Ask Headmaster Ken

I am traveling to China to take up a position to teach English as a foreign language in Shijiazhuang Foreign Language School, Shijiazhuang on Mon, 1st Sept. I was unable to get a lot of info about the school before i took the job, but did get as much information and clarity about it from the person i was in contact with as i could. However, since doing a bit more research and stumbling across a few other resources, such as this one (which i have found extremely useful and informative), as well as a forum for foreign experts, I have become increasingly worried about a couple of things.

Firstly, that Shijiazhuang is not a good city to work/live in. One of the reasons for this is that on the forum someone commented, using anecdotal evidence, that the city is quite dangerous and unfriendly. After reading the article on your guide, however, (which i found accurate, concise, and underpinned by great common sense) regarding the use of these forums, although I am still somewhat apprehensive about the city i am going to, my fears have been allayed somewhat. For me this serves to highlight the dangers of these forums and I only hope that in this case my doubts over their accurate and valid content are substantiated.

The other thing that I have been alerted to is the dangers of using a recruiter or agent. I answered an advert on a website called ******.org, which came recommended to me from a website I trust fully, so had no doubts about it. However, after reading about agents I get the impression the person I have been in touch with may be one, as the initial offer was for a school in Beijing, but when i emailed her the offer changed to Shijiazhuang. I really don't have any other concerns about her validity, as she has answered all my questions satisfactorily and has sent photos of the buildings, accommodation, etc when requested, but I now think i should have asked to be put into contact with anohter teacher who had worked at the school and i am generally rather concerned that the school may not be what it first seemed. I sincerely hope that my fears are unfounded and still fully plane to take up the position, but would appreciate any advice. I also appreciate that this has been a very long winded question that may be out with the ambit of this guide, but again I would like to reiterate that I have found this guide very useful and would place a lot of confidence in any advice you could offer.

Thanks,

Michael

Dear Michael,

We understand your concern and we appreciate you writing.

Your greatest protection is the Z-visa. Just as long as they provide you with the Letter of Invitation and the Foreign Work Permit so that you can arrive in China with a Z-visa, then there is a lot of protection in that for you. The school that sponsored the Z-visa is legally obligated to provide you with a job once you arrive in China.

Did they provide you with the proper paperwork so that you could apply for your Z-visa? If so, we think you can take it easy for now.

As for the city, we have no direct knowledge of Shijiazhuang, nor have we even heard of it before. However, we seriously doubt that there is any such thing as an entire city that is “unfriendly and dangerous” towards foreigners (polluted yes, dangerous no). You do need to take just about everything you read on these anonymous forums with a grain of salt.

Best of luck to you,

Ken

Don't worry about Shijiazhuang. I have now lived here for 6 months, and I have yet to meet anyone that is unfriendly. You will get stared at everywhere you go, but people are not being unfriendly, they are just amazed and curious about seeing a foreigner!

Shijiazhuang is certainly not a metropolitan city like Beijing. It is hard to find any western food or good nightclubs anywhere in the city, and it can be cloudy and dirty most of the winter. Because of this Shijiazhuang has a bad reputation with foreigners, but they have started beautifying the city (new roads, small parks, etc) and if you don't mind being immersed in Chinese culture that has had significantly less western influence then Beijing, you should enjoy Shijiazhuang!

Have fun in Shijiazhuang

Randy