Baicheng Normal College - Positive Experience

I'm finishing up my first year teaching in China at Baicheng Normal College in Jilin Province. I've had a great experience here. The FAO and department staff is amazing and will do anything for you, a nice apartment (better than any I've had in the US), no mucking about with the contract, and pay has always been on time. The pay is a low, 4000RMB, but Baicheng is dirt cheap. I was able to send money home, eat at restaurants everyday, and still save a good amount.

This place isn't for everyone though. Baicheng is not a hotbed of activity. If you're looking for an exciting nightlife, this isn't the place. On the other hand, like many cities in China, Baicheng is growing fast. Going away for winter break is enough time to notice major changes. If you're looking for a place to find out if you like China, if you like teaching, and you can find ways to entertain yourself; Baicheng Normal College is great.

I just pulled a runner from this Uni so I will try to be objective about it.
Compounding factors of why I left:
Girlfriend left me after 4 weeks. Terrible salary of 4300 per month, electricity goes off regularly. Hot water for showering once or twice a week if you're lucky. Extreme social isolation and therefore loneliness. Only 2 other people to talk to. No television to watch in English. Loud speakers blarring everyday at 6.30-7am and 4-5pm. (Drove us all insane). Food poisoning from the Uni cafetaria. There is not much to do in Baicheng. I just went to the saunas (also to take a shower, and constantly had my manhood stared at), foot massage place and took trips to Qiqihar, Harbin and Manzouli. Apartment security is very nosey. No privacy. The three "Cs" were prevelant here: No curriculim, No communication between chinese teachers and native teachers and No co-ordination. I know this suits some people but its very dysfunctional IMO. It's extremely dangerous to walk on the footpath due to open manhole covers and generally holes, wires, lamp posts anywhere, anytime. Crossing the road is a nightmare as the drivers don't stop for pedestrians anywhere. No medical insurance from the Uni. Constantly having to bargain with taxi drivers. Constantly getting ripped off by taxi's, restaurants, hotels, street stalls. A lot of noise from car horns honking, loud speakers, and chinese people speaking loudly on cell phones. All these things drove me to anger several times so i left and now the stress of China has departed me.

Good things about this Uni:
The boss is nice. Students are pretty nice. (English language teaching building however resembles a Nazi prison camp aka concrete everywhere inside and out with wires hanging out everywhere).
Was paid my salary fully, on time each month. No interference from boss or management.

That doesn't sound dissimilar from where I am, but in my case I wanted to be in a remote place as to do a period of introspection. Whenever I get lonesome, I turn to Skype, Facebook, internet radio from home or the New York Times.

The only thing that I really long for is someone to squeeze, and me thinks that if your girlfriend left you after four weeks then that is reason enough to dislike a place.

You have my sincere sympathy.

I'm in Changchun (have I ever mentioned that?) but yet to venture to Baicheng. Been to Songyuan and all over Jilin. I've heard that Baicheng the city and uni are fairly nice. I've had friends working in Songyuan. But as you said, the only big nose you talk to is the guy in the mirror.

Even Changchun is getting small for me

You pulled a runner for that? Because your girlfriend left you and you can't cross the road? Manhole covers? WTF!

Everything you state is normal. The pay, the electricity, the speakers, the lack of privacy. Everything.

Only 2 people to talk to. I'm so lonely. Waaaaaaaaaaa.

You signed a contract.

No wonder schools treat most foreigners with no respect.

Oh, and one more thing. (I always forget something major). My Uncle was diagnosed with congestive heart failure which meant he didn't have long to go. However since getting home, his diagnosis has changed to pneumonia. His intrevenous and now oral anti-biotics are working and his condition is slowly improving. His lungs were white with infection, the biggest the doctor had ever seen. He lost 9kg over 2.5 months due to nausea and non-eating. No more smokes and home-brew for him hopefully.

Congratulations that your uncle is doing so much better.

Did you ask the school for leave to see/take care of your dying uncle or even ask to dissolve the contract? Most schools (not all) are quite sympathetic to family issues.

No wonder schools treat most foreigners with no respect.

Way to justify schools dicking around laowai.

Nothing he wrote shows they dicked him around. Only that he dicked them around. Signed a contract then ran away because life in small city in China was not as he expected it.

I agree with Stil. Nothing that he wrote had anything to do with the school, except for the curriculum part, which honestly is completely normal for Chinese universities.

Runners really should be reserved for schools that break the contract, or put you in dangerous/illegal situations. It isn't the schools fault that he hates the town or can't find a girlfriend, and if the salary is low, well certainly he knew that coming into it -- it isn't like the school promised him 6000 a month and all of a sudden he was only being paid 4300 -- and 4300 a month is more than enough to live on in a small town in the middle of nowhere anyhow.

We're adults. If you're willing to come work in China we need to be prepared for the possibility that things might not be perfect. Siging a contract is a commitment. If you can't complete the contract at the very least have the decency to give notice and give the school a chance to find someone new -- the semester will be ending in only about two months anyhow. There are very few situations that are SO bad that you need to run off without warning.

We had a deuchebag teacher pull a runner just last week. I was always told how wonderful he is and how bad I am. He is nice and I am not. I gave my school 4 and a half months notice. He cowered in the middle of the night. Its not like he was treated bad, he was given preferential hours and classes. He whined and got things.

If anyone can show me a place where its ALL good, sign me up.

As for Baicheng, the average wage is 1000/month. Even living large, that's only 2,500. A little side work and you can save 4-5000. I'm extremely social and we travel all over China. We still have money in the bank