Job Discussion Forums

[Funkymother]

Just a warning to beware of IEN if you want a professional job. I will write an extended article later.

Nik

[rocketboy]

Can't wait for your report.

[Malsol]

What is IEN?

[Funkymother]

So now the Real INFO on the International English Network.

IEN is a so-called professional organisation that trains university students in China for two years then sends them abroad, maybe, to either finish training or to do further MA education. This all sounds very professional BUT.. Here we have the true situation.

They have support from 5 universities in Australia so they are bringing in teh money everywhere: From teh students, teh Chinese partner and of course teh Australian university. This works out great for IEN but not those who take teh course of for those who work for them.

The students are taken for a joy ride in training using sometimes non native teachers. Not a big problem but cheating the students from day 1 isn't great and you will be made to be part of this. You have to conform to being part of the IEN plan or they will oust you out. Shut you out and even not play any part in your future with them.

I worked for them for 1 year and in that time I never saw, meet or had any contact with Head Office, advice on training, performance management, support except from a great local senior teacher and 5 emails from a Shanghai Liason when she had my email address correct. They constantly held back information, isolated me from anything that helped you do your daily job, didn't recognise any work or effort made to help the students and just made a mockery of being called a professional organisation.

The package they offer sounds quite interesting. 6 - 8K per moth BUT this is for 8 - 5.30 5 days a week and you are expected to be there. Teaching is easy but all the admin, well there isn't any really. Some reports to right but don't try any statistics or data as this will make those students who have too much money look bad. The Chinese partner will alter, sorry culturally adjust, all exams scores thus no one ever fails. So the 2 years stdy program is a teaching farce.

I was condemned and made to leave IEN because I helped a local school teaching young under priveledged children. I was ousted out as I wasn't 101% focused on IEN. This was apparantly a clash of initerests. Poor children vs over paid University students. umum a difference for sure. It all went wrong when they, IEN HO, realised I had issued them a letter telling this about helping the poor before I even started working for them. I love children and just wanted to do some good. They love money and don't really care about anything except.. umum MORE money! Who is really helping China or their own pockets????

It all ended when after one year they forgot my email address and sent a month of emails to the wrong address. How convenient of them so I never received any of them. Do NOT trust the Chinese/Russian/Austarlian Shanghai liason who will lie and hold the 'company' line rather than admit a mistake. Losing face isn't a point here BUT losing complete professionlism and self dignity is.

I will warn anyone who is considering working for them to check their contract properly and make sure they enjoy towing a party line. Even if you inform them of the things you do they will conveniently lose them or not inform you when they need to be busy to answer any questions. It is just a JOKE.. If you need more information then I can send you through all information about IEN.

I will probably be blasted for writing this but it had to be done. Lets see what happens.

[tw]

[HunanForeignGuy]

TW,

Look, are you authorized to speak for the management of IEN with these statements that you are making? If not, you may wish to present them in a different light.

Next, all of the above sounds very, very, very, very familiar. I don't even know the OP but I feel like I have walked in his shoes, for sure. I am sure that there are many others here who have the same feeling (except the salary -- mine was considerably lower -- and there are a few minor differences).

To the OP -- I can only hope that you are now gainfully employed in a better job.

All the best and thanks for keeping us informed,



HFG

[tw]

[clarrie]

Hmmmm, well, you had a great senior teacher, but no contact with head office to speak of and you are amongst other things, somewhat pissed off about this. It would seem that rather than criticise the head office, you need to consider how well your senior teacher was conveying necessary information to you and indeed what your role in the pecking order was. I gather you were a teacher. Right?

Howabout some more info on this!?

[7969]

just a few questions i have:

[temujinsky]

IEN contracted me to be DOS in Jinhua. During negotiations I established that IEN did not intend to open at Jinhua. Why did they offer me a contract for this purpose? I am puzzled.

[7969]

[Funkymother]

They didn't open Jinhua because they couldn't make enough money from it. I was also given this post and then had it ripped away from me at teh last moment. It was just part of teh scam they they had. False offerings to keep to hanging and then they leave you out to dry.

The Senior Teacher was not my superior and he has undergone the same problems but he is still employed by IEN as they relocated him.

Any questions then please send them directly to me. There were good things with IEN but as always once you feel betrayed they get lost in the blackness of Lies, cheating and deceit..

The Mother

[clarrie]

"They didn't open Jinhua because they couldn't make enough money from it. I was also given this post and then had it ripped away from me at teh last moment. "

So what's new here? This happens all the time and if numbers don't make break even possibilities, it seems that it's simple business sense. I was informed last week that I would not be given a management position because numbers hadn't eventuated and I don't take that personally and I understand the need for the organisation to remain viable.


"The Senior Teacher was not my superior and he has undergone the same problems but he is still employed by IEN as they relocated him."

So you too were a senior teacher/manager. Right? Then this is a problem if information is not being conveyed to you in that position.

So, he has been relocated?! Seems then the 'heart' that you suggest the management team does not have does in fact exist as they offered him a position elsewhere.

I can't really see any problems in any of this.

[clarrie]

IEN is a so-called professional organisation that trains university students in China for two years then sends them abroad, maybe, to either finish training or to do further MA education. This all sounds very professional BUT.. Here we have the true situation.



Actually, first mistake: IEN per se does not 'send' students abroad! IEND is the 'wing' which assists with this and my understdaning is that students are invited to make applications through them because they have direct access to the consortium members.

"Finish training"??? "do further MA education"??? What does this mean? Sure they can continue their studies with credits through (some of) the IEN consortium members, but they are not bound by that and are free to enter any institution they wish!

MA education?? Since when have Dalian students had direct access to MA studies in Australia?



