laotou has a good point.
Dealing with Chinese officials rule number 1.
If you can't get what you want, try asking a different question, or the same question differently.
e.g.
With my Chinese wife at the train station to make a journey. The ticket counter said there were not more seats on any train that day. Shock horror! We could not get home. Then I asked my wife to enquire about 'soft seats'. Yes they had soft seats on all trains that day.
Don't worry if they say 'Impossible'. 'Impossible' does not mean 'no'.
However, 'difficult' often does mean 'no'.
A bit of confusion here because you used the term 'private schools'.
Now is perhaps a bad of year to be looking. Most of the public sector schools/colleges and private sector schools (not language training centres) are now thinking about recruiting for September. Because of the academic year most have contracted staff running until June.
You may need to consider working at training centres, at least until Sept.
Some of the universities and colleges also have 'spin offs' that may recruit on an ad-hoc basis. For the next semester (in two weeks). I have also recently come to Kunming and was lucky, as I am replacing a Chinese teacher who have been promoted to set up a new 'school' within the college, and even this is only part time.
Part-time is the other route. Working part-time is a good option. You can work for several employers at the same time. The rates of pay are higher, and you have the power to say 'no'. You also get to check out the culture in several institutions, before you decide for next year. The downside is that PT work won't get you a visa.
I can't give you any answers, as I am new to Kunming. But one thing I would add, is that you find out about specific campuses as well. There is one well know school with about 30 campuses.
The culture in each campus can be different. I once worked for an international company (not a franchise) and the local director was openly hostile to foreign teachers. She even espoused her disdain. She said that we were all a waste of time and refused to process any 'Z' visa. She said that the company was not a visa service for expats.
In another place the admin/sales manager was a real piece of goods, who would raise customer expectations to overly high levels, just to get her commission. But when the teacher fails to deliver the unreal, who gets blamed?
In both the above cases, it was individuals at the campus level that were the problem
You can buy the same, or better, stuff in the regular markets. If you are buying leather goods, Yunnan produces some great leather goods that are of original design and high quality for much less.
In fact a lot of the fake brands are no longer available. The fake logos are similar but not the same. The the prices are still over the top.
I don't think the courts are uneducated. I think more cynically. The amount owed is $14k. I bet the owners are still driving flash cars and own several properties. The company may not have assets to pay, but I bet the owners do.
I have just come back from a quick trip around that area, and spent one afternoon and night in Dali. Dali has found a new identity.
I have visited Dali several times over the years, and like many people on here was disappointed with what I saw. The slow commercialisation of Dali, leading to a schizophrenic (not one thing, not another) mess.
On my recent visit, the street vendors had gone the really low end food places had mostly gone. The city was busy, and for a mid-week just before CNY that was surprising. It was not a frantic busy, everything was moving smoothly and working well. Even noise seemed to be down, and I found it a lot less stressful.
There is a sort of gentrification among traders. There are more upmarket shops. There are many more shaokao (national trend) and most of these are chains, rather than small independents. Many of the small family food places have redecorated and are not the old dim and dismal places that they used to be. The commercial development has also spread into other streets.
Dali is not the Dali of old, but it has found a new identity. This new identity may not be to everybody's taste, but I found the city a much nicer place to stay, than I did 3 years ago.
@Janjal, your argument contains many assumptions and additional requirements (story tellers etc). If we cannot provide the additional resources your suggested strategy would require and you cannot get China's rural poor to demand answers; again we have a moot point.
Comparing EU farmers, who are business owners who learn to work the system for profit with the rural poor, Is perhaps a case of chalk and cheese.
Of course material wealth is not the only measure, but it affects many other measures, and is a predominant feature in a capitalist system.
Perhaps it is human nature to want more than we have now, in capitalism this includes having more than the guy next to us. If we have more now than we had before, there is likely to be a sense of achievement/progress/increased security/satisfaction/happiness in that fact alone,. It is also a very simple qualitative measure for almost anyone.
