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Hi, I have been offered a position at Suzhou Foreign Language School, but I don't know anything about the school. They have a website but the website doesn't have any contact information. I am in contact with someone but I just don't know how serious this person is. If anyone has any information about the school PLEASE LET ME KNOW. Thank you

[dan]

***Mod edit***

A poster on eslcafe.com is one of the foreign managers at the school.
His very own department bleeds teachers. Very few have been there more than two years and many run away after three-four months. It is considered an extremely abusive situation to work in. Even after I left, or was pushed out by Kev7161, I hear that the remaining teachers are all running away.

Everything that other posters all over the Internet have written is quite true. If you take employment at this school you will need to pay great attention to your paycheck (always “irregularities”, the extra “free” work that they will pile upon top of you, etc., etc.).

There are three or four departments within the school, each managed by American teachers. Each American head teacher is a white male, in his late 50’s, and believe it or not, each one weighs at least 350-400 pounds. I never saw so many fat white males under one roof in a foreign country.

Considering that they host 20 foreign teachers a year, it is strange that nearly 16-17 of these teachers run away, don’t come back, don’t renew their contracts, etc., etc.

In my own case, in early December, ***Mod edit*** harassed me to death until I could take it no more. ***Mod edit***

I beg any teacher that seeks employment in this hellhole — run, run, run, run, run as fast as you can. Otherwise, it’s a bit like the “Hotel California” if you know the song.

[dan]

Post removed due to posting rules violation - personal attack on an individual. Please see the posting rules.

Does anyone know if Suzhou is the same as Suizhou? Also what is the address or at least the street name. Does anyone have the link to their school website.

there was some bad rumors floating around about this school back in 2008. From what I heard even those weren't true. As of today, I know 3 teachers there and they are all happy and renewing contracts for the next term. They offer a very complete compensation package, with good pay, free housing and plenty of vacation time. I review lots of school and talk to lots of teachers. It's a good school as far as I can tell.

Brett
www.teachingnomad.com

i also have been offered a job at this school. offer seems good... only hope it is as good in person. have been talking directly with this school. have done some research. however... i have read mostly negative comments about this place. only positive comments apparently came from teacher who used to work there or still does. @ bisis... ur people are happy there? good to hear. can someone tell me what end of town the school is located. i also have read that this school has bad location and is 20-3o minute cab ride from "downtown." i hope the place is near bus and train station. i need some cool places to hang out.

there was some bad rumors floating around about this school back in 2008. From what I heard even those weren't true. As of today, I know 3 teachers there and they are all happy and renewing contracts for the next term. They offer a very complete compensation package, with good pay, free housing and plenty of vacation time. I review lots of school and talk to lots of teachers. It's a good school as far as I can tell.

Brett
http://www.teachingnomad.com

This post should send up a big, big red flag.

Brett is a recruiter for Suzhou Foreign Language School. It is his job to bring warm bodies to the school. Once you have been in China for a while, you will quickly learn to question the motives of any recruiter or of any agent. It is not their job to be honest. It is their job to make a commission. Many of them can be quite reptilian and cold-blooded about it. Long on speech, short on truth.

SFLS has a checkered reputation at best. It has been reviewed all over the Internet and one can find comments by at least 20 different teachers who have worked there at different points in time. Overall, these comments have been 95% highly, highly negative, exceptionally so for a school that pays so much money.

One should never, ever 100% believe the word of a teacher still in the employ of the school. One needs to contact at least 3 - 4 foreign teachers no longer with the school for a better understanding of the current situation.

One should never, ever 100% believe (or even 10% believe) the word of a foreign teacher who is a manager at the school. That is a given.

All-in-all, Suzhou is a nice place.

All-in-all, take a pass on this school unless you want the year from hell.

Just do a search on the Internet.

The post immediately preceding this is 100% BS rubbish. Taking heed of his (or "her", depending on the day) words is simply unwise. As a CURRENT teacher at this school (not a recruiter, not a paid advertiser, not a manager . . . just a teacher), I can give you some insight as to your questions. SFLS is located on the west side of Suzhou (the Suzhou New District or SND). About 1/2 block away from the entrance to the school is a bus stop with several buses stopping that will take you in most any direction from the school. In a few months time, there will be a subway entrance located directly in front of the school. At least the main line of the new subway system will be completed by 2012 (but don't ask me exactly when!). That will whisk you away to downtown and all the way to the other side of the city. There has been so much development around this school in the last couple of months. Within walking distance is a new movie theater, shopping malls, amusement and water parks, and several restaurant choices. A huge new shopping mall is opening also within the next few months. Many teachers are praying for a Starbucks!

