Job Discussion Forums

[terrapin]

Is anyone familiar with the organization CIEE (Council for International Educational Exchange)? I have an application pending right now for a 10-month continuous contract in Bangkok, with a minimum salary of 12,000 Baht with housing, all insurances, and visa included. They run programs to China as well as Thailand. No TEFL/CELTA required. There is a $1500 "program fee" that I must pay, including my own transportation costs.

Has anyone ever heard of this program? Is it normal to have a private organization charge a "program fee"? Can I survive in Thailand on >$300 per month? Bangkok or Chiang Mai?

Thanks a lot guys!

-David

[fluffyhamster]

The UK branch of CIEE (shouldn't that be C on IEE?) used to handle the selection stages of the JET Programme (in the UK) for the Japanese government, and handled it very well (I was a participant on JET - a much more attractive option, given the high salary and the fact that the japanese government paid all the expenses e.g. flights, than CIEE's other schemes to teach in China or Thailand at more or less your own expense).

I can't vouch for the American side of the organization but I'd be very surprised if they are a total bunch of crooks or incompetent slackers.

Other organizations such as VSO also expect participants to bear a quite substantial proportion of the expenses, so this sort of thing is not totally unheard of.

By the way, the JET Programme (in the UK) is now administered directly by the Japanese government, through the their embassy in London.

[AsiaTraveller]

The Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) has for many decades been an exemplary and very reputable organization in the U.S.

Among other things, it has sponsored many thousands of undergraduate and graduate students in their study of languages abroad.

I think that there should be no problem with their processes and integrity.