Job Discussion Forums

[Riding One]

Please be advised of what Wellspring school in Hanoi is currently doing.

Wellspring is a vary large school with modern facilities. Millions of dollars were invested into building this school. A real-estate company owns the school and is conducted aggressive business tactics to maximize profit and does not care about education.

They recently failed to renew many teacher contracts, even with those with experience and good reputations.

No, I have never worked there but know/knew many people that did.

What Wellspring school in Hanoi is now doing, is hiring volunteers from overseas. These volunteers are coming for Western Universities to teach for free - yes free - and they have to pay $2,000 USD as a deposit. If they fail to complete their contract the school keeps the $2,000. Housing is provided and there is a cerfew for the "teachers." We believe the school does not want them socializing with other teachers in Hanoi because they will eventually find out this is a scam. These "teachers" also have no experience and no nothings about Vietnamese learners or Vietnamese culture.

Many local and foreign parents who pay high tuition fees for Wellspring have become aware of this and as a result, enrollment has declined.

This story sounds bizarre but it is true.

Be warned.

[mark_in_saigon]

Sounds more like a tactic to minimize losses than to maximize profits. These ownership groups which come up with millions usually have a business plan that is based on profiting from the original income source(s) for the establishment of the business rather than from the operations.

Making the teachers come home at a certain time is not going to keep them from figuring out the scam. We may be stupid enough to come over for a deal like that, but we are not so stupid that we will never figure out we have been had. Just takes one person to spread the good news. But then again, the minders may be stupid enough to think that the teachers are that stupid.

What a mess some of this stuff is.

[Okie from Muskogee]

Anyone whos stupid enough to teach for free, imprisoned, and pay $2000 deposit deserve what they got coming. Lifes hard lesson.....

[half moon]

Wellspring has a terrible reputation.

When they first opened it was obvious that this was a govt or business laundering operation.

Huge campus, big investment, but the managers running the school literarly did not know what they were doing. They even hired an EFL teacher to be a "consultant" for everything about learning, teaching, organizing, curriculum, from the ground up.

After dysfunction and disorganization, they hired a Westerner to act as the "token white face director." He has good people people skills and has a good reputation, but he has limited control. He's just the public face.

Starting a couple of years ago they started hiring teenage backpackers. No, I'm not kidding.

I recently saw a video recorded by a teacher, where foreign teachers are forced (ordered, told) to wear masks, some of which were of Kim Jong Un, and Osama Bin Laden and go up on stage and "dance" to a pop song in front of the parents and administrators.

I watched the video. It was disturbing and bizarre.

It's an insane asylum.

[RustyShackleford]

For all that is good and holy, that video needs to be shared and spread as far as it can go.

[Demonietto]

Anybody have experience with Wellspring Saigon?

[EFL Educator]

AM CERTAIN there ar a lot of "would be TEENAGE EFL EDUTAINERS" from Bangkok's Kaosarn Road who have experience teaching as volunteers at this school....as heard thru the grapevine they are advertising for volunteers there!

[Flashman]

I worked there and while not all written here is true the main crux is correct. (Firstly I signed a 2 year deal on a decent wage and benefits package and saw it through as I'm that kind of person)

The school had a mix of qualified teachers, EFL teachers for the opening 2 years then the management started to implement changes and it became clear the students best interests were not high on the agenda.

They sacked 3 western heads and then brought in an experienced EFL teacher as head of international studies. Around this time they stopped renewing contracts and forcing out teachers and then replaced them with 11 World Teach (a voluntourism outfit from the US apparently) on a stipend. The wages had being coming down and I found I was probably among the best paid foreign employees at the school while these guys were earning $500. They were told they were coming to teach under privileged kids so fault on WT needs to be highlighted. I left and the school now has some other US company supplying teachers.

The place is a mess and expect fines for not towing the line and all sorts of unsavoury practices.

Its a shame as the facilities are good and the kids are great. It just sucks the life out of you and you start to not want to go the extra mile as you feel under constant attack. I've never known a working atmosphere like it.

They paid about $2000 when I left but when I started it was 2500 with 12 month bonuses of a 13th month and xmas, Tet and summer all off paid. Now they offer 50% salary in the summer etc.

[Mattingly]

Any updates on Wellspring in Hanoi?

Are they still hiring volunteers and charging high fees to the students?