20 of our 28 teachers from last year have renewed their contract and, from the conversations I have with them, seem content with their job and the pay and benefits they receive. Of course there will be negative reviews of any school, generally from ex-employees who are probably not satisfied any where they work! One "reviewer" kept pretending he was a lady. Those that have talked to me personally about his, uh, HER reviews kept going on about how funny, yet sad they were. I know one teacher he had a huge mad-on about is still working there and parents and students seem to appreciate the work he does. Obviously the school does as well as they keep renewing his contract. He seems like a nice guy.

I don't know what else to tell you, but I'll check back in at a later time if there are any follow-up questions. Good luck in your decision!

VR

Good school, safe and reliable for mentally well-balanced, professional teachers. "Suzhou Teacher Also" used to work here over two years ago . . . for almost 10 whole weeks. You may see him here and there on the internet under the names "The Truth", "Diana", "Stephanie", "C. Worthington" (or even Carolynne Worthington), and 3 or 4 others. Posts by "them" (him) all read pretty much exactly the same and because he had such a rough go of it, makes it sound like this place is the worse hellhole on the face of the earth. Far from it - - not a perfect school to be sure, but what school in China can make a claim like that? But they are honest, pay on time, and well-reward the hard working teachers. The grousers and drunks that seem to float through their doors from time to time thankfully don't last too long.

First of all, I never worked at that school.

I am not going to play barnyard games with VocalRush.

Here's a quotation that from a posting that I picked up on another site. These are not my words but I did read all the articles that I mentioned very, very carefully and I will raise just one question.

When there are almost 50 visibly different teachers writing on one thread about their experiences with VocalRush and his school, and nearly all of them are negative, and some of them are so personally revealing as to cause most persons to blush, truly, truly something must be rotten in Denmark, or is it Suzhou, or is it Pizza Hut or is it Topeka, Kansas? Anyway, let's say something must be rotten in Suzhou, that's fair enough!

Next, I encourage all to read the long, long response of Mr. Raoul Duke to VocalRush. Mr. Duke and others were personally acquainted with VocalRush and the school and thus bring direct witness. They ain't me, not here, not in Kansas.

Next, I encourage all to read the long, long posts on http://www.eslteachersboard.com by Dr. P. Turnoi, who conducted a serious investigation into the complaints against the school and comments made against VocalRush. VocalRush and his multiple identities have been banned from that site as a result.

Next, somehow, somehow, VocalRush imminsced himself into a totally harmless site called the BadgerandBlade, or something like that, a little site in the United States, and he wreaked havoc until he was banned from that site, too, for "comments detrimental to the well-being of the board". Is that something like moral turpitude? I am not sure.

Anyway, folks, here are the comments from another site. They ain't mine and I don't take responsibility for them but they are noteworthy.

"I would encourage all posters to carefully read the long thread about this school on

http://www.raoulschinasaloon.com (Suzhou Foreign Language School -- particularly the last four pages of the thread).

In reading this thread, one may note the intervention of Dr. P. Turnoi, one of the well-respected intervenionists and proprietors of http://www.eslteachersboard.com and Raoul Duke, owner of the site.

The details are florid, almost rancid and the highly personal descriptions of some of the managers provide information which I would blush about posting myself.

Please do not take my word, dear readers, for anything. Please do read what others have written on long-established and well-reputed websites.

http://raoulschinasaloon.com/index.php?topic=326.0

Additionally, I would encourage all to read the following post, signed by the author himself, a well-known and well-respected proprietor of a TESL forum. A serious forum, generally not political I might and a person who generally does remain above the fray.

http://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-bin ... read=25663"

Next, somehow, somehow, VocalRush imminsced himself into a totally harmless site called the BadgerandBlade, or something like that, a little site in the United States, and he wreaked havoc until he was banned from that site, too, for "comments detrimental to the well-being of the board". Is that something like moral turpitude? I am not sure.

A total and bald-faced lie. Vocal Rush is just following a trail of breadcrumbs left by, again, THE EXACT SAME PERSON seemingly, who is going from one site to another more than TWO YEARS after he left a place where he BRIEFLY worked, trying to stir the pot. It's not working very well, IMHO. BTW, what is "imminsced"?

