Job Discussion Forums

[englishgibson]

There�ve been quite a few warnings on this farce franchise in China, but I still wish to expand on all of them due to recent anonymous threads that I have received as well as the summer (recruiting) period that is approaching the desperate, farce organization and its recruiting in China.

Their plan to expand and �drive� the Chinese market with their contradictive structural setup, their sleazy and misleading marketing strategy to cater to the rich investors as well as to the willing students, their poor support of the centers and their foreign academic staff in China etc has tremendous impact on the centers, stinks and does not work.

There are cases of some employers as well as the EF Head Office in Shanghai trying to intimidate the displeased staff members and I am seemingly one �still living� and �still living in China� example of it.

Because I have posted previously true stories of my EF English First experiences in China on the forum and other sites (wrongful dismissals, unethical behaviors, dishonest tactics etc), I have received some anonymous email threads apparently coming from a Shanghai source. Well, that is where the EF farce English First Head Office is coincidentally located.
Right after I posted the EF English First warning in April 2005 on this forum the Academic Operations Manager called me on my mobile to tell me that I was �famous�, though he asked me what I wanted from him (spooky phone call). He never had called me before, even though he knew my number, even though we had our discussions scheduled on the phone before and even though I sent him my substantiated evidence of the centers� wrongdoings and complaints.

I am writing to warn all the current/former unhappy EF staff members in China to exercise as much caution as they can, should they decide to file their complaints with either their employers or the EF Head Office. EVERY COMPLAINT AS WELL AS EVERY COMPLAINANT�S LIFE GOES UNDER THE �MICROSCOPE� AND IT MIGHT �BACKFIRE� AT ANY TIME.
The employee complaints filed within China are often not followed and perceived as �bad-mouthing� of the franchise.

With regards to the EF (in China) intimidation tactics, former EF staff members have been unwelcome in the cities of their former EF employments or threatened to leave, substantial amount of psychological pressure has been exercised etc.

As you know that all of you teachers in China (and elsewhere) need that referee to land a reasonable job, you might not get it at the EF farce English First center or Head Office after contributing your hard work to your jobs. On the contrary, you might end up on the EF (in China) infamous �UNOFFICIAL BLACK LIST� that the Chinese employers tend to pass on to each other. Then the EF farce Head Office shall explain to you that there is nothing that they can do for you. (I wonder who runs the EF centers in China)

To those who plan on joining this farce organization in China, be aware of the employers� management techniques that you will have to follow no matter what.
If you are on a returned flight ticket purchased by the organization (center-employer), you will be obliged to follow or you will not get that �flight� home (your own expense then).
Newcomers, if you think that you are joining a �foreign� organization (EF) in China, you are misled. The EF farce English First in China is fully run/managed by the Chinese with their only goal TO MAKE MONEY. Your required teaching skill will have to be converted to your �entertainment� skill and so you�ll be required to become an �edutainer� and a �show-monkey�.

Cheers and beers

[YankeeDoodleDandy]

Englishgibson Right on!!!! I have three friends in Hefei who had the sorry misfortune to work for EF here.They all quit or were fired by Peter whose managerial style is very confrontational.The front office in Shanghai does absolutely nothing. One poor bloke from Toronto still hasn't recovered from the verbal assault that he received from EF. They will work you to death.

[Meleefracas]

[dalong]

Meleefracas' post:

[englishgibson]

If you work for a franchised school and you leave at rather unhappy terms, your name might be passed on by the school�s superiors/employer to other schools of the franchise.

With regards to the EF farce English First in China; many employers out of the 60 or 65 centers and who knows how many �EF clones� and they do stick together meaning that they stay well in touch.
So, your references might actually be�garbage� to the prospective EF employer in China. To make myself even more clear, if you put down �Mr. Smith� (your former Academic Supervisor) as your referee, Ms. Mo De Gao (your farce former employer) will be contacted. Then, she will provide her �subjective� opinion of you to your prospective (EF) employer. Never mind their lack of knowledge of English language or any foreign culture to pass on their opinions about you.
That kinda explains why there are soooo many new faces at the EF centers all the time. That kinda explains it why there are sooo many inexperienced foreign teachers at the EF centers in China.

In EF farce English First the Chinese employers try and do control their franchises fairly well, which I cannot say about the EF farce Head Office in Shanghai. Their Academics Operations Manager does not probably get up of his a_s. in his Shanghai�s office, since he agreed on no annual visits of the EF centers in China from 2004 (Does he know what goes on? Does he want to change anything? No, he wants to keep his job.)

