What are some of the benefits in cooperating with Panda?

Panda has well trained foreign managed staff who know how to communicate with foreigners that don’t understand how the Chinese education system works. The foreign department works very closely with the Chinese departments to receive information for handling problems that are balanced for both the foreign teacher and the school.

How can Panda save your school money?

Panda has a fully staffed office of experts in all departments, which include a certified Chinese HR manager, who is certified and trained by the Chinese government. Applying for the proper documentation for foreign teachers can be difficult. If it is incorrectly submitted, the government will reject the application and have the school reapply, which slows down the process for the foreigner. If the documentation is filled out and submitted correctly the first time, it causes fewer doubts in the foreigner’s mind regarding the school’s experience in handling foreign teachers.

Schools also save a lot of money in wages or agent fees, because if the school is working with Panda, a school doesn’t require a foreign HR department to find, interview, train or manage teachers. Panda handles over 100 teachers’ visas a year and interviews about 500 teachers, however not all teachers qualify to work for Panda because of government and our standards. Panda wants to work together with schools to increase business relationships with the schools and to help them grow. Growth is very important for businesses. The more students and happy parents, means the schools need more foreign teachers. This is good for both of us in the future.

Why is it better to work with a company like Panda and not with agents?

Many agents aren’t the most honest people around. Their main goal is to sell a teacher to a school. Good or bad, they really don’t care. Once they have their money, the foreign teacher becomes your problem. Sometimes, an agent will even give you a guarantee, but we all know that if the school doesn’t like the teacher or if the teacher because a huge problem, agents won’t have a replacement teacher for you. Teachers are rare and hard to find, especially after the two peak times of the year (August and January). Panda on the other hand is there for the schools, and will try to improve the teacher with further training. If this doesn’t work, we are able to move our teachers around to accommodate problems. For Panda, a happy school and teacher builds a long term relationship.

Why do foreigners have a hard time understanding the schools needs, or get angry when we offer the teacher a suggestion for improvement?

A school administrator or manager might be able to speak English very well. However, communication doesn’t only mean knowing the language. Knowing the foreigner’s culture is as important as the foreigner knowing the Chinese culture. Without the Chinese or the foreigner knowing each other’s culture, it’s very difficult to communicate and solve misunderstandings or calm down an argument. Panda has foreign managers who know how to speak with the foreigner culturally and are able to explain things to the foreigner in a western manner to get the foreigner to understand the needs of the schools.

Why do foreigner teachers get upset a lot in the work place?

Foreigners have been raised in a completely different culture with labour laws, unions and having “personal rights”. This union type thinking can give foreigners different ideas, but in China, there are no Unions. Many foreigners don’t understand how businesses work, and how the employer must make a profit to survive; they often only care about themselves. They don’t understand that if the school isn’t successful they don’t have a job, or they think it is very easy to find a new job somewhere else that will cave into their demands. Unfortunately, there are schools in China who are willing to do anything to get their school a foreign teacher, which gives the teacher the freedom of choice and possibly leave.

Why are foreign teachers’ salaries much higher than they were 5 years ago?

Over the years, the government has changed the laws regarding foreign teachers, especially more in the last 5 years than in the last 20. Sure, the government has had some major changes in the last 20 years but nothing in comparison to recently. Foreigners documentation notarized and authorized, along with criminal background checks, or banning foreigners from non-native countries, or decreasing the age requirements from 65 down to 60 are big changes. This doesn’t include schools’ and parents’ thoughts regarding non-white, native English speaking foreigners, working in their schools. A good example of this are mixed race teachers, whom everyone knows are in every native English speaking country. Take a look at some of the more famous black people, like Michael Jackson, Michael Jordan, Barack Obama, Will Smith, just to mention a few. Everyone knows they are from America, but a lot of schools won’t have native English speaking mixed race teachers in their classrooms, even when we are able to show the teachers’ passports. All these things drive the cost of teachers higher, and are making it very difficult to find or afford them.

How does Panda handle teachers when they are absent from school due to illness?

Panda has a list of part time temporary teachers who are available for call-ins should a teacher become ill. One of our EA staff will take the foreign teacher to the hospital to be checked out and get a report from the doctor, as our foreign director arranges another temporary teacher to take their place in the classroom. Teachers are instructed to give Panda a 12 hour notice when they feel ill, whether or not they require time off work, so that our office can make the proper arrangements for the next day. When the regular teacher returns to school, Panda will send a copy of the doctor’s letter or medical report to the school to ensure the health and safety of the students.

What other things does Panda do for the teachers?

a) Panda has an accident insurance and death policy on all the teachers. Over the years, teachers have had some serious accidents. One teacher was hit by a car which broke his leg. Another had an e-bike accident which killed him and broke the arm of his passenger. One teacher slipped on a wet street which broke her ankle, while another slipped on a roadside curb and broke his lower leg; this are just a few to mention. It is important that these teachers’ health issues are handled in a professional manner and that the teacher is cared for.

b) Panda assists teachers when they are looking for an apartment, and can negotiate rental agreements with landlords. We also assist teachers if they require medical or dental attention, help teachers to arrange phone, gas or water connection, arrange transit cards, bank accounts, mobile phone cards, and can arrange flights for holidays. On a teacher’s first day at their school, we will have someone accompany them to show the way and explain what the school may require. Occasionally we can offer a free spare room for a teacher, if they have difficulty finding accommodation, or cannot afford it immediately. Being a foreigner in a country where they can’t speak the language can make it frustrating and difficult at times. We try to make their lives free from everyday problems, so that they stay will loyal to the company which makes them stable for a long term working relationship.

c) We collect the teachers’ rent receipts from the government so that the schools can use them as a business deduction. We show the schools how that part of the taxation department works regarding saving money for them, and the teachers.

d) We have three mandatory training meetings a year to inform the teachers about new laws and regulations, additional training and to have the teachers’ sign their next contract for the following year.

e) Supply foreign teachers training on a regular basis, whether it is through large training groups or private training meetings or in the classroom with one of our 3 qualified trainers.

f) We monitor the teachers on a monthly basis to ensure quality in the schools and our phone lines to the schools are open 7 days a week, should the school need to contact us for any reason.

g) We also help teachers, should they have any financial issues, through cash advances or large loans, especially when a teacher first arrives in China and needs to rent an apartment, or survive until they receive their first pay.

h) Panda provides additional teaching materials in the form of flashcards, digital books or teaching props.

i) Finally, other than our extremely detailed contract, Panda provides all teachers with the Panda handbook, which outlines additional clarification regarding their contracts, rules, policies and government laws for China.