Wow...
As indicated, I personally don't recommend using Aston; my own experience with them was awful. A few individual schools seem to have a better track record than others. Many of the schools are franchises, which leaves you completely at whim of local school owner mans. The foreign part of the corporate office (perhaps not exactly Mother Teresa or Albert Schweitzer themselves) will not necessarily do much on your behalf.
And as I always say...even when honest, schools like this are a terrible deal...very hard work for highly variable SHARED housing and unexciting wages.
I'm curious...who was saying the positive things about Baoji? Anyone not connected with this school?
Do the research...it's hard to imagine this being a great place; maybe I'm wrong.
Baoji is a big center of heavy industry- machinery, chemicals, textiles...all fired by big nasty coal-fired power plants. It's INCREDIBLY polluted...coal byproducts, heavy metal dusts, and oh, so much more. The climate is not the best. Baoji DOES host some historic sites...enough to kill a few weekend afternoons...but otherwise it ain't exactly Paris.
Maybe I've missed something...what was the good part?
The information on the changes- the recommendation/character assessment requirement- was very interesting and I appreciate you sharing it here. This is a brand new development and my first instance of hearing it. I may cite you elsewhere on the forum about this. If this is in fact a new requirement everywhere, it's not good news.
Question 1
Does this mean that in the event I end up with an untrustworthy franchise owner, I could be told to accept whatever conditions they want or not get a recommendation? I don't want to be unable to work in China- I've been planning on coming back for years!
Yes, I'm afraid it does. School owners ALREADY have quite an arsenal of things- such as your end-of-contract benefits- to hold over your head.
I'm not sure how much impact on future employment it will have...an awful lot of places are still delighted simply to have a foreigner at all. It's also possible that frank discussions of problems with former employers might also blunt a little of its effect.
Unfortunately, if this requirement is true everywhere, the problem will not be confined to Aston. It'll be true anywhere.
Question 2
So I'm not sure what to do from here. I've been in talks with these guys for months- can I drop everything even as they're about to send the invitation letter/permit?
Absolutely. No problem. Nothing is really set in stone until you show up at the school; either party can still dissolve the whole thing up until that point. Dropping them NOW would also be a lot better than doing it after they've actually gotten the documents for you.
Question 3
Is it too late to do a public school this year- do they all start September 1st?
Dates vary a bit...and a lot of schools will face being unable to find a teacher before school starts; these will still be hiring after the term begins. There's also some turnover soon after classes start- some teachers get better offers and bolt, and schools will find themselves having to boot a terribly undesirable teacher. It's quite often possible to get a position that way. Bottom line: the peak season has just passed its full bloom, but some jobs will still be open, and a few jobs can be found throughout the year.
But could a school actually hold FTs hostage by threatening not to give a recommendation letter?
Yup. See Question 1.
I wouldn't panic just yet. This may not really happen everywhere.
TIFC. (This Is F*#king China)