Job Discussion Forums

[alexbowler]

Hello all. Has anyone here heard of the Maple Leaf Foreign Language school. It is located in Handan, China. The website is www.mlfls.com. Has anyone heard of good or bad things about this school, or if you work or if you worked there do you have any info about how it was?

[halfpearl]

I worked at Maple Leaf for a few years and I think it's a pretty good school. It's owned by a Canadian man called Grant & a Chinese couple, Liu & Zhang. Grant also teaches classes, which is really nice. The school has grown since I left, they have opened a few more sites in the city, so I think they'll definitely be looking for new teachers.

So here are some of the good & bad things about the school... BUT FIRST I want to start with the city.

HANDAN
- a few hours by high speed train from Beijing.
- has it's own airport, very convenient.
- a new theatre & library have been built near the area where you will be living, they even had a touring show of Swan Lake
- it's really dry, which is great if you hate rain!
- can be a bit dusty and like nearly all cities in China the air pollution can be pretty toxic at times, especially winter it seems.
- it's not a giant city, so not as much to do BUT it does offer a nicer pace of life. You have the opportunity to experience REAL Chinese life if you so wish. Or you can just hang out with the other expats & get laddered, there are other foreigners here who do that if you're into that kinda thing.
- cost of living is pretty cheap, especially compared to the big boys.

MAPLE LEAF FOREIGN LANGUAGE SCHOOL

BAD THINGS:
- same problems as all English language centres... wage difference between local Chinese staff & foreign teachers, different work culture, etc.
- last minute promos, usually around holidays & festivals.
- classrooms in the main building can be VERY cold in the winter even with heating but this building is due to be demolished AND I hear their newest school has UNDERFLOOR HEATING!!!
- things can seem a little slapdash at times, another common trait among language training centres.

GOOD THINGS:
- some of the foreign teachers have been working there for a long time and they're really generous with their time and support when it comes to welcoming new staff - as long as you're not there just to get wasted and roll up for class smelling of booze. Like I say, they've been working at Maple Leaf for a long time so have respect for the children they teach and the culture they live in.
- there's lots of room for creativity in classes, if you are new to teaching then the foreign & Chinese teachers will give you a lot of help. Many of the Chinese teachers have been with the school for nearly a decade, they can teach the school's curriculum in their sleep. What they want from foreign teachers is CREATIVITY & FRESH IDEAS to engage students. If you can do that, then you will be much loved by all.
- you don't have to worry about making your own way to work because the school will organise that for you. On the few rare occasions they can't, maybe at really busy times, then they will reimburse your taxi - just make sure you get a fapiao (receipt). You get farmed out to a few weekly classes at a local kindergarten & primary schools, but don't worry, Maple Leaf will provide transport to and from work.
- the school provides accommodation for all foreign teachers in two estates across the road from each other, which is good for organising transport to/from work. It's also good for support or just socializing or just having someone to show you where everything is.
- less working hours compared to many other schools, you show up to lesson plan on Tuesday or Wednesday morning and after that you just roll up for classes. Everyone has Monday off, as the school is closed, and you have another day off in the week.

I've had good & 'interesting' experiences at Maple Leaf. I would recommend this school to new teachers and those with even the slightest aspiration to move up the career ladder. The school offers more responsibility & pay to those who are capable & willing. It's not really a school for party animals, most of the teachers are married & settling down to family life. If you are an experienced teacher then you will find it very rewarding to work at Maple Leaf.

[muffintop]

Call me a skeptic but the above smells like an advert.

[choudoufu]

[halfpearl]

Yeah, guess it does sound like an advert , but I owe a lot to that school.
I moved to Handan in 2011 because my partner was training there. Before I left London I applied for SO many jobs but got turned down for nearly all of them because I quote "you look like a Chinese". Well, that's what happens when you're British born Chinese. Maple Leaf were the only school in Handan, if not China, that would give me a chance. When I started working there, a few parents grumbled nonsense about being conned because they were paying for foreigners but got a Chinese face instead. Even though I'd only been there a few weeks, Grant & Liu had my back and told the parents they could have a full refund and take their kid elsewhere if they were that concerned about the colour of my skin & hair. You really don't get that kind of support anywhere else.

So, yes, I do have good things to say about them. If a school manages to retain so many of their teachers for so long, then they must be doing something right. They are expanding their business right now so expect some chaos but overall they're good people.

[johntpartee]

[halfpearl]

[fat_chris]

[halfpearl]

Wow, it's pretty depressing when you get bullied for giving a good review about a school. Surely not everyone teaching English in China is having a bad time all the time...

[mw182006]

[halfpearl]

[doogsville]

[halfpearl]

Thank you doogsville. I guess people are less inclined to share good experiences because they get all this nonsense for doing so. If I had done my research and read the sarcastic comments on other people's good reviews then I would not have bothered to registered.

Oh, I forgot to mention that Maple Leaf also did a few good deeds themselves... I've seen them donate money and books to some less well off schools in and around Handan... I've seen them take foreign teachers out on day trips to schools in rural areas where the locals have never seen a foreigner, the kids are really happy and both schools get their Kodak moment.

Maple Leaf is a business and of course all this altruistic goodness makes for a good image, but that doesn't take anything away from the fact that there are some really good people working at that school. Obviously not everyone working there is a saint, like anywhere else.

For all you skeptics out there, I'm writing all this from London. So, no, I'm not a Maple Leaf minion - I just think they're a pretty good bunch of people.

[johntpartee]

Don't take all this too hard, halfpearl, there's an old saying, "once bitten, twice shy". The old hands have seen too many poseurs come on here trying to pass themselves off as disinterested third parties. We've all gotten some negative feedback, just ignore it and speak your piece.