officialdom

the red stamp of officialdom

This red stamp validates and sublimely summarizes the last four months of my service as a visiting English Teacher, partnering up with EduChina and Shangqiu Experimental Elementary Schools of Henan Province.

Two months ago, I requested a letter of recommendation, and my superior insisted that a personalized recommendation could not compare to this certificate; it is the thing that employers will look for... and so be dazzled by.

Below is my 聘书 [pinshu, Certificate of Appointment] with EduChina, China's largest educational service provider:

it's official: my EduChina Certificate of Appointment

中国教育学会中育教育发展研究中心特聘JESSICA老师卫中国教育学会实验学校英语口语教学简直教师。

[Chinese Society of Education and Education Research Center for Educational Development distinguishes Teacher JESSICA as a part-time Spoken English Teacher for the Chinese Society of Education Experimental School.]

I am amused, in fact, for I fear that only Chinese companies will take it seriously.

But at least it's official.

critically

For obvious starters, my surname is missing; I am represented, in full, only by my given name.

I briefly imagine that I have a following who know me simply as "...Jessica..." -in a way that I am not confused for another Jessica, nor are others confused for me.

But this is not a reality, and I am thankful for it.

Secondly, 2009年9月20日, the date printed at bottom right (i.e., September 20, 2009) is actually a date before I had worked for, let alone heard of their organization.

Had I not started working for them until the end of October?

Thirdly, the certificate simply states that I have been appointed as an Oral English Teacher. It says no more about what I have contributed; it says not why they would recommend me in the future to others.

Have I left them speechless?

offense in no sense

No matter how convincingly or logically one may argue, it seems that a personalized and thoughtfully tailored recommendation letter is a simple frivolity.

I would take it personally, but I cannot.

This is standard business in China.

An easily reproducible certificate bearing a 盖章 [gàizhāng, an "official" red stamp] is the more desirable.

The red stamp has the final say.

Note: Access to Blogger is still blocked within China. Without access to a much appreciated VPN (proxy), I would be unable to publish to my blog from within mainland China. Thus, I am blessed and grateful to be sharing. With every post, I hereby protest the oppressive nature of the Chinese government blocking access to any part of the web.