There have been many bad stories about FAO ever since people began to talk in different tongues and have to communicate through intermediaries. For those who have never taught in China, FAO stands for foreign affairs office. It handles the paperwork, such as a letter of invitation and visa, for you before your arrival, picks you up at the airport or bus or train station upon your arrival and cleans your bedroom and help you settle down after your arrival at the school.

Among some common complaints are that FAO doesn't know what an ESL teacher wants, FAO hides truth from ESL teachers, FAO lie to teachers about their working and living conditions, and FAO has no clue what they are doing.

What else? Go to any ESL site and you can easily find a load of complaints about FAO.

How true those allegations are I don't know, but I am sure we are not in a perfect world and FAO are too humane to err just as other people do.

Complaints alone won't make our unhappiness disapper and may make things worse if not handled properly. Anger is a boomerrang that may hurt both ways.

I suspect that some so-called survival tips about working and living in China have increased the tension between the teachers and FAO. Some of
those tips are no doubt based on half baked knowledge of the Chinese culture and western etiqutte.

For example, one suggests that, if you need something from FAO, you insist on asking for it until you get it. It maybe true in some cases, but in other cases it may only make things worse. Reason? Simple. You need to find out whether FAO people can get it for you or not. If they are not in
the position to get it for you, you only make them lose face in front of you and other people and both you and FAO lose.

Don't think that FAO people are stupid or crazy if they have done something that doesn't make sense to you. Truth maybe they are caught between the decision makers on top and you the teachers. It's not unusual that FAO is used as a buffer zone between the people who hold the thread of the money bags and other important sources and the teachers. You are barking the wrong tree if you blame all on FAO. Sure, a scapegoat may make us feel happy and relieved for a moment, but that won't help resolve the problem we have.

So, here are my suggestions.

1. Try befriend FAO people, especially those who have done you much favor in the beginning. Just do it as mere courtesy if you don't like to owe

people anything. You can get more information and help from FAO than from other sources.

2. Find out who is behind FAO. It's useless talking to the wrong people.

3. Put pressure on FAO tactically when you have to. Like it or not, FAO may be your only alliance in an alient environment and you don't want to lose it.

4. Never lose respect for you and other people. Remember the word FACE. Chinese people are not used to direct confrontation. Refrain from using insulting words such as "stupid" and "moron" and action when you are angry. Respect is a two way highway. When you lose respect for

someone, you lose respect from him, too. And theorectically, foreigners are granted a lot of respect in China.

Bear in mind why we are here in China. It's easy to lose sight of the direction and goal once one begins the journey. We are not here to save the world. Most ESL teachers are in China to have a good time or experience a different culture. Strangely, many complainers are old-timers who have spent some time in China. It's understandable. Employment relationships are like a marriage. Once the honeymoon is over, chores begin and all sorts of trouble sets in, especially when you have to deal with most of the chores by yourself. A good solution seems to be go out and find out other buddies in your area and put the chores behind once you are out of your office or dorm. If you can't find any buddy in your area, go buy some pirated CDs and DVDs while they are still out on the street stalls. They can give you at least some imaginary peace of mind.

Jeff Lee
Consultant of Beijing Wellgo Consulting Services, a professional placement company based in China
bjwellgo8@yahoo.com.cn
bbs.sinoyuan.com