anyone know about Weifang?

A public school in Weifang , Shandong, might be interested in me.

Just a quick question to see if anyone has ever been there, or know
much about the place?

I can't find much about this city, apart from the local official-touristy
stuff ("three beautiful rivers.....", etc, etc).

Thanks!

Kite City...just up the road from Jinan, supposedly pretty windy. Looked OK when I passed through it, but don't know about living there. They have an annual Kite Festival, which attracts mobs of International visitors.

Gerge is our resident authority on crappy cities in Shandong (ie the ones that aren't Qingdao; he lives in one himself) and might be able to fill you in a little.









Uh...please note that I write that to provoke Gerge. I don't know if Weifang is really a crappy city or not. On the other hand, I'm not sure I'd ever trust Gerge as a "resident authority" on anything  that's not illegal and/or unsavory.

Simultaneous posts. Crap.

Uh...please note that I write that to provoke Gerge.

Totally in vain, of course!

So, George, are you in Qingdao?

I ask, because things are getting busy here in the last few days. Yesterday
I got the baitenquiry from the public school in Weifang, and then
today (things are, at long-bloody last! moving faster now) - had a phone interview for
a TC in Qingdao. So, are you in fact in Qingdao? If so, do you know of the
World International English School there?

No Hairy, oops, Harry.  I'm in Jinan. I've never heard of World English International School, but it doesn't sound good. Sounds like a Language mill, to me. If it's a real "International" School, it would most likely be out in the boonies, somewhere. Make further enquiries, for your own sake.

It is a problem schools face, going to a lot of trouble to get FTs the correct visa, and then have them vanish, but "loaning" money sounds like they won't actually pay for the trip. I'd get that clarified first. Sounds like you also have to make your own way to Qingdao. Are they going to reimburse your airfare? What's the contract like?

Yes, airfare reimbursment; 7500 + apartment allowance (1200);
25 teaching hours + 15 pw. Yeah, I know, not everyone's cup-of-tea, but
identical to what I had in my last mill-job. (I haven't signed it yet - waiting
to see the Weifang public school contract first).

I've no idea what rents are in Qingdao. In Wuxi, the 1 brm place I had
was 1700rmb pm, a little higher than average, however that apartment was
right in the city centre, and only took me ca 8 minutes to walk to work.
(and it was only 4 minutes walk to the Aussie-owned expat bar/cafe....so I was happy in there).   

This World English crowd have outlets all over, and have teaching-vacancies now in Wuxi, Ningbo, and Qingdao. I did the interview on the basis of filling the vacancy they have in their Wuxi TC. But when she asked me how soon I could get there, I told her about 2 weeks - she replied that would be too long, so then she said they'd take me at their Qingdao servery. hmmm....gawd, I hate these "slippery" phone interviews! (First, I had to do a mock-lesson (on 'nationalities') before any of these matters were discussed.)

Would that by any chance be Ronnies or Blue Bar?

The one I was near was the Blue Bar. You know it, 'lugs?
Stew was a great friend, and support to me, especially in my
first few raw-months there. It was great to go in after work,
(we finished at 9pm), have a Tiger or two, food, and play some pool.
(I didn't go in every night - but, emm, yeah, I was fairly 'regular!)

Ronnie's Oz Bar used to be in the city centre, but he moved it out
to, oh, (sugar! can't remember the street-name!), near Tangnan Lu/Taihu da-Dao.
Same street as the big Carrefour shop. (or as the Wuxi-ites
call it, the "Jally-few-ya"!)

Quote

Uh...please note that I write that to provoke Gerge.

Totally in vain, of course!

Right. You were very helpful.

don't know about living there.

Further to what these Qingdao TC interviewers told me about
loaning me some funds to make the visa-trip to HK -
I emailed them yesterday to ask them to clarify this.
She replied that the funds would be a type of 'advance' on the
subsequent monthly-wages. And, that their Finance Department
would "retain (my) passport, until the pay-deductions are finished."

My thoughts are now that I won't be proceeding further with this one.
The idea of them holding my passport, regardless of the reason,....well,
to be honest, it scares me.

Yeah, Harry, give them a BIG miss!

"retain (my) passport, until the pay-deductions are finished."

YIPES!!!  

Is that legal?

Besides that, I thought a HK visa run would no longer produce the desired Z visa anyway.
Are they expecting you to work illegally on a tourist visa? Did I miss something here?