Q. Do I have more than last year. A. Yes/no. If yes, has my relative position compared to my neighbors also improved? Am I content/happy with this?
In reality the questions are not even asked, they are not even out there, but they are part of the zeit geist. In cities with stronger economic growth the answers to the questions are going to be yes for more people. Chengdu is such a place. It is only when the personal costs of achieving this wealth are perceived to outweigh the advantages of the new wealth that people start to question it, but that comes later.
A reasonable choice of lumber that has improved over time. Fancy hardwoods like walnut, and mahogany are in abundance. There are some plywood and rubber-wood boards available. There are also some kiln dried imported softwoods and merbao available. Some of the lumber is very green, so look for the kiln dried if you need stable timbers.
Echo everything said by others.
Breakfast great and the serve from 8am. Most other places say 9am and they still are not ready.
Sandwiches are cheap 22-32, and really packed full of filling. We got some sandwiches for a day out, the only mistake I made was ordering two, as this was too much. These are seriously good sangars, and they are wrapped in alu foil.
In fairness to Metro, they are a wholesalers, and not really a supermarket. Hence the need for a card, which can be got around.
They have improved in the year I have been away. They now carry a more consistent range of imported foodstuffs and they also seem to have sorted out the mported milk supply.
They have a wider range of electrical appliances now, there is a coice of more than one toast. There is also a better range of seasonal non foods, like clothes, shoes, garden furniture and camping gear.
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Migrant workers receive bricks in lieu of pay
Posted byI don't think the courts are uneducated. I think more cynically. The amount owed is $14k. I bet the owners are still driving flash cars and own several properties. The company may not have assets to pay, but I bet the owners do.
Weekend in Dali: A Chinese perspective
Posted byI have just come back from a quick trip around that area, and spent one afternoon and night in Dali. Dali has found a new identity.
I have visited Dali several times over the years, and like many people on here was disappointed with what I saw. The slow commercialisation of Dali, leading to a schizophrenic (not one thing, not another) mess.
On my recent visit, the street vendors had gone the really low end food places had mostly gone. The city was busy, and for a mid-week just before CNY that was surprising. It was not a frantic busy, everything was moving smoothly and working well. Even noise seemed to be down, and I found it a lot less stressful.
There is a sort of gentrification among traders. There are more upmarket shops. There are many more shaokao (national trend) and most of these are chains, rather than small independents. Many of the small family food places have redecorated and are not the old dim and dismal places that they used to be. The commercial development has also spread into other streets.
Dali is not the Dali of old, but it has found a new identity. This new identity may not be to everybody's taste, but I found the city a much nicer place to stay, than I did 3 years ago.
Government sues parents to get kids back to school
Posted bySo we must make them learn.
You can take a horse to water, but a pencil has to be lead.
Government sues parents to get kids back to school
Posted by@Janjal, your argument contains many assumptions and additional requirements (story tellers etc). If we cannot provide the additional resources your suggested strategy would require and you cannot get China's rural poor to demand answers; again we have a moot point.
Comparing EU farmers, who are business owners who learn to work the system for profit with the rural poor, Is perhaps a case of chalk and cheese.
China hands out happy city awards, Kunming sad
Posted byOf course material wealth is not the only measure, but it affects many other measures, and is a predominant feature in a capitalist system.
Perhaps it is human nature to want more than we have now, in capitalism this includes having more than the guy next to us. If we have more now than we had before, there is likely to be a sense of achievement/progress/increased security/satisfaction/happiness in that fact alone,. It is also a very simple qualitative measure for almost anyone.
Q. Do I have more than last year. A. Yes/no. If yes, has my relative position compared to my neighbors also improved? Am I content/happy with this?
In reality the questions are not even asked, they are not even out there, but they are part of the zeit geist. In cities with stronger economic growth the answers to the questions are going to be yes for more people. Chengdu is such a place. It is only when the personal costs of achieving this wealth are perceived to outweigh the advantages of the new wealth that people start to question it, but that comes later.