Job Discussion Forums

goddess1 · Joined: 28 Mar 2005 Posts: 8

Hi, I am wondering if anybody has some information about EF Shenyang, the school. I've just been offered a job there but I really don't know if it's well run or not. I'm a new teacher so I really don't want to have a terrible experience my first time. Thanks for any info. Donna.

englishgibson · Joined: 09 Mar 2005 Posts: 4345

Goddess1, do not bather going there, if you want to enjoy teaching. EF English First centers are microscopically run by the Chinese employers and the EF English First Head Office in Shanghai just kisses their a.... .
The foreign Academic Directors of the EF centers as well as the foreign acedemic support and management of the Head Office in Shanghai are there just to "fill in the postions" so that the structure of EF is followed. They are either, under reduced authorities or just helpless. Many former EF experienced foreign academic staff members have moved on from China or stay within a different company in China.
The EF recruiting has been hiring newcomers to teaching or to China, just like you. I guess that you can figure out WHY by yourself.
Read on the forum about EF and go to schoolwatch to see the nature of numerous complaints on EF in China.
Cheers and Beers

goddess1 · Joined: 28 Mar 2005 Posts: 8

Hi thanks for the advice. Have you taught in China or korea? if so do you have any suggestions for schools?

englishgibson · Joined: 09 Mar 2005 Posts: 4345

Yes, I have. I was a teacher, senior teacher and director of studies at two disgracefull EF centers in China. The EF head office in Shanghai told me that I just had a bad luck. They said that other centers were better. Would you believe that?
DO NOT JOIN ANY EF IN CHINA and that is my suggestion.
Cheers and beers

Madmaxola · Joined: 04 Jul 2004 Posts: 238

Ahh I remember the bar fight that their Director of Studies got in one night in Shenyang, after smoking a jay well past 3 am on New Years day. It was wonderful, blood on the walls and threats of murder...

oh the teaching? hmm yeah

matador · Joined: 07 Mar 2003 Posts: 281

I taught at EF Corporate Language Training in Shanghai until last month. If you need any help/advice, I would be more than happy to assist. Please PM me..!

englishgibson · Joined: 09 Mar 2005 Posts: 4345

Matador, I hope that someone has some good news for that soul above. How long have you worked in EF corporate in Shanhai? Well, you just left. Was it one year or was it TWO years. Employees come and go in EF in China just like the students, but the AOM is still there. I have had a chance to deal with EF corporate for a .... brief ..... moment once. But I guess it was not you who I dealt with, was it? How does the EF corporate help the EF centers in China, Matador? Some EF centers' DOSs do not even have a say on the corporate deals. It's usually up to the BIG BOSS of each center. When I was a DOS at one EF center, where our marketing manager signed a corporate contract for a BUSINESS BASICS course that after first half continued as "HELLO AMERICA" (self learner book and VCDs) course due to the participants interest in it. Never mind the content of the book that did not even need a teacher or had something to do with business (Did it?).
Once I contacted the MAN of "EF corporate" in Shanghai and got an astonishing response, but you do not want to read that here.
Madmaxola, that fight of DOS boddies in Shenyang must have been quite some experience. I also have one fight experience of the investors of EF centers that participated in the March 2004 EF DOS/CM/Investor conference in Shanghai. They just did not seem to all agree on whether to invest as much as the EF Head Office wanted them to invest to the new EF PROJECT in China. Well, I do not have any "bloody" stories in that case.
Goddess, I hope I have been helpfull again. I have been around for a while so I can tell some real stories. Good luck to ya!
Cheers and beers

matador · Joined: 07 Mar 2003 Posts: 281

Possibly a slight misunderstanding: I was teaching Business English for English First CLT (Corporate Language Training) in Shanghai. This is the branch of EF that only teaches English to businesses and is seperate from the standard English schools. I was the senior teacher!

englishgibson · Joined: 09 Mar 2005 Posts: 4345

Matador, I thought that my point had to do with corporate language training at EF English First, their Business English courses and the �EF techniques� there. The EF Corporate Language Training is under the umbrella of EF English First, is it not? Forgive me for asking this, but what have you taught as a Senior Teacher there?
By the way Matador, the EF Corporate Language Training has a close cooperation with many or few shall I say EF English First centers through out China as well as Head Office, does it not?
I was the Director of Studies!
Cheers and beers