Hi
does anybody working at Changchun or have had recent experience of the school have any thoughts to share. I have read some very mixed reviews.
cheers.
Changchun China
Really
You must have read some ESL reviews, there is a post on the school already.
http://internationalschoolsreview.com/v ... =changchun
They are a third tier school, the head is a micro managing head case, she had a PYP coordinator from Canada who had never taught before. Most of the school faculty are under/unqualified and their is very little PD. The pay is lousy, and so is the rest of the compensation package.
The area is remote, and there isnt a lot to do either.
About the only good thing about the school and working there would be getting IB experience. If your a booble head and keep your head down and dont cause trouble you could be OK.
http://internationalschoolsreview.com/v ... =changchun
They are a third tier school, the head is a micro managing head case, she had a PYP coordinator from Canada who had never taught before. Most of the school faculty are under/unqualified and their is very little PD. The pay is lousy, and so is the rest of the compensation package.
The area is remote, and there isnt a lot to do either.
About the only good thing about the school and working there would be getting IB experience. If your a booble head and keep your head down and dont cause trouble you could be OK.
^Not really true. I'm currently working there. It is a 3rd tier school in a 3rd tier Chinese city. We have a new head this year and while he is a nice guy, he doesn't really have much power. All the power is in the department manager, a horrible Chinese woman who abuses her power and treats the other Chinese staff like her minions who do her bidding. There is a lot of micro managing mostly caused by endless paperwork and forms that need to be filled out to get anything done.
To the other comments: most of the faculty is qualified. There are a few unqualified teachers but not very many. The PYP coordinator is new and very qualified, as are the other coordinators. The pay - yes, it's lousy for what the job entails. This job is hard work and requires many long hours. The main complaint from teachers (besides the aforementioned department manager) is that the school does not pay you for summer pay until September when you return. This is because they have a problem retaining teachers and they don't trust the teachers not to run after the first year. It's wrong and dishonest, but the school believes in a "punish everyone for the mistakes of a few" philosophy. The school also does not pay you for the summer after your contract expires, effectively stealing 2 months of your salary from you. These are the main reasons why teachers leave.
The city of Changchun - it sucks. There's nothing really positive to say about it. It has no city center, no one speaks English, the population is mostly farmers and peasants who stare at foreigners like we are aliens from outer-space, constant smoking and spitting....and there's nothing much to do here. Oh, and it's freezing cold. -35 C in the winter. The winter lasts for about 6 months, 3 of which have very very cold temperatures. Bring warm clothes and shoes that have good grip - the streets are covered with ice for most of the long winter. But the fact that there's nothing to do means you'll save a lot of money.
The teachers at the school are great, in my opinion. We are a close-knit group for the most part and people will help you, despite the lack of resources in some departments. The professional development is good - they will send you out to IB workshops at least once a year which is very valuable. The students are good for the most part and the classes are small.
If you do come here, then take PsyGuy's advice - keep your head down and don't cause problems. I'm even somewhat hesitant to post this reply lest one of the admins finds out, but I believe the truth should be told about the school - both the good and the bad.
To the other comments: most of the faculty is qualified. There are a few unqualified teachers but not very many. The PYP coordinator is new and very qualified, as are the other coordinators. The pay - yes, it's lousy for what the job entails. This job is hard work and requires many long hours. The main complaint from teachers (besides the aforementioned department manager) is that the school does not pay you for summer pay until September when you return. This is because they have a problem retaining teachers and they don't trust the teachers not to run after the first year. It's wrong and dishonest, but the school believes in a "punish everyone for the mistakes of a few" philosophy. The school also does not pay you for the summer after your contract expires, effectively stealing 2 months of your salary from you. These are the main reasons why teachers leave.
The city of Changchun - it sucks. There's nothing really positive to say about it. It has no city center, no one speaks English, the population is mostly farmers and peasants who stare at foreigners like we are aliens from outer-space, constant smoking and spitting....and there's nothing much to do here. Oh, and it's freezing cold. -35 C in the winter. The winter lasts for about 6 months, 3 of which have very very cold temperatures. Bring warm clothes and shoes that have good grip - the streets are covered with ice for most of the long winter. But the fact that there's nothing to do means you'll save a lot of money.
The teachers at the school are great, in my opinion. We are a close-knit group for the most part and people will help you, despite the lack of resources in some departments. The professional development is good - they will send you out to IB workshops at least once a year which is very valuable. The students are good for the most part and the classes are small.
If you do come here, then take PsyGuy's advice - keep your head down and don't cause problems. I'm even somewhat hesitant to post this reply lest one of the admins finds out, but I believe the truth should be told about the school - both the good and the bad.
So
So they finally dumped Mrs. Pazick, and replaced the PYP coordinator whos only qualification for teaching PYP was that he had been a student in a PYP program? Its a shame the dragon lady is still there.
You realize that having "most" of your teaching faculty qualified isnt enough, it really needs to be something more like "ALL" your teaching faculty?
How do you do an IB seminar over the summer if they havent paid you? Even so one workshop a year in PD isnt very much or anything to be proud of.
You realize that having "most" of your teaching faculty qualified isnt enough, it really needs to be something more like "ALL" your teaching faculty?
How do you do an IB seminar over the summer if they havent paid you? Even so one workshop a year in PD isnt very much or anything to be proud of.
I think there are only 2 that aren't qualified, but yes, all should be qualified.
The school doesn't send teachers to IB seminars in the summer, I believe. And they pay all expenses for the IB workshops anyway.
It's a growing school and it has its problems. But the big ones are the dragon lady and the pay (as well as the horrible city of Changchun). It's a lot better than it was last year and there is hope that it will continue to get better. But most teachers leave once their contract is finished because of the stated reasons above.
The school doesn't send teachers to IB seminars in the summer, I believe. And they pay all expenses for the IB workshops anyway.
It's a growing school and it has its problems. But the big ones are the dragon lady and the pay (as well as the horrible city of Changchun). It's a lot better than it was last year and there is hope that it will continue to get better. But most teachers leave once their contract is finished because of the stated reasons above.
I will clarify this misconception about summer holiday pay.
The Chinese mentality is that you need to work to get paid. They don't always pay spring festival to their workers. Be happy that they pay YOU.
Teachers are screwed in this aspect since students get holidays. So teachers usually spend all summer doing worthless and unrelated tasks in a Chinese school so they can continue to get paid. A Chinese teacher will probably get 3 weeks of holidays a year, not much different from others.
The Chinese mentality is that you need to work to get paid. They don't always pay spring festival to their workers. Be happy that they pay YOU.
Teachers are screwed in this aspect since students get holidays. So teachers usually spend all summer doing worthless and unrelated tasks in a Chinese school so they can continue to get paid. A Chinese teacher will probably get 3 weeks of holidays a year, not much different from others.