Job Discussion Forums

[rwillmsen]

This is a friendly warning to anyone thinking of taking a job with IH in Madrid, in particular with the In Company department, which is where I worked.

I left IH at the end of January after four months. Although I'd been given a 24-hour a week contract when I started, the company had never come up with any more than 19 teaching hours, which didn't bother me unduly.

It became a matter of some concern when I decided to leave, however. Back in October I'd signed a somewhat murky contract which contained a clause which stated that, while I would only be paid for 21 hours, I would have to work up to 24 hours in order to compensate the company for any classes which were cancelled at short notice. I didn't fully understand the way it worked, and they weren't very forthcoming with any clear explanations, it was something to do with a 'bolsa de horas' ('hours bank')which spread my hours out over the year and should balance out by the end of my contract. They didn't mention anything about money. I didn't quite understand the system, but I needed a job and thought that as IH has a good reputation amongst teachers worldwide, they wouldn't try to screw me over too badly in terms of hours or cash.

I was wrong.

Having decided to go back to the UK for personal reasons, I handed in my notice, much more than was necessary. And it was only when I casually enquired how much money I should be getting at the end of the month, that they mentioned to me that they would be charging me for each and every hour that I 'owed' them, at the rate of �13 an hour.

And so I lost about �650 out of my final month's salary. Which for anyone who works in TEFL is not an insignificant amount of money. It works out at almost �200 I'm paying them for each month that I worked there. What I should have done, of course, is to just leave without giving them a moment's notice. I thought I was doing the decent thing; more, as it turns out, than they are prepared to do.

This goes some of the way to explaining why IH Madrid has such difficulty recruiting and retaining staff, and why it is so very easy to get a job with them. If you're a teacher and you're in or heading for Madrid, they will give you a job at the drop of a hat, regardless of experience or qualifications, but beware. It will involve getting up at 5 or 6.30 at least four mornings of the week and travelling by Metro to the other side of the city and getting home from the farthest reaches of Outer Madrid about 8pm, with a few far-flung lunch-time classes thrown in for good measure.

The reason is that they are going through a massive expansion in Madrid at the moment, as far as I can tell trying to grab as much business from the failed Wall Street and Opening Schools, and they are doing so by getting as many teachers as possible to work for as little as possible as quickly as they can.

The bolsa de horas system is massively opposed by the teachers, but unfortunately due to the nature of the job the teachers don't get to see each other very often, and the situation is not like it is in Barcelona, where the threat of a strike apparently forced the school to drop the idea of introducing the same system there. Which is presumably one of the many reasons why IH Madrid is so keen to keep it's workings as secret as possible from the people signing the contracts.

I know that people working in IH schools all over the world and in other parts of Spain have had very positive experiences. But after my experience with IH Madrid, nothing would persuade me to have anything more to do with International House.

[Moore]

Just to get this straight, did they pay you for 21 hours a week (as in a fixed salary) and then wanted the difference back, or did they say that if someone cancelled then you still had to make up the hours? Did this count even if they cancelled within twenty four hours (ie late)? Obviously you're going to spend whatever money you get by the end of the month in any case, and not really pointing that out to you is just plain bent.

I'm suprised by this sort of behavior from IH: they're reputable everywhere else: perhaps you should complain to the head (UK?) office?

I feel really bad for you, this profession has always been full of shady schools who always tell you quarter truths about your contract. I've been teaching for many years now, but I have to say I was surprised by just how crooked the schools were in Madrid when I got here. My girlfriend keeps urging me to start a school here (there's a lot of profit in it) but to compete with the scum schools you find in Madrid you'd have to treat your staff in much the same way as they do, and I refuse to be part of that.

I don't know how long you've been doing tefl, but I meet a lot of people whose first (and last) experience of it is here, as they made no money/were ripped off/were worked like dogs/all three, and I always tell them not to be put off telf teaching by Spain: there are other countries which will pay well and honestly and give you a great experience. Spain is without doubt one of the hardest countries I've taught in due to a combination of dishonesty, cr*ppy equipment, terrible hours and general incompetence on the part of the schools here. Of course this can be true of schools in any part of the world, but there seem to be an awful lot of them in Spain.

[rwillmsen]

Thanks for your comments.

They charged me for all the hours I didn't work, ie. my contract was for 21 hours, they gave me 18 or 19 to work and then charged me the difference when I left. The *beep*.

I'd already been teaching for years in a few different countries, and have put it behind me now and moved on. I put this here for two reasons - one is that they attract a lot of new and very naive teachers, who might well find that the experience puts them off teaching English for life, which would be awful of course, so I wanted to warn any potential newcomers. The other is that I got an email from our union about a meeting with IH Madrid management, in which they told a bunch of complete lies about the deal they give teachers and how upfront they are about how the system works. So it just made me feel that I should let people know the truth as I as an ex-teacher see it.

[lozwich]

[rwillmsen]

It's a franchise so it works in different ways in different places. I should stress that the bolsa de horas/hours bank thing just applies in the In Company department, as far as I know. Nobody I spoke to in the other schools was overjoyed with their working situation, especially with their pay which has stayed at the same level for years.

I used to see companies as Opening and Wall St as being at the forefront of the McDonaldisation of English teaching. Now in Madrid at least IH, in terms of how they treat their staff, have taken up their mantel. I just don't understand why people put up with it when In Madrid is full of adverts from companies paying �20+ who are crying out for staff.

I guess people are just scared to go freelance, but the wages that IH pay are certainly not working dragging yourself round and round the Metro and on and off buses for, especally when it turns out that you'll be heavily subsidising your own wages if you have or want to leave for any reason!

[foss]

To those who are going to stick around, have you considered union membership? "Formaci�n no reglada" is the sector which covers TEFL academies and all who are legal have the right to join. Working for your companies, could you sign up and how would you do it?

[slaqdog]

Sorry to hear about your trouble-you have my sympathy.
Worth visiting the spanish trade union which deals with the education sector, they are very helpful and will give you free legal advice from a lawyer; usually after 'denouncing' the company they will back down and pay up- they rely on teachers leaving the country and not fighting back. What they did is not legal and they know full well they would lose the case so they will settle at arbitration. Also check with the tax office if they paid your contributions for you-this is easy to do.
When I was there the boss of IH was a slippery eel and he sets the tone.

[Moore]

Quote: " the spanish trade union which deals with the education sector" - Slaqdog, could you post the address and number of this union please? It would be really useful to have.

[slaqdog]

I will look through my old papers to see- but you could phone CC.OO and ask them, this it was I did, the office that dealt with me was near the Prado. Yellow Pages will list the number too.
we are going back a few years but I found them helpful and they helped me get a lot of money from Opening