When there are almost 50 visibly different teachers writing on one thread about their experiences with VocalRush and his school

a) yes and almost 49 are from the same person under just about 49 different internet names!

b) not "my" school - - I'm just a lowly foreign teacher there, along with 33 other foreign teachers. Someone is grasping at straws if they think they "know" me or even "know of" me. But, you know, "Suzhou Teacher Also", if I truly don't know you and you truly don't know me, take a deep breath . . . and let it go. You've done your civic duty by blasting this school, blasting VocalRush, and leading readers of this thread on a merry chase through internet-land to dredge up old posts about someone else you don't even know!

long response of Mr. Raoul Duke to VocalRush. Mr. Duke and others were personally acquainted with VocalRush

Another lie. I personally don't "know" a so-called Mr. Raoul Duke as this is a fictional character created by one Hunter S. Thompson. Please don't confuse someone you THINK you "know" or "know of" with anyone else. And this fictional character was addressing a "VocalRush"? Damn! I thought this name was unique. Oh, but wait, this is the internet where billions of people visit every day. Perhaps there is the odd chance (1 in a million maybe?) that some users actually duplicate other people's web names, maybe by accident - - maybe sometimes for nefarious reasons.

Yes, yes, several (or perhaps only just a few) probably have read the hyperbole, the false accusations against one long-time teacher at this school from one short-lived teacher who WAS very, very briefly associated with this school, mud-flinging and finger-pointing. trying to sully a reputation, all to no avail. My advice? Time to get over it, brush the chip off the slumped shoulder and MOVE ON. I imagine, like, 3 people are even reading this and 2 of them are us!!!! And the third one is

I am not going to get into a barnyard brawl with VocalRush -- after all, I'm not from Kansas and I have never been in a barnyard nor in a Pizza Hut for that matter (details taken from the posts about him and his school on www.eslteachersboard.com and www.raoulschinasaloon.com).

I am only one poster and there are myriad others, with available email addresses, who have heaped much-needed and endless amounts of criticism and scorn upon the school where VocalRush (or is it Kev7161) works and administers and dispatches to perdition all who come in his way.

The school is an absolute avoid. Please, please anyone, just go to www.eslteachersboard.com and read the detailed posts by Dr. P. Turnoi about the place and about the man. If that doesn't suffice, then please, please go to www.raoulschinasaloon.com and check out the thread that I mentioned before. Your hair will turn white, to say the least.

On another site, 60 posters who have worked at the school have given it a rating of 2.00 out of 5.00 -- hardly a good score by any means.

And as for VocalRush aka Kev7161 he is part of the school's management and mainly functions are its attack dog.

I am not going to get into a barnyard brawl with VocalRush

Too late. It's like a pig running when hearing the dinner bell. It's just in the pig's nature.

I have never been in a barnyard nor in a Pizza Hut for that matter

No? But I've bet you've visited a Papa John's a time or twenty, eh? Where in Suzhou are you? I'd love to meet you face-to-face and break you (in to the joys of Pizza Hut!)

On another site, 60 posters who have worked at the school have given it a rating of 2.00 out of 5.00

Why no link to that site? C'mon . . . you know you want to. Just do it! Surely you are not one to exaggerate!?! Let us all count the SIXTY different posters. Or . . . maybe it's 60 posts, but not 60 different posters.

Your hair will turn white, to say the least.

Or maybe it will just fall out altogether!

I am not going to get into a barnyard brawl with VocalRush

Too late. It's like a pig running when hearing the dinner bell. It's just in the pig's nature.

I have never been in a barnyard nor in a Pizza Hut for that matter

No? But I've bet you've visited a Papa John's a time or twenty, eh? Where in Suzhou are you? I'd love to meet you face-to-face and break you (in to the joys of Pizza Hut!)

On another site, 60 posters who have worked at the school have given it a rating of 2.00 out of 5.00

Why no link to that site? C'mon . . . you know you want to. Just do it! Surely you are not one to exaggerate!?! Let us all count the SIXTY different posters. Or . . . maybe it's 60 posts, but not 60 different posters.

Your hair will turn white, to say the least.

Or maybe it will just fall out altogether!

I am truly sorry but the posting that has been quoted here is simply psychotic beyond belief. VocalRush, perhaps it's time to check your blood sugar level or something. I am always happy to respond to any postings that contain at least one gram of common sense or reason or something like that.

In the meantime, VocalRush has attempted to make an appearance on www.eslteachersboard.com and has been smitten down again by the Board Interventionist on the grounds of "lack of decency" in postings.

In the meantime, VocalRush has attempted to make an appearance on www.eslteachersboard.com and has been smitten down again by the Board Interventionist on the grounds of "lack of decency" in postings.

Liar, liar, pants on fire!