Job Discussion Forums

maszia · Joined: 10 Jan 2005 Posts: 12 Location: Vallclara, Spain

Hallo everyone!
Just wondering, has anyone heard of the Churchill School & Churchill College in Mexico City, both part of the Anglo Mexican Foundation? I have an interview with them but the job starts a month before I'm actually due to leave the one I'm in at the moment. Are they worth upping sticks for, or are they an outfit to steer clear of? (And if no one's ever heard of them, does that mean no news is good news?) Of course, this is always assuming I actually get the job! (A little optimism never hurt anyone! Smile

)
Thank you.
Maszia.

moonraven · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 3094

In the brief dealings I had with them they were arrogant and rude. I would never consider any further contact. You may have a different experience....

maszia · Joined: 10 Jan 2005 Posts: 12 Location: Vallclara, Spain

Hi Moonraven,
You may very well, have a point. I've just had a phone interview with one of their representatives, and she came across as extremely abrupt and almost aggressive. Maybe I'll give the face-to-face interview in London a miss. It'll save the airfare at least. Smile

Thanks for your input.
Maszia.

moonraven · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 3094

I pulled the plug on a phone interview a year ago, told the woman that there was no way I would consider working for an organization that approved of rude, unprofessional folks as recruiters, and hung up.

lozwich · Joined: 25 May 2003 Posts: 1536

Wow!! What a relief! I got offered an interview with them too, and about 2 1/2 minutes notice that I would need to go to London for it. Glad I said no and came to Paris for the weekend instead! Laughing

Moonraven, was it Churchill School you found rude, or the whole Anglo-Mexican group? I turned down the interview because I don't want to live in DF, but thought they might have something more suitable elsewhere.

Lozwich

moonraven · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 3094

Let's put it this way: If they treat you badly while trying to recruit you, imagine how you would be treated if you worked for them....

They only hire for the DF.

richtx1 · Joined: 12 Apr 2004 Posts: 115 Location: Ciudad de M�xico

Anglo-Mexicano and Churchill have excellent academic reputations, excellent facilities and attract a wealthier group of students than other schools. They can afford to be pickier with their staff, and, if their recruiters come across as rude and arrogant, well... they ARE British, after all Smile

kdaca · Joined: 08 Oct 2006 Posts: 31

I used to work at the college. After two or three years of a nasty administrative regime who allowed the students - and I kid you not - play footie all day and hang around outside without consequence, they hired a new director with better intentions.

Unfortunately, many of students who were there during Churchill's student anarchy days carried the same mindset while I worked there, and the administration did their best to curb it, or at least prevent it from trickling down to first and second year groups....with little success in my opinion. While the students stayed in class (for the most part), they have a long way to go from behaving like serious, university-bound students who take responsibility for their (non-)academic actions.

From an administrative perspective, the grades are fixed to keep everyone happy; meetings are held in English even though everyone understands and speaks Spanish, but not everyone understands English; locals are paid less than expats; and at the end of the year they make the teachers sign a document saying that they quit (even if they've been let go), so Churchill doesn't have to pay them during the summer...or in the case of letting someone go, so they don't have to give them three months of unemployment. And if it's understood that you're returning in the fall, it's not confirmed until the last minute - months after the job fairs and last minute teacher searches have past.

So basically, if you're the type of teacher who can handle baby sitting for a paycheck even though you're really an applied linguist, and if you can desensitize yourself from the administrative madness, it's an okay job.

raulyn · Joined: 09 Nov 2007 Posts: 64 Location: D.F.

Wanted to revive this thread...

Anyone with experience at this school in D.F. lately?

FreddyM · Joined: 05 Jan 2006 Posts: 180 Location: Mexico

A teacher was killed there a couple of years ago by some deranged parent.

Here's the story. It's in Spanish.

http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/ciudad/84859.html

and a very bad babelfish translation of the story....

http://tinyurl.com/churchillmurder

geaaronson · Joined: 19 Apr 2005 Posts: 948 Location: Mexico City

Moonraven
Interesting take on the place. I live not far from their library/language school on Antonio Caso, 7 blocks away from the Angel. They have an extensive library with the most complete collection of novels I have seen in the city, far beyond what the Benjamin Franklin Library over at 31 Liverpool in zona Rosa has on its shelves.
It�s a pleasure to go there and I do so about thrice a month. It�s relaxing, the library staff is helpful and never rude(there are at least two librarians at the BF that are). There is an art gallery and a bistro.
I have not had much dealings with the administration with the exception of applying for the position of English director. It was a position slightly beyond my reach but I thought, heck why not, I will give it a try. Pays 23,000 a month. No answer. As I had also told them that I would be interested in teaching ESL there their only response was that a degree in education was required, which I don�t have. What I do have is 7 years as a university professor, 2 1/2 years as a substitute high school teacher, 6 years as an after school instructor, and about 15 courses in adult education. So you go figure it......
Additionally interesting was that colleagues at another school I had been teaching at are currently taking their teacher training course there. My colleagues would come back to me and ask me about specific grammar rules and invariably the AM teacher had it wrong...so you go figure....again.
Despite all that their curricultum reputation is excellent!

Dragonlady · Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2009 9:52 pm Post subject:

deleted

out of date

kdaca · Joined: 08 Oct 2006 Posts: 31

aroha · Joined: 08 Oct 2004 Posts: 66 Location: Mexico

I started teaching at the Churchill College in Coyoacan at the beginning of the current school year and I have only positive things to say about it. Professionally, its a great working environment, the classes are small, and the students are respectful and inquisitive.

I've worked in another private school in Mexico City and didn't enjoy my job even half as much. Feel free to PM me if you want to speak to a current teacher.

I have nothing to do with the Churchill School in San Angel so I can't really help you with that...

Ms_S · Joined: 21 Sep 2010 Posts: 5

Hi!

I have an interview for a non-ESL teaching job in Churchill School next week. I am a qualified secondary school teacher, the job is to to my specialist subject.

I have read mixed reviews about Churchill, I was wondering if anyone had up-to-date info on the school?

Thanks!