Job Discussion Forums

[jujubean]

To all who read this forum,
I left this company and school a few months ago. I tired to let it go. I just could not. I have to warn you about these people an their schools. Not all EF's are terrible. For example, Bandung schools seem to be better. But the EF Swara Group needs to be avoided. Period. They function in ways that would make Kim Jong Ill blush. Below is a letter I wrote them the day I left. Their response, in as many words, was go away.

Since the time of this letter, The school I was at ( EF Cengkareng), has not ever retained a single second year teacher. They have added a sixth room to the teacher house, which means they turn a profit off the teachers house! I am open to any criticism that anyone from this group or school will levy against me. I put my name on this document because nothing I say is irrefutable. Along with the other warning on this message board, I hope you all make the right decision.

p.s. I apologize for any typos or other errors.


WARNING!!!! EF Swara Group/ EF Cengkareng (Indonesia)




September 23th, 2006

Pak Gusti,

With my time coming to an end with EF CENGKARENG, this is a good moment to reflect on some things that have happened this year. I am, and will always be, grateful for the opportunity that was given to me to develop my craft as a teacher. The support of, and camaraderie with, the Director of Studies (DOS) and the teaching staff has been nothing less than wonderful. Unfortunately, I cannot say this extended to the staff or management of the school at all times. My time with EF CENGKARENG has been marred by certain events and actions that have made the experience less enjoyable than it could have been. I hope this letter can be seen as an opportunity to tweak the problems at EF CENGKARENG so both the teachers and administration can reach their potential in the future. Here are some of my suggestions:

1. EF CENGKARENG needs to communicate with the teachers better. Here is a good example of what would be the reoccurring problem of poor communication. My first meeting with the school was on a Friday, and it was decided that I would come back on the following Monday for observation at 2pm. The following day, the school sent me a curious text message telling me about teaching classes on Monday. Since this was a text message, I could only assume that it was confirmation of what was discussed on Friday. So I simply replied ok. I walked in on Monday at 1:50 and was told that I was going to be the instructor for 2 classes starting from 2:00. I was sent in to teach without any kind of guidance on my first day, and it was a total disaster. I think a phone call would have been a much better way to communicate with me and it would have given me an opportunity to express my concern that new teachers need some observation and preparation time before actually teaching a class.

2. Stop passing the buck. Another reoccurring practice I discovered was the blaming of someone else for problems and issues I was confronting. Continuing with the above mentioned incident, when I tried to find out what happened; it just went in a circle of blame until I stopped asking about it. This pattern appeared every time I wanted to know or do something EF CENGKARENG was not interested in. Another example was when I was having some respiratory troubles and wanted the school to get me a fan so I would not have to use the air conditioner. I was told to ask the DOS. The DOS told me to ask Teachers Affair Management. Teachers Affair Management told me to ask HR. HR told to me to ask the Central Management. The Central Management told to go back to the Teachers Affair Management, but she would look into it. I am still waiting for her findings and a reply 10 months later.


3. Consistency in policy. While an office is a dynamic place with flexibility being needed to make it work, EF CENGKARENG takes this flexibility to the extreme. For example, I was in Indonesia when I took the job. I started working when I had the tourist visa. For whatever reason, EF CENGKARENG was not able to provide me a working visa in a timely manor, and I had to get another tourist visa. That in itself seemed ok; but the school asking me to pay for it did not. A school asking an employee to pay for air fare and other cost so they could work was fairly strange to me. I was told that this is standard in language schools. Being new to Indonesia, I accepted this answer. I found out later that �this is standard in language schools�, would be a catch-all phrase for questionable behaviours practised by EF CENGKARENG. This situation certainly was questionable as two of the other teachers I lived with had the same visa issue but EF CENGKARENG paid for their travel.


4. The housing situation needs to be handled better. The house provided originally had three rooms, but now has been modified to 5. EF CENGKARENG avoids getting a new house and is always talking about adding a 6th room. It is unwise and unhealthy for the teaching or work environment to have so many of us stacked on top of each other like that. The living situation at the house has niggling problems like the refrigerator being too small and not having enough pots, dishes etc in the house. When we ask for things like a toaster or a microwave, the EF CENGKARENG line is that since we are well paid, we can buy them. I am a sophomore on these things, but it appears as if EF CENGKARENG wants to have the teacher furnish the �provided furnished housing�. Also, EF CENGKARENG is reluctant to handle repairs or needed upgrades in a timely manner. There was some sort of bug infestation in the ceiling of my room when I first came. It was only after I made it clear that I would need to stay in a hotel that it was fixed. What exacerbated this problem was that EF CENGKARENG knew this bug infestation existed several months before I moved in. I was told in as many words they did not address this issue because their contractor was busy, and they did not want to spend the money on an outside contractor!

5. Remuneration and accounting. The contract states that we will be paid for holidays, but we are not. The accounting system used gives us a minimum hour level, but not a maximum. So if you have arrived at the 23 hour limit on a week that there are two public holidays, it is possible to work up to 8 hours more and not get paid. This has happened more than once. Also EF CENGKARENG does not give us a pay stub. Since we have an electronic transfer payment system, EF CENGKARENG says it is not necessary for a paper or electronic pay stub. It is curious that a legal, recordable trail of taxable monies is not necessary. It was disheartening for me to be told by EF CENGKARENG that I need not have my western expectations with this issue. If a teacher wants to be above board in his/her dealing in Indonesia (like getting a credit card or opening a mutual fund) a pay stub is necessary.

6. No support for racist behaviours towards teachers. There were two very bad race-related incidents involving me that took place during my year at EF CENGKARENG. In one, a student called me a black monkey boy. Not only did the staff laugh when I told them what happened, EF CENGKARENG later said it would not be in the best interest of the child to apologize. In another incident, a student�s mother claimed that her child was �traumatized� by a black doll and requested that I not teach her child. It is obvious what that request was all about (by the way, there are no black dolls that I know of in Indonesia, the general obsession with white skin ensures that). Unfortunately, EF CENGKARENG caved and supported this racist behaviour of the parent. EF CENGKARENG has every right to keep as many students and to be as profitable as possible, but at what cost to the relationships to your teachers?


7. Covering schedules. In out contract, it says that we can be asked to work hours not on our schedule. As far as I know, asking is still a request and not an instruction. On one occasion, the school called me at 8:50 on a Saturday to cover a 9 o�clock class. I said no. About a month later, a similar situation happened. Again I said no. The school then wrote me a letter telling me that I may be terminated if I say no in the future. That is a threat as far as I was concerned. I made it clear to HR that this was thuggery to threaten me like that, but I also gave a positive suggestion of having one teacher per week on standby since we do not sit by the phone waiting for EF CENGKARENG to call us to cover classes. HR liked this suggestion but I am not surprised that they did not follow up.

While there are many more things that could be mentioned, the above seven items paint a fairly broad representation of what the year has been like. I want to be in a position where I feel that I work with a company, and unfortunately, EF CENGKARENG has made me feel as if I work for them. I was asking a question once about some practice that I found to be really dodgy. The staff told me that asking these questions meant that I did not respect the boss. It seems as if the word �respect� is a substitute for the word �fear�. And if that is the case, then yes, I did not fear them.

I will say again that my time at EF CENGKARENG was not all negative, but the positive aspects are marginalized. Does EF CENGKARENG provide an opportunity for first year teachers? Yes. Does this mean first year teachers should be looked at as replaceable drones? No. Do EF CENGKARENG teachers earn a better salary than many people in Jakarta? Yes. Does this remuneration reflect what other schools offer or the financial gain that teachers bring into the school? No. Are EF CENGKARENG teachers living outside of their home culture? Yes. Should EF CENGKARENG meet western teachers in the middle if they want a western experience for the classroom? Yes.

In closing, I wish to thank you for the opportunity to work as a first-time English teacher at EF CENGKARENG. I have learned a lot and grown over the year. I hope these suggestions I have made do not fall on deaf ears. Constant, genuine feedback from teachers to administration can only serve to improve their living and teaching environment. This in turn will help the school with improving their employee job satisfaction level and also the teacher retention level. This makes sense to me if EF CENGKARENG really wants to be a quality English school. I hope this unsolicited feedback from me will be seen as an opportunity for EF CENGKARENG to reflect on some of its practices and to take some steps towards making some positive improvements. I assure you that it will be in the best interest of all stakeholders at the school, including students, teachers and administration.

Yours sincerely,

JULIAN CAMPBELL

[Rowlf the Dog]

Jujubean,

It sounds like you had an awful year at EF. I hope that your experience has not tainted your opinion of Indonesia as a country, which is full of amazing people. I worked for the Swara Group many years ago before it got so bad, and I'm saddened to see how terrible it is now. You have experienced the fruits of a greedy and corrupt management system, I'm sorry to say. I'm sure that the owners are still rolling in it at the expense of the employees (especially the maids and "office boys") -- seems to be the Wal Mart way-- it's sad to see that model take form in Indonesia.

