expressed do not represent the views of the China Daily website.

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