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This section is new and open but under construction and will be changing as it expands. The presentation is rough at this point but will be prettied up as we go. You will find here a list of people and places to avoid if you want to teach in China. The information has been compiled from our own personal experience and the experiences of ESL teachers, and verified (if we can use that term) by multiple entries and multiple complaints. We have also received valuable information from the operators of legitimate ESL websites, which we are able to pass on here. Many of the schools listed here are unlicensed - which means they cannot legally hire foreign teachers so you will be in jeopardy if you work for them. They are schools that have proven to be dishonest and disreputable, or downright fradulent. They typically mistreat teachers, renege on commitments, breach their own contracts, pay salaries late or not at all, refuse to refund travel and other costs, fail to provide a "Z" work visa, force extra hours without pay, provide unbearable living facilities, and so on. You must understand that all of the private schools in China are businesses rather than part of the social care network we know in Western countries. And because of the kind of people attracted to this, their first (some might say only) interest is the profit. Certainly the schools listed here do not appear to care much about the teaching quality, but you may find this criticism everywhere to some extent. While trolling the Internet for jobs, many of the people you will encounter are "recruiters" of a particular kind. These are normally single individuals but sometimes small companies who find teachers and "sell" them to a school. Often, they will present themselves as being a school, or an official of a school, but they will have no fixed relationship with any school. They are aware of the need for teachers and see a way to make quick and easy money. And the money is quick and easy. For the work of the email contacts with you, they will usually take half or more of the salary the school allocates to you. And usually they will take and keep your air fare reimbursement, your 11th month's pay, and anything else they can keep. It is much to your advantage to deal directly with a school, and avoid recruiters of any kind, especially since you will have difficulty telling the good from the bad. These recruiters troll the internet looking for resumes which they then copy and forward to schools needing teachers, and then negotiate the largest part of your salary for themselves. Some of them will find and post your resume on websites (often with a false photo) with their own email address as the contact. When a school responds, they try to sell you and if successful they then contact you, acting as a representative of the school. Also, and this occurs often, they will post a job which may be fictitious or already filled, and will actually complete a contract with you to come to China (at your own expense) for a job they know you can't have. They will then offer you something much less attractive, and let you go home empty-handed if you refuse. You need to know that the contracts are not fixed in content but are negotiable. That means you can ask (or insist) that certain provisions are put into the contract rather than existing as promises or assurances in an email somewhere. We have more contract information on this website, but in particular you should insist on a clause that gives you the right to quit immediately if the school reneges on any commitments or breaches its contract with you in any way. And the school in this instance should refund your travel costs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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1. For Page 1 of the Blacklist 2. For Page 2 of the Blacklist |