Job Discussion Forums

[Warrivar]

well here's the scoop. i worked at this school for 2 months the first few weeks were very frustrating after being promised i would receive my pay 2 weeks after my start date. it took me a month to get my pay after i demanded what was owed to me or i would not teach the classes. when i put my foot down they began playing fair. at this point i was just happy that i was getting paid accurately and there was no silly business like complaints about me not wearing a tie. not smelling like a rose field or any other characteristic irrelevant to teaching. Then winter came...

i was told on November 23rd that i would not have a schedule for that week but that i may have work the next week. i came in on december 1st and was told that the foreigner teachers (that's what we are called in vietnam its nothing racist just what they say) were taken off of the schedules from november 21st to febuary 9th and that this is done periodically every year. the secretary told me this and the manager just asked me when i came in "are you here to pick up your schedule?"... words escaped me.

so apart from being a dodgey institution consisting of a management body with the communication skills of deaf-mute aputees. the worst aspect of IWEP is the attention given to the students. The classrooms are okay...if you like the shelled out post apocolyptic style with a 50-50 chance of the air conditioner working and a 100% chance of the toilet NOT working. there is also no evaluation for the students and where they are placed i saw TOEFL level students in S100 (VERY beginner) classes and S100 in TOEIC level classes. a woman i met said she was placed in an IELTS class because it was the only one availible and when she asked for her money back they refused.

in Summary: IWEP is not so much a school as it is a den of thieves. the staff are nice and the students are great but the ones running the show are the lowest form of scum on the face of the earth. dont work at this place. oh and one other thing. like most low grade schools in vietnam the pay depends on your nationality so if you look asian or black you will get a lower wage.

has anyone else here had similar experiences? if so please post and help other fledgeling teachers avoid these places.

-Warrivar

[ajc19810]

Warrivar,

Is there any chance you could tell me the average hourly rate for the school?

Personally, I would consider IWEP to be on the bottom of the heap (and I love language centers) and would like to know what a teacher makes at a place that nothing is needed in order to get a job. I have heard similar comments from other teachers that the school does some pretty crazy things.

Cheers

[blateson]

I worked for IWEP before. I was at one of their Dong Au schools down the street a ways. I would go to the iwep main office on 3/2 Street every Friday to get my pay (paid every week). When it came time to quit, they stopped weekly pay and told me to get all of my final pay after the last day. When Friday came, they told me wait until "next Tuesday". Had already thought it strange as they paid on schedule up until then. I showed up on that Tuesday and they said "accountant sick, not here, come another day." This went on and on, I refused and put up some resistance, threatening to stay in the office all day and night until I received my pay. After about 45 minutes, the accountant came wandering out of a back room and pretended to be not happy. She reluctantly counted out the money and while doing that made several fake "sniff" and "cough" sounds like she's sick - her physical demeanor suggested anything but. There was at least one other pay day before that I had to "correct" the amount.

Regarding "nice." Yes, almost all Vietnamese act very nice. Whether they really are or not is to be seen.