Job Discussion Forums

[vikdk]

OK back from work, so lets continue-

as far as FT's working on F visas is concerned - then I havn't got anything against that on a personal front, because if the truth be known this is one of the only ways of working that if done properly allows the FT to operate as a "free agent" outside the often smothering constraints and requirements of a local employer.
But when we're talking professionaly - which means with regard to the vast majority of FT's in China who are employed through some kind of organisation - then the F visa can take on a much more sinister aspect - contracts which are useless - corruption with the PSB which gives the company even more protection and the FT less (why do you think so few F visa teachers are caught ) - a way of making the nervous FT more vunelrable and thus more "cooperative" - shizer this list could go ond on
No - I'm a dreamer - I hate all the visa krap here - all the loopholes, all the HK runs, all the making good contacts in your local PSB shiite - and when big companies like EF exploit it - just think how much money could be finding its way underneath tables - then things don't look very good for the future.
But I'm afraid I've got to be a pragmatist, and say with out the F an all those legal loopholes lots of us wouldn't be here 2/3+ years in China - but newbies just remember a Z is a good way to start - and a Z which comes in package of a fair wage decent doable hours (think of preperation time with a view to contact hours) - leave the F to the time when you can really find your way around this market - and certainly dont accept an F from squeaky clean EF 'cause they have left so much dirt in all those difficult corners.

[clark.w.griswald]

[Roger]

So vikdk feels "constrained" and probably limited in his earning yearnings if he deferred to regular employers and the legal frameworks that come with them. As a professional he feels he can deliver a much better product without a legal bed to cushion his work against a sharp fall. Let's not forget that being your own boss puts you in the same category as your former slave driver albeit on a much better remunerated plane.
And yes, vikdk has finally recognised he needs to be in the same dorm as the rest of us, that is, the legal one rather than roughing it in the gutters of this host society of ours! So, he works legally now but he is in two minds over it!

Well, I say for the last time (I hope) that being on an 'F' visa is NOT NECESSARILY illegal; it is if you bought it in Hong KOng, and it doesn't have to be if it originates with the PSB that gave your employer the right to employ you!

Such legal employment visas of the 'F' category are limited to 6 months, though; those 9 months are an aberration! In this regard, vikdk has a valid point! BUt only that far!

[hermoine]

Roger wrote:
Let me ask you a pertinent question: does the fact that EF is a British-owned school have something to do with the grumpiness of many in this forum?

Sorry, Roger,

EF is NOT a British owned school. It is a SWEDISH owned school. Do your homework!

[clark.w.griswald]

[Super Mario]

I don't understand the endless fascination with this outfit, unless it's a beatup.
But a simple search found this:

EF Education was founded by Bertil Hult in Lund, Sweden, in 1965. Its goal was to bridge cultural gaps and break down barriers of language and geography by promoting educational travel, intercultural exchange and language learning. Today, EF Education is the world�s largest private educational organization. We are a multi-national group of companies and non-profit organizations with over 3,000 administrative staff and 20,000 teachers at work in 50 countries. Each year 2,000,000 people learn a language with EF.

And this:Industry: Education/Training
Location: Manchester, Lancashire
Region: U.K.

No Dutch connection yet. But there was this little tongue in cheek classic:
Due to the large number of candidates interested in working with EF English First, only short-listed applicants will be contacted.

I'd just love to see the list of people refused EF employment in China!

[Roger]

[Super Mario]

I think instructions re doing a 20 second internet search may have been more useful.

However, nothing I read established ownership, just origins and registered location.
Why does it matter if its owned by Swedes, Brits or Angolans?

[vikdk]

for such a huge company, with an international reputation, you would think their presence in this market could raise standards - but no of course naivity on my part - did you know in China and SE Asia you can become an English teacher with EF with no formal teaching qualification - while in their franchises in other parts of the world teaching qualifications are a must! Doesn't this smack of exploiting the situation and giving a helping hand in retaining the often laughable standards of TESOL in China - I know for sure for what EF do here they would be lychned in Sweden.

[vikdk]

here is some of clark's advice from today found in the thread quitting my ESL job

[clark.w.griswald]

[Roger]

[vikdk]

When on the subject of lunacy Roger � wouldn�t you also agree with me that if a person was shown to be Swiss on one web site but claimed to be South African on another � so as to have people assume he was a native English speaker - that standards had not fallen, but indeed plummeted into the depths of a bad joke reflected by 7,000 posts of pure comedy gold

[Roger]

What is "shown on one website" and what someone says about himself in ANOTHER website are, quite obviously - maybe not to you but to me! - two radically different things! LEt's not speculate on my origin because it is a mystery even to me (to some extent, I might say).

Let's try to separate personal issues from professional ones; you have for a long time tried to pass yourself off as a qualified pedagogue; it is often surprising how unprofessional your arguments sound! Your vendetta against EF offers insights into a troubled mind that, were we to take your claims to being a kindergarten professional seriously, would reveal that you are not confining your perceived talents to teaching your little bundles of joy - as you should - but rather, are trying to make money by "teaching" adults as well!

Now I do not really question your credentials but I do question your motivation! You have painted yourself into an extremist corner by now! Who can take your word to be reliable any more, considering the flood of your posts we have seen over the last few months?

Assail individual EF branches or franchisees if you have something valid to contribute, but stop making blanket condemnations and putting out pseudo- and half-truths!

[millie]

Fact and Fiction are such interchangeable concepts to some in the Middle Kingdom of Fantasy but it is at least consistently entertaining.
For example, vikdk is now accused of having a �troubled mind� and it exhorted to: