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JRCash
Joined: 07 Nov 2006 Posts: 91
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Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 12:53 pm Post subject: Anyone know about Akademia Vzdelavania in Slovakia? |
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Akademia Vzdelavania (Academy of Education) in Slovakia? Anyone know anything about them - their reputation, what it is like to work for them etc? |
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soapdodger
Joined: 19 Apr 2007 Posts: 203
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Posted: Thu Apr 19, 2007 10:58 pm Post subject: |
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Akademia Vzdelavania are a throwback from the communist regime. They're a chain of pretty second rate further education establishments, and be assured that if something is second rate here then it's really scruffy. I started in Slovakia with them nearly 15 years ago in Kosice, second biggest city, and they were abysmal. I had the dubious and unintended pleasure of closing down their EFL operation in Kosice for about 2 years by opening my own school, which their students totally voluntarily flocked to. I love Slovakia, but I wouldn't really recommend it as a destination if you're after money or good schools. Cowboy outfits abound and wherever you go, the best you'll get for 45 minutes is about 300 Slovak korun after tax...you wont be able to get much more than that for private lessons either. As a benchmark 50 SK for a UK pound. On the bright side, alot of Slovaks are really nice people and it's a beautiful place, you can live relatively cheaply but don't expect to save very much. The downside is that the bureaucracy is absolute hell.....Slovakia is covered in forests just to provide paper for the system. Dont do Akademia Vzdelavania. If you're interested I can send you the details of a school where I do a little work. They're pretty disorganised but that's par for the course, but they pay on time and fair rates. Good luck! |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home
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Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 12:19 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the info.
Last edited by naturegirl321 on Tue May 01, 2007 1:52 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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guty
Joined: 10 Apr 2003 Posts: 365 Location: on holiday
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Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 1:47 pm Post subject: |
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Quote: |
Slovakia is covered in forests just to provide paper for the system |
Nice |
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xAfrox
Joined: 06 Jun 2006 Posts: 2 Location: San Diego
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Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 9:10 am Post subject: Bratislava schools and whatnot |
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I don't know much about teaching in the east, but in Bratislava there are several schools which only screw you the normal amount. There's the Canadian Bilingual Institute, which I think I heard used to be the Slovak Caledonian, Alex Jazykovy Centrum, and some place called the English Box - which sounds promising. These are all places that you can see from the tram but which I am too lazy to actually go and check out. Presumably they have websites you can look at.
There are a lot more; I'm sure most are guaranteed to be random and freaky.
You can also check out some universities, though the pay there would probably be even lower - but basically you're going to live in a hovel regardless. But you'll have fun! Slovakia rocks. Not as prissy as Prague and way cleaner than Russia. If you're bored or curious, check out my "online journal":
http://fencehopping.blogspot.com/ |
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booty
Joined: 22 Aug 2004 Posts: 94
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Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 10:22 am Post subject: It's not that bad |
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naturegirl321 wrote: |
Thanks for the info. |
The guy who slated AV blew things out of proportion. He worked for them fifteen years ago. Things have changed since then. Most of the people I know who have worked for AV in Bratislava seem content with the treatment and the attitude of the school.
I have done really well from Private lessons. You can pick up a hell of a lot more than 300sk. Try teaching the Korean community in Bratislava or Zilina. Also, try and get more people to come to your privates. That way, you can pick up more money. |
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dfe1
Joined: 02 Sep 2012 Posts: 2
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Posted: Sat Dec 29, 2012 9:53 pm Post subject: |
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update to the above (December 2012) i just finished working for AV in Zilina, after 4 months of hassle, late pay, pay in instalments instead of the full monthly amount in one go, lower pay then agreed, red tape like you would not believe, delays, broken promises and some hideously bad treatment of a fellow teacher who was ill. AV are (depending on who you talk to) scaling back their national operations (they have 26 branches or so) or they are actually going bankrupt. They certainly have a massive cashflow problem. The Zilina AV branch is splitting up imminently and a new company being formed, so look closely at ANY adverts from Zilina. The clients and students were great, and the country is quite lovely, but having zero money and zero progress with promises that it would all be sorted out is a big negative, thus i left, after being asked not to tel the students, as some new contracts were not yet signed... and as 100% of the native teachers were all leaving in December, that made things a touch tricky for the management, who need to recruit staff to deliver the programmes, rapidly..... |
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MdSmith
Joined: 15 Nov 2012 Posts: 67
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Posted: Thu Feb 21, 2013 8:17 am Post subject: |
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FWIW I was with AV in Trnava in 2005. Everything was fine, got my own flat that was okay (on the inside), got paid on time etc., wasn't much in those days though, I guess it has increased since then. Had a good time all in all.. |
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