| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
OhBudPowellWhereArtThou
Joined: 02 Jun 2015
Posts: 1168
Location: Since 2003
|
 Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2015 1:08 pm Post subject: |
 |
|
| Non Sequitur wrote: |
Talking to current or former teachers is a part of due diligence. But its 'weighting' is very high.
I would say that if you can't make contact with former teachers for what seems to be a public school should be taken as a 'don't go any further'.
|
I haven't found contacting current teachers at schools to be reliable. Unless one is in the same city, it is difficult to know if the person with whom you are speaking/corresponding is a compulsive liar or has a self-serving agenda.
One FT had been at the school had been there for three years but warned me that the FAO was strict, deplored drinking, enforced a 9:30 pm curfew, etc.. A visit to the guy several months later revealed that he was in charge of recommending hirees, and they were always women.
At another school, the one FT I could track down was a compulsive liar. (I know. I worked there for a few months. She was a nightmare).
At another school, I spoke to two FTs who gave me completely different evaluations of the school. I couldn't make my own evaluation because I was stateside at the time.
Speaking to former teachers may reveal more accurate information, but I've never been able to contact former employees. The FAO's know how to get in touch with them, but they're reluctant to give out contact info because they're not sure what the former employee might say. Again, if one lives in the same city as the prospective employer, it is much easier to get information.
These are just my experiences. Others' experiences may differ. (For the sake of others, I hope that my experiences are unique). |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Non Sequitur
Joined: 23 May 2010
Posts: 4724
Location: China
|
| Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2015 6:41 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Well I was the resident contact person for my school for a couple of hiring cycles and those people who joined seem to find the place OK.
My point is really 'no contact - no join'. You have a whole new issue when you do talk to someone which is truthfulness.
Moral: Start early with applications and have 2 or 3 in the mix until its visa-getting time. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
talentedcrayon
Joined: 19 Mar 2013
Posts: 91
|
| Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2015 8:50 am Post subject: |
|
|
I no longer ask to speak to former or current teachers for the follow reasons:
For my current job I talked to a former teacher over Facebook.
She told me that all three of last year' teachers had quit because the school was so terrible.
When I arrived one of the teachers was still working there. The other had left only because she was pursuing a PhD. It became clear that this former teacher had lied to me. The school has been really good so far. I have no idea why she lied. She does seem to have some kind of beef with the school, but she wouldn't reveal it to me.
A few years ago I got a job with a school in Korea. I talked to a teacher who told me that the school was awesome. Almost no problems at all. When I arrived it turned out that this teacher was leaving. He came to a teachers birthday party and had nothing but bad things to say. I ended up quitting after two months because the school wasn't honouring the contract.
So, of the two references I have talked to, both lied to me. One told me that a bad school was great, the other that a decent school was terrible. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
grfl
Joined: 06 Aug 2015
Posts: 19
|
| Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2015 9:15 am Post subject: Roll the Dice |
|
|
| It seems that there is really no way to rely on information unless you have a chance to visit the school yourself. But who really has that option? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
