Coming soon · FMySchool Staffroom
Know the school before you sign.
Verified reviews of schools in China, written by teachers who actually worked there. See whether salaries arrive on time, whether contracts change after arrival and whether deposits come back, before it's your money on the line.
Founding members: full refund if we're not open by 28 February 2027.
- Reviewers verified, never named
- Facts, not rants
- Members-only: not on Google
- No ads from schools, ever
Sample · not a real school
Example Bilingual School
3.1/5
- Salary late at least once4 of 7 verified teachers
- Contract changed after arrival2 of 7
- Deposit returned in full5 of 6
Last 3 years · 5 verified reviews
Verified teacher
"Salary came 2–3 weeks late several times, and housing wasn't what the contract described…"
School response
"Payroll moved to a new system in 2024. Payments have been on time since March…"
More reviews (6)
Why we're building it
Every teacher has a story they wish they'd heard before signing.
Glossy websites, copy-and-paste mission statements, a friendly recruiter. Then the deductions start. The only people who really know a school are the teachers who've worked there, and today their warnings get lost in WeChat groups.
Anyone can post on old review sites
No checks, so a director can praise their own school and you can't tell who's talking.
Stuck in 2018
Reviews can't be updated, and a school that changed (for better or worse) looks the same forever.
Lost in group chats
The best warnings scroll away in a day, and nobody can find them when they need them.
What makes the Staffroom different
Built on trust, not volume.
Verified, but anonymous
We check that you worked at the school, and whether you taught or worked in admin. Your review shows only "Verified teacher" or "Verified admin": no name, no dates, no job title. How we protect you
Facts you can count
Pay on time? Contract honoured? Deposit back? Every review answers the same questions, so patterns jump out.
Up to date
Recent reviews count more, and authors can update theirs. Schools can reply, but they can't delete.
Help on the same page
Something's wrong at your school? Free tools and practical help are one click away. That's what FMySchool does.
Why not just post on Reddit?
Your story stays in the Staffroom.
On public forums, every harmless comment adds a piece to a puzzle. Put enough pieces together and your school doesn't need your name.
u/throwaway_teacher_cn public profile
- r/teachinginchina "Any Grade 5 teachers here dealing with the new curriculum?"
- r/chengdu "Best hotpot near the south campus area?"
- r/TEFL "One year since I moved over in August 2023…"
- r/teachinginchina "Is it normal for a bilingual school to keep your deposit?"
Grade 5 + Chengdu + since Aug 2023 + bilingual school = one teacher
How we keep you anonymous
We check that you worked at the school and in what role, then keep that check in a private log. Your review shows only "Verified teacher" or "Verified admin": no name, no dates, no job title.
- No dates on reviews. We never show when you worked there or when you posted. Each review waits a few weeks and then goes live in a monthly batch, so a school can't match it to the week you left.
- Recency only in groups. Reviews are grouped as "last 3 years" only once a school has at least 3 of them, so the group can't point to one person.
- Publish when it's safe. Write your review now and choose when it goes live, for example after your deposit and release letter are sorted.
- A check before it goes live. We'll point out details that could give you away, like your subject, your department or a one-off incident.
- Quiet edits. If you update your review, it says "Updated by the reviewer", with no date.
Founding members
Get in early. Shape what we build.
The first 300 members get 2 years for the price of one, a Founding member badge, and a say in which cities and features come first.
- Nothing to pay today: reserve your spot in the form
- We send payment details by email or WeChat
Refund guaranteeFull refund if the Staffroom isn't open by 28 February 2027. No risk in reserving early.
Founding membership
US$19.99 / ¥127
for 2 years · regular price US$19.99 a year
Reserve my spotOne form for both: join the waitlist and tick "reserve my spot".
FAQ
Before you join.
When does it open?
We open to founding members first, in a private beta, once enough teachers have joined. If it isn't open by 28 February 2027, every founding member gets a full refund.
Can my school work out it's me?
We remove everything we control that could point to you: no names, no dates, no job titles, no posting dates, and reviews go live in monthly batches. Recent reviews are only grouped once there are enough of them. Each review appears under its own one-off name, and the document you show us to get verified is deleted after we check it.
The biggest risk is what you write, so before your review goes live we'll flag details that could identify you, and you can edit them out. Schools can reply to reviews, but they can't guess or mention who wrote one; replies that do are removed.
Can I write a review while I still work there?
Yes. You can choose to hold it and publish later, for example after you've left, or after your deposit and release letter are sorted. If you publish now, it's grouped with other recent reviews and never shows that you're still at the school.
Can't a school's admin just pose as a teacher?
That's the problem with old review sites, so we check the role, not just the school. Teachers and admin get different badges:
- Verified teacher: you show us your contract, with the page that states your job title, and confirm you had no management, hiring, appraisal or HR role at that school.
- Verified admin: principals, directors, heads of department, coordinators who manage staff, HR and admissions are welcome, but they join as admin. Mixed roles count as admin.
Admin reviews appear in their own section and don't count towards the teacher facts on a report card. If someone lies about their role, we remove their reviews and close their account. We also watch for sudden bursts of glowing reviews, and we can ask for a second document whenever something doesn't add up.
What do I need to show to get verified?
Your contract: the page that shows the school and your job title, and the signature page. Black out everything else, including your name, passport number, salary and address. If your contract doesn't show your role clearly, a payslip or appointment letter that does, or a 10-minute video call. We delete the document as soon as we've checked it.
Can someone from my school join too?
Yes, anyone can become a member, school staff included. So we build as if someone from your school is reading: no names, no dates, and no links between your reviews.
No review site can make you untraceable, though. What you write matters most, so we'll help you keep it factual and general.
How is this different from International Schools Review (ISR)?
ISR has covered schools worldwide for years. Its own published terms (checked October 2026) say posts are anonymous "even to us" and that posting is irreversible, so reviewers aren't checked and reviews can't be updated.
The Staffroom differs in four ways:
- it focuses only on China;
- every verified review comes from someone who showed us proof they worked at the school;
- reviews can be updated as schools change, and schools can reply;
- if something's wrong at your school, help is on the same page.
Why should I pay for reviews?
Because it keeps the Staffroom independent. We never take money from schools or recruiters for ads, placements or removing reviews. Members fund it, so it works for members.
What if I've had a bad experience I want to share now?
Join the waitlist and say yes to a chat. Founding members write the first verified reviews. Please don't send names of schools or people in the form itself.
I need help with my school right now.
You don't have to wait. Try the free tools, or see when your school is doing weird stuff and when it's absolute hell.
Help the next teacher avoid your worst school.
Two minutes. No school names in the form. Your answers stay private.
Form won't load? Message us on WeChat: [WeChat ID]