Job Discussion Forums

[katieoutside]

[katieoutside]

[katieoutside]

[teacher X]

Hey guys.
I have just hit Moscow (this is my 3rd day here) and I've been educated a little about LL and how it works.

There seems to be only one or two 'real' LL schools. The rest are schools which take the LL name and are essentially independent from the main LL.
I don't even know if you can call them franchises since I don't think they need to adhere to any system of teaching.
Basically, they just take the name and little else.

It also appears that many of these LL schools will change company name during the summer and become a different school entirely. I've been told that this is just a way to avoid certain taxes.

So if you work for one LL school, you may have a completely different experience to someone working at an LL school a few miles away since they will likely be owned by completely different people and may well be run in a very different style.

Most of the teachers at my school have been there 3+ years, which is pretty good for this type of school (I've worked in enough McSchools to know the average turnover of staff)
But one colleague has told me that he knows people who work for a different LL school who find it all pretty tedious.

So really, it's luck of the draw I guess.
I have yet to start teaching (I'm going in today for some orientation) so I'll find out soon what kind of school it is. But so far, everyone seems very laid back and friendly. I got a pretty good vibe.

(What I have written here is by no means 100% accurate. It's just the information I have gathered from a few short conversations with staff. So feel free to tell me if I'm wrong)

[Linochka]

You're not wrong. Each branch is owned separately, essentially. They pay for the the Language Link name, as it's well-known to students, but the school's director has free reign, pretty much. There is some effort by Moscow to visit each location to 'check' them, but this happens about once a year. They are answerable to the Moscow head branch, though.

[Sashadroogie]

Similar deceitful tactics are used by other Maccers. Which is why your happiness and job satisfaction very much depend on which branch you are sentenced, ahem!, sorry... sent to. Very often the local school owner or office manager is a petty tyrant, and not very nice at all... All the recruitment spoof and mission statements become meaningless.

[noddy60]

Very interesting read. I have to say, is it any wonder teflers are so poorly paid when we have crap schools like this and teachers prepared to take it. I am an authority on crap schools having worked for quite a few in my time.

To all those seeking experience - get a proper CELTA - work for a proper school and leave the LLs and EFs to carry on shafting new teachers.

I currently work in Kazakhstan - have done for 4 years - and recently LL have moved into the town I work in. I'm aware they are a franchise but is a Mr Jensky the director? Anybody know of him?

Good luck all you poor interns.

[Barontobasco]

I'm working for a LL branch, going on my second year. The intern years sucks very badly, as the pay is terrible. I was an intern with good observations, and I was observed by someone from "central school" at least once every three months. I got a pay raise after every once of these observations.

Our interns this year are observed at LEAST once a month, sometimes twice. In our center, teachers have set up their own peer review schedule, so that we can watch each other and get ideas / constructively criticize.

Most schools that i've heard of work less than the 30 hours a week that we're contractually obligated to, however in our school, we work a lot. I'm at 33 hours, and yes, it does suck sometimes. I've got a friend in another school who works only 4 days a week, however.

Salary WILL be heavily supplemented by "private" students, who you teach for up to 1500 rubles an hour, outside of school.