WEB International Teaching Opportunities in China

I worked at Web International English in Rugao, Nantong for a year.
I found Web to be a great place to work
The pay is good and the students are mostly well behaved. Kids can be difficult sometimes but the adults are always eager to learn and appreciate the opportunity to practice English with a native speaker. Some adult students also take the teachers out to dinner.

They do everything required in the contract (day off on Christmas, free Chinese lessons, etc.) and take care of a lot of the legal stuff.

Rugao is a small but pleasant city. Quite modern but in the old part of the city you can see some of the old architecture. Many of the people are not used to seeing foreigners and some ask to take pictures with you

The staff are all great people and can help with things like sending money home, buying things online etc.

Bottom line, a great experience. No tricks, no surprises, Web are legit.

-They lied to me to get me work there: They said the visa would be covered. It wasn't.

-They said I'd get Chinese lessons. I didn't.

-They said I'd be working in Nantong. I actually work in Rugao, a small city over an hour away.

-They also said it would be "no problem" to get two days off in a row. That's also a lie, which means I never really have time to go and explore other places in China

-The center in Rugao isn't licensed to hire foreigners (I work in Nantong on paper). They also didn't register our residency in Rugao. I didn't find any of this out until the police showed up at my apartment.

-They refused to give me my foreign expert certificate, which is totally illegal.

-The city of Rugao is ok, but there are only a few foreigners and not much to do. It can be boring and lonely, esp. since I didn't get Chinese lessons.

-My coworkers have made zero effort to make me feel like part of the team or to welcome me. The mostly ignore me or talk about me in Chinese. They don't communicate with me about anything-- including things like extracurriculars I'm supposed to teach.

-They told me I'd be doing 1 or 2 English corner lessons per week. I actually teach 4. Since I have to plan those lessons myself, I actually have a lot of lesson planning to do in my free time.

-It took 2 months to set up my bank account. Almost 3 to get my residency worked out. I'm very independent, but they don't assist me with anything.

-they cheated me on my first paycheck. Cost my girlfriend and I about $500 combined.

-They treat foreigners as sales tools. They just want a white face to make the business look good, so they have glass walls. You are basically a zoo attraction.

-Business English is not an elective subject- which means I have lots of 13 year old kids in my Business classes. They have no interest in it, nor do they understand the topics discussed.

-The overtime rate is a joke. It's actually the same rate as a regular class, so they always want me to do tons of overtime.

-I'm white with a neutral American accent, so that makes things easier for me. They are even less respectful if you aren't white or if you have an British accent.

-No other full-time foreign teachers. You're basically alone in the world and the work place.

I'm happy to answer any other questions you might have. In this review I am opting to allow questions. Bottom line, don't work at web.

I just started at Web in Taicang and I am already regretting my decision. First, everything I was promised when I interviewed was immediately taken off the table. For example, I was told by the manager Abbey Web would give me a housing allowance of RMB 2000. When I arrived it mysteriously changed to RMB 1500, which isn't enough to cover a decent apartment in Taicang. Next, I was told that Web would loan me the entire initially cost for an apartment (which is typically three months up front + one month security deposit + agent's fee of 1/2 a month's rent), but when I arrived Abbey began asking me how much money I had in my account. I asked her why she needed to know. She advised me that Web would only loan me the amount IT would determine I'd need. Right before I arrived, some other poor sap started. They told him the same thing about the rent. He made the mistake of telling them how much he had. Web offered to loan him just enough to cover the lease. He asked, "how am I going to eat during this time?" They then allowed him to keep RMB 1500 to get him through the next 32 days. For my predecessor, this had a snowball effect, as they botched his visa and sent him to HK. They initially covered the airfare, and told him to bring back receipts for reimbursement. The poor guy spent every last cent he had get his visa. When he returned, not only did they refuse to reimburse him, but they charged him for the airfare. The following month, they tried to send him back to HK for his Z visa without any of the required paperwork. He asked about the paperwork and they said they would mail it to him. He advised them that he wouldn't get on the plane unless the company advanced him the costs of the trip. This was reasonable as they again claimed they'd reimburse it. The refused and told him he'd been paid RMB 4300 so he should have at least RMB 3000 left over to spend. The added that after he exhausted all of his funds they'd consider loaning him additional funds as they saw fit. The guy ultimately walked, but seeing what he went through, and the enormous financial toll it took on him, I think I'll follow him once I line something else up. This place is horrible.

I worked as an English teacher at Web International School in Jiangyin City, China for three months during a summer. Most contracts with Web require teachers to sign on for at least a year, but since I came on during the summer when there is an onslaught of young students suddenly attending and because I had a personal connection to the owner of the school, I was able to negotiate a shorter stint.

The school is meant for private adult English education, but the summer months saw many younger students attending. I ended up teaching many of them, since the other teachers didn't "sign on" to "teach kids". I was more than happy to do it.

Each lesson plan was already set, from "Icebreaker" level (learning the ABC's) to "Advanced Business English". As a teacher at Web, you teach all of them. Typically, I taught 5 one-hour lessons a day, and otherwise held office hours for the other three hours.

The lesson plans were a bit outdated and could definitely use a lot of revamping. The students were a mixed bunch--some clearly loved learning the language, while many were there because their parents made them. Typical of any student anywhere, really. As it was summer, we held a field trip once per month, and at least one foreign teacher was required to attend. I chaperoned the a trip to the bamboo forest in YiXing, which would've been absolutely wonderful, had it not been for the oppressive heat.

Each student was required to meet with a local Chinese tutor, who helped them prepare for their lesson with the foreign English teacher. The students were also required to complete a test on the computer for each lesson in order to progress to the next class. The Chinese tutors were paid a very paltry salary for working 6 days a week--that was the one major reality of working in China as a foreigner that I was never able to fully come to terms with. Foreign teachers were paid nearly seven times that amount per month and provided with living quarters.

Overall, though, I really enjoyed working at Web. The support was not fantastic and I know some of the foreign teachers squabbled at bits of their contracts, but for three months and my first foray into teaching English, it was an experience I would never trade. Web has locations all over China. I lived in Jiangyin City, which, while it is rapidly developing like all of China, had not yet been exposed to many young white foreign girls before. It was definitely an enormous culture shock.