Job Discussion Forums

crunchyone · Joined: 12 Mar 2009 Posts: 65

I worked at EF in Chengdu, the old school, not the new one, for three months, before jumping into a job at an international school.

The only dress code was no earrings, no torn clothes. In summer I taught in sandals, shorts and t-shirt.

My boss was good, no seatwarming for the sake of it, only there when I needed to work or the weekly 1/2 hour meeting, or placement testing.

No time clocks.

h

spunkmonkey · Joined: 16 Jun 2009 Posts: 93

A'Moo · Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 1:05 am Post subject:

vikuk · Joined: 23 May 2007 Posts: 1842

Certainly could be considered standard bearers to other employers in the same industry - on how to treat employee, customer and product Idea

vikeologist · Joined: 07 Sep 2009 Posts: 600

Why would EF want to be the standard bearers?

Admittedly, if they could create a good reputation amongst teachers it may help their recruitment and retention. However as a national organisation

a) it would be impossible to do. Too many staff too thinly spread.
b) there's no particular market advantage to them nationally.
c) a cynic may suggest that EF China have different means of attaining recruitment and retention, at least for a year.

Language customers in China as whole make poor purchasing decisions, becaue they don't know enough about the product. They know what EF tell them, and their marketing is very good. Potential customers generally think that EF is a good school because it's expensive and pervasive. (And who amonst us doesn't make some purchasing decisions for exactly the same reason).

That's not to dispute the potential value of individual schools beng role model employers, (which I'm a huge advocate of), as staff retention helps retain customers and improve client satisfaction. I don't think that there's anything stopping individual EF schools being the standard bearers, and I'm sure some are. (I think that EF schools can all make their own decisions on staff rewards and employment terms and conditions).

The key difference with McDonalds et al is that their success lies in the perception that a Big Mac is a Big Mac everywhere, and they have to retain customers as an organsaition. EF have to retain customers on a city by city basis.

Anyway, a standard bearer company would not be the size of EF. The best companies to work for are rarely the largest, and where they are it's because there's a skills shortage and attractive career development and rewards in that particular profession.

EF nationally only need to be perceived as the standard bearers, and they are.

vikuk · Joined: 23 May 2007 Posts: 1842

Menino80 · Joined: 24 Feb 2008 Posts: 73

What kind of salary should I expect? I have 2 years in Korea and a minor in ESL/Applied Linguistics (roughly 300 class hours). They want to interview me next week sometime. Ballpark range?

Also, are there other places to teach adults that don't do split shifts? Thanks

dragon777 · Joined: 05 Oct 2005 Posts: 163 Location: Christmas Island

Yeah! This organization sounds grand! I really want to work for them.

They sound fantastic.

A. Lots of hours...must make heaps.

B. Sound friendly...heaps of teachers go back.

C. never any complaints...sounds SOUND!!!!

yeah!!! Heaps of fun for a year

theincredibleegg · Joined: 01 Jul 2008 Posts: 224

OP:

I've heard good things about EF Shenzhen and EF Beijing from people who are working there. They seem to have solid staff too, so you'll be working with people who are into this.

I recommend that you contact either one of those places.

Don't mind the negative reviews. They can be just as true as they can be untrue. Positive reviews make better guidelines.

Teatime of Soul · Joined: 12 Apr 2007 Posts: 905

McDonald's strength is found in it's lack of deviation. McDonald s offers a uniform level of service and dining environment worldwide.

Nobody expects fine dining at McDonalds, but they can be fairly reliably assured of a consistent dining experience.

EF, on the other hand, is faulted for, among other things, a lack of uniformity across franchises.

But even if EF were as consistent as McDonald's, that would not likely lesson criticism from those who also compare working at EF as an entry level workforce position to McDonald's entry level workforce positions.

Entry level workforce positions have their place. They inculcate inexperienced employees with the methods and mores of the field.

If the argument being made is that ESL is a field with such a low bar to entry that anybody, however inexperienced, is wasting time in an entry level position, that would seem to seem to paint a pretty poor picture of the field.

So either ESL doesn't need entry level positions, or we just don't like entry level positions that pay and treat entry level workers as ... entry level workers.

It's a puzzlement.
Razz

Cheers and beers to ESL workers of every stripe.

mat chen · Joined: 01 Nov 2009 Posts: 494 Location: xiangtan hunan

The students attending cram schools, in China do not go to EF, they attend the government delegated cram schools (Crazy ENglish and New Oriental) very few foreigners are working there.

vikeologist · Joined: 07 Sep 2009 Posts: 600

LongShiKong · Joined: 28 May 2007 Posts: 1082 Location: China

Correct me if I'm wrong but as a franchise, doesn't EF pay the highest? Compare EF's* 20 hr annual contract with Aston's:

EF: 6,000 RMB (1st 6 mo's). and 7,000 for the rest with a 12,000 end of contract bonus. Total: 90,000 RMB

Aston: 5,000 RMB for 12 mo's with a 4,000 end of contract bonus.
Total: 64,000 RMB

(Anybody care to supply income figures on other franchise schools?)
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* EF teachers have to work up to 30 hrs during holiday periods.