From hope to horror for young woman working in China
Local resident warns people to leave no stone unturned when investigating overseas employment opportunities, especially if it is in a country with a different culture and spoken language.
A resident resigned from her job and sold her car to move to Beijing in China to teach at a school in the hopes of making better money than she was here.
Jane* (26) wants to warn others to be more diligent than she was in double, even triple-checking who prospective employers are.
She describes her former job as being wonderful but not meeting her financial needs. “The payment on our car as one example went up by R1 000 with the repo rate increase over three months. We were just not keeping our head above water, so I looked for alternatives.”
The job she successfully applied for was to teach young children English at a school that was a few minutes’ walk from where she would be staying.
Upset that she could not find a suitable job locally, she and her family accepted she would go overseas for a while to earn better. A sacrifice she was more than willing to make.
“My friend from high school was there doing the same work so I trusted what she told me. I didn’t think she would set me up with an unscrupulous company and receive a finder’s fee if I made it through the probation period of three months.”
“I am so passionate about children and was so excited to have a new experience in a foreign country.”
It turned out that she was not teaching at one school, but a different one every day. Her accommodation was badly situated, expensive and she routinely travelled for four hours a day to get to work.
“It was a nightmare. The staff at the schools were not welcoming or helpful and I quickly became depressed. I am a hard worker, but it was intolerable.”
Her friend was no support which came as a shock. “I could not believe that she was so uninterested in my experience and wanted nothing to do with helping me hold the hiring company accountable for misleading me.”
She says being in a foreign country where you don’t speak the language is difficult when you don’t have a local person you can trust there to help you settle in and ‘show you the ropes’.
“Language apps are not great at translating so ordering food was so tricky. Nobody speaks English and the food looks so different it was hard to visually figure out what to eat. I did not find people helpful at all. Moaning about food sounds ridiculous but when you are already so unhappy and stressed, not being able to easily order a meal can become overwhelming.”
“These companies entice you with promises of good work and decent pay but that is not always the case. If it seems too good to be true, listen to your gut and don’t go.”
All costs for flights, accommodation and medical examinations would have been reimbursed by the company after the three months, but Jane left before then leaving her family seriously out of pocket. “My husband and family after hearing about my nightmare supported, even begged, me to come home but it has hit us hard financially.”
“Jobs are hard to come by here even with a master’s degree. I’m devastated.”
Some tips to consider before taking an overseas job in a foreign country:
n Do not resign from your current job before the paperwork for travel comes through. Jane’s documentation took three months to be processed.
n Look for online reviews or references from the hiring company to see other’s experiences working with them.
n Ask for, in writing, confirmation of what school you will be teaching at including where your accommodation is situated.
n Ask for details of a person from the company who can assist you should you run into problems.
*Jane is not her real name. She does not want this article to put off prospective employers in Johannesburg as she looks for work.
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