Sino-American Denver Foreign Language School

yea that's what i thought... thanks for confirming my suspicion... in any case i posted the whole contract in the contract zone

To recap my thoughts on Sino-Denver (I never wrote the promised review):

It's a good place to work if you're starting out and/or don't have a degree. You will have steady, reliable pay and will get experience teaching all ages. The school gets you a Residence Permit (even if you don't have a degree), pays on time, and generally respects the contract. These three things put them far ahead of many other language mills in China.

Of course, working six days a week sucks. If you're qualified, you probably can find something better in Changchun or elsewhere in China. However, if you need a start, they'll give it to you and they won't cheat you blind. What's in the contract is what you're get.

I felt I was treated very fairly while I worked there. I know people who have worked there for years (one girl actually went abroad, got her degree, then came back to work there) and have generally been happy.

That being said, I haven't worked there for several years now so things might have changed. However, my experience was positive. It's not the best job in the world, but I don't think it pretends to be anything that it's not.

many thanks

I just noticed this thread. When I was working in Changchun I had a friend working with them :/
she had a lot of visa trouble with them and they also changed the classes she was teaching almost every week.

she seemed pretty unhappy there :/ and left china altogther about a month before I left.

If you go there make sure they had you your visa straight up and don't let them convince you to come on a working visa :/ it didn't seem to turn out well

I realise this discussion happened a few months ago but I was floating by and thought I'd add my two cents worth.
I worked at this school under a 6 month contract and was generally very happy with the job. Everything El Macho said in his review still applied for me in the second half of 2010, and the company is under the same ownership now so I'm guessing nothing will change in the near future. In regards to giving up your 'day off' in the week prior to holidays etc., this was never a problem. Sometimes it meant that if there was a public holiday on a Tuesday, for example, I'd end up teaching a class or two on the Sunday (my day off) instead. It really didn't bother me, and I just thought it was crazy that the kids had to make up classes on the weekend. Not really a public holiday then, is it..
More often than not, I'd do less than the contract hours. Every couple of weeks classes would magically be cancelled and I'd end up with an afternoon/whole day off. And though I did teach a 6 day week, Saturday was just a 10am-12pm class, and was easy as pie.
Overall, the job is very easy and I'd consider coming back. If you're a professional teacher looking for involvement with curriculum planning and even thorough class preparation, this isn't the position for you. But if, like me, you're hunting for your first ESL job, you're a little unsure about exactly what the job entails and whether you've got sufficient experience, Sino Denver is perfect. Plus, they provide a pretty sweet apartment 
The reason they seem overly keen to hire you is because they are! When I left in December, there was only one native English speaking teacher still working there, and her contract ends this month (she's one of my best mates in the world now - the best thing about Changchun is the expat community and the way they'll look after you). The other teachers are from Russia and Tajikistan, so the school goes after anyone from England, Canada, Australia or the States like the paparazzi chase Brangelina.
The school give you money for the bus and they're really good with helping you out for internet, replacing appliances and generally will give you whatever you ask for (they'll favour any native speakers over the other staff). Make demands and they'll be met - you have the power here. I managed to squeeze a bit more out of them when negotiating my bonus, but I ended up leaving before my contract was up due to stuff going on back in Australia. They were really good about me breaking the contract, obviously I didn't get the bonus but they didn't fine me either, and there was a clause in the contract saying they had the right to sting me for 10,000RMB.
As for the dodgy English in the contract, get used to it. They're not doing it to try to cheat you out of anything, they're just genuinely in need of some English tuition. Sadly, I think the person who wrote the contract actually teaches classes.. you should now feel morally obliged to save the children from learning under this 'English teacher'. Don't worry though, you'll have an assistant whose English is substantially better.
In conclusion, I had a blast and I have nothing but kind words to say about these guys. They tried hard to make me happy and they generally succeeded. Of course, like any other boss, there were times they annoyed me. But that's why it's called work - there are ups and downs in any position you can take!

Hi guys! My girlfriend has gone to China, to work for Sino-American Denver Foreign Language School. So i very sad, and consequently have some questions, concerning this school, and overall China. I would be very glad, If you could help me and answer them.

1 As she wrote to me, they offer her to send her documents by post (teachers certificate and others, as I understand), after she leaves China for home. Is it normal practice, or should she insist on receiving this documents personally, while she is there?

2 Now she has about 350 CNY. Is it enough to live in ChangChung for about 1 month and 1 week? She told, that the she will have dinners at school for 50 CNY per month  I am absolutely not familiar o China prices and costs, so my question may sound dummy

Thank you in advance and waiting for your advices

Where is your girlfriend from? And you? And is she your real girlfriend?

We are both from Latvia. And she is more than just girlfriend. I will marry her. But why do you ask?

Olerink, I'm not sure I think I understand your questions.

1 When she leaves, her original certificates should be returned to her; not posted. I can't imagine why they would mail them. I want my originals handed to me.
2 350 CNY sounds low, but if one month of dinner costs 50 CNY I think she can manage. But 350 CNY seems low. She won't gain any weight. haha

I hope that helps.
 

What certificates do you mean? Is this school giving her some kind of teaching certification course? If they're her own certificates that she brought with her from her home country they certainly shouldn't keep them at all.

350 RMB is nowhere near enough to live on for more than a month. Is she planning on eating only one meal a day? Never using a phone? Does she not need supplies for her apartment? Toilet paper? Detergent? Toothpaste? What if there's an emergency or some sort of unexpected expense? People are probably going to chime in here about eating at holes in the wall for 5rmb a day and never buying anything but I would not want to be in a position where I had less than fifty dollars in my pocket to last me nearly a month and a half. Wire her some money or tell her to ask the school for a small advance.

Hey there. I got hired by this school and will start next february. Does anyone have been recently teaching there ?

Calling Dr George.