Job Discussion Forums

[dreaming_saturn]

[White on Rye]

If one can accept that ESL work may not be quite the ambassadorial role some would have you believe then it must be no surprise that many DoS's are less than commendable. My only working experience of EF was in Saudi Arabia and that really was a shambles which some 3 years later was still some way from being sorted out. That's my only field knowledge of them...so why post in a China forum? Well, I couldn't let a discussion about EF pass without mentioning a warning about the unbelievably useless AOM for China who I met in passing. Let us hope they give him light duties.

Until a universal survey is conducted on for example EF, Berlitz, Nova (Japan) and other language-centre industries no conclusions can be drawn for certain.

[englishgibson]

[alani]

Hi Sean,

I worked for EF Hangzhou. The DOS, who I believe is still there, was completely unprofessional and very manipulative.

Shortly after arriving in Hangzhou I got the flu. So I took a couple of days off. On two occasions during this time I had surprise (they just turned up - no phone call) home visit's from the DOS and school owner, where they pressured me into coming to work. And I don't mean they just popped in to ask me if I was alright and could I work tomorrow. They stayed for about half an hour, and really really pressure me to work, asking if I really was too sick to come in, and that they we're really worried about getting complaints from parents because their kids would have a different teacher for a couple of days, and so on. I was quite sick, I was not eating and throwing up regularly, I lost a lot of weight, and anybody looking at me could see I was not well enough to work. Besides, I had a doctors certificate and was only off for a couple of days. I did everything my contracted stated I should do. And the pressure I felt from my DOS was insane.

Anyway, there was another situation, after I had returned to work. The DOS asked to see me in his office, where he talked about how I would get fired if I ever got that sick again and had to take more time off. I'm not kidding. Just for interest's sake, my contract stated I would receive 10 days paid sick leave, again let me state that I was only off work for a couple of days. The conversation in his office was getting uncomfortable and manipulative, so I got up to leave. And it was then that he stood up and held the door of his office shut, preventing me from getting out. I felt utterly trapped and manipulated.

I had phone conversations with EFBC in Shanghai. The person I spoke to was employed to mediate any problems between EF schools and their teachers. I was advised by her to apologize to my DOS for not working. I was furious. She would not acknowledge that my DOS had behaved inappropriately.

I agree with some of the comments made in this forum about the management of EF, both in schools and at EF headquarters. It is quite scary really.

This is my personal experience. However, I made some friends (with the other teachers) at that school, who I am still in contact with. Four of them have left the company, broke contract, all within a 3 month period, due to similar issues with management and the way the teachers are treated. There is a big problem at EF Hangzhou.

The details go on and on.

I would not recommend the headache.

All the best Sean!

[englishgibson]

Hey Alani, I was required to act as aggressively against my academic staff members of EF Huizhou when I was the Director of Studies there. And if I didn�t, I would have had to pack and go. When I called the EF Head Office, I got just about the same kinds of responses as you did. Once, the AOM Mr. Rendell asked me not to mention that I had a conversation on the phone with him due to a �serious issue� between the franchiser and franchisee (EF Huizhou).

As I have said the Directors of Studies at EF centers in China are the �PETS� of their Center Managers/Investors. It is too bad that the EF Head Office in Shanghai usually reminds their EF centers� academic staff members when they turn on them for HELP that �THE TEACHERS� EMPLOYER IS THE EF CENTER ITSELF AND NOT THE EF HEAD OFFICE�. So, the EF Head Office mostly does not have any interest to interfere in to KEEP GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH THE INVESTORS. It hurts the franchise very much as well as it has hurt you Alani, me and many other unfortunate ones.

However, I wonder when that has happened to you with EF Hangzhou and why you have come forward and posted your just first contribution on this forum now.

My excuse of coming with my first negative EF posting after half a year of being sacked as the EF Huizhou�s DOS was that 1) My abrupt Dismissal by farced EF Huizhou�s employer caused me a lot of hassle to look for a new position quickly as well as new place to live 2) My correspondence with the EF Head Office after my Dismissal give me a bit of a hope then, but that did not change anything.

In any case, thanks for your feedback Alani.

Cheers and beers