Job Discussion Forums

[Ninatchka]

Hi all,

I'm still fairly fresh off the boat. Still looking to fill in a couple gaps in my schedule etc etc.. An email recently appeared in my inbox from Academy of New York. Has anyone ever heard of/ had experience with them? They asked for an interview. All opinions and information much appreciated.

[sparks]

I interviewed with them a couple of years ago, also looking to just pick up a couple of classes, they invited me to some hang out party at the school with all of the teachers one Friday night. Everyone was drinking except me as I was planning on leaving the city by car for the weekend. I don't think I fit in very well, and apparently they didn't either, I wasn't offered anything, I thought the whole thing was sort of weird. Every Friday they also had/have a culture evening where either one of the teachers or a guest speaker gives a little presentation to any students who want to show up, then there is a group discussion/activity. I think the school is o.k., it's only native speakers though. As I mentioned, the party thing was sort of odd to me but maybe I'm just peculiar. The DOS is cool, she used to work at Archibald, and I would say that she knows her stuff and is helpful, especially for new teachers.

[Ninatchka]

Interesting. I guess the best thing to do is go and see for myself what it's all about. Thanks so much for the info!

[Master Shake]

Ninatchka, did you check them out?

I'm curious because I interviewed at ANY a few years ago and thought it looked interesting, what with the posh location and interior, Sinatra music playing in the background and pictures of the NY skyline up everywhere.

They said they would definitely have some hours for me but I never heard back.

[Ninatchka]

I did the interview. It was a bit awkward compared to most other interviews I've had. When I first sat down I thought it was a really interesting atmosphere too. But when I started the interview I didn't get a warm or friendly kind of feeling from them. The first question they asked me was "Are you willing to drop all your plans on Saturdays for the next while?" The second question was "If you have been working ALL day, you're completely exhausted, and you get a phone call from the director asking you to come in at 20.30 to fill in... what would you do?"
They said they had hours but it seems like they want someone who's willing to do the 7.30-noon classes as well as 17-22 but they only wanted to give a few hours to start? I never heard back from them either. It wasn't very clear what they wanted. I don't need a visa or insane amounts of cash, so I'd rather take on just a few regular classes so I can enjoy them instead of working like a horse.
But for anyone who's wondering about ANY, go see for yourself. Maybe it's what you're looking for.

[Master Shake]

I had a similar experience at the interview. Lots of silly, generic, bullshit questions like 'Who is your greatest hero and why?' 'What's your biggest weakness?' and so on. This is another reason I still remember ANY! Not much focus on subject knowledge or (potential) ability to teach a language.

[sparks]

I met some of the administration, I believe the one owner is an Indian guy, It seems like some sort of partnership/investment, I'm not sure that the owners really have much to do with teaching. I agree the interview experience/my "party" experience was a bit odd. I have a feeling that they are looking for some real American "Joes" or "Janes" to work there. Someone who will tell stories about how cool New York and L.A. are or some such. I think that this may be hard to find this kind of energy from long-term Teflers in Poland, or anywhere really. Maybe to get hired you have to be just off of the plane with a fresh CELTA, or better yet SIT cert.

[Master Shake]

[dyllabox]

I worked there for about a year and a half. I do not recommend working there. They definitely treat teachers as replaceable employees. The office will be very friendly, but also dishonest.

To everyone who did not get a job, it was probably behooving that you didn't get the job.

If anyone has q's, just ask.

[delphian-domine]

Sure, tell us more

Did they care about your qualifications to teach, or your experience?

[dyllabox]

Yes, they did care about my qualifications and experience. Doesn't every school ask about this?

So here are goods and bad of working at ANY

The good:

-the director of studies is great. She is super knowledgeable and a joy to work with. I learned a lot from her. Really, she is one of the best

-the camaraderie (comradery) is great too. This is mainly because the teacher turn-over rate is high. So most teachers are in the same boat - new job and new country.

the location. It is easy to get to and the views of Warsaw are really nice.


The bad:

The office. They will often over work many new employees while giving other teachers little to no work. I saw this repeatedly. They also did not give promised pay raises or bonuses to many employees.

The pay. After 1.5 years of working there with quantifiable improvements, the only raise I was offered was around 1.5pln (50 American cents). And despite being voted in the top 3 for 2 terms in a row by the students, I was never given a bonus either.

job security. Technically I'm still employed. They just didn't have any hours to give me. No explanation as to why. I was left scrabbling for employment which was compounded by my working permit expiration. They really left me high and dry.

help with accommodation. They won't help. You need to do this on your own. This can be tricky when you don't speak the language and have little to no contacts.

There are other positives and negatives. I just wanted to highlight a few.

I hope this helps people make a more informed decision. If you have any other questions, let me know.

Thanks

[Moonshadow_51]

A friend received a threatening email from ANY, dated October 3, in which the company threatened to sue for truthful posts made on Dave's ESL Cafe about its illegal taxation and contracts.

The company further attempted to intimidate posters in an unlawful manner by claiming to trace anonymity through IP addresses and prosecute for divulging company secrets AKA whistle blowing.

This school is scared and needs to be pushed to a court of law.

To Dave's, we can only ask that you not delete honest voices

If upcoming posts are deleted, this poster and others will revert to the ESL Blacklist.

[sparks]

It's never been a democratic forum and schools have always ruled here.

[Infinite]

Sure, but you can always go to internet archives and pull up old messages. Remember... internets are forever