Job Discussion Forums

[shep_scfc]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone had any information and advice about this school?

Cheers

[Roger]

Not a school but a training centre. I have no personal experience with them but I am buddies with a guy that joined them one year ago.
Initially he was very happy there, saying it is run efficiently, studentsare young (and a bit energetic in their playful actions) and his working conditions were satisfactory at that time.
Recently he changed his tunes. It's come to his attention that the seemingly high hourly wage is not so high after all because it's per 60 minutes - esxcluding the obligatory breaks between periods. THis is a common enough issue here in Guangzhou - you may be promised 150 an hour but in reality you will be paid 100 and you will lose a lot of idle time.
He says his co-workers look prematurely older than they are because of high stress levels. I can sympathise.

If you are aiming for a fulltime position you will have to put in 40 hours a week - including a lot of useless office hours (to stop you working for other competitors).
Their teaching materials, on the other hand, seem to be way ahead of what the the pack uses.

[englishgibson]

I see that Roger still reads on those EF threads, doesn't he?
Well, you or shall I say your friend is right on that "stress" and "working hours".
Since working hours have been mentioned, there is a "traveling" involved there. It is a common practice of EF centers in China to teach off their premises, sometimes at companies and sometimes at schools. What is an inconvenience for any employee is that EF employement contracts do not limit those "trips" to other locations, even though they mention that there might be half an hour traveling involved. Then, what do you know about trafic and ...hell Guangzhou's trafic....you might get stuck there for half an hour on one intersection. The thing is that your traveling time isn't included in your schedule and so you do not really get paid for it.

As a DOS of EF Huizhou, I had to schedule my teacher for a trip over 30 minutes away to a "countryside town" or face "consequences". My teacher got stuck there a few times when he could not get a ride back. And worse than that once his Chinese assistant got robbed there. My employer insisted on trips there, since it meant business to the EF center.

Well, all private mills are about money and we should remember that whenever we join them. EF is just one of the "better/bitter" brands of those private mills in China.

Peace to ya all
And
Cheers and beers

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