"They have support from 5 universities in Australia ..." Factual error: not 100% true!! You forget the post-secondary provider and a language centre. The extent to which each member of the consortium contributes financially to the group is a mystery and is probably known only by a few in upper management and finance.

HOWＤＯYOUＫＮＯＷWHATＴＨＥFINANCIALＳＵＰＰＯＲＴIS???




so they are bringing in teh money everywhere: From teh students, teh Chinese partner and of course teh Australian university




OK, 'we've' gone to singular here and it's not clear if this is intentional and what you are trying to say!


. This works out great for IEN but not those who take teh course of for those who work for them.

The students are taken for a joy ride in training using sometimes non native teachers.




So, your senior teacher was a non-native speaker or yourself is a non-native speaker. Right?



Not a big problem but cheating the students from day 1 isn't great and you will be made to be part of this.





How can they be cheating students if a legitimate pathway with credit points is available? HOW??


You have to conform to being part of the IEN plan or they will oust you out.




So you're saying they are vindictive and will get rid of you get rid of you. Right?


Shut you out and even not play any part in your future with them.


This I don't get. If you're not with them, what sort of future do you have ... with them??





I worked for them for 1 year and in that time I never saw, meet or had any contact with Head Office, advice on training, performance management, support except from a great local senior teacher





So, the person who was senior teacher didn't offer you any advice and/or training based on his/her wisdom and experience. You have to ask yourself, was the senior teacher fulfilling their role?


Why would you want to meet wankers from any management team? What's the problem here. Or are you so insecure that you need someone to be looking over your shoulder all the time and then patting it as they walk away? Didn't your wonder senior teacher do this?


and 5 emails from a Shanghai Liason when she had my email address correct.




Sounds as though you were rather busy as a classroom teacher. Probably figured you were asking things which should have been attended to by your senior teacher.





They constantly held back information,



How do you know if you weren't informed???




isolated me from anything that helped you do your daily job,





How do you know?


didn't recognise any work or effort made to help the students



What, didn't even acknowledge that final results were received? After all, this strikes me as being the only thing that they really have to do. If you are a real (trained) teacher and a professional the pride you have in your job and knowing what you are doing is right, why should you seek confirmation for eveything you do?

You're not one of these people who do all the extra work they can, do it because they say they love their job and their students, but then want recognition for it are you?





and just made a mockery of being called a professional organisation.





Don't see this. All this still seems to point at your senior teacher. Why wasn't s/he doing these things??



The package they offer sounds quite interesting. 6 - 8K per moth BUT this is for 8 - 5.30 5 days a week and you are expected to be there.






Hmmm, sounds like this has changed. This is down to the discretion of the (senior) teacher in charge of the program. Sounds like s/he wanted you to be available all the time.




Teaching is easy but all the admin, well there isn't any really. Some reports to right





Yeah, too right, we all have to write reports from time to time!!!



but don't try any statistics or data as this will make those students who have too much money look bad.


Don't get this? Why? HOW? Surely a fail is a fail and if that is what is reported, where's the problem. You did keep records ... didn't you?




The Chinese partner will alter, sorry culturally adjust, all exams scores thus no one ever fails. So the 2 years stdy program is a teaching farce.




Really? So how do they change the results which your senior teacher submits to head office and if there are discrepencies, how do they explain them??



I was condemned and made to leave IEN because I helped a local school teaching young under priveledged children. I was ousted out as I wasn't 101% focused on IEN. This was apparantly a clash of initerests. Poor children vs over paid University students. umum a difference for sure. It all went wrong when they, IEN HO, realised I had issued them a letter telling this about helping the poor before I even started working for them.


Rich or poor, you choose who you want to work for (legally) in China and by law you have to be committed to your employer. Why would you tell anyone (your primary employer) that you are doing work elsewhere anyway? Probably just one of the many emails you probably sent them!




I love children and just wanted to do some good. They love money and don't really care about anything except.. umum MORE money! Who is really helping China or their own pockets????





Are you really so naive?? You've already mentioned that the consortium had the backing of several universites (and other institutions), you mention that the salary is pretty good, but these places have books to balance and I guess it's fair enought to say that money is important. If money is not so important to you and you love the poor kids and you want to hepl the less fortunate in China, why would you be working for a (good) salary, why not dedicate yourself to this cause full time?




It all ended when after one year they forgot my email address and sent a month of emails to the wrong address. How convenient of them so I never received any of them.





Did any other emails go missing? Was it through a server that had a general problem? BLOODY HELL, a month of emails!!! There's a lot you're not telling us and I am, for the life of me, unable to figure out why a classroom teacher would be communicating so often with head office!!! I ask the question again: What the hell was the wonderful senior teacher doing?



Do NOT trust the Chinese/Russian/Austarlian Shanghai liason who will lie and hold the 'company' line rather than admit a mistake.






Re what? Missing emails??


Losing face isn't a point here BUT losing complete professionlism and self dignity is.





For whom? I think you have by submitting this vague and vindictive post.



I will warn anyone who is considering working for them to check their contract properly




Which part of the contract, hours, work conditions, contact expectations? Be more specific.





and make sure they enjoy towing a party line.





In other words, be prepared to work for only the person who 'sponsors' your wor permit?



Even if you inform them of the things you do they will conveniently lose them or not inform you when they need to be busy to answer any questions. It is just a JOKE.. If you need more information then I can send you through all information about IEN.

I will probably be blasted for writing this but it had to be done. Lets see what happens.






Pity it wasn't done in a clearer way. I gather you no longer work with IEN. Are you bombarding your latest employer with emails? Are you still working two/three/more jobs ... illegally?



Come on, give us more info., clear a few things up.

[tw]

Dear clarrie,

Would you mind learning to use the quote function, or at least use quotation marks (or other methods) to quote what the OP had written?