Job Discussion Forums

Bill II · Joined: 22 Nov 2005 Posts: 14 Location: Toronto

Three from Newbievillie.

First, can anyone tell me about a company called English First?

Second, is there any connection between English First and Yingzhifu Language Teaching Centre and Victoria Education Training School?
(Let me slip in a 2A question: Can anyone tell me anything about these three companies?)

Third, is the Oxford Seminars TESOL Certificate recognised generally and in China specifically?

jeffinflorida · Posted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 4:52 pm Post subject:

English First has many threads and some good some bad.

Some teachers think a TESOL is a waste of time and money, some schools care about it and others do not.

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

I don't know why you should NOT give EF a favourable first impression.
Take the stunningly mountainous amount of bad reviews with a bowl of salt...
Some is true, I know that, but a lot is hyped up by disgruntled miscreants who fit in nowhere in the entire world!

clark.w.griswald · Joined: 06 Dec 2004 Posts: 2056

I agree. There are some good comments about EF as well as some bad ones. Do a search here at Daves and you will find the info that you are seeking. You will come to realize that it all depends upon which EF school you are considering so post which actual school it is and you will probably get a more helpful response.

Super Mario · Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2006 6:14 am Post subject:

Back to fact. English First is a gigantic franchise operation. It lends its logo to all kinds of operations, from international student exchanges [I home-parented an American kid; the organisation was OK considering it cost them nothing] to shonky, driven by profit, language "schools" in China.
Some are good, some are terrible. With a Big Mac at least you get the same crap world-wide. Research the particular school you're looking at carefully. Many aren't recommended.

saint57 · Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2006 12:42 am Post subject: Oxford Seminars

My friends did the Oxford Seminars program in Toronto. He enjoyed it and it helped him feel confident as a teacher. It's only a little over 50 hours long and I believe the last weekend is spent watching all of the students in your class giving their sample lesson. Given the short length and the fact that your practice teaching is done with your peers, I don't believe most employers will view it as a qualification.

woza17 · Joined: 25 May 2003 Posts: 602 Location: china

What Super Mario said. I have never worked for English First but have met a lot of disgruntled teachers from the branch in Dongguan..

Calories · Joined: 17 Jun 2005 Posts: 361 Location: Chinese Food Hell

Don't know about anything first hand about English First. My Oxford teacher told our class to avoid it though, because it's a chain school. He said chain schools are opportunistic sketch freaks. He was kind of weird.

If you do take Oxford TESL, I suggest getting your job through the Oxford job placement. They'll set you up with a job or at least with some reputable agents and you can always email Oxford about anything job related and they'll assess your job offers and give you questions to ask incase you missed some. You pay for the service when you take the course.

Sonnet · Joined: 10 Mar 2004 Posts: 235 Location: South of the river

English First's Chinese name is usually Yingzhifu. Never heard of the other place.

As other people have said, there are lots of EF schools in China; some very good, some alright, some very bad. If you're applying for a particular school, ask them to put you in contact with current teachers, who should be happy to fill you in.

I currently work for EF, have done for about a year in all. I've worked for 3 schools; 2 very good, one very bad. If you want to know anything about particular schools, pm me & I'll share whatever I know.

Provided you end up in a well-run centre, it's a good job; long hours, but decent pay & very good resources.