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| Guan Ya - No Way | ||
| Guan Ya Report I was a teacher for Guan Ya from October 2003 through April 2004, in the Children’s Program, and I wanted to inform people about this school, it’s management and Shenyang in general. The apartment that the school gives you is a chopped up (divided) unit from what used to be a really nice apartment (also, they will not get it ready for you, it will be dirty and in disrepair when you arrive). Because of the way the apartments are divided, you will either get an apartment with no kitchen or a small apartment with a make-shift kitchen (a sink basin sits loosely in a hole that is not sealed with an add-on, two-burner stove). The apartments are on the sixth floor, with no elevator, so if you are a heavy smoker or out-of-shape, you will feel it. The bathrooms have a Western-style toilet (thank heavens) but there is often a terrible stench that rises from the sewage drain on the bathroom floor. There is no bathtub or shower stall; just an add-on hot water heater with a shower head attached to the wall. The furniture is basic only; terribly uncomfortable and you will have to buy a new mattress to get a good night’s sleep. Many teachers put layers of blankets over their mattress to make them tolerable but you’ll still be uncomfortable. The situation with the mattress pretty much summarizes how Guan Ya feels about you as a foreign teacher. I mean isn’t a good night’s sleep important to you? NOTHING gets fixed in the apartments in a timely fashion and, sometimes, not at all. The truth is that you are completely on your own when it comes to anything other than major problems such as the Heater-A/C unit and even then you will have to wait for days. If you are missing a fan or an iron or anything else that they promised, chances are you will not get it or it will take weeks for them to respond. And, when you call to complain, you will be asked to do extra assignments in exchange for getting the things they originally said they would give you. Be warned that the A/C unit that you are provided with is inadequate for cooling the entire apartment. You will be hot during the summer months (which is why Air Conditioning is mysteriously missing from the list of items you will receive in your contract). (You will also be cold during the winter months because they don’t turn on the heat until late November). There is a lot of disrespect towards the foreign teachers here and, for me, it was very unpleasant at times. In addition, most months there was some discrepancy in my paycheque and I had to go to the main office to complain and get the problem straightened out. Every month there would be lies about who was responsible and I would receive a major run around until it got straightened out. Their favourite way of putting you off is to tell you that the error in your pay will be corrected in your next paycheque. What they then do is fix one problem and then create a new one for you so that you feel like a dog chasing its own tail, every payday. Guan Ya will never provide you with anything unless it is in the contract. Their website says that they will provide you with one way airfare after six months worth of employment. I was originally on contract for one year of teaching but my grandfather became seriously ill and I needed to return home. Well, it turns out that they failed to put the promise on the website into the contract and they refused to reimburse me for my one way airfare, even though I worked for six months, gave them 35 days notice that I needed to leave AND a letter from my grandpa’s doctor was provided! (What really bothered me about this is that the moment I first arrived in Shenyang I was asked to teach at a remote city, about three hours from Shenyang, and I agreed without hesitation. Keep in mind that Guan Ya appreciates nothing that you do for them; you will never receive gratitude or thanks. You will give them 150 per cent and they will treat you like you are giving them nothing. Your goodwill is immediately forgotten). These are not honest people, so be careful! (PS. They didn’t even acknowledge receiving the fax from my grandpa’s doctor so I had it faxed to the Canadian Embassy in Beijing. I had to have the embassy fax it to Guan Ya while I was standing next to the fax machine so they couldn’t say they didn’t get it). If it’s not in writing and clearly stated (be careful of how the contract is worded) – it doesn’t exist. I am used to working in Canada with labour contracts where disputes are resolved legally by what was actually the intent of the contract. At Guan Ya, lack of clarity will always work against you. They will cheat you if they can. (By the way, be sure to ask for a copy of your contract immediately after you sign it, because they will not offer it to you. Management knows that foreign teachers who have just spent about 24 hours in transit are a little tired and feeling culture shock and they absolutely will take advantage of that and prey upon you). Also a word about Shenyang. It is a very polluted and dirty city (fourth most polluted city in the world). Just about all foreigners get really sick here for the first few months. Chinese people do not cover their mouths when they sneeze and cough and other people in the restaurant will spit and blow their noses (using their fingers only) onto the floor of the restaurant, right next to you while you are eating. I actually saw a guy vomit onto the table while we were eating then he just got up and left the restaurant. If you have to come to Shenyang, you should bring plenty of antibiotics from home. You can buy medication here over the counter without a prescription but most of it is counterfeit (fake) or too weak to work (there is no Government regulation of medication). You are warned. I could never get used to the terrible segregation here between foreign and Chinese teachers. All Guan Ya sponsored social events are segregated and I guess it is just another expression of their racism and contempt towards Westerners. Also, some Chinese teachers often use corporal punishment (unnecessarily) with the kids and I just couldn’t adjust to that. But I want to add that as bad as Guan Ya treats their foreign teachers, it pales in comparison to how badly they provide for and treat the Chinese teachers. And they have no recourse to speak up or complain. The female teachers are housed in the slummiest of dorms. Example, one bathroom for 24 teachers. No hot water. It is no wonder teachers with family in Shenyang choose to forfeit their “accommodations” to live at home with their parents. These teachers work their fingers to the bone for the measly salary which is nothing compared to ours. All in all, I cannot, do not, will not recommend Guan Ya to anyone. Jeffrey Baltzer exfactoryman-esl@yahoo.com Windsor, Ontario, Canada |