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Sashadroogie
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise
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 Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 5:12 pm Post subject: |
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| Yip. Has the whiff of scam about it... |
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grahamb
Joined: 30 Apr 2003
Posts: 1945
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| Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 5:14 pm Post subject: Smells fishy |
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| Nay, the stench of a scam! |
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ew4055
Joined: 28 Oct 2013
Posts: 12
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| Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 5:43 pm Post subject: |
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The school is the Benjamin Franklin International School in Barcelona. Website is http://www.bfischool.org/
There, now everybody here can decide if it looks scammy or not.
Also, I looked on the European Council's website and the "check member schools" section has a 500 server runtime error so I can't even know if they are a member. Yeah, that's useful. |
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ew4055
Joined: 28 Oct 2013
Posts: 12
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| Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 5:51 pm Post subject: |
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| Also Nomad I am just now seeing your reply... yes I did apply directly to them. They posted on an American job board and it was on a whim that I applied and they emailed me back. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 6:07 pm Post subject: |
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| ew4055 wrote: |
The school is the Benjamin Franklin International School in Barcelona. Website is http://www.bfischool.org/
There, now everybody here can decide if it looks scammy or not.
Also, I looked on the European Council's website and the "check member schools" section has a 500 server runtime error so I can't even know if they are a member. Yeah, that's useful. |
Actually, just knowing the name of the school is quite useful. It's listed on the US State Department's site with legit accreditations (http://www.state.gov/m/a/os/1479.htm). There's plenty of info about the school on the Net---no reason why you can't be well-prepared for your interview. |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 6:25 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| Also Nomad I am just now seeing your reply... yes I did apply directly to them. They posted on an American job board and it was on a whim that I applied and they emailed me back. |
So, you're applying to teach content (they list three openings for different content positions at the moment) and/or do the financial operations job they advertise?
If you have a teaching cert in one of the fields they list and some experience teaching in the US, then it is probably NOT a scam. If you have applied as an ESL/EFL teacher, then I still suspect someone has hijacked the site of a legit school and is scamming you, unless you have extensive experience and very high-level qualifications.
I don't think the school looks scammy at all - just wondering if the school itself is really interested in you (nothing personal) as genuine positions for ESL/EFL in such schools for US citizens are extremely rare in Western Europe. |
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ew4055
Joined: 28 Oct 2013
Posts: 12
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| Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 6:38 pm Post subject: |
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| The position I applied for is not listed on their website. It's an assistant teaching position. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 6:41 pm Post subject: |
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Spiral:
From the school's website:
For students entering higher grades, where the language gap between native speakers and English language learners can be quite wide, specialists may work with small groups in an EAL classroom. So yes, they do employ English language teachers.
To be honest, the OP's iffy-sounding questions (on the newbie forum) and spotty info had some of us filling in the blanks about this teaching situation and about the OP's level of experience/qualifications. The OP may simply be a bit anxious about his/her interview. Anyway, I hope it all pans out well.
Last edited by nomad soul on Sun Apr 06, 2014 6:48 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 6:48 pm Post subject: |
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| Oh, as I said, it might be legit. I hope the OP will let us know! |
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Xie Lin
Joined: 21 Oct 2011
Posts: 731
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| Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 7:03 pm Post subject: |
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| ew4055 wrote: |
They posted on an American job board and it was on a whim that I applied and they emailed me back.
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Ew4055, in their e-mail contacts with you, do they use a school e-mail address that looks like this:
[email protected]
or perhaps: [email protected]?
If so, that is a positive sign that you are actually in contact with the school and not a scammer. Although not absolute proof, an address with a form of [email protected] is probably legitimate. An address such as [email protected] raises a red flag.
Tomorrow's Monday! Be sure to tell us how the interview goes. (And don't forget to prep an answer to the perennial favorite, "Tell me about your greatest strength/weakness as a teacher.")
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ew4055
Joined: 28 Oct 2013
Posts: 12
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| Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2014 1:46 pm Post subject: |
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The interview went ok. They said they'd be making decisions in the next two weeks.
I asked them about the visa, and they said the government would not allow them to hire foreigners if they were a Spanish speaking school. But since it is an English speaking school, there are special provisions which allow them to say it is necessary to hire native English speakers. |
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Xie Lin
Joined: 21 Oct 2011
Posts: 731
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| Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2014 3:05 pm Post subject: |
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| ew4055 wrote: |
The interview went ok. They said they'd be making decisions in the next two weeks.
I asked them about the visa, and they said the government would not allow them to hire foreigners if they were a Spanish speaking school. But since it is an English speaking school, there are special provisions which allow them to say it is necessary to hire native English speakers. |
I'm happy to hear the interview went well. Thanks for letting us know. Any interview tips to pass on for future candidates at similar schools? I'm still surprised that even though "special provisions" allow for the hiring of native English speakers, they are not required to give preference to those native English speakers from the EU.
Good luck on your application. Here's hoping for good news two weeks from now!
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Sashadroogie
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise
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| Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2014 4:53 pm Post subject: |
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Yip. That still sounds strange. Under EU law, they'll have to prove that they couldn't find a native English speaking candidate in the whole EU...
I still see red flags... |
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ew4055
Joined: 28 Oct 2013
Posts: 12
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| Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2014 4:57 pm Post subject: |
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| lol ok you can think whatever you want |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2014 5:08 pm Post subject: |
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| Xie Lin wrote: |
| I'm still surprised that even though "special provisions" allow for the hiring of native English speakers, they are not required to give preference to those native English speakers from the EU. |
| Sashadroogie wrote: |
| Yip. That still sounds strange. Under EU law, they'll have to prove that they couldn't find a native English speaking candidate in the whole EU... |
Scroll up a bit and you'll where I posted that the Benjamin Franklin International School is described on the US State Department's Office of Overseas Schools site (http://www.state.gov/m/a/os/1479.htm), which states the following:
To maintain its global community, the School has an admissions policy which requires 1/3 of the students must be American, 1/3 Spanish and 1/3 International. The school also has a highly involved school community and strong Parent Teacher Association (PTA).
Organization: The School is governed by a 10-member Board. BFIS is legally recognized as a Spanish Association and is owned by the Benjamin Franklin Foundation which is legally incorporated in Delaware, U.S.A.
The School is fully accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, the International Baccalaureate Organization, and the Spanish Ministry of Education. |
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