Job Discussion Forums

[jp]

Wall Street Institue, any current teachers working for them? I know they work like Mc Donalds , franchises but what's the general word on them. Was offered a full time job, which means I don't have to travel from company to company, but I just wanted some advice. Thanks a lot .

jp

[veggieboy]

I've been working for them for a few weeks. I don't know if I have any special insight, though. It's pretty much what I expected. Hah! Maybe it helps that I had fairly low expectations.

The students are widgets and I just keep turning them out hour after hour.

Not a huge amount of thinking involved because the lessons are all prepared. It's nice to get there a little early and review what I'll be teaching, but of course they're not paying me for that time.

It's not so bad. Depends mostly on the students, of course. I've been largely lucky so far.

No one gets on my case about anything. I mean, they really don't have any idea what I'm doing in the classroom or how I'm teaching, so they're lucky I'm not a total moron.

The McDonald's analogy is certainly dead-on, though.

Did you end up taking the job?

[Gauchito]

JP, Veggieboy.
I am new to to the forum, but I can tell you this about WSI.
As they're a franchise and most of the guidelines come from the master franchise, it is also true that a lot has to do with the staff of each branch, Eg, Franchise Owner, Institute's Ditrector, Service Manager, etc.
Usually it's a nice place to work, altough it might not be the best income in town, but certainly a very good first experince.

Cheers

[jp]

Hi All!

Thanks for the advice on this forum and the many helpful pms I got. I decided not to work for Wall Street because although diff centers have diff services, I think I'll stick with the institutos I work for. The last straw was a pm I got which clearly told me what Wall Street can do with teachers wanting to leave. You see I got 2 separate pms about this threats made if one decides to leave Wall Street!

One pm said that during one of the job workshops at her TEFL school, the school director read an email from this threatened teacher about what Wall Street said they would do if he left. It was all so unprofessional, things like they will tell the TEFL school that he was no good, not to help him with future job searchs, etc. , kinda silly really. The TEFL school took Wall Street off their school list.

I know some institutos in Buenos Aires that should be avoided like the plague but my suggestion is that if you're not dealt with professionally by institutos you interview with, maybe you should inform your TEFL school so these institutos will not receive cvs/resumes in the future.

These institutos are getting a big favor by our TEFL schools basically finding teachers for them. These institutos don't have to do anything, they are put into contact with us without them having to do anything or pay for anything!

They can at least treat us professionally and not be rude! We may not be experienced teachers, but most of us have TEFL certs so in effect they don't have to give any type of in house training. That sure will save them a lot of money.

So yes, different Wall Street centers will be better than others but this teacher does not want to take any chances. Again thanks a lot to all who shared their experiences via pms or out on this forum.


jenn

[Joan Mitchell]

This can I assume would be the same Wall Street Institues all over Spain and I think the world?? As one said similar to McDonalds?

Joan

[jp]

Hi Joan,

I believe so, they are all over the world, Wall Street, there are good ones and bad ones, I guess.

jenn