Job Discussion Forums

[Lei Feng]

I am just looking for some ideas about International Foundation Colleges.

Do you think (from the students perspective) that they are worth it?

Which ones are best?

What makes them effective?

I have been teaching at one here in Shenzhen on and off for the past 3 years. Every year there is new batch is rich, lazy and occasionally very dumb kids that come in.

The parents pay gobs of money and the kids sleep ALL day. Almost all of them go abroad and either party their asses off or something. I have no idea.

I am just wondering if this entire industry is worth it?

What is the point?

[The Edge]

[Lei Feng]

Money for the schools sure, but what is the point from the student perspective?

[Trifaro]

A chance to live in the UK, OZ or wherever.

I once taught at a school with an HND program. (Higher National Diploma) It was sanctioned by the Scottish Qualifications Authority. Basically, the kids study in China for 3 years and then complete their degree in the UK. The diploma would be issued by the UK school.

The 1st year is all English skills - Listening, Reading & Writing with Chinese teachers and Speaking with me. The 2nd & 3rd years were business classes taught in English by both Chinese and foreign teachers. The 4th year was somewhere in the UK, such as Nottingham Trent.

I had 6 groups of 30 students = 180 students. Perhaps 30 of them would acclimate to the UK easily, another 50 would definitely get by after awhile (but not really get involved in British society), another 50 would, in my opinion, not understand much of what was said in the UK classroom and need help from their friends, the rest probably never completed the program.

Yet, their parents paid the tuition/money.

[Lei Feng]

A chance to live abroad...I can understand that.

I am just astounded by the lack of effort. It's not just laziness, but active disinterest and knowingly avoiding anything that may be helpful. Like being awake.

Even some of the ones that have decent English work really hard to avoid any work.

I know their parents have money, but, again, what is the point of spending it on going abroad and coming back no better for it. Its not like the water is magical in the UK and they will suddenly be transformed.

This is by far the most frustrating class I have ever dealt with.

[Trifaro]

"...what is the point of spending it on going abroad and coming back no better for it...."

It looks good on the resume and unfortunately "brand/name" recognition is big in China, as well as other places.

Whether I learned anything or not, I'd rather say I have a diploma from Harvard rather than Boston College.

[igorG]

[Neilhrd]

I sympathise with your frustration.

I used to teach an alternative foundation programme called GAC and had similar experiences. I did it because I believe that Chinese students need far more than just an IELTS score before they are ready to succeed in a western university.

GAC provided the opportunity to study academic subjects such as Maths, IT and business in English and the opportunity to develop essential study skills, academic reading and writing etc.

The text books weren't great but the main problem was that the students didn't see the need for these skills and often refused to believe what some very able foreign teachers were telling them about life in western universities. They were convinced that Daddy's money and guanxi would enable to get round the requirements and rules the same as it does in China.

The school's management set out to reinforce that fallacy. They also provided assistance with university applications/visas etc. This help, particularly discretionary things like reference letters, should have been conditional on the students attending classes and doing the work. It was supposed to be that we and in fairness to GAC they did try to enforce some standards. But the school owners chose to subvert the rules and engage in every form of faking, cheating and corruption so that the students got the message that the academic content didn't matter and they were just killing time until their applications and visas were processed.

I have never taught IFY but I suspect that your problems have the same root cause.

I still believe that GAC and/or IFY could be the answer to China's needs. But after two years of it I had had enough of trying to make the management see the folly and dishonesty of what they were doing and refused to extend my contract. I now teach simply IELTS in another school. I know it is not enough and many of my students are going abroad woefully ill prepared but at least what I am doing is honest.

[A'Moo]

[igorG]

Oh please!

We are talking about the mainland programs that send the local youngsters abroad. Isn't that a tremendous step for the local families, and their kids that know little about the western world and its educational approach?