Job Discussion Forums

[maryknight]

don't have much time now, but wanted to post something that i wish i'd seen a month or so ago.
had bad experience with teach-english-mexico. recruiter seems to be working for the school eventhough me and the other 2 teachers paid her $462 (which is more than monthly pay at the school.) i left. was not treated well at the school. apartmetn was not the one we were led to believe it was. they moved to not so good apartmetn from the one that was "wonderful---overlooking the plaza--right above the school"
pm me if you want more info.

[Ben Round de Bloc]

I thought teach-english-mexico/InternetWorks was a reputable -- although rather expensive, in my opinion -- placement service rather than a recruiting agency. Why would you pay money directly to a local "recruiter" in this situation? As far as I know, teach-english-mexico's local representatives are paid by the organization. They don't receive money directly from clients. At least when I was offered a job as a local rep by this company, that was my understanding.

Or, are we talking about two different organizations?

[Samantha]

After a little poking around using my very favorite resource, the moccasin telegraph (works WAY better than smoke signals); I have learned there is a VERY different version to the OP's story to be told. PM me if you are considering hiring and I'll put you in touch with someone up the telegraph line.

That aside, as pointed out in the recent �Bad Teacher� thread, some unstable people DO wind their way through the ESL world (thinking they can escape reality). I also ponder how it seems okay for a teacher to come to a public forum and attempt to ruin the reputation (aka livelihood) of a school director or whoever, as perhaps some sort of vendetta for their own short-comings, but it isn�t okay for the school or fellow teacher to say �this teacher has SERIOUS issues and should not be anywhere near a classroom�.

I have friends in my city running schools that rely on the blind trust system when it comes to checking references and verifying credentials. (Scary) Maybe instead of trying to score the big reward by nailing someone on Americas Most Wanted here in Mexico (don�t laugh, we get them) I could perhaps start an ESL reference and background checking service to save schools and students much angst?

I get called to sub teach when a foreign teacher disappears suddenly after discovering teaching English in Mexico isn�t the day at the beach that he/she thought it would be�. I personally don�t fancy working with any whiny, untruthful, self-centered, demanding, �teachers� who need to be medicated and taken away in handcuffs. If you are hiring please BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL because references are not all created equal. (Sort of like credentials I guess) Anyway, I am probably preaching to the choir for those of you that hire and place teachers. You already know that the schools aren't necessarily the bad guy. I have always been paid on time and treated well....no of course it isn't like the US or Canada or England...Duh.

[Guy Courchesne]

You lost me with this post, Samantha. Are you saying the OP and the other two teachers are whiny, untruthful, self-centered, demanding, �teachers� who need to be medicated and taken away in handcuffs?

[cwc]

I agree. I write with an especially convoluted style and even I had trouble understanding Smaath�s post. I think she just posts to hear her keyboard rattle.

[Guy Courchesne]

No, I suspect this is more a case of defending one's livelihood. Perfectly fine when and if it comes from an honest source and is above board. Every company gets bad press from time to time.

[Samantha]

This isn't about you Guy (though I realize this forum is clearly your domain) My comments had nothing to do with "two other teachers" or any businesses. The people who have PM'd me seemed to understand what I was saying. Should I repost with fewer words so that you and your friend CWC can understand my point as well?

[Sgt Killjoy]

First off, I run a site devoted to teaching experiences, Samantha. If interested, check out the site in my signature.

[ls650]

This problem cuts both ways. On the one hand there are some terrible, abusive schools that rip off teachers - but on the other hand there are some rotten teachers who should have stayed home instead of inflicting themselves on the hapless students!

As I've mentioned before, my school had the unpleasant experience of recently hiring such a teacher. Thankfully, his contract has expired and he's gone; now I've been given a couple of classes with his former students and I find I'm working extra hard to build rapport and try to rekindle these students' interest in English.

The problem could have been avoided if the hiring staff had checked out this teacher's credentials and references more carefully, but he was a last-minute hire and the hiring was done sloppily. Ah well, better luck next time I suppose.

This just goes to show how vital it is to check references - both for teachers and for school!

[cwc]

How many times do we have to go through this? This site is to inform. What is the problem with informing? Some schools are not worth shot. Some teachers couldn�t teach a chimp. If one runs across either, put it on the net. Why the discussion? A post or two won�t ruin the reputation of a teacher or a school. �Bad� schools and teachers don�t last. Natural selection works in all areas, ( Smaath, that means survival of the fittest ). The Mexico forum is the most anal forum. I am ashamed to be a part of it. �En serio! Other forums fight but not about the right to inform. Big waste of time.

[J Sevigny]

Trashing someone on the internet -- be it an individual teacher or a school director -- is immature, punitive, cruel and potentially libelous.

Moreover, I suspect that in at least 50 percent of the "nightmare" cases we hear about, there are other issues at play. Jealousy, petty disagreements blown out of proportion, etc. I've worked for good schools and bad schools in a variety of Mexican citiies but I've never been victimized in any way. Nor have I come across a teacher who needed medication or handcuffs.

In any case, if a school hires someone without checking his or her references, who is to blame? If a teacher moves to a faraway country and goes to work for a crumby school without first checking things out, who is to blame?

But I agree with the previous poster who said that the stakes are much higher for teachers who get the shaft than for schools. If you must post comments, why not limit them to your individual experiences rather than targeting individuals?

Just my suggestions.

[MELEE]

Glad to see you all had a nice weekend!

[maryknight]

i did not pay the recruiter directly. i paid teach-english-mexico by paypal. i regret having done so. when i read posts i wonder which ones are written by recruiters because my recruiter reprimanded me for posting my salary on this forum. freedom of speech!

[Cdaniels]

[cwc]

Cdaniels, your post sounds nice and all that but I wasn�t speaking of politics or multinational companies. A bad school or teacher won�t last, period. Politicians and rich companies wield power that schools and teachers don�t have. If I remember my sociology well enough, memetics has to do with the spreading of a trait/behavior/custom/habit from one person or culture to another. It�s really the same thing as evolution but quicker. Do bad schools and teachers pass on their traits? If a school or teacher is not apt for the market, the market (not the other teachers or schools) sinks them.