Job Discussion Forums

desertdust · Joined: 02 Jan 2011 Posts: 57

Can anyone give me anymore information on these centres which are opening up all over Singapore. Are they good to work for? etc.

Krakatoa · Joined: 24 Mar 2006 Posts: 90

How much teaching experience do you have? In which countries? Did you like the contracts? Were past contracts a 5 or a 6 day week? Indeed was the work week a "split shift?" (That is two days off but not in succession?) Were the days split shifts?

How much "Housing allowance" do they offer these days? What help do they offer to obtain acceptable accommodation? How long is the "Probation" period? Do they pay in cash, to your bank account or by cheque? (Remeber that cheques took up to 7 or more working days for clearance when I was there if they paid on the "pay date / day.")

Do they offer fare reimbursement after your acceptance to full time teaching / off the probation period? Do you have any other thoughts regards to what you may want?

What holidays do they offer and when do the holidays fall? Are you still required to present to the office your details of destination etc if going away for the holidays?

Do up a wish list and present it to them and see just "how" they hedge their actions / offers.

The bottom line with this organisation is. . . . caveat emptor!

Krakatoa

desertdust · Joined: 02 Jan 2011 Posts: 57

Thanks K. Sorry, I did not read your previous posts before posting this one. However, the impression from this company is a pretty negative one. I am sure not all the centres are bad but one is taking a punt. They just don't send out the vibe that they care about the teacher enough. Thanks again. Confused

Krakatoa · Joined: 24 Mar 2006 Posts: 90

You have given a fair evaluation of this school - - -ICR. To the best of my knowledge all schools are franchises but governed by the head people. Therefore, you can understand that all schools / franchises are much the same.

Caveat Emptor!

sarahkelly · Joined: 19 May 2011 Posts: 3

I can have been offered a job at one of these centres and am trying to find out if they are a good company to work for? Any help or adive would be great,

thanks

Krakatoa · Joined: 24 Mar 2006 Posts: 90

When I worked there all centres were franchised. Although they in principle work the same way, where I worked introduced a "payment by cheque" system. It took the bank/s one whole working week to clear the cheque and have the money in your account.

There was a 6 day work week, and on call for student evaluations. This meant that if a parent wanted to have their child evaluated then you were in principle to come in at a moments notice. Can you imagine being in the midst of shopping for groceries and then being expected to go to do this job hours before your first class bagan?

I refused to have a mobile phone as I checked my E-mails twice a day and I had a landline phone.

Check their salary and contract conditions and if you have any further quiries either pm me or place another post here. However, if you are happy with the contract on offer then you WILL learn something working for that organisation.

Krakatoa.

Uncle Gweilo · Joined: 08 Jan 2012 Posts: 10

Thanks for the heads-up on this Krakatoa.

The salary after the probationary period is SGD 4,500 plus SGD 1,000 housing allowance a month in their current ads. If you stick it out with them for a year or two years there are ecent bonuses.

I think there current ad says five-day week with two contiguous days off, but you will be working Saturdays and Sundays.

This "on call" business has me a bit spooked. I'm looking to apply to them again as I will be in Singers at the end of April and would like to pop in a visit their HO and maybe a school. Grilling a couple of teachers outside of school premises is always a good move, too.

Krakatoa · Joined: 24 Mar 2006 Posts: 90

(You wrote:- - - The salary after the probationary period is SGD 4,500 plus SGD 1,000 housing allowance a month in their current ads. If you stick it out with them for a year or two years there are ecent bonuses.)

Their salary has increased according to what you have written.

Check out the 5 day week and which country it applies to.

My concern is what you have written:- - - "If you stick it out with them for a year or two years there are ecent bonuses."

The word 'IF' would give me great concern as it seems to imply that people do not last long at this establishment. If that is so, why not?
Management problems? Not being able to do the work with kindergarten aged students? Are there any primary school aged students? Research this part throughly!

I know that when I was there people came and went with no fanfare. Here today and gone tomorrow.

Do a check on my past postings and do up a check list for your own peace
of mind.

K.

Uncle Gweilo · Joined: 08 Jan 2012 Posts: 10

Hi Krakatoa,

I Can Read posted an ad on tefl.com on March 2nd this year: http://www.tefl.com/jobs/job.html?jo_id=50614

Compensation listed as (highlighting mine):

Spring88 · Joined: 24 Feb 2012 Posts: 7 Location: Daegu, South Korea

Hi

I posted in another discussion about 2 weeks ago because I have exactly the same questions and concerns regarding this language schools. I do have the right qualifications and work experience and I was very excited to read about the Lorna Whiston Speech and Drama Centre as I am a qualified Drama teacher. I want to know how long teachers really do stay there and I have heard after the 3-4 month probation they easily just let the teachers go because they don't want to pay more. How true is this?

I applied at Lorna Whiston and they informed me that this job is really not for everyone. They told me in detail what is expected of me and that I will work mainly with kids between 3 and 12 years old and sometimes even adults. I will have to travel in Singapore and do workshops at schools and I need to work on weekends. This is not my issue. I don't have a problem to work hard and proof myself and I love drama - teaching it comes naturally to me. But what i am afraid of, is that I will move to Singapore thinking I have found my dream job to teach drama to all ages and then get sacked for no reason after 3 months.

After they explained everything in detail to me they asked if i still want to go through with the application and i said yes.

Does anyone have more info about this centre? and the ICR and so on?

I would really appreciate some feedback on this...

Thanks Smile

Krakatoa · Joined: 24 Mar 2006 Posts: 90

Uncle Gweilo,

You wrote:

The thing that really caught my eye was the "little lesson planning required" bit. There is no mention in the ad for teachers being effectively on-call to come in for student evaluations. I would have thought that would be handled by one of the administrators in the school.

This may be true. However, caveat emptor. Be aware of my experience
where they, a franchise, tried to foist onto me being on call.

It seems that they have made improvements in allocating two consecutave days of a week.

As I have already said, do your research on my past posts and put together a "check list" of questions which may effect you.

Also, make sure that the head office is prepared to back you up on pay.
This is meant that if the franchise where you work wants you to accept
a cheque instead of a direct deposit of pay, be aware of the time to clear the cheque which, when I was there, was a week. This means that you get "your pay" on the date but are actually being paid a week late if not longer.

As you may be aware accommodation is quite expensive in Singapore unless you are prepared to share with "who" and are you compatable with the other person?

Caveat Emptor.

Krakatoa · Joined: 24 Mar 2006 Posts: 90

Spring 88,

You wrote: But what I am afraid of, is that I will move to Singapore thinking I have found my dream job to teach drama to all ages and then get sacked for no reason after 3 months.

This everyone's nightmare. As I have already stated with ICR, people come and go without fanfare. The real trouble comes about with accommodation especially when you have entered into a contract for 12 months.

No one ever knows if they are going to be successful in their chosen
language school.

WARNING: This should apply to everyone applying to all language schools in Singapore, . . . make sure that you understand your responsibilities for accommodation, utilities and especially internet connection at home.

CAVEAT EMPTOR.

Tudor · Joined: 21 Aug 2009 Posts: 339

The classifieds of the Straits Times are full of rooms to rent in people's houses on a month-by-month basis; surely it would be prudent to do this for the probationary period before committing to a longer rental contract elsewhere.

Krakatoa · Joined: 24 Mar 2006 Posts: 90

Tudor,

If that be the case, I have no reason to doubt you as I haven't been in Singapore for a few years now, then there may be reason to enter with care.

The big issue may be compatability with the owner of the house / apartment.

Tudor · Joined: 21 Aug 2009 Posts: 339