Job Discussion Forums

[Persuasion]

There are allegations of chicanery and mismanagement, not to mention the usual ripping off of EFL teachers, at the Caledonian School , Prague, right here:

http://tefltradesman.blogspot.com/2010/01/those-slippery-cunts-at-caledonian-and.html

Perhaps a few of the 'usual suspects 'on this forum could throw some light on the subject, either here or on the blog in question.

Thanks

[spiral78]

OK, well, I'm negatively impressed with the title of the blog, and by extension, I'd be less inclined to trust the authors of the thing.

I don't know what's going on at Caledonian today specifically, but in the general picture, they've been around a long time and have a generally decent reputation overall.

Through the years, there have been a few complaints, mostly to do with the housing provided by the school, and Caledonian pays at the lower end of the scale.

But overall they have been considered reputable for a long time. I doubt this has changed dramatically in the past few months, though anything's possible.

[Persuasion]

Good points, s78, but I should point you towards some of the comments that have been made on the blog, namely...

http://rickyyates.com/tag/caledonian-school/

http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Caledonian-School-Reviews-E215716.htm

Both of the above entries appear to indicate that Caledonian is good at projecting itself and faking appearances, but fails to deliver - especially to teachers!

The latter review quotes as follows:

Pros - great resource library, and academic staff

Cons - Among the list of complaints: rude, impersonal, unprofessional staff; very high teacher turnover (never a good sign); and below average pay relative to other schools; and an oppressive and intimidating, authoritarian management style of treating new teachers. I would not recommend Caledonian. They are a large corporate franchise also in Bratislava; your efforts working there will line the pockets of Caledonian management and its owners–while you scrape by living hand to mouth. LOW LOW LOW pay in comparison and lack of respect by administration.

Advice to Senior Management - Pay parity with other institutions. More support from Administration (personnel) staff.

[spiral78]

As I've noted for some years on this forum, Caledonian pays at the low end of the scale for the region. The trade-off for this is that, assuming that a candidate passes the Caledonian teacher training course, they will guarantee a job inside their organisation. This assurance of work is worth it to some candidates.

So far as teacher turnover is concerned, this has been a feature of Prague teachers in general for all the years I've been around (since 1998). The pay in the city is subsistence-level in general, and few people stick around longer than a year. It's been a newbie-level job market for years, sadly.

Not knowing anyone personally on Caledonian staff and never having worked there, I can't speak to the lack of respect for teachers issue.

To be really clear, I'm not defending the school.

However, personally, I think the situation for newbie level teachers in Prague is quite difficult overall. Because the city has been a teacher-training mecca for some time, there's been a never-ending supply of 'new newbies,' which has kept salaries relatively low and turnover high for a long time.

I simply don't think that Caledonian's rep is below that of other schools in the region, nor do I think that low pay and high turnover is unique to Caledonian.

The lack of respect issue I can't speak to, again not knowing anyone at Caledonian personally.

[spiral78]

Actually, I've just read one of the blogs you indicate, and the lack of real visa support and hard information regarding the prospects for getting a visa at the end of a teacher training course seem to me to be much bigger and more legit problems than low pay or high turnover.

If Caledonian, or any other TEFL training course provider, is not being honest regarding exactly what it takes to get legal work in the Czech Rep, then THAT'S the dodgy issue.

Taking the money of TEFL trainees and not being 100% clear and up front about legal work visas and the liklihood of finding full time jobs IS highly disreputable, particularly if the training centre is offering jobs to its own successful grads and then not following through on the visa process.

[Guinea Pig]

In answer to your question I think the Caledonian have always been quite poor payers and uninterested in the long-term employment of their teachers. The main problem is that things took a severe turn for the worst around September when the school was bought by Tutor. Tutor are like the teaching equivalent of McDonalds in Prague.

Up until Christmas things remained fairly quiet and unchanged while they were planning what to do with the school. It was no coincidence that changes to teachers' contracts were not announced until everyone had flown back from their home countries after New Year, they knew that people would agree to anything while saving for another flight out of here.

The major changes announced so far have been pay cuts, no further pay increases this year and no paid public holidays. There are also going to be some changes in the school structure, they did want to close our bookshop which is used by all teachers to buy books at a slightly discounted rate but I think this has been postponed or cancelled.

There are going to be further changes to teachers' contracts from June 2010 but these are only going to be announced in May 2010, which will give people plenty of time to consider their plans

(Apologies for any typos I'm rushing between lessons!)

[smithryansmith]

caledonian can afford to pay their teachers less. they are the biggest in a shrinking market. if teachers dont like it they can always look elsewhere.

