meaning of visit

[Lee357]

Update!!
I just got off the phone with my lady and she got them to take 300 usd for the marriage fee but no help with the wedding which is just fine with her. They told her it was a different translator who sent the EMF and fired one right on the spot. If that was the one that actually sent it or if they will get their job back as soon as she left I have no idea. we talked about it and she does not want me to block her untill I am there and we are married. I think She is still hedging her bets just incase it does not work. For instance I can't make it or something like that. She was very evasive about the whole blocking her profile thing. So I have sent a complaint to CL but I am sure that it will come to nothing, but I fiqured my search is over so I should try and make a difference for those who are still out there. Mind you I still feel that the agency she is or was with is still a honest one in the whole. This is the first time I have ever felt like they were not being somewhat honest with me. I honestly feel that somewhat honest is the best we can hope for with these agencies.

[David5o]

Lee357,

Hahaha!! ....These ladies certainly know how to negotiate, and they can be devastating, when they have a lever to squeeze them with. So, she walked out of her agency with a better than expected result, makes you wonder, what she first offered them, ....I bet it had the boss's face drop about a mile and a half!!!  lol!!!  

Let everyone here remember, Never, Ever, Ever pay what is first asked for, or what your lady contracted to pay. That figure was always going to be exaggerated, in the hope of a rich foreigner (real or otherwise) stumping up that fee. The agency and the ladies knew that the lady was, in 9 cases out of ten, never able to pay that figure...../

David.......

[ttwjr32]

exactly David they do know the lady cannot pay the fee by themselves
  and are hedging their bets that a man from the west would be stupid
  enough to pay an extremely large fee to them. the translator that was
  fired was probably hired back the same day. they really dont have a large
  pool of people to pull from for that job. especially the agencies in smaller
  cities

[Lee357]

Ok, I just got the teaching contract in the mail today. It offers; a 3 bed room apartment everything included (security, utilities, Internet, western toilet, kitchen, sitting room {I think this is the living room}, maintenance), 9000 rmb monthly salary. I need to do; 18 teaching hours, 2 office hours, 1 English corner session a week, be a judge for the university English competition (extra pay for that). Classes are spread out so my day would be from 0800 to 1600 5 days a week, so this makes for a full time job as they prefer I don’t leave between classes. I have a feeling during the off hours is when they will try to get freebies out of me. The old “since you are here and are not doing anything” routine to try and pressure me into doing free lessons or tutoring or something else like that. Days off are Sunday and Monday so at least 2 off in a row. They do have a certificate to hire foreigners but I will need to send it to a friend I have made at the Chinese embassy in San Fransisco to be sure. It is written in simplified Chinese script that I can somewhat read but I would not know if it was real even if I could read it all. They will give me all the appropriate documentation that the consulate will need for me to get my work permit and Work visa prior to my leaving in October. They will take care of a residency permit once I am there. I did not know about any work permit before receiving this contract, can someone tell me what this is for? Sounds like another “get more money from the foreigner” thing. They will also take care of any issues that the local Government has when I get there. So now for the question, does this sound like a good offer? It has taken me a couple of weeks to negotiate it with them. I asked for the 5 day week and offered a 2nd English corner to get it but it looks like they just gave it to me without the extra English corner. There is no mention of “other duties as assigned” or anything that resembles that. I am happy with the deal but I am worried about a clause that says they can send me to another campus if there are no positions available at the Zhuhai campus. This clause does state that they can only temporarily assign me for no longer than 1 term and only twice during the contract. The wording just seems suspect to me. Oh and they will reimburse travel expenses.

[ttwjr32]

were are the other campuses at ?? i think maybe that means you will travel withi town to teach
your classes if they dont have any onsight. usually term means 6 months so it means they can reassign you 2 times in the year
all the paperwork is paid for by the school. or should be all you need to do is file it at the consulate along
with your passport and you get it back with your z visa in it. the registry is quick and simple once you arrive there.
all schools require you to stay on campus so thats why i tell evryone dont check class amount
check the times. they do have classes up till 10 pm so if your first one is say 9am to 9.45 am and your next is
8pm til 845 pm then thats a long day.

[Lee357]

were are the other campuses at ?? i think maybe that means you will travel withi town to teach
your classes if they dont have any onsight. usually term means 6 months so it means they can reassign you 2 times in the year
all the paperwork is paid for by the school. or should be all you need to do is file it at the consulate along
with your passport and you get it back with your z visa in it. the registry is quick and simple once you arrive there.
all schools require you to stay on campus so thats why i tell evryone dont check class amount
check the times. they do have classes up till 10 pm so if your first one is say 9am to 9.45 am and your next is
8pm til 845 pm then thats a long day.

