Job Discussion Forums

[Wonder]

I've been looking at the EF schools and the one I was negotiating with suddenly cut off all communication when I said I wanted them to pay for my flight to Indo from Thailand.

I am an experienced teacher: Is paying for a one-way ticket too much to ask? The guy I was dealing with is named Gusti and he seemed kinda flaky.

Anyway, I have responded to an offer in Java which was posted Aug. 7 on Daves ESL. The woman's name is Imelda and the school is offering one way ticket form city of origin, and round trip ticket once contract is completed.

Any responses to this post would be much appreciated.

[jsbst18]

I met him when I was staying in Indonesia. He is a representive at one of a group of three (I think) EF schools in Jakarta. Gusti is nice and a young guy, but I dont think he has much control of who is hired or with what terms. The main school is pretty nice (I have taught in Korea and Vietnam) and it was new. The director was a Brit or Aussie who sort of freaked me out. His first words after I introduced myslef were, "I like your name. It is from the Bible, isn't it?" and then asked me how I would teach Indonesians the past present forms and he tested me on several other teaching methods. They seemed really interested in me, but they would not offer a signed contract the day I visited. They said they wanted my original diploma and teaching certs, even though I provided copies. Later, when I called from my Indonesian fiancee's home in Halim (Jakarta) and they realized that I had local connections, they did not contact me again.

Oh, Gusti was really sketchy about the actual pay and it was changed from my first phone contact to our first meeting. They always mentioned that it is "enough", but no definite reponse until I pressed the issue. The pay is QUITE low and there are much better salaries in Jakarta. If you have an advanced degree, consider one of the "International" schools.

It is common to NOT pay for flights until the end of contracts. It is quite common for teachers to arrive in the country and decide NOT to teach at the school that hired them. Yes, some schools will pay, but not many in Indonesia. Check into those International schools.

[ls650]

EF schools generally reimburse you the cost of the plane ticket near the end of the one year contract. If you started insisting on a plane ticket upfront, they probably thought you were trying to squeeze them for a free trip to Jakarta, and then you might book off.