[mr tree]

Guinea Pig - rushing between lessons at 7:43am! they must be working you hard!!

some interesting articles. i have a few friends who've come through the Caledonian TEFL and had no visa problems. i gather that the Czech government changed the system sometime last year, and that caused a few problems - maybe that's the reason for Ricky's blog? but certainly, the people I know had no complaints and no problems. but i'm only speaking for 5 or 6 people there...

otherwise, i was under the same impressions as spiral, that Caledonian was reputable. my friends tell me they have 200+ teachers, so it's interesting that there's only 3 negative articles out there - maybe it's just a small minority complaining?

[spiral78]

I'm wondering if it was a matter of would-be teachers overstaying their 90 days...the entire zone is getting quite strict on this matter these days (having just come from the Embassy where my Dutch visa was renewed, thank god).

[RabbitWho]

I've never worked for them, so maybe I shouldn't comment, but I've met some of the management or communicated with others over the Internet and have found them to be very friendly and professional people who seem genuinely interested in the well being and progression of their students.

If I decide to work in Prague next year they'll be the first people I apply to.

[Le Petit Prince]

What hope is there left for you fellas in KSA?!!...even VS and Cleopatra have given up on you.

My advice is to move on..these Gulf Countries are having severe economic and social problems at the moment...nobody actually talks about it...."Our Leader is wise and benificent beyond human comprhension... etc."
But the truth is ..even the Indians are leaving.

I'm leaving myself...a Yank in Sydney for a couple of years.

[spiral78]

A case of alternate reality?

[RabbitWho]

I disagree, I think that the standard of living in the Czech Republic has really come on since it was declared a Gulf State. President Bob and vice president Bobek are doing a great job! But let's not argue over politics.

[spiral78]

We WISH Bob a Bobek were in charge of the CR!!
A great improvement over the current 'management.'

[ThomasGradgrind]

If you are a teacher looking for work, Caledonian School in Prague should be avoided for the following reasons:

1. THEY LIE ON THE WEBSITE ABOUT THE AMOUNT OF MONEY YOU WILL MAKE: They claim that you will earn between 15,000czk and 20,000czk per month on their website. However, given the rate of pay (178czk per teaching hour, which they don't tell you until you get to Prague), it is actually impossible to even earn 15,000, the low end, with the 20 teaching hours they guarantee you. In addition, they do not protect you against student cancellations, so if your students cancel, and they often do, you are left with much less. For example, a teacher I knew worked over 30 teaching hours a week and ended up with an average of only 13,000czk at the end of each month, which is much less than people working the register at Tesco make and is simply not a living wage. This is disgraceful considering that some companies pay 1,000czk for a 90 minute lesson.

2. THEY DO NOT HONOR THEIR CONTRACTS: Recently they decided to cut their teacher's pay by 5% and cancel the yearly bonus of 2% pay increase. They got around the legally binding contracts with their employees by essentially forcing teachers, who rely on them for visas and live paycheck to paycheck, to sign a new contract.

3. THEY LIE ABOUT THE NUMBER OF HOURS YOU WILL BE TEACHING: The truth is that though you only work 20 "teaching hours", you will be running all over the city without being paid for it. In truth you will be working more than full time because you will have to travel an average of 45 minutes to an hour between each lesson. Many of your lessons will begin before 8am and end well after 5pm, plus travel time.

5: THEY LIE ABOUT VISA SUPPORT: They bring people from abroad to the Czech Republic, often through the TEFL program, offering a promise of visa support. However, it is illegal to enter the Czech Republic on a tourist visa and then apply for a work visa. You must apply from your home country. They get around this by paying off the foreign police or getting people they know at the embassy to bend the rules. The problem with this is that it's not 100% effective, and every so often a whole group of people applying for their visas are sent home under threat of deportation when their 3 month tourist stay runs out. These unlucky teachers have the additional joy of potentially being banned from Europe for 3 years for overstaying their visas and working illegally.

6. THEY LIE ABOUT HEALTH INSURANCE: They are required by law to provide you with health insurance. They promise that they provide it as a part of their benefits package. However, what they call "insurance" is a system of repayment where you must pay for your medical expenses out of your own pocket and hope that the school will pay you back. This "insurance" does not include dental, ongoing conditions, or preventative care. Plus, you can only go to one remote hospital's emergency room. As the law requires you to have real insurance, you must show proof of it when you apply for your visa. Again, Caledonian finds people who will bend the rules for them, which doesn't always work.

7. THEY USE A LOOPHOLE IN THE LAW TO DEPRIVE YOU OF BENEFITS: They are registered as a UK company, which means that they can get around giving you the benefits that all people in the Czech Republic enjoy by law, like holiday time and benefit credits for meals, etc.

I've never spoken to a happy teacher at Caledonian School. In Prague they have a reputation for being the worst school to work for. Most teachers leave within the first year, which is in the school's best interest, since they make so much money off of their TEFL course owing to the job guarantee. This is unfortunate because the TEFL certificate that you receive from Caledonian is not as well respected as most other programs (i.e. CELTA).

If you are coming to Prague to teach or to take a TEFL course, please research other schools. There are better options.