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Caledonian
Joined: 12 Mar 2005
Posts: 1
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 Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2005 11:31 am Post subject: Are expat companies better? |
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| I heard from a teaching veteran I met that working for companies run by ex patriates, like Interac, is better because there is less pressure and formality, making it a more relaxed environment. Is this true from what you have found? If so, are there any companies you would recommend? |
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bearcat
Joined: 08 May 2004
Posts: 367
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| Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2005 11:41 am Post subject: Re: Are expat companies better? |
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| Caledonian wrote: |
| I heard from a teaching veteran I met that working for companies run by ex patriates, like Interac, is better because there is less pressure and formality, making it a more relaxed environment. Is this true from what you have found? If so, are there any companies you would recommend? |
Unfortunately no. There are plenty of crooked ex pat related companies as well. I and others have warned folks about one in the past known as Smith's School of English who have bilked people out of tons of money. They're worse than average though because they not only target people for teaching positions, but also for buying into their franchises. A few months ago Smith pay 50k US in a settlement to one such person who had been bilked.
Don't trust be it being an expat. Trust it by the conditions spelled out in the contract and by what teachers and students say about the company. |
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PAULH
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 4672
Location: Western Japan
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| Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2005 11:51 am Post subject: Re: Are expat companies better? |
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| Caledonian wrote: |
| I heard from a teaching veteran I met that working for companies run by ex patriates, like Interac, is better because there is less pressure and formality, making it a more relaxed environment. Is this true from what you have found? If so, are there any companies you would recommend? |
I think you have to be careful that you are not lulled into a false sense of security because the boss is an American and not Japanese, because he speaks English and may appear to be your 'friend' when hiring you. New teachers can let their guard down because the boss is 'one of us' and a nice guy. They are not your friend, but your employer, they are paying your wages and also have the power to fire you or make you work overtime. The language teaching industry is very competitive and foreign bosses have to make ends meet as well, and some can be ruthless. As well as the one mentioned before there is another in Kanagawa run by a Canadian that has a lot of illegal clauses in its contract and a lot of red flags. Another one run by a Steve Boehme in Gifu, he was said to have physically assaulted staff and withheld salaries and bonuses.
Rather than judge a school simply by the boss' nationality, look at the contract he offers you and see whether its above board and fair, and the reputation of the school from what other teachers say about it. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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