Job Discussion Forums

[Yoga Chica]

Can anyone offer advice on working for Wall St Institute in BKK?

What is their rep? How are the working conditions? how do they treat employees? Is the salary sub par, fair or better than most other comparable institutes? Are the benefits offered decent and how do they compare? which of their Centers is more ideal to be placed in? How are class sizes? What is the most ideal level to teach for a newbie TEFL�er? How are the materials and training provided before taking on your own classes?

Any other suggestions for important questions to ask when interviewing with them if I have overlooked anything (which I am sure I have) ??? This is of course outside of some of the more obvious questions, like how many days holiday will I receive, etc.

Looking to be sure I ask questions that some of you had wished you asked before accepting a gig with Wall St or anyone else for that matter!

Greatly appreciate the help and feedback!
Cheers!

[Placebo]

A bit late as you probably interviewed with them already, but here are my 2 cents...

Wallstreet English really has a bad reputation among teachers- that is among teachers who never taught there! Not sure where all this negativity is coming from, but I actually worked there for over a year and loved it. Salary is better than government schools: 47,500. You teach adult students who actually are motivated because they pay a hefty tuition. The normal class size is 4 students, but they also have special classes which are a bit larger. The people are nice to work with and no matter which center you're at, the supervisor is a farang.

The only downside is the schedule which is really messy. As a full-time teacher (I was a part-timer) you teach 6 classes a day that are spread over the day from 11 in the morning to 9 in the evening... You have 2 days off, but they might be during the week as they are busiest on the weekends.

[Yoga Chica]

Thanks Placebo - still figuring the details and appreciate the positive feedback. Nice to hear

Why such a bad wrap on the street?

Can I ask - what center you worked? If you started out full time and then moved into part time or were you part time right away?

Part time is what Im hoping for since I am also a yoga teacher but seems only full time is what they are hiring for...

If you transitioned into Part time from full time would love to know those details...

Feel free to send a PM if its easier.

Thanks so much

[Placebo]

I worked at the Ladprao center. Back then most people started part-time and eventually moved full-time. I had a job at an international school and just supplemented my income on the weekends and a few weekday evenings. For part-timers they payed 350B an hour during the week and 450B on the weekends (It's been about 3 years, so I don't know if the rate went up). That's not a lot of dosh, but the prep time is virtually inexistent once you get familiar with the teaching units. It's pretty much all planned out. I really liked working there and miss it sometimes. My current students are of the opposite breed: unthankful, spoiled brats with no real interest in learning...

[ozzie153]

Hi,

It sounds like we are both in the same boat. I recently accepted a position at WSI BKK and start next week. I spoke to some of my colleagues and did a bit of digging about the company and will share with you what I've learnt.

1. WSI in BKK is run as a franchise with the WSI brand name being an international operator. The upside is that there are set requirements about contracts, working conditions etc with the necessary changes due to local legislation. It also means the teaching methods are standardised throughout the brand. For the teacher this means large numbers of pre-prepared lessons which limit prep time but some teachers prefer to have more flexibility in the curriculum.

2. Adults only. For me, this was a major selling point. I've been working with juniors for the past 18 months and whilst it is always fun and varied there have been times when their motivation is rather lacking. When you are paying for the course yourself, and in some instances have taken out a bank loan to cover the cost (WSI being one of the most expensive in BKK) students tend to be a little more motivated.

3. Pay. Compared to some other EFL schools the pay is certainly reasonable and compared to one entry level employer (no names) is nearly an additional 50% although your accommodation is not included but that isn't always a bad thing.

4. Some teachers I've spoken to have issue with the level of computer aided learning (CAL) offered by WSI. I've never worked in an environment with such a high degree of multimedia usage and I can understand how some people may not like it. However CAL, when used well can be great for building contexts, demonstrating language functionality and providing standardisation in education. Also it adds a 'hi-tech' feel to the learning experience which many may find appealing. Coupled with 24 hour access this widens the accessibility of the language.

Of course CAL is no substitute for good teaching but then that's where you come in!

5. A very few WSI franchises have had 'difficulties' in the past. Some years ago there were problems in France and I think Spain although it is important to remember that these were franchises and some time ago. For more information have a rummage around on Google.

I'm aware that I may be a little biased given that I will be working for them - who knows, I may change my tune in a month or so!

I hope some of this helps and if you do accept, and are at the same branch, I'll see you in a week or so.

All the best!

[HMBHMB]

Hi all (well....3)
I'm currently teaching in Ecuador and am seriously considering working for WSI in Thailand after what I've read around here (albeit rather sparse) and my interviews with them. I'm hoping to start sometime at the end of March or beginning of April.

I'm curious to know if ozzie153 has any updates, after having worked there for a couple of months. Are you liking it? At which center are you teaching? Anything been tough or surprising? Any other words of wisdom?

Also....yogagirl...did you decide to take a job at WSI? If not, why? If so, how's it going?

Thanks so much for any bit of wisdom you can share. There's just not a lot here about Wall Street in Thailand....at least not as far as I can find.....

Cheers
HMB