Job Discussion Forums

[oenologist]

posted this over on the general europe thing- but might get more response here:

Does anyone know anything about Embassy CES- I was just offered a job at one of their residential summer programmes. It is a 15 hour teaching week + 24 hour residential week stuff. With full room and board I'll get �205/ week.

Does this sound good?

Has anyone worked with Embassy CES?

thanks,
c

[thrifty]

It is minimum wage so it is better than what most TEFLers get.

[teflexpert]

I did my DELTA at Embassy CES Hastings some years ago and I wouldn't recommend it at all - some of their temporary teachers didn't feel that they were treated very well. However, I do know of a teacher that worked at Embassy CES Hastings last summer and was quite happy there.

Re: the offer you have - if the wage you quote is what you get and then you have full board and accommodation free of charge, then it's not too bad, but there are definitely higher paid residential postions around. It depends on how much experience you have - if you are just off a tefl course then take it, it's not that bad. If you have a year's experience or more, then you really should keep looking. You don't say how long it's for - if it is for longer than 6 weeks, then it gets extra brownie points as it can be difficult to find summer work for longer than that.

Watch out for the 24 hours of residential duties. What does that mean exactly? You don't want to find that you are down to do night duty from 10- 6 for three nights in a row, especially as you will no doubt spend most of it trying to get 13 year olds to go back to bed, as well as hunting down errant 17 year old couples.

Do you have to participate in 'afternoon activities'?

Summer school is hard work whichever way you look at it - just make sure you know exactly what you are letting yourself in for. I was once caught out by a phrase in a contract that said something like 'help to ensure the smooth running of the course at all times'. In practice, this meant having to check Weymouth seafront and town centre on my own (I'm female) at 11.30 at night three times a week, to make sure none of our teenagers were out past their bedtime. And that was on top of teaching, excursions and a full social activities programme. Embassy CES, for all their faults, would never be as bad as that, I'm sure, but do check out the contract properly before you sign on that dotted line!

[SueH]

[SandyM]

I worked for them once and never went back. They were a typical 'cowboy crew', just a bit bigger than the others. 200 quid a week is pathetic, anyway - there are plenty of other schools advertising on tefl.com for summer staff, and they pay more than that (e.g., Regent, Bell). Don't settle for less than 275 a week, I'd say.

[oenologist]

So after working for them, what can I say. They were an incompetent group of money-grabbing half-wits. I would strongly encourage anyone to NOT work for them. I did get to go on several excursions into London free of charge was was nice, and I met lots of nice and cool people. But the camp was completely inefficient, and I would NEVER NEVER NEVER work for them again. The room/ food was a plus, but sometimes the food sucked. Will be looking for better work this summer.

.chris.

[SueH]

Always nice to get feedback! Did you ever have to say NO, and what were the extracurricular commitments like?

PS To save another post: your one on the Italian forum is unclear. Summer school to teach English or learn Italian?

[oenologist]

hey!

They divided the day into three shifts- the morning shift, afternoon and evening. In the morning you were teaching and then the other two were activities. You basically had to do whatever they wanted you to do, but you could get away with doing which activity you wanted. Each session was three hours. Sometimes they would try and screw you and make you work more, for example taking someone to the airport which I made last 9 hours. Oh yes. Went to the airport at 6am and came back at 3pm. Had lunch on the way (on their dime of course). The tube is terrible sometimes, and the bus does take a long time- and one really has to play Morington Cressent.

Towards the end I would refuse to start anytime before 2pm (or 2:30) and I would leave exactly at when the event was over.

The management were AWFUL (for the most part). They wanted to save money on everything so they made the kids walk miles, but then took taxis for themselves. They were basically lower class white trash with delusions of grandeur.

The other teachers were nice though and we bonded over making fun of the management and their incompetence. (eg., when's a good time to go to Brighton, the gay capital of England? oh during Brighton Gay Pride. But how would the management know, I mean the guy organizing was a homosexual from Kent, not from Brighton! And God forbid you look up on the internet. )

btw for my last post I meant teaching English, sorry.

.chris.

[nocturnalme]

I wasn't too impressed with them. Worked at the Mile End centre last summer. They pay per shift, not per week, and, as I arrived alte in the course late, I didn't know this. When I got paid, the money was well under because I hadn't done enough shifts. However, I wasn't asked to do these shifts! Communication was not their forte, nor arranging things properly, which often left me looking like a total fool in front of the students - something I can do quite well myself, thanks!
The resouces room was only available for an hour or less so planning, photocopying, etc, was a nightmare.
I can, however, recommend EJO. Never had problems with them.

[TheLongWayHome]

Why on earth does anyone do summer schools in the UK? Are you all insane? Why not sign on instead and save yourself the hassle of separating randy French teenagers whilst trying to 'teach'?

[nocturnalme]

Er, much needed cash?

[SueH]

Over the summer you could probably get a temp job that paid better! It's the accommodation that's the killer in the UK though...

[lolwhites]

Put it this way: the UK minimum wage is �5.35 ph. That means a full time job paying the minimum wage will earn you �214 pw without trying to teach English to surly teenagers all day and then spending half the night keeping them out of each others' bedrooms. Bear that in mind when considering summer school jobs.

[nocturnalme]

You usually only teach in the morning on summer camps, maybe some supervision in the afternoon/eves. Accom is free plus meals.
Unless you stay with parents or friends, you have to pay rent etc out of that �214 and the work is usually unbearable. I should know, I've done my share of shit factory jobs etc. Summer camps are a comparative doss.
Plus, summer work is hard to get with all the uni students after work and it's getting harder with the influx of Eastern Europeans. Again, I should know, I'm looking at the moment!

[lolwhites]

I've done minimum wage jobs before too, and know they can be pretty soul destroying, but at least you can forget about them at 5 in the evening.

I wonder how much of a bonus accommodation actually is. Most people will still need to pay rent on a room somewhere where they can stash their worldly possessions, won't they? So it's only a good deal if you live out of a suitcase. Sure, you can get a friend to look after your stuff if you don't have too much of it, then kip on their floor when your job ends and you look for somewhere to live, but won't most people have to pay rent on somewhere while they're away to make sure they have somewhere to live at the end of the summer?