Job Discussion Forums

[Babala]

I just heard that all the Shanghai Canilx schools shut down yesterday. Does anyone have any information about this?

[clark.w.griswald]

Edwinagirl spoke about this situation in some earlier posts:

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/viewtopic.php?t=25910&highlight=canilx

It seems that what she predicted may have come true.

[Babala]

The info that I have heard is that Canilix had no money to pay the rent or the salaries. I know one other poster mentioned something about this specific situation. Has anyone in Shanghai been talking about this? I wonder how many FT's were effected?

[edwinagirl]

Canilx closed their last school this week as i predicted. The boss claimed for weeks that he wouldn't do that. He is owed a lot of money from another business that he owns. This is why I have such a low opinion of management in China. This is what Chinese cowboys look like.

The Web guys are no better. The only thing that keeps them going is the franchising in other cities, but this will catch up with them, and maybe before not too long. Just look a the unmitigated disaster that franchising has been for EF - internal wars, embezzlement, and legal nightmares. Meanwhile, it's well known that Wall Street are struggling. They're bankrupt everywhere else in the world, so why not China?

This development may finally bring this approach to TEFL into disrepute. One-year, up-front tuition is too much of a temptation for these cowboys and it is systematically abused.

There weren't that many teachers working at Canilx, because the approach is to dispense with teachers in favor of software. Most of them knew it was coming.

I have inside contacts to these organizations. I can't tell you how, but I do. This won't be the last one to close, I can assure you. You have been warned.

[Babala]

edwinagirl,
I am interested in the "inside information" you have on these organizations. Is it just Wallstreet or does this also include Web and Canilx? I really know very little about the Wallstreet chain. How many Wallstreets are there is China? Are they in fact in trouble?

[edwinagirl]

Babala,

I've worked for Wall Street, EF and other organizations, mostly as a manager, rather than as a teacher. My fiance is also a manager in the industry. We've been able to build up a network of Chinese friends who worked for the organizations, here and in Shanghai. Some of the good managers stay within the industry but move from school to school. They tend to stay in touch, and they are mainly women.

My masters thesis (and possibly a book) is on the various approaches to TEFL, from both a business and an academic perspective. I am a firm believer in the idea of teaching, yes, teaching.

I think the Wall Street model is a magificent business edifice that conceals an academic dead-end (forgive the mixed metaphor). It is about making money, which is OK, but I'm afraid the teaching/learning is often ignored because of the way the method is set up. The copycats like Web and Canilx, learned the greed without ever grasping that there should be an academic foundation to the method. At the risk of sounding arrogant, it shocks me that people cannot see this - many people who regard themselves as teachers lack the basic training in proper TEFL to be able to distinguish this fact, so this is a bad reflection on these teachers, these "willing accomplices".

Just my opinion, and BTW, my prediction of an implosion of the approach still holds. Even the disastrous EF will outlive them!

[gulam2]

Edwinagirl.
I worked for a Web franchise (It was fairly Independent and I was Dean).
I felt Academically we made a lot of progress with a few students. (and with the Chinese teachers)
Many students were there for other reasons - mostly social or status.
(at that time it was Auralog - the French system - they switched to Dyned a US system which I did not like. Auralog is fairly successful in Europe I beleive). I looked at the system very closely academically and managerially. However as is often the case the marketing (lies,lies, lies) and the Business Management - Profit and Loss Accounts; Balance Sheets (ha ha ha ha)
were unbeleivably bad.
I am going to be very interested in your book or even your masters disortation. Please keep in touch with me

[Babala]

edwinagirl, I guess we will have to agree to disagree on this one. I do see the benefits of this type of learning center (and I do consider myself a serious teacher also). Also could you tell me how many Wallstreets there are in China, I am curious to know.

gulam2, If you don't mind saying either here ot through PM, which Web did you work at? What exactly do you mean that you were the dean? Canilx has head teacher/DOS position but Web schools as far as I know, do not.

[gulam2]

It was called Manhattan in Yiwu. I was Dean, in charge of the teachers and academia. It is now called Web Yiwu but at that time it was semi-independent.