Job Discussion Forums

[ExpatLuke]

I recently came across a job advertisement for this school stating they possibly have the highest teacher salaries in Vietnam. They say you start out with $22 per hour, but if you get good student feedback you can increase up to $50 per hour.

Now this immediately sounds suspicious. I can imagine a teacher who is well-liked by the students, but never getting his salary raised. That sort of thing happens all the time in the ESL industry unfortunately.

They say teachers start out as part-time, but can increase to full-time, also based on student feedback.

I'm wondering if anyone who works here or has in the past could shed some light on whether it would be possible for teachers to actually increase their salary up to $50 per hour with full-time hours.

[VietCanada]

I did a search and found the ad, their website, Facebook, Linkedin and a Youtube page. No answers to your question but the Youtube site has lots of videos of their western teachers introducing themselves and trying to sell the program to prospective students.

My VN wife tells me that they are your basic run of the mill $18/hr language mill. In my experience pay raises based on unverifiable criteria are at best frustrating and at worst a scam. Reminds me of some contracts I received from China. By that I mean the pay promised in the ad comes only after a few months probation and only if there are no complaints from students.

As I listen to the Youtube videos I'm thinking a lot of work outside the classroom. I'm not sure that $22/hr is very good compensation for that. Depends on how long a class is and how many of them constitute part time. Waiting for the upgrades to hours and pay may not be worth the effort.

Just a few thoughts off the top of my head.

I might drop off a resume this week.

[EFL4Life]

I currently work at RES.

The operation is micro-managed by a dysfunctional local with bad English ablity.

Organizational skills are low.

Communicatin skills are basically zero.

You have to pick up your pay at 9 pm on Tuesday or Saturday morning - only to be paid by her, herself. Don't pick up your pay late, or you will be fined.

It's a mill.

The $50 USD per hour is for the couple of hot shots who teach IELTS writing and teach it very well. They are the ace teachers. Fair enough and good for them.

the standard starting rate has been lowered and "student feedback" will decide any future raises.

RES focuses on marketing and filling seats.

If you work at RES, have a LOT OF SUPPLEMENTAL material because the "originally created" RES books are garbage,

[VietCanada]

I might not drop off a resume.

TY EFL4Life.

I expect to be paid in full and on time.

[London Bridge]

Any information on this school.

Note: there are 2 threads on this school.

[ExpatLuke]

I've personally never worked here, but I do remember a big thread about how awful this school is managed several months ago.

Apparently this "highest paying school in Vietnam" line is total bullshit. They might have 1-2 teachers who get that super salary. But all the other teachers are barred from getting it by things like false student surveys and straight up lies about your teaching.

Basically if you're up for the raise in pay, a bunch of garbage will start being "reported" about your sub-standard teaching. And if you make a fuss, you're fired.

That's all just hear-say from former teachers though. I don't know if it's true or not.

[BenE]

I worked at RES for a few years. Pay can be variable and is often unclear when/how you get a certain salary. The pay DOES vary a lot between teachers and there's a rule where if you publicly mention your pay you get fired very quickly.
Apart from a few exceptions there's no tax paid and no work permits issued so you're on your own when it comes to any support. Pay is in cash and yes has to be collected at certain centers that change now and then and sometimes mean you're sitting waiting to pick up an envelope.

BUT there are many happy teachers there as the hours are steady and the pay can be good if things work out well. If you tolerate some of the disasters and learn how the system works and don't cause a fuss it can be a good place to get regular hours based on what you want.

I'd honestly say it beats working at some of the other mills where a pay rise is often tiny. There's also never any 'extra' things you're expected to do for free if you don't want to.

[ExpatLuke]

Sure, if your only motivation is money... I think some people actually have pride in their work and ideals and passion for education.

Crazy, right?

I dunno. With a name like "Reliable English School" it's automatically suspicious. I think the only thing that could make that name more suspicious would be "Totally Not an Unreliable English School".

[BenE]

[ExpatLuke]

[A Fancy Gentleman]

RES is more of a marketing company than en education company.

But if the students are getting the scores then need and want, then I suppose the purpose is well suited.

New arrivals can come and hustle a buck.

RES is the last stop for many long-termers before they leave Vietnam or EFL.

They complain, but know there is nothing they can do and nowhere else to go to get hours and the wage RES pays.

-Weekly hours bounce up and down.

-You must drive across town to pick up your pay on a certain day of the week.

-Classes disappear without explanation. "What happened to my Pre-B clas on Tuesday nights?" No answer.

-Now there is a bonus for winning popularity contests from students.

