Job Discussion Forums

[tw]

[Babala]

Noelle,
I am sorry that everyone has jumped down your throat just for stating that you had a good experience with EF. I personally would not work for an EF but that's me. Everyone has the right to tell about their experiences both good and bad.

[englishgibson]

[englishgibson]

[Noelle]

Gu2:

I forgot to tell you that I called my friend in Mali and told her your story. She says "Thanks" and she'll pass on the Yuyao school. I think she'd signed something for them already though, but anyhow she's opted to go to Indonesia instead when she finishes up in Africa. I feel kind of bad because she gave my name as a reference when she first answered the ad. Oh well...

So your warning was officially heeded. Nice one... providing your email address. A fine example of how to post a warning without sounding like a raving lunatic!

Thanks again for the input and advice. Oh and why would they be trash talking another school? Was there supposed to be some sort of competition between the two?

[gulam2]

Noelle,
I have only saved "one lamb from the slaughter"
Hardly makes me proud, wish I could do much more.
It is possible, as a teacher, to have a reasonable experience
(relatively) with EF. However the chances are very slim in China.
Therefore, teachers, who have a wide choice, should try, for their own sake, to find something better.
I beleive very strongly (too strongly) in education. Therefore where I see
Students, Teachers or Education being damaged I feel I have a duty to speak out.
Some of it is ofcourse selfish aswell. I have been cheated of salaries three
times in three years. Unlike some teachers here, I need the money it is not a luxury.
I also do not give up easily. Braveheart. But like Wallis I often end up getting slaughtered by unworthy foes.
Anyway Noelle good luck to you I beleive you are honest, an increasingly rare commodity.
[email protected]

[Noelle]

BELIEVE, not beleive. I've been blessed to keep finding the good people out there. That's the power of prayer, I guess.

You actually saved two not just one. If she'd have gone and had a similar experience, she would most likely come back and kill me!

All the best to you too, and thanks!

[gulam2]

The moderator - teflchinajobs.
Once again has stoppped me warning teachers about EF.
On that site its OK for EF to advertise as much as it can.
But its not OK for me to warn teachers to be cautious.
I called the EF advertisement "a pig in a poke" which it is.
But CUT. Its sad when moderators become bias on issues that effect teachers, and ofcourse there is little one can do.
Not being allowed to warn teachers I say is dreadful. Teachers can still make their own judgement.
It is also suprising when people tell me to "give-up" or "shut-up".
If I have had bad experience I have a duty to warn other teachers.
I beleive others have this duty to.
WW2 clearly illistrates what happens if you do not fight evil.
Please if you have a bad time in a school speak out.
Help others.
Dave this site is just wonderful !!!!!

[tw]

[englishgibson]

Gulam, I would exercise my persistence as well as provide the necessary evidence of your warnings/threads, although I might not know the true reasons of the tefl�s moderator�s approach.

Tw has suggested one good reason of the moderators� attitude and I might add that a couple of my postings on this forum have been either �locked� or �deleted�. There often are justifications for the moderators to protect their sites.

The EF English First in China has their staff to monitor forums� activities and as we know the EF English First in China not only has an amazing problem with their high employee turnover, but also has a tremendous problem with recruiting any qualified and experienced academic staff in China, when advertising furiously on all sites possible spending that funds of �underpaid royalty fees from their dishonest franchisees� (I was directed to send inaccurate DOS Monthly Reports to the EF Head Office when with EF Huizhou) on recruitment/advertisement adds.

Desperations call for desperate measures and the EF English First might not only be desperate in recruiting their academic staff, but also it might be desperate enough to intimidate others, in this case ��., and that I am afraid to write due to keeping this thread on.

Cheers and beers

P.S. Huge amounts of qualified and EF-experienced EF teachers from early 2001-2002 have turned away from the EF English First in China and some have been turned away. Readers ask yourselves why?

[brsmith15]

I have an idea for EF and the others of their ilk:

Let's each of us make up a fake resume:

1. Show no education higher than high school.
2. Citizenship = Bulgarian or Romanian, or one of those other Neanderthalic countries full of slack-jawed nuckle draggers.
3. Lots of spelling and grammatical errors in same.
4. Tell them you've heard that EF is teaching heaven.
5. Also, say that pay isn't important and you'll gladly work 60 hours a week.

If they ask for a picture, send them one of a gorilla. I once worked in a highly classified site and substituted a frontal pic of Silverback for my own visage. It took the guards 2 months to discover what I'd done and all that time I'd had access to the US' SIOP - Strategic Integrated Operating Plan.

Imagine. Gorilla My Dreams Bombs the Soviet Union (then).

[balrog]

The EF China debate rages on. It would be helpful for any posters on EF in China to specifically mention the school they worked for.

It's been said before, but I'll say it again. EF are a franchise operation and every school IS different. I have no axe to grind with EF. I had a very positive experience with them in Bydgoszcz and a negative experience in Zhuhai. The difference in experience can largely be put down to the experience that the owners had of the ELT market.

The EF contract -In the building for 40 hours a week is arduous. Schools such as the one in Bydgoszcz reached a happy medium. If you properly prepared for classes at home rather than at school then you didn't need to be there for 40 hours.

If you talk to Directors Of Studies for EF, you realize that a vast array of managment styles is represented. How much influence a DOS has varies from school to school. I didn't feel it was possible to maintain a fair balance between the school and the teacher's interest, so I resigned my position.In fairness to the owner I think that problems stemmed from an unrelistic view of the ELT market rather than bad intentions.

EF Head Office in Shanghai do their best, but it is unrealistic given the nature of the EF operation to expect them to come down to heavily in the teacher's favour on the managment of profitable franchizes which at the end of the day are making EF money.

Ultimately I would say to anyone thinking of working for EF - find out about the school you will be working out. Ask the DOS / owner plenty of questions and get a feel for their attitudes and character. EF can provide you with a good or a bad introduction to teaching - it just depends.

[balrog]

The EF China debate rages on. It would be helpful for any posters on EF in China to specifically mention the school they worked for.

It's been said before, but I'll say it again. EF are a franchise operation and every school IS different. I have no axe to grind with EF. I had a very positive experience with them in Bydgoszcz and a negative experience in Zhuhai. The difference in experience can largely be put down to the experience that the owners had of the ELT market.

The EF contract -In the building for 40 hours a week is arduous. Schools such as the one in Bydgoszcz reached a happy medium. If you properly prepared for classes at home rather than at school then you didn't need to be there for 40 hours.

If you talk to Directors Of Studies for EF, you realize that a vast array of managment styles is represented. How much influence a DOS has varies from school to school. I didn't feel it was possible to maintain a fair balance between the school and the teacher's interest, so I resigned my position.In fairness to the owner I think that problems stemmed from an unrelistic view of the ELT market rather than bad intentions.

EF Head Office in Shanghai do their best, but it is unrealistic given the nature of the EF operation to expect them to come down to heavily in the teacher's favour on the managment of profitable franchizes which at the end of the day are making EF money.

Ultimately I would say to anyone thinking of working for EF - find out about the school you will be working out. Ask the DOS / owner plenty of questions and get a feel for their attitudes and character. EF can provide you with a good or a bad introduction to teaching - it just depends.

[tony lee]

[Chris_Crossley]