Job Discussion Forums

[JRJohn]

I have been offered an interview from WSI and I am being considered for jobs in Beijing or Shanghai. I am not sure at this stage, and I need more info. I would like to speak to teachers who have taught in those branches.
I am being considered for a job teaching adults.
1) Is WSI centrally run, or is it a franchise like EF. OR is it half and half?

2) What is the morale like among the teachers? Is it (a) fairly high, (b) stressful and desperate, or (c) a case of having good days and bad days?

3) What are the potential problems?

4) Do people usually complete their contracts? What about getting fired?

5) What is their housing policy? Does housing take a huge slice of salary?
Would I be expected to pay a big housing deposit?
6) Do they help with visa costs?

I would be grateful for any help you could give about teaching with WSI in Beijing or Shanghai. Thank you very much.

[jg]

I am curious about Wall Street as well. *bump*

[Qaaolchoura]

Wall Street China is the largest corporate-run branch of Wall Street, most or all of the others are franchises, though often�as in Turkey, Russia, and Indonesia�it's the same franchise across the whole country. Those are the only branches who I've interviewed with (and I asked a lot of questions about the company), so I can't comment on China.

As for the quality of Wall Street China, I can't comment on that, since not only have I never worked there, I've never even applied to work there. If nobody here gets back to you, why don't you ask to speak with some current, or better still, former teachers?

I will say that the Wall Street Method seems to attract a lot of criticism if you search it out on the Internet, though personally I like it (at least in principle). I assume you've asked your own questions about the method in interviews?

Regards,
~Q

[Denim-Maniac]

I think a forum member called songbird used to work for them in China. PM her maybe?

Just had a friend who was turned down after interviewing for a position in SZ. He liked the look of their set-up and thought they were professional and switched on ... but thats just his impression following an interview.

[L00kingforwork]

Check out this article: http://news.echinacities.com/detail/7350-The-Teaching-Ladder-Major-Training-Centres-in-China

Not sure how accurate the information is because I've never worked for any of the big chain school. It should give you some ideas about what you're getting yourself into.

[Qaaolchoura]

[natjones]

My friend worked for them in Shanghai for 2 years and Beijing for 1 year and had good things to say. He said they were well-run (none franchised), treated employees well, and had good lesson plans. He said having the adult students was great.

He did add that they were quite intense to work for, requiring pretty constant teaching. Eventually, he said he was too old for the energy required and went to teach at a university with few hours.

[haopengyou]

I have talked to a few people who worked for them. It seems that all of these franchises use a cookie cutter, somewhat impersonal approach to teaching. The people that I talked to who adapted to this approach liked the experience. Those that like to personalize their teacher style didn't like it at all.