Sunflower English Education Centre, Suzhou - Rated "Best City Employer"

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Sunflower English Education Centre in Suzhou- Ultimate bad egg=My Review

I have finished my employment with Sunflower English Centre in Suzhou.Without doubt this was the worst company I have worked for in my life. If I could sum up Sunflower in a few select words to help you, it would be “be careful and look at all options.” Constant lying/cheating, taking money from salaries, no flexibility and FINES about sums this company up. The general treatment of all staff in this company is overwhelmingly bad. Most of which comes down to the way that Sunflower organises and communicates. It will leave you bewildered and somewhat angry most of the time.

Sunflower English looks professional on the surface but once a member you will discover that is far from how it operates.

Extracting money from salaries is its specialty. This is for both Chinese and foreign staff. Everything has a fine attached or a warning about losing your job. If they can find an underhanded way of taking money off of you, they will. They make the salary system so complex you need a math degree to figure it out. The salary is basically a sales contract which leaves everything out of your control. Doing your salary this way means your actual salary is always on Sunflower side.

The reason I finally left my service with Sunflower was actually seeing everything that went on around me. The general opinion and regard that most have for Sunflower itself is very low.The ambience of the place was by far the biggest problem. Nobody will listen to you there. It often feels like you get paid=now be quiet and do what you’re told. You won’t have an opportunity to be a real teacher there because of the endless procedures and rules.

The thing that is most apparent after spending time there is that most of Chinese bosses don’t actually think much of the foreigners. Most of the time you are seen as a hindrance and you will find yourself having to follow sudden crazy adaptions to the Sunflower model and then threatened with fines for non-compliance. I can’t begin to tell you the frequency with which this happens.

The turnover of staff is absolutely ridiculous for both Chinese and foreign employees. Actually most Chinese companies have a high turnover of sales staff this can be quite normal. But Sunflower/Suzhou goes one better. Their level of turnover is so much more than normal because you as an employee hold no value and the terrible ambience of the place forces most people out. Sunflower aims to be a high class professional quality and expensive school. The truth is, it is in fact the McDonalds of English schools.

Sudden and regular changes to your contract and teaching hours are common. It has even been the case where they handed out sheets of paper to say “oh here is a change to your contract some additions”. Often, not even for business related needs but because they will and can and do therefore you MUST follow. Even major things that really affect you. I.e. Foreigner’s office hours were in the mornings/early afternoon, this was the contract before coming to China the agreement. That’s office hour’s right!. Wrong! Sunflower decided to change everybody’s office hours so everybody must work until 8pm every night.
They bring in sudden changes like this with no thought or communication at any time. This type of thing is CONSTANT.It’s why most people leave too.

Foreigners here typically work a 40 hours a week. You clock in and out by biometrics. If your even one minute late even during your office hours you get fined. Office hours are supposed to be for lesson planning. But after the first few months you would have taught most of the lessons many, many times so your planning will reduce and for the most part won't take that long. At Sunflower most teachers teach very young classes. They seem not to be able to attract older students. Teaching what we call the baby classes requires little planning if any sometimes. It is then where the office hours verse the inflexibility/management becomes a joke or a problem.

You will be expected to sit there as a new teacher 30-35 hours a week with nothing to do. You are told you can’t go on the internet you can’t use your phone and most of the time you’ll sit in a room by yourself watching the day go by wondering why you came to China because you sure aren’t going to see any of it. In many schools the flexibility of the company and office hours are just normal/rational. Taking Holidays actual teaching practices go along the same inflexible route too. Some of the worst I’ve known in any school.

I really have just taken 1-2 examples in this review of Sunflower English Center regarding contractual and ambience. While writing this I found out I could have carried on forever. When I have some time, I’ll write some more specific examples. There are plenty of other reviews online for you to get an idea or a feel for the company though.

Those of you looking for a job in China, good luck. I recommend you try a nice Suzhou training school to work in.

XZX