Job Discussion Forums

englishgibson · Joined: 09 Mar 2005 Posts: 4345

I feel my duty and obligation to inform all the academic staff members seeking jobs in China about the EF English First, after working for them in China for just two years and five months, and being PROMOTED to Senior Teacher, Director of Studies as well as being DISMISSED (three times by one employer HUSBAND-WIFE indecisive approach) and after filing my complaints (providing the prove on variety of issues that not only implicate their EF center�s investors in my Wrongful Dismissal, but also in their fraud towards the EF franchisers) to the EF Head Office in Shanghai that have not yielded any response whatsoever.
Having worked for two EF centers in China I observed some stunning business practices (opening of their �cloned� Non-EF centers, abusing EF standards and their employees, dismissing their staff without proper follow-ups and so on and on) that are unethical, unprofessional and disrespectful of EF Fuzhou and EF Huizhou.
I am in a DARK on how to further follow, since my emails to the superiors ABOVE the EF Head Office of Shanghai have bounced back to me for unknown reasons (blocked from the users� email box or something else).
I feel that I have in vain exhausted all the possible options of letting the EF English First �SUPERIORS� of the passive and unwilling EF Head Office Shanghai know (Complaint Departments, Franchisers overseas � emails bounced back to me).
Due to my grave experiences and suspicions of the EF English First China �englishfirst.com(.cn)� email system unethical/Non-EF standard censorship of professional and valuable information to be shared, I warn all job seekers to AVOID the EF ENGLISH FIRST CENTERS IN CHINA at all costs.
For any more substantiated evidence from me or to provide an advice for me how to follow not to let the dishonest get away with their practices, do not hesitate to contact me via email (see my profile).
Cheers and Beers

kev7161 · Joined: 06 Feb 2004 Posts: 5880 Location: Suzhou, China

Do you know the "superiors" mailing address? Why not try sending a registered letter? If nothing else, once they sign for it, you'll at least know they received it. Whether or not they act upon it is another issue.

Wait . . . do they even have registered mail here in China?

Spiderman Too · Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2005 10:58 am Post subject:

englishgibson, may I ask; in which country were you born?

Norman Bethune · Joined: 19 Apr 2004 Posts: 731

But Englishgibson, did you not write here:

englishgibson · Joined: 09 Mar 2005 Posts: 4345

Norman, I have held it back for a long time and �have kept my mind open�, however reading on forums about EF English First, about the ESL teachers� experiences of their EF employers� practices in China that I have all experienced myself, and then seeing the �innocent� new comers lured into the EF employers� �trap� on the heavily advertised websites full with EF English First postings, I have posted my TRUE EF story here. I had been writing and writing complaints about EF Huizhou to the EF AOM with no results, before I wrote my story today. I see that you stay in touch very well Norman, and YOU ARE RIGHT about my previous positive stories of EF. EF Hangzhou and a couple of Shanghai EFs had good reviews and I had to support it. From what I have been reading and experiencing with regards to my issues now�. It is in the best of interest of all job seekers to know/be cautious. EF centers in China seemingly on purpose go for the inexperienced new ESL seekers and it looks like they have their �reasons� for it.
Kev, thanks for your advice on that addresses. I do have one to Switzerland (Complaints Department apparently). It goes like EF Education, Halden Strasse 4, 6006 Lucerne with a telephone number 41 4174020. I have not confirmed that yet.
Spiderman, �englishgibson may I ask; which country were you born?� I do not know, where your question is leading, but feel free to correct my forum postings. I AM BLACK.
I hope that we all will stick to my initial posting and see whether it is helpful. Otherwise I have wasted my time.
Cheers and Beers

Spiderman Too · Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2005 4:03 pm Post subject:

englishgibson

I didn't enquire about the colour of your skin; nor do I care. You stated that you held positions of Senior Teacher & D.O.S. with English First; revealing your nationality at birth will allow me a better insight as to how English First operates.

englishgibson · Joined: 09 Mar 2005 Posts: 4345

Hey Spiderman, I thought you wouldn't catch that JOKE. Well, with all the respect to you and the others that read this forum that is to help us all, do you really think that ones place of birth is so important to the topic? Read the first posting again and see what it is about, please! I hope that you won't get lost again.
Cheers and Beers

laodeng · Joined: 07 Feb 2004 Posts: 481

englishgibson, I think Spidey is trying to suggest, in the nicest possible way, that your English is substandard.

deezy · Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2005 12:15 am Post subject:

EF is a Swedish Company. And there are now 65 centres in China, you can't tell me all of them are bad. Unfortunately bad experiences seem to be much more newsworthy than good. So here's mine:

I've just had a bad experience from a recruitment point of view. Recruited a teacher who lied about his qualifications, even his referee lied for him, lied about his health, arrived here, within a week was in hospital, has been there since, (3 weeks), turns out he has severe hemochromotosis, very high cholesterol, liver disease, and diabetes. (Not to mention that he uses a CPAP machine for sleep apnoea, and during the few days he was having induction training he kept falling asleep). He's also very rude to the Chinese staff who have fallen over themselves to help him, and reduced my CM to tears.

The school has paid for everything for him. With luck, he goes back from whence he came this week, we truly don't want a walking timebomb on staff...but apart from that, his rudeness, his treating of the Chinese like they are slaves, and his saying that his only reason for coming to China was for 'the birds', have made him my number one most disliked person ever. Oh, did I also mention that he's a 'moderate' drinker? (his words).. Can't stand Chinese food, dives off for KFC whenever possible.

He fooled me at the phone interview, but he didn't fool me once I met him.
However, if he writes in to Daves, and says heaps of negative things about EF, how badly he was treated etc., who will you believe?

Austrian · Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2005 1:11 am Post subject:

Kia, pardon me - perhaps you are trying to be funny and consider your comments cool, but I have a feeling you are still pretty young and believe that everything here - the teaching, the people around you, China, etc., it all will be a big party.
I've met Deezy on 2 occasions and she told me about this teacher and that before finding out that he was lying they were prepared to do everything in their power to support him and make him integrate into their little EF family. If it was not for other reasons I would not hesitate to work for either EF school she is involved in, as I know that they care for their staff and try their best to accommodate them.
Yes, they are real people and it would be nice if you behaved towards other board members like you were sitting at the same table with them. As I assume in such case you wouldn't behave in such a cool and ridiculing manner? I don't want to start a flame war here, I only noticed that Deezy and others tried to give you some honest advice on another posting of yours and I guess people who are trying to help you deserve a little more respect. Tell me if I'm wrong, Kia!