So, as the EF employers �run the show� and the EF Head Office is �watching� as well as accepting the ��Royalty fees�, the foreign teachers are getting their taste of the Chinese culture.

Cheers and beers

[englishgibson]

[Meleefracas]

[dalong]

englishgibson wrote:

[englishgibson]

Fair enough Dalong! I agree with that number of postings �under anyone�s belt� and his/her experience.

I hope that my explanation of the "unofficial BLACK list" has helped.

Cheers and beers

[englishgibson]

Hey guys I really would like to keep this post on due to a nasty email that I have recently received from ...

After I had been dismissed (as a few others have been with EF in China), I filed my complaint and inquiry with the EF English First Head Office in Shanghai (Academic Operations Manager), though nothing was done. Firstly, my complaint and inquiry went unanswered, and then on my insistence it was brushed off by the AOM�s saying that �The matters have been dealt with and there is not much more that we (the Head Office) could do for you due to the employers managing the EF centers� (unbelievably I wished to work for another EF center in China since I have enjoyed working with the EF academic material � my name was blacklisted by the EF employers in China), and then I received a harassing phone call from the AOM due to my participation and postings on Dave�s Sperling�s forum, and finally receiving an anonymous Threat On My Life (with the E* �signature� and a fine knowledge of me in it) in my email account sealed my experiences with the E* En*l*sh *irst in China (with no wish to work with them again) as well as prompted me to come forward further and tell all the foreign teachers intending to join the EF English First in China to think twice.

I saw a teacher at an EF English First center run, because she was asked by her/my employer to pay a fine of 40,000 RMB for breaking her Contract (too bad that the same employer did not pay me 40,000 RMB for breaking my Contract later) and I also saw the privacy of a few EF teachers invaded by the EF center (numerous times like nothing happened their homes were entered by the EF center�s Chinese staff). I saw EF teachers lured into moving to work for the �EF clones� (non-EF schools) and some that ended up working for two schools (the EF and the clone) then.

Academically, the organization is a complete mess due to their new policies that favor the business in front of the education there; even tough they have a rather competitive academic material. The foreign English teachers� qualifications or experiences often come to no use at an EF center in China due to the tendency and pressure to have to be an entertainer rather than the educator there. Not getting �high marks� from the students as a teacher (students� feedbacks) might mean that you are not a good teacher in an EF center in China, which also might result in further actions against you (I had to give a few verbal and written warnings to teachers as a DOS).

Think twice!

Cheers and beers

[wonderd]

I've heard about this company before. There are quite a few posts on the Internet, not just here about them. Using the internet is a good tool for deciding who to work for in China. There will always be complainers, so if you only see a post or two about a company, I wouldn't worry about it.

But when you see a ton, as in the example of this company, I would be concerned. I guess I'm just fortunate the company I work for treats me quite well.

Take care, and thanks for adding to the warnings I've seen about this company.

[englishgibson]

Wonderd thanx! I have got more of the info that others might be scared to post on sites.

The Directors of Studies at the EF English First centers mostly serve as the employers� �pets� and they are there to fill in that position/structural gap (structural confusion of EF) and I can tell you that, because I have worked as a Director of Studies there. So, thinking that DOSs might change the working environment in the EF centers is highly deceiving, because they have little impact on the individual EF centers as well as little support from the EF Head Office.

The previous annual visits of the EF English First centers in China have been cancelled, so that the EF centers could thrive in managing it their own ways and so that their foreign academic staff would be at the mercy of their EF employers.

If I were an EF employer (owned an EF center), I would do the same thing as the EF employers/centers do �managing it their own way�, would I have been allowed to do it by my EF English First Head Office in Shanghai. Would a rich Chinese invest in an EF center that is not completely under his/her control or would he/she rather invest in an EF center that is totally under his/her control? You teachers answer that question for yourselves and think about the current EF English First marketing strategy in China and why there is such a high employee turnover (especially in the foreign academic staff department). The only one foreign academic staff member who is at his position the longest time in China is the Academic Operations Manager in Shanghai. Would anyone be able to guess why?

China is a huge country and there are a large numbers of schools to teach English in, if they are government public schools or big private mills as well as small decent private centers, they are many good ones. So, do not throw or risk your lives (as I have) and make your own destiny.

Cheers and beers