Job Discussion Forums

[roset]

I've had some interest from the Wall Street Institute in Rome. I wondered whether anyone could give me any feedback on what the school is like? I've worked in Italy before and am thinking of going back there in January. I was in Ancona before, and I have to say the experience wasn't that great. I am now doubly cautious so I would really appreciate honest feedback!

[latte_girl85]

Hi, where were you working in Ancona? I was thinking of going around that area when I move back to Italy this Spring. Why did you not like it? Was it the city or the school/job you had? Any pointers are welcome. Thanks!

[Marisa229]

hello roset,
i hope this reply isn't coming too late (maybe you've already made a decision about wall street), but here goes...I worked at Wall Street Institute in Rome for a year. Overall my experience was a positive one. There are 4 Wall Street schools in Rome, and I worked at two of them: Cinecitta' and EUR (San Paolo). Cinecitta' is a bit out of the center, but easily accessible by metro A line. It's the biggest facility of the 4 schools, and is located in a shopping center. EUR was a smaller school, but a more intimate environment near the B line of the metro.
In both schools, I really got to know my co-workers and my students (many of them come quite regularly, which is a good sign). The environment is laid-back but productive. Generally, teachers are friendly, helpful and interesting people. The service managers in my experience are mostly flexible, but very busy, so it's encouraged to take the initiative with any problem or situation that arises.
As for the curriculum, they have their own, recently updated materials, which brought on mixed reviews on both the part of the teachers and the students. Overall, they are useful, very thorough, but leave room for the imagination. However, since the students can only move on to the next chapter with your approval based on very specific exercises within the lessons, you have to stay on track. This is the unfortunate part of the structure of the lesson since it's always more interesting for both parties when there is free conversation. But, every day there are larger group "complementary classes," which consist of a topic to be discussed and usually handouts of some sort. Those are also pre-planned, with all the materials you need found in the school. Some of the topics are quite strange: "If this group were in a plane crash, who would you eat first and why?", but for the most part generate good discussion. The only forum for which the teacher gets to plan his or her own lesson from scratch is the "social club", which consists of a general topic decided ahead of time each month. One teacher in EUR had a "talk show" social club every month, and would assign each student a character (lesbian woman who cheated on her lover with a man, a father who used to be a woman, etc.) It was really fun for the students and for the teachers.
I would say the biggest negative of my experience (which based on other posts must be a general pet-peeve of TEFL teachers) is the schedule. Many days I would leave my house in the morning and not return until the evening, but only work (and be paid for) 6 hours. That's because there are also off-site courses in "near-by" companies. Dependent upon public transport (in Rome, not so reliable), I would have to allow plenty of travel time and often go from the school to a company and back to the school. You can't really get out of teaching off-site lessons, but you can be very firm with your availability from the get-go if you don't want to do run all over the place. I made the mistake of being too flexible in the beginning and then couldn't go back.
Overall, a good experience for someone who's flexible and doesn't have a family to support (the pay is only decent). If I were to decide to go back to Rome, I would call up my old service manager and ask if there were any positions at Wall Street.
Good luck! And happy new year.

[roset]

Thanks for the info about Wall Street. I'm still interested in the school, I've been in contact with them quite a bit. Its good to know the good and bad points of a school, I'll keep them in mind.

As for Ancona, well I wouldn't say its the highlight of Italy. Its really very small and not very attractive. There are parts of the centre that are nice, but if you venture more than a mile outside of it then its not very pleasant at all. I was working for British Institutes, and the school was terrible too. We would have classes dropped on us at the last minute and would be working terrible hours. That said, Ancona is in a great position to travel through Italy. You can go up and down the coast and Rome isn't too far away. Good luck!

[Teacher in Rome]

I live about an hour from Ancona, and I quite like the city, but I only really go to the centre. I can't comment on the schools, but the fact that they frequently advertise may sound warning bells. There are other schools in the vicinity: Jesi, and also Civitanove Marche, but these are some distance away.

After four years of working in Rome, I'd say that there isn't really the teaching diversity and chance of career progression and promotion in this area. If you want a greater selection of language schools and teaching opportunities, you're far better off in a large city such as Rome or Milan. Obviously, this area has its plus points, and I really appreciate the clean air, but it's not necessarily a good career move unless you're prepared to make things happen yourself.

How much do Wall Street in Rome offer their teachers? I always thought that they were one of the lower payers, but please correct me if I'm wrong!

[Marisa229]

Sorry this is so delayed, I haven't been keeping up with the forum lately. When I started at WSI, I was paid E15/hr on-site (in the school), and 18/hr off-site. After 3 months your wage increases to 16/hr. This is the standard, not sure if it's negotiable.

[gipsygirl]

This is sort of a side topic. Do you need a TEFL or EFL to teach at Wall Street? I am already in Italy with lots of experience, but no certificate.

Thanks !