I don't know the exact times of the classes but in the contract I am required to be at the school only from 8 am untill 4 pm so it will be an 8 hour day. I insisted on that along with the 5 day work week. I offered consessions but they just gave me what I wanted and did not change what they wanted from me. I will look into if there is other locations.

[Scottish_Rob]

Ok, I just got the teaching contract in the mail today. It offers; a 3 bed room apartment everything included (security, utilities, Internet, western toilet, kitchen, sitting room {I think this is the living room}, maintenance), 9000 rmb monthly salary. I need to do; 18 teaching hours, 2 office hours, 1 English corner session a week, be a judge for the university English competition (extra pay for that). Classes are spread out so my day would be from 0800 to 1600 5 days a week, so this makes for a full time job as they prefer I don’t leave between classes. I have a feeling during the off hours is when they will try to get freebies out of me. The old “since you are here and are not doing anything” routine to try and pressure me into doing free lessons or tutoring or something else like that. Days off are Sunday and Monday so at least 2 off in a row. They do have a certificate to hire foreigners but I will need to send it to a friend I have made at the Chinese embassy in San Fransisco to be sure. It is written in simplified Chinese script that I can somewhat read but I would not know if it was real even if I could read it all. They will give me all the appropriate documentation that the consulate will need for me to get my work permit and Work visa prior to my leaving in October. They will take care of a residency permit once I am there. I did not know about any work permit before receiving this contract, can someone tell me what this is for? Sounds like another “get more money from the foreigner” thing. They will also take care of any issues that the local Government has when I get there. So now for the question, does this sound like a good offer? It has taken me a couple of weeks to negotiate it with them. I asked for the 5 day week and offered a 2nd English corner to get it but it looks like they just gave it to me without the extra English corner. There is no mention of “other duties as assigned” or anything that resembles that. I am happy with the deal but I am worried about a clause that says they can send me to another campus if there are no positions available at the Zhuhai campus. This clause does state that they can only temporarily assign me for no longer than 1 term and only twice during the contract. The wording just seems suspect to me. Oh and they will reimburse travel expenses.

Lee
Somewhere in newbies thread, I think it was...I posted a contract that was sent to me...look over that...
rob

[ttwjr32]

Lee,

seems legit as the schools who arent really in the teachers best interest
would not be doing what they have done so far or are going to do. looks
like they are a pretty good place to work as most are.

Ted

[chen yan]

You will be OK in Zhuhai.   Living conditions there are probably the best in all of China.  Completely new city - non of the old former fishing village remains.

Willy

I like that city also.clean and more slower life tempo than other big city.
It is a very good place for living. Now it seems more and more brothers settle down in Guandong.

[Lee357]

Update! So the teaching thing is still progressing along. The school has many different locations so I refused the relocation clause and agreed to do 3 hours each week of "English improvement sessions" with the other Chinese teachers. They have expressed an interest in having me teach 1 astronomy class each week instead of an English class. I am currently trying for more money for doing that class, as it takes more work and time to set up a lesson plan and activities.
I have received 3 calls from the Chinese consulate in San Francisco last week. They are very interested in my degree in Astrophysics. Could any one tell me why they are so interested in this? I feel like perhaps I have already made myself to visible to the Chinese government, and all I have done is negotiate with a State run university for a job teaching English. The consulate as far as I knew did not know I even had a degree. I just applied for a L-visa from them. The calls have been friendly. They just seem to be trying very hard to "sell" me on moving and staying in China. I find all of this very unsettling.It feels like a "set up" to me but I have been known to be a little paranoid at times. I have called and talked to my friend at the DOJ here in the states and he tells me that it is not surprising to him that the Chinese government once informed about an Astrophysicist already expressing a desire to move to China, would actively encourage them to do so. All I want to do is move to China marry my woman and live a happy simple life. My Lady thinks it is great. She is "very proud" of me. I find this very strange too, as I have done nothing for her to be "proud of", yet. I am certainly one confused person right now about all of this. I knew a bachelors degree in physics with a minor in Astrophysics was a high demand degree but jeesh I am just a small town country bumpkin. I only got the degree because I was interested in Astronomy and to understand that I needed to understand the math. By the time I got tired of taking math and astronomy classes I had the credits for the degree. I never intended on getting the degree nor ever using it once I found out that I could get it. Tried to get reassurance from my Lady but to be honest she is way out of her league on this particular subject so all she says is she is proud of me and "I know you will make the right decision". What the hell does that mean? For all my education I don't even understand the decision I am supposed to make here. So my brothers let me be a lesson for all of you; just because you are educated sure as hell does not make you smart. I think to my Lady the right decision is to move to China get a job that pays the highest possible amount and will gain the highest level of status as possible. I do not understand this type of thinking at all. It is very different to how I was raised. Then again I could be totally wrong on what she is thinking the "right" decision is. Since she is so ambiguous with her response to this subject I really have no idea of what she is thinking. :huh:
OK, I feel better just by venting some of my concerns a frustrations.
I guess this thread has started to turn into more of a journal of my experiences through this process. I certainly hope that someone other than me will get something useful out of this whole thing.

