Job Discussion Forums

[englishgibson]

Norman, it looks like you've got plenty of experience with EF. Even though I agree with you on your issues that you have with them, I must also agree with the first post that praises EF Hangzhou. There are a few good EF centers in China and a couple of EF Shanghai centers might fall into that category as well. As you might know the EF Head Office is there and those centers there follow the EF standards fairly well to make it much more comfortable for the foreign teachers as well as for customers. There have been a couple of other postings on esl previously (recently) that have had some positive things to say about other two EF centers and that is what we also need here on the esl site, in my opinion. Teachers seeking a position in China should know that better EFs are out there/here, because again in my opinion the EF academic material, the idea of methodology there and the idea of their franchising EF centers is better than the ideas, academic material or franchising of many other educational institutions. It is the pressure of making profits, stubborness, inexperience etc that puts down so many EFs in China. I know that it is frustrating to see 60 EF English First centers in China out of which only few are up for a praise, but I believe that there are loads of other franchises with the same problems as EF's been having in China. Have you heard of "Shane" operating under "Saxoncourt"? They have a great AOM in Shanghai now, but when I applied for a position at one Shane center in Shenzhen, they called me back one day at 4 PM "out of the blue" (pre-aranged for 10 AM the next day) insisting (rudely) on giving them a phone interview. Have you seen Shane's Contract? (EF's much more straight forward). Any teachers applying for an EF position in China should not only talk to the Head Office's Recruiting, but they should really have a lenghty talk with that particular EF center and its Director of Studies to make their own judgement. I would be delighted to further discuss your EF experiences with you and share them. I have worked in the position of DOS in EF before. You know how to contact me (see my profile!). Cheers

[Keath]

I agree with Norman. If it walks like a duck.. quacks like a duck..
EF has a long history of exploitation.. I just ordered their EF Tours VHS package.. What a crock of BS..

EF isnt McDonalds.. They're a Howard Johnsons..
What! You never heard of Howard Johnsons?

"Know thy enemy.."

[ymmv]

[Noelle]

Joining this forum has been really interesting. If I would have read most of these comments 6 months ago, there is no way I would have gone to China with EF. I am glad I did not read them. My experience was positive.

I am considering looking for a job with a different school, however, due to the negative feedback I've heard and read about the Chinese franchises. I still stand behind my original post regarding the EF school in Hangzhou. Perhaps that one really is an exception.

Norman Bethune, what schools do you suggest working with in China? There are a lot worse than EF too!

[Norman Bethune]

Noelle:

Good schools to work for in China....thousands.

Stay away from large institutions with heavy beureucracy. Any franchise operation, "a world famous university", a school that uses recruiters to find FT's, a school that has a student population over 10,000, or any institution which has 5 or more foreign teachers currently on staff.

This opinion is based only on my experience and the tales of other FT's I have encountered.

Smaller local privately owned schools, and state run primary and middle schools in areas outside of Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen are good bets.

I advise that route because that is where most of my best gigs and those of people I know have all been at. Others may have a different take on this. But sticking to smaller, less beureaucratic institutions outside major markets has provided me with very few hassles and many positive experiences.

EF and other Franchises sound good on paper with the regulations they all seem to have in place spelling out what is supposed to happen based on a corporate model. However, those regulations are very inflexible or are never followed by the franchisee to the letter. Smaller operations allow for more flexibility on the part of the management and FT's to resolve problems or issues which arise quicker.

[Noelle]

Fair Enough. I appreciate the response.