Thanks for sharing your experiences,

Rowlf the Dog

[Cardinal Synn]

It seems to me that the only way such practices can be nipped in the bud is if potential employees (teachers) do their research before accepting a postition and deny any bad schools their life blood. Without native teachers, language schools have nothing to offer. The only language such people understand is the language of money. As long as there are those who continue to apply for work with substandard employers, bad practices will continue.
In this era of the Internet, there is a LOT of useful inforamtion out there about schools - some accurate, some not so accurate, but extensive research from the comfort of your chair in front of your computer screen can and should weed out the wheat from the chaff.
I can only emplore all new teachers to find out all you can about your potential employers before you go to work for them.
Sorry if I'm repeating myself, but I can't stress the importance of this too much.
Information is power.
Thanks to the OP for adding to the "bank" of information. However, it is important for teachers to get as many opinions as possible before making a decision.

[sidjameson]

I agree with the above. In this day and age everybody has access to the internet. And teachers above most should already be skilled at finding, interpreting and using information.

[guruengerish]

I fully sympathise with the writer's comments, and know exactly what he had to put up with. However, we must realise that when we arrive in a strange country and equally strange customs and old wives tales, it takes a while to get used to these. More on that below.

However:

I walked in on Monday at 1:50 and was told that I was going to be the instructor for 2 classes starting from 2:00.

I know how daunting this can be, and the first time I had to stand up in front of a class during my TEFLA training, my knees were shaking. But after a few of these, all us trainees relaxed a lot, and by the end of six months, we were ready for the lion's den. That's what TEFLA training is for. Once I was teaching, I always had a backup of activities and quizzes to throw at the class in my bag or desk drawer.

Many of the other problems are sheer corruption. At one EF school, I was asked to sign a statement for the Tax Dept, reporting that my income was half of what is actually was. None of us would sign this, as it was nothing but lies.

Housing problems, be they leaks, rats, or bugs are a part of normal life in the country, and they probably couldn't see why you were bothered. It's much to do with neither side understanding the standards of the other. My former director could never understand why we complained about all of the above, as you have to be a fairly rich person to have a house with none of these problems.

Finally, have you heard of "Asal Bapak Senang"? (ABS). It's a very important part of life in Indonesia. It simply means "keeping the boss happy". One researcher comparing Dutch, Japanese, American and Indonesian employees, found that production, safety and loyalty to shareholders, ranked way below keeping the boss happy in Indonesia. If the boss is happy, gets little gifts now and then, he stays happy. If you complain about something, this can be seen as a criticism of the boss, and no Indonesian employee wants any part of that.

The whole time I was in the country, was one big learning process, and the Dutch knew a lot of this, but sadly, most of it has never been translated into English.

But never fear: after five or six years working in the country, you will start to get the hang of it. There's a lot of reading one can do before heading overseas, and a lot of learning once you arrive.

As for racism, there's nothing you can do to change attitudes. They still look down on their reluctant black country-men in West Papua, and you can't change an attitude of racism overnight in a poorly educated country, which was still prevalent in the USA thirty or forty years ago.

I was often asked why Australian aborigines were treated so badly and why they could not vote. This month we celebrated forty years since voting was allowed. Moral: Indonesian kids are only taught what the government wants them to be taught, but things may have become better.

Finally, if any of you happen to be Jewish, do NOT tell your students, or you will see yet another type of discrimination.

[Cardinal Synn]

[guruengerish]

Thanks CS, I agree with what you're saying.

What a pity the school directors don't get to read these pages.

As you so rightly say, for many teachers, this is part of their career, and while EF heirarchy insist on minimum standards for their schools, it's up to each Director as to what teachers get and do not get in the houses.

I think the reason microwave ovens are not supplied, is that the bosses don't have them yet, so why should staff. Our school had one as the boss' wife and her pembantu wouldn't use it in their house.

China has the right answer: it lays down what each teacher will be supplied, ranging from microwave to desktop PCs.

But to sum up: the Directors are trying to make money out of the school, and if they can keep the customers rolling in at the expense of a few replaceable teachers, what the heck!

[ls650]

[Salam]

Met a girl at singapore airport on her way to there just the other day. Told me where she was heading for and naturally I cringed and felt incredibly sorry for her. Gave her my number and told her that my school was interviewing, but she never called. Maybe it's not so bad now. The DOS who met her at the airport seemed like a nice enough guy.