[David5o]

Lee357,

If that's what your lady is thinking, then she is dead right!!!

Lee, ...Never sell yourself short in this world, no matter what, You have a commodity that these people want!!
So make sure you get them to pay as much as you can for that commodity you possess.  
I don't know how you can't understand this, it's the way of the world, it's what makes the world tick.
It's called supply and demand!!! You have what they want!!! So anything that is going to make your life easier and more comfortable in China seize with both hands!! ...haha!!

David......

[ttwjr32]

Lee,

maybe they are looking at your degree as a possible job in the
helping of their relatively young space program that they are
developing. its a fascinating subject (space) as i have spent
years reading any and all information about the universe. i even
had my telescope at home and learned and taught some things to
my grandchildren. it was a wonderful time for us learning together

remember us little people if or when you get famous in China.

your lady is proud of you because you are taking the steps to
be with her which shows your commitment to her. a very important
thing with these Chinese ladies. they are looking for the genuine
commitment from the man which makes them proud of you when
you show that and take the steps. your doing more over and above
bby moving there and not just visiting and waiting. she feels very lucky
to have met you. my wife tells me that all the time how proud and lucky
she feels to have me here in China with her until the time she retires. she
knows and tells me i gave a lot up when i sold everything and came here
to live.  VERY IMPORTANT for them

[David5o]

Ted,

It's a subject that i've always been interested in also, The distances involved when talking about space and space travel is vast, so vast in fact the human brain just can't assimilate these distances.
It can't actually imagine or envisage a single ''light year'', let alone thousands of them...lol!!

Always fascinated me, that when your looking up at the stars, your not seeing them as they are now, but tens, hundreds,thousands and millions of years ago, depending on how many light years it's taken for the light from these stars to reach Earth!! ...Fascinating stuff ..hahaha!!!

David....

[Lee357]

Yes astronomy is a very big subject. It encompasses everything from things so small we can't measure them to things as large as the universe. I do particularly like the idea of distances so great that we measure them not in units of distance but in units of time. I think the coolest concept is that it makes no difference what direction you look you are always looking at the same point in time. To me that is just a awesome thing. I also like that no matter what planet you might be standing on if you looked up at the sky and used a telescope and measured how fast things are moving away from you. It would always seem to you that the planet, solar system, Galaxy, local cluster you are on and in is the center of the universe and every thing is always moving away from that point. Even though there is no "center" of the universe. Another cool tidbit, I think, about astrophysics is that once you learn how most of it works you can then figure out how to send a rocket (theoretically) from one planet to a completely different galaxy without ever running into anything. Now that is why I kept going to the classes, that one thought right there was just so cool to me.
I agree that She is proud of me because I am hers. I did not mean that I did not think that I should not achieve success in China, but I do not have the need to work While I am there. I have been fortunate in my life and have made some well timed investments that have turned out very well for me. I do not need to worry about money. What I am concerned about is having time to spend with my new love. I have been offered several high paying jobs as an astrophysicist here in the states and since it is not what I ever enjoyed doing I have always chosen to remain doing what I love to do, being an EMT/ firefighter. So, you can see I was brought up to not go after wealth and fame but to go after what I consider real success in life; happiness. I know that it is easy for me to say that and what I have just told you about my financial situation does not comply with my last statement. So it would be fair to say that I have not always lived up to those standards. In defence though the only career I have ever had is as an EMT/Firefighter.
This is not what I intended when I posted my last post anyways. I just needed to vent some paranoia and frustrations with the difference in culture between my soon to be wife and me. Also I am very paranoid about the government of China already knowing who I am.
In reality it does not matter, I am still going to move to China and what ever job I end up doing while there I will ensure that I have the time I think is needed for a new marriage to work. I would go all the way across time and space for this woman. I would even hold my breath to get there if I had to. :icon_cheesygrin:

[Bee964]

Alright! We have some other astronomers on here!! I am finding more and more to like about this forum. Any of you do any astro photography?

Dave C