Job Discussion Forums

[matttheboy]

[Justin Trullinger]

[moonraven]

I second the WTF, Justin.

Many posters on this board seem to believe that the ruder and cruder they are, the more credibility they have. Wrong.

I am now waiting for Furries to start posting their favorite sexual antics on this board and passing it all off as teaching credentials!

I also second Justin's questions. They are very much to the point. All schools, when they recruit on these boards, try to paint themselves as attractively as possible. And some of them--in non-virtual space--are pretty ugly places.

Work visas are next to impossible to get in Venezuela, so if they don't arrange for those, they are not really to be faulted for something that is the norm. The other elements are questions that should be answered honestly by the school.

I also would be uncomfortable spending my time just teaching the oligarchy in Caracas, as I think under those conditions one would not receive a panoramic view of the society.

[sonia12]

Thank you very much for the questions. Here are some answers:

Do they pay for last minute cancellations? How last minute is last minute?

We pay coaches for cancellations up to one hour before their sessions, or for those sessions taking place first thing in the morning and that are cancelled after business hours the night before.

Do they guarantee a minimum of hours, or is it up again, down again?

If you come to Venezuela under the CoachEnglish program, and make an availability committment during the week and an eight to twelve month commitment once you get here, we guarantee a monthly stipent of Bs. 900.000. If you coach more than the minimum you get paid more.

Any benefits? Visas provided? Spanish classes for newbies? Health insurance?

Under the CoachEnglish program we assist you with all visa procedures. We get you at the airpot, find a place for you to live, give you general relocation assistance, get you a cell phone and Spanish classes. On occasion we have organized trips to nearby beaches. We do not offer health insurance.

And, this is the biggy: Who is currently working for you that I can contact? And how about former teachers?

Contacting current and former coaches is key for anyone thinking of coming to work with us. Because so many people want to write, we make all emails available to prospective coaches once they have passed our initial phone interview stage.

Finally, I'd like to point out that our clients have included and include employees at PDVSA, INTEVEP, Banco Central, Oficina Nacional de Presupuesto and other government entities.

Thank you very much for your interest.

[Justin Trullinger]

Hey Sonia,

Thanks for the complete, thoughtful answers. Pardon the scepticism you'll find on this kind of forum- there aren't many experienced EFLers out there who haven't been abused by an employer at one time or another. (Even those of us who are pretty hard to abuse have certainly had it tried.)
But if your answers are how it really turns out to be, you're doing a lot of the right things, and I wish you luck in your enterprise.


Regards,
Justin

PS. Of course, the one hour notice period seems short to me. I mean, it's a little to late to plan anything for your free period, so in that sense, the teacher has already "spent" the class time. That said, I admit that I don't know Venezuelan culture particularly well...could students be convinced that they have to pay for any classes cancelled the same day? In some places this works, but in others, puntuality, etc, are such "relaxed" concepts that students wouldn't go for it. I don't know how it is where you are...

[moonraven]

Sonia:

I feel you are running around answering the questions.

1. You mention that you guarantee teachers 900,000 for a long-term commitment, and that if they teach more than the minimum they receive more. That's right around 400 dollars--pretty darn hard to live on it Caracas--and you do not say what the minimum of hours is.

2. Justin's point about cancellations is well-taken. Venezuelans are notoriously informal about payments and even more notorious is their lack of punctuality, so this sounds bad.

3. Then there's this obscurely couched info: "we assist you with all visa procedures. We get you at the airpot, find a place for you to live, give you general relocation assistance, get you a cell phone and Spanish classes. On occasion we have organized trips to nearby beaches. We do not offer health insurance."

A. Assisting with all visa procedures--how? Anyone arriving at Maiqueta receives a 6 months tourist visa automatically. Are you talking about assisting with a work visa--does that mean you are paying for that process--or just giving advice on how to present paperwork? Do any of your teachers have work visas?

B. Finding the teacher a place to live means you aren't helping financialy.

C. What is this general relocation assistance you mentioned?

D. Who pays for the cell phone?

E. Who pays for the Spanish classes?

This doesn't sound like much at all over and above 400 dollars a month. Most places that pay dinky wages like that at least provide housing! And health insurance, too.

I am, admittedly, not interested in applying--am just trying to point out to folks who aren't very savvy about these things that they need to ask you these questions.

[Aramas]

Actually it sounds like it could be a reasonable place to work, although still not my cup of tea. $400USD a month is not terribly inspiring, but I've seen worse offers in the region, and a number of schools seem to find enough fools to keep them in business for less. Personally I wouldn't get out of bed for that. With expat health insurance at around $100USD a month and single accommodation at around $200USD, it doesn't leave much for luxuries like food and clothing.

