Job Discussion Forums

[fluff]

Hi,

What's the cop with English First? I'm thinking about taking up work with them and would like to hear from anybody who has any experience with them. Good/bad, whatever.

[blunder1983]

I was thinking of going to work for them too but then bailed on their course. I think its true of all language schools when I say they depend entirely on who is running them. I still havent ruled EF out as employers (I'm just not doing their unapproved language training course) but for the same wage or slightly less you get a lot less hours, 5 days instead of 6days work and the chance to explore china a bit with double holidays.

Bacially, look around and do your homework before you sign up, find out teachers working in the school you want to go to and contact them directly. Don't just use the contacts EF give you.

Good Luck and I'll see u in China

[Norman Bethune]

[Guest]

Even though I live in a relatively small City in China, there is an English First School here. Apart from my Private Boarding School, I think it is the only school in this City to emply Foreign teachers.

I quite often, over the past 18 months, have had dinner with the EF teachers and I have noted the following things:

1. They work (including "office/preparation time") about 40 or
more hours per week.

2. They have to follow the EF books/method.

3. They work evenings and weekends - and have days off during
the week i.e. Monday or Tuesday.

4. They earn around 5,000 to 5,500 rmb per month for 40 hours
as opposed to my 4,000 rmb per month for 10 hours and no
office time.

5. They often seem stressed out when we meet due to their
workload and the expectations of their Employers.

6. They often have to travel to local Schools by public transport
(which would stress anyone out) to teach classes.

7. They cannot believe the conditions/salary I am on when I
inform them.

8. They often ask if there is a vacany at my School.

My advice, for what it is worth, would be to find a School yourself - as most of the EF (not all) I have met are not really happy and are counting the weeks until their contract is up.

[Chris_Crossley]

I am a two-year veteran of EF in China, and I am very happy, indeed, to have EF firmly in my past, having not worked for them for more than a year.

Right about now, EF will be undertaking its "Winter Tour". Like the "Summer Tour", it is an intensive period of teaching. All I will say here is that I commented upon this kind of arrangement in a posting dated August 6, 2004, although I did not mention EF specifically: see http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/viewtopic.php?p=124277&highlight=#124277

As for so-called "center managers" (CMs), there was one in particular who seemed to exhibit less-than-moral behaviour when it came to asking me if I wanted to return to EF: see http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/viewtopic.php?p=154143&highlight=#154143 for a message I posted on October 27, 2004.

I will say now that this person was actually my former CM, not a CM for whom I had not worked previously. He is now in charge of both the school I had worked at for two years and the recently-opened one in another district of Wuhan, though I understand (from an "informed source") that he has relocated to the new school, while an "assistant CM" is helping to run the other one. Happily, since his pathetic "attempt" (if such it was) to "tempt" me back to EF failed miserably, I have never heard from him again.

Yes, I am very happy not to be working for EF any more!

[laodeng]

Rhonda, a particularly nice analysis. I commend you.

[Brian Caulfield]

This school is typical of a lot language teaching enterprises . The Chinese students like it . They ask the students what they dislike about their teachers . This makes the students feel important but greatly demoralizes the staff . Many Chinese friends recommended I go their for a job . I went and saw the pain in the teachers faces . A well run business or school always stands behind their employees and never washes their laundry in public.

[Norman Bethune]

[Sekhmet]

Just out of interest (and slightly off-topic), but does anyone know anything about EF's distance Diploma?? I'm doing some research about courses, and I haven't been able to find much out about theirs. Is it new?? Is it any good?????

[AndyinHK]

Hi Sekhmet

I'm considering the same course. Of course taking a course vs working for EF are totally different issues.

I looked at whichcourse.com. It seems that they cover pretty much the same stuff as the Trinity diploma course. I mean the format is the same and it looks as if the same topics are covered and there is teaching practice at some of their centres. The price is about 1000 quid.

If I find out any more I'll post it.

[Norman Bethune]

[Sekhmet]

Thanks Andy!!
Norman - I would totally agree with you about online certification, when it is a persons first step into TEFL. But the Diploma is something else - since any course you're going to do is going to be research, and some people can't afford to take time out and go spend a month doing their Diploma with an onsite school, I don't think it's too bad. However, you have to be cautious, as with any of these schools. Which is why I'm asking for info!!!

Andy, I also heard tell that the LTTC course if pretty good. Not too expensive either, and you get a whole bunch of material to study.....

[americaninbeijing]

Please send me a pm if you work at EF in Beijing. I woulld like to know more about the EF Beijing branch.

[yaco]

Sekhmet

The whole EFL business has me confused.

Completing a 4 week certificate course online is unacceptable but yet completing a 6 - 12 month course is acceptable.

I understand many people complete their Master's in TEFL or similar which is an 18 month or 2 year course online.

Please explain

[Sekhmet]

Sorry Yaco, I'm slightly confused!!!

My problem with online TEFL certificates is the lack of teaching practice. IMHO, someone who has absolutely no experience in a classroom and rolls up with an online cert and a BA in their back pocket is less likely to be comfortable in front of a class than someone who has at least completed 6+ hours of teaching practice. The latter at least should know whether or not they are actually suited to teaching.

Some online courses I'm fine with. I just have problems with ones you can do with your eyes closed. I took the i-to-i online course before taking a month long onsite one, and I can honestly say I learned nothing on the online one. The grammar component was really good, and some of the limited methodologies they explained were interesting, but still I don't feel as though it helped me one bit in the classroom. In fact, it just confused me!!

Mind you, I do tend to look at these things from the point of view of a newbie - someone who has never been involved in education (aside from receiving it), and has never stood in front of a class...

In terms of online Diploma courses, I would be surprised if someone took an online Diploma before they had had at least a couple of years experience in the classroom, and at least had some idea that EFL was a career not just a hobby. Therefore, they have a fair idea of what a teacher does. So, since Diplomas are research-based, it just seems easier to do them online - if you are already in a country and can't very easily leave for a month to sit in a classroom being told stuff you could just as easily read (and then have to do all the extra reading on top of it), it just makes more sense to me...

I have no idea about Masters courses, and to be honest, if and when I decide to do a Masters, I would much rather do it onsite, at a recognised University. I would NOT do a correspondence course, because I believe a Masters is and should be more complicated than that.

This is just my view of the issue - I try to give advice on this forum from my own perspective, not state right and wrong.....