[jujubean]

Everyone,
Thanks for looking. I will repost this every three months to try and warn those that need it. I am also posting it on more than one website. I was naive and trusting, so I did not really investigate this company well enough. Hopefull I can save some rookie the grief. I am looking forward to the day I will have to remove this posting, but the arrogant ignorance that these schools, and business in general, is done in Indonesia will continue after we are all dead .

To be fair, The D.O.S. at this school is not a bad person. In his own way he is trying to change the draconian corporate culture of EF Swara. I will go back to Indonesia soon, and I will try to see him. Again, this is not the worse school in the world. But it is also not a race to the bottom.

Boss worship is 95% of the problem. With the economic apartheid in Indonesia, many feel it is the only way to move up. There is also this culture of " it's ok loh...". This keeps the myth of Indonesia being a friendly place alive. All bad behavior from smoking in the public buses to calling adult men who maintain the office "office boys" is excused. Not to say that there are not great moments, but for an egalitarian person, Indonesia is a hard place. If I did not love someone who lived there, I would never go back. but I will try it again with a school that was throughly researched. It could be fun?

Julian

p.s. Keep posting! We have already saved one......

[TEAM_PAPUA]

Unfortunately, you wasted as much energy with that letter to EF as you did sprinting up the dormant volcano in the middle of the sea!

EF is what it is; a stepping stone for those wishing to get a foothold in Indonesia (or any other place they operate). Learn from your experiences. These same experiences will go on forever for the uninitiated. Now you have this knowledge and are thus forewarned and forearmed, greener pastures await.

Keep in touch buddy. PM on this board if you are still around. We just might get you lifting heavy weights sometime - nothing is impossible!

[laughing_magpie06]

I fully sympathise with you juju as I felt the same upon arrival with my first EF school. I put up with pretty much the same but at a different franchise. It is the culture of denial and never admitting to ones mistakes which make living in Indonesia, at times, an intolerable place to live. I also find not only the locals frustrating but the bules whose egos grow 10 fold from being able to work in positions they could never attain to in their own countries. These guys need to get a grip on reality. Unfortunately though if they moved here at a young age they tend to believe their own s***

[Dave Nesbit]

Juju, you seem to have had a really rough deal and I symphathize. There are, however, other people who will never be able to admit their mistakes and will forever be blaming other people for their own failings and inadequacies. It's always someone else's fault and nothing to do with the fact that they can't, or couldn't, cut it

[jujubean]

To Team Papua,
That letter was not a waste of time. One person has told me they have changed their mind about joining a Swara school. Maybe a hundred will ignore, but one was worth my time. If EF wants to keep it real, they should promote it as a first step. There are many ways to start in this field. Unlike Mr. Nesbit seems to suggest, I could more than cut it. Even though the school knew I wanted them to choke on their greed, they asked me on several occasions to come back. That speaks volumes on the job I was doing in that climate.

The problem with Swara is not in learning your craft. It is getting on day to day and being able to function with mental clarity. You can not expect people to come to Indonesia ( or any other country) and present western culture and standards (and some English), and then not even attempt to behave in a way that corresponds with what you promote.

Humans have value Team Papua. The non indigenous bourgeoisie need to function from a place that makes it ok to devalue people in order to justify their economic apartheid and bad business practices. They would respond to my letter by saying something to the effect "accept EF for what it is. Since we will give you a chance, your rights no longer exist. We will use and abuse you, but it gets better when you can go somewhere else". Hm.... that is pretty much what you said Team Papua.

You must be deep in the EF system to excuse this behavior. Would you want to be treated like that? How about your spouse or children? A healthy discourse is good. You and Mr. Nesbit have tried to present another side to the argument. David has done it well. I suggest you learn from his example and not try to talk down to people in order to silence something you do not want to hear. People like you are why people like me have to write letters and make postings to try and warn others and hopefully improve the lot of those that follow.

Julian

[Llamalicious]

Julian. . . Mate. . .

I really admired your original post: you took your school to task after a year's contract and were constructive in your criticism rather than making no effort and assuming you were some kind of god; too special to graft. Respect.

That said, I agree with TP: EF is an intro school. I'm sure many teachers here got their foot in the door through EF. Why not? They recruit from overseas, (unlike the Jakarta prestige positions) and when you know no one, that's a good thing.

Yes, I've done my stint in an EF. Was it the worst school I ever worked in? Yes. Did it give me time to line up my next job? Also yes. Would you advise a newbie to simply turn up and waltz into a great job? I doubt it.

In my old school, I used to be involved with hiring. I would hang around the local EFs like a pervert round a primary school to pick up decent teachers like you and offer them a decent job to go with their decent aspirations.

Good luck to all my fellow browsers in finding the right place for them.