Da Qiao Foreign Language School

[Miss Motz]

Hi Guys,

I've been in contact with an Australian Teacher at this school, has any one heard of the school? Good or bad?? I've had a trawl through previous posts and can't find anything

Ta Motzie

ps the school is in Changchun, Jilin.

[Dajiang]

So are you letting go of the Beijing-plan Motzie?

Sorry i dunno anything about the school, but the other teacher you're speaking to should have the best info i guess. This is not the place with all the mold and stuff from the other thread right?

Dajiang

[Miss Motz]

Yeah Beijing is a no go, travel parnter and I had a minor disagreement.. and are now doing what we want individually ...much better for me

[Raoul Duke]

This is a tough one to call.

In a Google search, I didn't find much at all about the school other than jobs ads. No complaints raised about the school, but some warnings about the "Simon Whitaker" guy who seems to run it.

He's plastered the internet with a letter/review/ad that starts off by saying he works at Da Qiao and how great it all is. Just another happy foreign teacher like you and me. But by the time you get a few sentences in it's pretty obvious that's he's at least a part of the management of the school.

According to some net comments, he's definitely management, as in the owner of the school...and in fact he's not really even foreign.
I dunno...kinda of a creepy feeling here but not necessarily fatal I guess.

Net commentators claim that he also owns other schools in Changchun that have had serious problems and that change school names a lot.
Changing school names a lot is bad.

Finally, there's a thing called "Simon Language School" or "Simon Language Club" about which some truly frightening claims are made. However, I couldn't connect to find out if it's the same Simon or not.

Be really careful researching this one, Motzie. I would insist on multiple contacts of former foreign teachers.

[Miss Motz]

Hmm, Thanks Raoul though I've been chatting to him he doesn't seem to want to answer direct questions regarding the school, I' begun to be a tad wary, I'm also a little wary of Chnagchun, I've heard and read some not flattering remarks about the place.. never mind the search starts again

[Raoul Duke]

Ow.
Refusing to answer direct questions is one of the biggest red flags they can wave...definitely a bad sign!

Changchun is...interesting. I lived there a while myself. There are some reviews in the Cities board in the library. Not all bad...but like Dalian it seems to be something of a magnet for dodgy schools...

[BeiLi]

I know Da Qiao Foriegn Language School in Changchun. I have worked for them. It is a good school. They pay on time, and I heard that they don't hassle you.

Thanks

Beili

Please, any other info I can help you figure out, just ask.

[Raoul Duke]

You worked for them, and you heard they don't hassle you?

Either way, good to know BeiLi, and welcome.

Is Da Qiao connected with the Simon Language Club thing, etc.?

[alonay]

i worked with daqiao..sometimes in weekends.i often have more than 10 classes in a day.one class is about 35 minutes, 5 minutes break in between the classes.they give lesson plans, the foreign teacher does the execution of the lessons.the daqiao has many branches al over jilin province. from what i know they only operate on weekends.

i only work as part time so i don't know well about the management of their full time teachers.
i'm just nearby if i can help in any way.

[BeiLi]

Sorry for replying back so late. No, they are not related to Simon. I didn't do much work for them. I only know that they give you your schedule, you do your work, and you get paid. For this company, it seems that simple. I agree with the weekend work. You do a lot of work on the weekend, and you have the rest of the week to yourself. So, a lot of the teachers find part time work elsewhere.

I would be working with them, but I don't want the hassle of changing companies so here I am.

Thanks Steve