Job Discussion Forums

Mr. Kalgukshi

A lot of people regularly ask about particular schools. More than a few post threads are about their bad experience at a particular one, and questions about where to find Black/White/Gray lists never cease.

Don't forget that Dave's ESL Cafe has other valuable resources for teachers and those seeking teaching positions. One of these resources is the Job Information Journal, which is in its own way something of a Black/White list. Like other Black/White lists it can only ever be as good as the contributions that are made to it, so if you have something to say (good or bad) about a school, consider writing a post there as well as here.

And if you're looking for information on a particular school, it's another place to check and see what others have said?

Click here for the Job Information Journal:
http://www.eslcafe.com/jobinfo/

Irish Blood English Heart · Posted: Wed Mar 31, 2004 9:04 am Post subject:

its good but it took me days to read through it, some sort of search facility would make it a more user-friendly device if it is possible? They have one on the job board so surely its not impossible to have one there?

gingermeggs · Joined: 29 Jan 2004 Posts: 162

.........and if it was updated on a more regular basis, it might become more useful.

nolefan · Joined: 14 Jan 2004 Posts: 1458 Location: on the run

If only people could include the name of the school in the title, we can search through it using >> " control" + F << it would be a lot easier.

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

And. if the credibility of posters there were as good as is the case elsewhere...
Some posters just don't seem to belong there!

Gonzo · Joined: 08 Mar 2004 Posts: 80

It does seem to be a magnet for the disgruntled, often with revenge an apparent motive. However, give a school or city a good review and you'll get some emails from the genuinely interested. I've got a couple of new colleagues coming here courtesy of The Journal.

FGT · Joined: 14 Sep 2003 Posts: 762 Location: Turkey

Turkey is in Europe again! sorry, have to go and redraw my atlas. I always thought a very small part of Turkey was in Europe, the rest (Anatolia) in Asia.
But it's always interesting seeing how it's classified, is it Asia? Middle East? Sometimes it just gets left out altogether!

denise · Joined: 23 Apr 2003 Posts: 3419 Location: finally home-ish

I get completely put off by the negativity. Even if a poster has a problem with a particular school, he/she can still be professional in his/her critique. To echo others on this thread, it seems that the job info journal is a haven for people who frankly aren't cut out for the EFL lifestyle, which requires an open mind and an acceptance that things are quite different from "back home."

When I do read the journals, it is really just to let off steam. I personally would not go there looking for sound advice--at least, I wouldn't put all my faith in what I read there. I need to see more of a balance between good and bad.

d

lozwich · Joined: 25 May 2003 Posts: 1536

Brilliant suggestions! I second them all!

Especially the ones about the search facility (like the one here..), more frequent updates, and giving posts titles that identify the school and location for easy scanning.

If that happened, I'd use it a lot more often.

Lozwich.

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

Although those journals are very helpful, you tend to see a lot more complaints than praises. I recently saw a post there from a teacher for a school I don't work for but am familiar with.

He ranted and raved about how he was fired and it was all the school's fault - but he didn't bother to mention that he was canned for continually showing up drunk and unprepared! Rolling Eyes

Take anything you read there with a (big) grain of salt.

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

I think that there can be a lot of information.
BUT, anyone can post there. I've read posts and later emailed the posters and found that they were DoS or recruiters pretending to be teachers. Also there are some posts which are staight out lies about schools. Trolls post there as well. Lots of the posts seem to be negative. And there is no way to search the Job information journal.

Joachim · Joined: 01 Oct 2003 Posts: 311 Location: Brighton, UK

Yep, you do have to be careful about how your interpret comments there, a lot of people are bitter and vengeful.

I have posted there about both of my previous schools - one in Indonesia and the other in Thailand. My comments on my Thai school are very positive and on my Indonesian school are very negative.

I have received numerous emails from people who have read my comments - including many from more recent members of staff at both these places, people have also posted on the forum to rebut my comments.

others have had negative experiences at my Thai school, and according to emails I have received, some have had positive experiences at my Indonesian school, however I think that most people have tended to agree with me on both counts.

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

I have a particular problem with guys who brag how much we expats stand to earn in a third-world country such as China;
we old-timers don't need newcomers to lecture us how much we should be asking for. This type of jobseekers are unwelcome and unprofessional.
What next - a call to get unionised???

Gonzo · Joined: 08 Mar 2004 Posts: 80

Roger, I'm an old timer too, though you outrank me by a decade. I think telling people what it's POSSIBLE to earn is a different thing, though some do take it too literally. Even the best salary in China is pretty modest by most standards, though even on a modest salary you can live pretty well. Make sense?
And Nature Girl, yes some kind of organisation by school or locality, and then a search function would really simplify matters.

icollin · Joined: 05 Feb 2003 Posts: 39

I started to read it, but all I could read was complaints about Nova...I am sick and tired of this! All the people I have met liked Nova (maybe 2 of them didn't) and it wasn't that bad. I think we got the picture anyway. It's annoying to only read negative things. People want to read positive stories. On top of that, it's all old stuff that I have read many times.