Any general criticism of the school is just meant in the spirit of fun, and not to be taken too seriously - unlike the Tosser Brothers, who seem unable to take things any other way. What a petty and spiteful pair they are - a match made in hell, one might say. I'd like to wish them many happy evenings by the fireside, gossiping about their imaginary friends and fondling each other's bottoms.

The mission statement on the website is probably relevent to the target market, but that sort of pretentious twaddle really gets up my nose. It reeks of that evangelical greed that seems to permeate recent law and business graduates, not to mention proponents of franchises and pyramid schemes. Still, I've never met a small-business owner who gave a toss about anyone except themself, so it's to be expected.

[moonraven]

There are VOLUNTEER jobs in both Venezuela and Ecuador that pay more than that--around 450 for 20 hours a week, 600 for 30. And they provide health insurance.

[Aramas]

[moonraven]

I am not going to beat folks over the head to save them from their stupid decisions, Aramas. But I also do not like to see folks get ripped off.

At least volunteers may have a feeling of doing something FOR someone or for some cause. And it may be a scholarship for teaching in some cases, too. But working--I mean really working--for less than a volunteer's salary to teach English to folks who are--in the majority--employees of multinational companies?

[vivaBarca]

[nickynunu]

[Stevenusmc]

I could of not said it better viva. Thank you for sticking up for the beginners. Sometimes people forget where they come from.

Semper Fi,
Steven

[sonia12]

Hi guys. Sorry if it seemed as if I was "running around answering questions"

Question 1. You mention that you guarantee teachers 900,000 for a long-term commitment, and that if they teach more than the minimum they receive more. That's right around 400 dollars--pretty darn hard to live on it Caracas--and you do not say what the minimum of hours is.

- the Bs. 900.000 per month is a payment for 60 hours of work per month, which is what we guarantee. If we can't give the coaching hours because the country goes crazy on a given week, we still pay for the hours. We will probably give more hours of Coaching per week, and we expect Coaches to honor them, and we will pay for them.

-we think it misleading to translate the pay scale to dollars, since all services are in bolivares. a room with a family in the city's safest county, walking distance to malls and metro, costs approx. Bs. 350.000. The entry level salary for management positions at places like Accenture and Procter & Gamble in Caracas is Bs. 1.300.000 per month including benefits. A University professor, with a PhD, at Universidad Central de Venezuela, would make the same during their first years of work. This is not to say that we wouldn't want to pay more, but just to give some real context.

-if anyone is looking to save money or pay debts coming to work with us we are not the place to go. The salary will provide for an independent student life-style in downtown Caracas.

Question 2. Justin's point about cancellations is well-taken. Venezuelans are notoriously informal about payments and even more notorious is their lack of punctuality, so this sounds bad.

-Cancellations are our biggest problem and challenge as a company. We protect Coaches by honoring our minimum 60 hour x month committment, as well as the hour or night before notice. In addition, we spend all our energy reprogramming cancellations to make sure we get to coach more hours.
-
Question 3. Assisting with all visa procedures--how? Anyone arriving at Maiqueta receives a 6 months tourist visa automatically. Are you talking about assisting with a work visa--does that mean you are paying for that process--or just giving advice on how to present paperwork? Do any of your teachers have work visas?

-Venezuelan law provides for student visas for anyone wanting to study Spanish in Venezuela, and for the provision of work scholarships (beca trabajo). For over 30 years Centro Venezolano Americano, IESEC, and for some time Inlingua have procured student visas for their instructors who are coming to learn the language or engage in internships or work exchange programs. We have followed that precedent and work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to procure those visas for our prospective Coaches, who come to study Spanish with us (Prospective coaches must pay a $60 fee directly to the Consulate)

Question 4. Finding the teacher a place to live means you aren't helping financialy.

-Finding a place to live means doing all the work (and it isn't little work) to find, screen and interviewiew the best possible places for our coaches to live in. We take the Coaches to the first meeting with the potential landlord, translate and help in any other way if its necessary.

D. Who pays for the cell phone?

-We pay for the cell phone equipment, not the minutes.

E. Who pays for the Spanish classes?

-The Spanish classes are an integral of our program and we pay for them.

Hope this answers all. Thank you.

[Aramas]

Viva - Has it occurred to you that my posts might be somewhat tongue-in-cheek? Lighten up!