After they had messed up my job promised to me with their usual switch-and-bait tactics, they made me work for them in their office. Instead of going to a school that would provide a single apartment, I ended up in their run-down company apartment where I spent three months, standing up early in the morning at 6 a.m. to take the crowded bus that takes hours to go because of all the traffic jams to arrive on time at 8 a.m. in their office when work begins. Being in a crowded bus that takes hours to arrive and being pushed from all sides is soooo "nice"...

Then back at 5 p.m. each day, again with the same bus and with the same privilege of being pushed from all sides...how nice! After 90 minutes, back in the company apartment, going early to sleep to be up again at 6 a.m. the next day early in the morning.

In their office, doing high quality editing and other related work for as little as 4500 RMB a month, no private life because the apartment owner comes and goes as it pleases him and even tells you to move to use another Bathroom than the one you had before. How "nice"...

Finally, I have left them and feel much better; I am in a hotel now and can relax, see the city and nice places I haven't seen before, no more interferences with my private life in their apartment, no more stupid replies regarding material I needed for my work, no more hassle in running after my money, and now much more free time for myself. Really great!

Compared to a job at a school, I had a much harder life with them after they had messed up my job at that school:
- many more hours each day and per week,
- a ridiculous salary (too low even in China for all the work I did for them),
- no single apartment, no private life, not enough free time for myself.

Working for a company like this is hell and a poor job compared to the privileges a foreign teacher enjoys at a decent Chinese school. i said good bye to them a couple of days ago, and they were not too pleased. I have found another decent school in another city, and I will go there next week. I have been told my apartment will be ready by then...wow!

Good-bye, Helen, to keep experienced and qualified experts, you must become much more professional than you and your company are now, and you must learn that foreign people like me do not like to be given the feeling that you "own" and that you can do to them whatever you want. If you continue like that, you will not only lose those foreign teachers that you managed to catch in your trap with all your false promises given by your so-called managers, you will have people quit your company that you are actually looking for because of their qualifications and experience.

Be assured that from now on I will only see your company office building from the outside. Bye bye, Helen, and never interfere with my private life again! Better polish up your run-down company apartment where I did not even have any water for months because this fool of so-called apartment manager was too lazy or did not know how to handle the matter.