Job Discussion Forums

[edwinagirl]

It's interesting to listen to the hand-wringing about EF on this forum. Well, you won't need to do it any longer, because EF are going online. They plan to deliver most of their training in China on the web, so they won't need (many) teachers. They'll still need some to teach kids, but the plan is to take the adults market online and avoid all those pesky teachers. This has already started in Beijing and Shanghai - they're selling their online courses rather than classroom instruction.

EF have gotten themselves into such as mess in China that this was inevitable. The franchising policy was an unmitigated disaster and now they realize they will never make money with the traditional approach, traitorous franchisees, and swathes of bottom-of-the-barrel teachers.

How an organization with this history could ever have considered that a good approach to the China market, I will never know. But hey, now it's time for the big new strategy. This could be the beginning of the end for EF if it doesn't work.

To be fair, the Englishtown model has been successful lately, so they may make a fist of it.

In a sense this is the same approach that Wall Street have taken - use technology as much as possible to substitute for teachers. The only problem is that in both cases the programs are actually pretty useless. (I know a lot of the peole who worked on producing the EF materials, and I saw what they were doing ... enough said. )

[dafc]

^ Maybe just a tad sensationalist. I'd be pretty sure that if EF, or anyone else for that matter, were still using teachers for kids courses then there would still be plenty of demand for teachers.

[virago]

First of all I don't think it's correct. You can NEVER replace a live teacher.

Second, EF sent me a contract to do corporate work in Beijing they offered 4 hours a week but they had plenty of work available.

Third ( and it relates to the first point). E-Learning is a very hot issue at the moment. Every man and his dog are trying to do something. There is one called, www.globalenglish.com which is quite successful. E-Learning will never replace face-to-face contact BUT it can certainly help making the learning alot more interactive, fun and easier too. I think the successful schools who combine both will be on a winner.

Internet technology is at a level now that it can combine to create some excellent materials which will push against the traditional schools teaching methods.

Just like everybody said that the internet will be the death of the shop, well, this has never happened.

[tw]

It wasn't very long ago when people were saying that computers would replace people, resulting in massive unemployment. We all know that hasn't been the case. People are still needed to maintain and operate the computers and automating machinaries.

I don't doubt that EF will develop some fancy high-tech interactive online lessons, but no matter how good a computer program is, it still requires a human mind instructing its moves and decion-making process. This is where a good EFL teacher is needed to assist in the development of these online lessons. Also, they aren't very common yet, but I have seen ads for online EFL teachers. If anything, I suspect more and more teachers would move from a classroom setting into a private one-on-one setting, where he/she can devote full attention to the learning needs of one individual student. The contact hours may be a lot shorter than in a classroom setting, but the student will at least have the advantage of a cyberspace home tutor.

[edwinagirl]

I'm not predicting how the industry will look with these comments. Obviously, the net will play a part in the future, but no-one knows how the online/offline issue will pan out.

My point is that EF struggled for some time to come up with a new strategy and this is it. They are not attempting to change the nature of language learning in China, they just want to find a way to make money. The best they came up with was to reduce the cost of rents, teachers, admin, and the rest, by pushing the online model. Clearly they don't want to be dependent on an unruly and unpredictable population of FTs to drive their China expansion, so their solution is to use the net and reduce the need for teachers.

This may be run separately from the franchise business. The schools could obviously provice a database of bodies to whom EF could market their online programs, so there is a synergy. Once again, it'll be interesting.

[virago]

OK I understand.

I think that EF had to do something anyway in e-learning anyway otherwise it would be left behind in the race to modernise their product. Anyway it all depends on IF the customers want this new product!

The only people using e-learning in asia are professionals who do not have the time (but the money) to learn in a classroom every week. Is this the EF target market? I don't know the market well enough to say.

[deezy]

As an EF DoS this is the first I've heard! We do have adult courses which include optional computer learning to supplement the course, but what I've found is that the students come to the class, but rarely use the computer element of the course, even when they have paid separately for it. They say they simply don't have the time, plus they prefer face to face teaching.

I'd love to know where you got your information..... do tell!

And we're busy doing corporate courses, and adult courses so doubt if this will 'catch on' in the near future. Not easy to do a role-play of a negotiation, or a meeting, or practice presentation skills, with a computer - I know computers are good but surely not that clever yet?

[edwinagirl]

A student who went to the EF HQ in Shanghai told me directly that she was sold the online version while the sales girl avoided the classroom training. Most of the EF schools appear to be in the dark about this. Is this just bad management or not? I don't know. Clearly the HQ has one policy while the fancshises have another, but that could be deliberate.

[englishgibson]

Edwinagirl, the EF sales staff is in charge of training the students how to use the E-learning and yes the EF employees are avoiding the trainings due to their poor knowledge of it. The EF centers’ employee turnover has skyrocketed, so their often-new very young, unqualified and inexperienced staff knows less than the EF students.

Deezy, it was not supposed to be “optional” in all EF centers in China. Every center and every adult course was to have the E-learning (Blended Learning) in China. Yes, it has become “optional” due to lack of interest from the Investors and the students. Depending on where the EF center is in China, the E-learning product might be used fully or not, to have created another EF Double Standard issue to the highly Double Standard or shall I say “little standard” EF franchise.

The EF E-learning (Blended Learning as EF has called it) is a fairly new EF academic product that combines contact classroom teaching/learning with “on line learning”. It is (or was) supposed to combine 38-40 academic hours in the classroom and 40 academic hours out of the classroom (at student’s home or at school’s computer). That is per EF course that has originally been done with 48 academic hours. So, the actual contact teaching hours (of the teacher) are to be reduced. Edwinagirl might have a point there that the need for teachers shall decrease as well then, however I doubt that EF has currently a plan to completely replace their teachers by computers. To expand on that E-learning EF product, only the “end of stage” courses are to yield an actual EF certificate. The students’ exams are done on line (without the teacher) and the teacher is to grade the students’ on line activities. The “on line learning” is supposed to blend in with the classroom contact hours. The teacher/product/course is supposed to increase the level of interaction in the classroom. The courses are shorter, but more expensive. If th