Job Discussion Forums

[wary1]

Boland is yet again advertising for trainers! Beware - no trainer seems to last very long with this outfit.
PM for more info especially if thinking of applying.

[dajiang]

I had a great time there a few years ago. I still think it was a very good place to get TEFL certified. Had a good bunch of trainers there, too bad they left after completing the contract. No idea what it's like nowadays.
No regrets having been there, the diploma I got is still very valuable.

[Roger]

Boland in China has had a bumpy ride recewntly. Don't know whether they have fixed the problems permanently.

[Dragon Lover]

Beware of this training center. A friend of mine is slowly packing...

[lao hu]

I recently completed the diploma course at the Boland School, so perhaps I can provide some insight into what has been going on there.

Katie Boland is a gifted and dedicated linguist and teacher, and her school exists to impart at least some of those qualities to all who complete its TEFL diploma (not certificate) course. That�s the good news. The Boland School is not a Mickey Mouse operation like some other TEFL training outfits. Katie works herself, her staff, and her students very hard to insure quality.

The bad news is that she works everybody, including herself, too hard. Her 4-1/2 week course is very intensive, IMHO a little too intensive for most students, even those who successfully complete it. And pity the poor TEFL trainer who wanders into her employ and has to try to keep up with Katie�s energy, expertise, and intensity. Any TEFL trainer worth his/her salt will have some definite ideas about what and how things should be taught, and it is only inevitable that some of these will run counter to Katie�s ideas. But Katie not only signs the checks, she still also functions as de facto Director of Studies no matter who else is cast in that role. The consequent rancor in the teaching staff � exacerbated in recent months by the trauma of a move from Haimen to Suzhou � results in high turnover rates.

This is a common situation throughout the world in small businesses where the founder/ CEO is unable to accept the fact that others can have different ideas/approaches that do not compromise the overall quality and integrity of the product or service being offered. The irony is that there is a far greater likelihood that the quality and integrity will be undermined by the aforementioned rancor and turnover, as indeed they have been recently at Boland. In that case, the damage has been limited so far, but as the word gets out among prospective trainers, Katie will find it increasingly difficult to attract the caliber of staff she needs to maintain the quality she insists upon � and she can�t do it all herself.

Bottom line: If you�re considering taking the Boland School course, prepare yourself mentally, physically, and emotionally for a grueling but ultimately rewarding experience and hope that the place doesn�t go to rack and ruin before you finish. And if you�re considering taking a trainer job there, think again � and again � and again.

[naturegirl321]

BOland has a good course. I did it in the Czech Republic two years ago and worked for them in CHina for six months. Katie does work hard and expects the same from her employeers. And it is very intensive, so you must prepare yourself for the course.

[Ger]

It seems that whatever the good and bad points about Boland, Katie, the partners, the set-up, the course, and the trainers are, (not to mention the trainees), I think the boss has a duty to ensure that the trainers are not disaffected, aggrieved, annoyed, defensive, rude, unprofessional, etc. because such negativity comes out in front of the paying trainees.

[naturegirl321]

Ger did you do the Boland school course? What did you think of it?