-There are numerous fines for a variety of offenses: leave coffee cup in the room and your pay is deducted.

-When your pay is deducted from you salary you are not told why.

-Do not ask for a fair exchange rate unless you are VERY popular with students.

-You must email your lesson plan for every single class.

-You are not allowed to photocopy your supporting material and activity material. The admin can only do this. If you do NOT want your material photocopied you MUST email them and say so.

-If you are saving money to get out of the carousal of EFL in Vietnam you may stop at RES for a short time to save. But if you stay longer you will lose your dignity.

[Mushroom Druid]

I worked at RES a few years ago when it was still smallish but growing.

I left VN for a spell and returned to RES last year and returned there to work.

There have definitely been changes at RES since I left.


*It's grown a lot and there are several branches and over (I think) 150 teachers.

*It transforming into a kids school

*the quality of teachers and therefore the school has gone down quite a bit.


Now of course this is my opinion by most of my colleagues agree with me.


I don't judge people on looks in general, but when one is teaching I think some form of thought is necessary for clothes and appearance. The parents see us as teachers. They pay for it. They pay us.

There seem to be backpackers teaching here now and I say this not only on looks and dress but by the conversations I hear in the staff room.

The travelers or backpackers teach kids classes with old crusty raggedly jeans, and some don't seem concerned with hygiene. Also, there is no TA in these kids-classes so who knows what the quality of these classes are like. And the discipline? Forget it.

TA's are very cheap the owner would rather fill her pockets than improve quality for a pittance.

I have a couple tatts I can cover, but more and more new arrivals are tatted quite a bit with the obligatory body piercing, and it seems like they arrived yesterday.

One guy has almost half of his head shaved and the rest hangs to the side, long.

Another colleague has not had a passport in months and was couch surfing at another teacher's place until they go sick of him.

Seriously, a police clearance ought to be done with all these new, anonymous arrivals passing through town. We should all have a police clearance down in our home-country.

Kids run down the halls as fast as they can during breaks and before and after class. Even some teens act this way. Bumping into teachers, other kids and knocking each other down.

Many kids often try to rush into an elevator before letting people out.

Yelling and screaming.


How about hiring a strong disciplinary lady to be a hall monitor for 2 hours to bring some sanity back into the hallways? That is cheap as chips, but again, The owner only cares about $$$$$$.

A teacher recently slipped on the stairs and needed medical attention because bathroom soap from the water closet was splattered all over the stairs.

At least 50% of the teens in class don't care and many speak Vietnamese and some are rude to me, the teacher in class.

It's Soul crushing.

My current experience at RES has not caused me to leave teaching, but it has accelerated my decision to get out of teaching.

[Mushroom Druid]

We've known this for a while and the some parents have known about it too. But now, many parents are aware of what RES has been doing.

The school is destroying its own brand. Actually, has destroyed it. It was never that good.



Tuoi Tre News Education

English center agrees to refund prepaid tuition after promises of 'guaranteed scores' fall short

Parents soon realized their children were not receiving the quality they had paid for

By Tuan Son / Tuoi Tre News March 15, 2018

English center agrees to refund prepaid tuition after promises of 'guaranteed scores' fall short

Prepaid tuition after making headlines this week for luring unsuspecting parents into paying five years in advance for a ‘guaranteed score’ on the IELTS exam.

Parents who had previously been denied a refund got what they demanded on Wednesday, one day after a story of underwhelming teaching quality at a Ho Chi Minh City location of the Reliable English School (RES) was reported by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

RES, which prides itself on offering top-quality IELTS training in Vietnam, promised a guaranteed IELTS band score on the official exam if parents were willing to pay up to five years of tuition fees in advance.

Some parents agreed on a prepayment of over VND123 million (US$5,420) in the hope that their child would achieve a desired score on the English-language proficiency test, an essential component of applying for scholarships to study overseas.

It was only after having signed contracts with RES that the hopeful parents learned their children were not receiving the top-quality education promised by the English center.

Delayed courses were common, while those who finally were sorted into a course sometimes received only a single worksheet as their instruction for an entire lesson, parents told Tuoi Tre.

Vietnamese teachers were also used in place of native ones, despite a contractual commitment by RES to use only native teachers.

https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/education/20180315/english-center-agrees-to-refund-prepaid-tuition-after-promises-of-guaranteed-scores-fall-short/44549.html

[Mattingly]

I went to Mr Google today and found this. Only three 9.0 IELTS scores every recorded in Vietnam? Laugh.

This is reminding me of SITC.

[Mr. Kalgukshi]

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=117022

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