Harbin No.3 High School Euro-American Cultural Exchange Center

[Akito]

I was wondering if this was a real school. someone told me about it but i can't seem to find a website on line for this school. could someone please let me know a bit about it?

Harbin No.3 High School Euro-American Cultural Exchange Center

Global Assessment Certificate Teaching Center Heilongjiang (Harbin Xingliang School )

[kdavid]

I'm not sure what the canned Chinese phrase is for "cultural exchange", but I did a search for 哈尔滨第三高中欧美文化中心 which is otherwise all quite standard. There weren't any hits on Baidu.

[Akito]

so does that mean the place doesn't exist?

[roddy]

This should be the school. Not being able to find any information about the actual program isn't too surprising if it's new and they recruit via agencies / partnerships rather than online. If you tell us who told you about it and what they told you we can maybe offer some advice . . .

[Photojonuk]

This centre is run by a meglomaniac who has no educational qualifications, no experience and has certainly never ever visited America. She is running a GAC/TOEFLE/ACT program and preparing students blind.

The apartments supplied leave a lot to be desired and are not considered OK by UK standards. I have had to buy extra furniture bedding etc just to make my flaty livable. The owner is just there to make as big a profit as she canl

I have completed 6 months of a 12 months contract and can not stand her management style any longer. For my own personal development it was a waste of time.

I shall be happy to supply further information and assist any prospective employee. J

[SimonH]

My apologies for the long post....

Just to give the other side to this, I have been teaching here since this course began and I taught in Harbin for several years before this.

Jon is a nice person and a more than competent teacher, but he did have some personal issues with the way in which the course is run. This is not for me to comment about, though I do believe a lot of this was due to a clash of strong personalities and differing management styles – I am sure many of you know that management styles in China are very different to the West.

Of course the owner wants to make money as this is the point of any business. However, I do not agree that this is her sole concern. She has a very good relationship with the students and I believe that she truly cares about their future, not least because this is a good advertisement for the school. With regards to her qualifications, she has spent many years in the private education sector, and she employs several well-qualified and experienced teachers to help her plan the curriculum. There are also several very well-respected regional education consultants who assist with this course whom Jon may not have met. With regards to the organisation of the overall course, it is still being refined. The course itself is a new idea in Harbin and the staff here are trying to make it suitable for the way in which the students are comfortable learning. This may, at times, seem strange to a foreigner, but the students honestly prefer this. I see this course as being a stepping-stone from Chinese to Western style education, not a sudden break which would probably deter the students.

The apartments here are reasonable, and any reasonable request for furniture should be acceptable. I am unsure what the problem was for Jon, though I expect that it was due to a communication problem. Furthermore, if you are confident and comfortable enough to live off campus, you can arrange your own apartment and you will be driven to school everyday (within a reasonable distance of course), though this is probably not a good option if you are new to Harbin and / or unable to speak Mandarin.

Now, let me point out the positive aspects of this school and course. Throughout the time I have been here, the most enjoyable thing has been the students. Number 3 High School is the best high school in Heilong Jiang, so the students are all very capable. Also, because this course is specifically designed for students who want to go to university abroad, the students are usually more engaged than average and very keen to learn English and western culture. This makes classes much easier and more enjoyable. Also, because this is a special course, the class sizes are much smaller, which means that you can get to know the students well, give the students much more individual attention and ensure they comprehend the material and make continued improvement.

Another thing I appreciate about this course is the opportunity to teach classes besides English. The variety makes the teaching much more interesting, and I am able to teach classes about the subjects in which I am interested. The classes include IT, Maths, Business, Science and English. There are course books for each of these classes which are well planned out and fairly comprehensive. This means that the classes are relatively simple to plan, and the students are easily capable of following the material. There are also several supplementary courses being offered, including Art and History. If you have a lot of experience / knowledge in another useful subject and would like to teach it, I am sure the school would be happy to let you.

Finally, the pay for the foreign teachers here is, in my experience, better than any other school in Harbin. This will, of course, vary depending on your experience and qualifications, but I am sure you will be better off here financially than in another school.

Teaching in China can often be a nightmare with schools who do not arrange visas properly or who do not pay on time. This has never been a problem here, and the support staff have always been very helpful. They are even very helpful about rescheduling classes if I have some important appointments.

Overall, I have enjoyed my time teaching here. There is a variety of subjects, good students and good pay. I have never had any problems with any of the management here, and do not expect to in the future.

If you want any more information, feel free to send me a message.

[pescho]

Hello,

Time to revive on old topic. I am interested in exploring science teaching opportunities at Harbin No. 3, but am having trouble figuring out the hiring process as the school website does not appear to have an employment page. If anyone here can point me in the right direction, it would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance.