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Advice needed: job offer from EF Swara in Jakarta?

 
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casualkay



Joined: 29 Jun 2012
Posts: 1

PostPosted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 6:46 pm    Post subject: Advice needed: job offer from EF Swara in Jakarta? Reply with quote

Hello all,

I'm graduating with my B.A. in English Lit next month, and just got a job offer from EF Swara. I've read good experiences and bad experiences, and I'm just looking for anyone with some more info or personal experiences in any EF Jakarta schools. I just received my contract and I'm not sure if I'm going to take the job yet. I'll preface this by stating I really am not in it for the money (obviously) and am perfectly okay with working my butt off. I don't care about working overtime etc. and don't have high expectations with regards to accommodations. I just want an experience unlike any other. I've been to India before, and I really want to be out of my element and truly do want to connect with the kids I'll be teaching. I'm just so ready to get out of the States.

The horror stories I've read (I think on here actually) came from people suing for lost wages and defamation of character, which is scary as this will be my first ESL job so I don't have any reputation yet and don't want to risk it. My biggest concern is lost wages. If anyone on here can speak about that it'd be really helpful. I'd just like to know if the company didn't stay true to the contract you signed, etc. Obviously there are going to be downsides, and I'm a fairly easy going person. I just don't want to be stranded if they're saying they'll pay for my plane ticket home and don't, or something really drastic like that. Thanks in advance for any advice!
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Tudor



Joined: 21 Aug 2009
Posts: 339

PostPosted: Sat Jul 07, 2012 3:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you have a BA in English Literature do not waste your time working for EF. Wall Street Institute or TBI would snap you up, and they pay considerably more than EF - approx. 15 million a month. There's several threads on these two schools elsewhere. They may want you to do a CELTA, but I believe TBI sponsor teachers to do it now.

Sure, there are horror stories about EF Swara (as there is other schools), but I know plenty of people who work there or have worked there and have emerged unscathed. EF is fine for people with no qualifications (or the wrong ones) and I can understand the attraction of them as everything is sorted out for you (flights, met at the airport, accomodation) but you can get a much better-paid job with that English degree. You may not be in it for the money, but surely earning 15 million a month against 8 million month is a no-brainer?
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Atoms for Peace



Joined: 06 Feb 2006
Posts: 135
Location: NKRI

PostPosted: Sun Jul 08, 2012 11:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'll second that. Get on to TBI right now... They'll snap you up, and I believe CELTA sponsorships are available
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voltaire



Joined: 03 Dec 2006
Posts: 179
Location: 'The secret of being boring is to say everything.'

PostPosted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 9:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you must work for EF in Jakarta or Indonesia, it is still advisable to give the Swara Group a miss. You can disbelieve the stories, or suppose they are from disgruntled past employees, but why take the risk when there are far better places to work.
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travelinhobo



Joined: 23 Apr 2003
Posts: 35
Location: U.S.

PostPosted: Wed Jul 25, 2012 2:52 am    Post subject: ... Reply with quote

You should care about working overtime and not recieving pay for it as well as being exploited! This has nothing to do with the specific school in question, but rather your own self worth. I agree with you that it's about the experience, not the money. But when you realize how you're being exploited simply due to ignorance, you'll understand that you shouldn't have had such a laid-back attitude towards it. The owners of these schools make enough money (and in some countries save enough by not paying the local staff anything) to pay you the going rate. You only make it worse for the next teacher in line when you accept lower than acceptable conditions or salaries. If you really don't care about giving away your skills and labor, work for a non-profit.
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mr fred



Joined: 30 Oct 2012
Posts: 62

PostPosted: Sun Dec 02, 2012 2:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

voltaire wrote:
If you must work for EF in Jakarta or Indonesia, it is still advisable to give the Swara Group a miss. You can disbelieve the stories, or suppose they are from disgruntled past employees, but why take the risk when there are far better places to work.


The stories may or may not be from disgruntled employees but there are a lot of stories.
Smoke and fire?
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princesss



Joined: 28 Mar 2007
Posts: 152
Location: japan/indo/aust

PostPosted: Sat May 04, 2013 5:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

EF Swara does require you to work 8 months of Saturdays or more a year. That's what they said to me. Why would anyone accept this? The best reason to be in Jakarta for a young ESL teacher is surely to have some sort of social life and do some travel.

Sure, maybe some people didn't mind it so much, but that doesn't mean that the people who couldn't stand it are lying. There is no doubt that working there was a horrible and infuriating experience for a fair percentage of people who worked there. We shouldn't invalidate other teachers' experiences. It was clearly intolerable for many.

But I suggest you go to Wall Street rather than TBI. I met some people who worked at TBI Bekasi and they described it as "the worst experience of their life". Apparently the owner only paid them 7 million a month after promising them 11 million and then threatened to have theme arrested and deported by corrupt police if they didn't go along. Sounds very dodgy.


Last edited by princesss on Sun Jun 02, 2013 2:13 am; edited 2 times in total
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Puppets



Joined: 02 Feb 2013
Posts: 30
Location: Indonesia

PostPosted: Sat Jun 01, 2013 6:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

To be honest mate if you do have a degree in English Lit then don't bother with Swara. They're not a bad company by any means but there are other companies out there that will pay you more money and you'll work less hours.

EF Swara will pay you 8.5 million Rp in Jakarta which compared to places like Wall Street and TBI is nothing.

I know not everyone is interested in making money, but the way I think about it, Swara pay hasn't changed in years, even with prices going up and other places such as Wall Street and TBI pay you more.

Why work for 8.5 when you can work for over 10 million?
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bradleycooper



Joined: 12 Apr 2013
Posts: 310

PostPosted: Sun Jun 02, 2013 2:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

People have the wrong idea that TBI pays much more than EF. This is only the case at Kuningan and Sudirman in the centre. Some of their schools pay no more than EF. TBI Bekasi only pays teachers between Rp 7 million to 9 million and has a reputation for all kinds of nasty tricks. TBI Bogor only pays Rp 9.5 million (advertised online in May 2013). When you factor in the free housing or housing allowance which EF offers, its pay is similar to TBI at the majoriuty of TBI schools.

The idea that TBI pays as much as Wall Street is just plain wrong. You can get Rp 17 million at any of Wall Streets six schools and only three out of the 16 TBI schools pay around Rp 15 million. You would be lucky to get Rp 10 million at Depok, Bogor, Tangerang, Cibubur and the other franchise schools. TBI has a couple of showcase schools where they maintain standards and the ones on the edge of Jakarta are "anything goes" with low standards and minimal oversight. Most TBI schools pay a similar amount to EF, those are the facts.

Also Wall Street has opened 2 new branches in the last 9 months: Kota Kasablanca and Alam Sutra. They are growing and able to attract enough properly qualified teachers. In contrast, TBI has had two branches close in the last 12 months- TBI Malang and Semarang. People should know that Wall Street is booming and attracting the right teachers, while TBI has used a lot of teachers on the wrong visas and has had some business failures. Wall Street looks the much safer and more promising bet.


Last edited by bradleycooper on Mon Jun 03, 2013 1:18 am; edited 9 times in total
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plumpy nut



Joined: 12 Mar 2011
Posts: 1652

PostPosted: Sun Jun 02, 2013 6:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've never heard anything bad about Wall Street, that is working there, in any country.
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Puppets



Joined: 02 Feb 2013
Posts: 30
Location: Indonesia

PostPosted: Tue Jun 11, 2013 4:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

As far as I know TBI Bogor pays 10 million a month starting salary, I know this because I know a few people who work and have worked there.

They pay non natives 70,000rp an hour and their initial starting salary for natives is 10million a month.

I can't tell you what benefits they get as I've never worked there but I understand that they won't let you work on a Tourist Visa, you'll get medical insurance and you may get flight money.

EF pay 7.5 to 8million in Bogor, they give you flight money and limited medical insurance and they'll provide you with a KOST for a month, but you'll have to find your own place.

I can't tell you how accurate this is, but I've heard from friends I know who work at EF that apparently they're getting an increase. So EF's starting salary will come more into line with TBI, but no where near Wall Street.

To be honest I'd give EF and TBI a try for a year, they do look after you for the most part but after that you can do so much better.
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