Job Discussion Forums

[itchy_feet]

I'm currently in the interview process with APC (Asia Pacific College) Vietnam.

I'm just wondering if anyone has any constructive opinions (positive or negative) about the school?

Any information appreciated

Thankyou!

[Oneonta]

[itchy_feet]

Thanks for the link but I saw that discussion aswell.

I'm after any other information regarding APC...

I don't want to just read one bad posting and dismiss the school.

[Green Acres]

It depends upon what they offer and the contract guarantees. Remember, if there is a dispute, or you become disenchanted, your only option is to pack it in and move on. Consider every position in Vietnam as a springboard whilst seeking employment elsewhere. Then, maybe, you will find the right fit. Who knows? It could be APC. There are so many factors at play these days....it's extremely volatile.

[Texas_blu]

APC has been going through many changes recently. Some teachers like it, some don't. I've never worked there but know teachers that do and others who've quit.

Their big push is to become internationally accredited, for now, they use testing like GAC to obtain that but they're working on affiliations and curriculum to make the testing supplemental rather than primary.

They've also got schools in Phan Thiet and Can Tho. Currently, I think they're recruiting for Can Tho. Work Permits are a requirement and salaried positions paid monthly don't deduct for holidays, ect.

I personally have known the DOS that recently returned from the USA. He's a PhD and quite the honorable guy.

This school is good for some and too much for too little for others. In other words, one man's trash is another's treasure!

Hope this helps.

[itchy_feet]

Thank you for all the information!

Texas_blu: are you able to give me a few examples of the changes? and if you know about the length of vacation given to teachers?

Thankyou again!

Very helpful!

[Texas_blu]

APC started out as a BS school that would hire anybody and "lie through their teeth" about what they would do for their students much like AHS and APC. But they're changing that and they're going through the accreditation process now.

Whether or not they will hold to this and finish what they have started is yet to be seen or known. This process is a long and winding road full of many obstacles and problems for any school in VN. IF they are successful, they'll be able to compete with schools like BIS, IS, and SSIS. And of course, the tuition will sharply rise giving them the ability to offer their teachers some of the highest rates of pay BUT also demand true performance. BS teachers need not apply.

Sorry, but I don't know anything about vacation times or if there are any but they do classically close down the English program for a couple of weeks 2 times a year to prepare the students for the VN tests.

This school is in a flux situation, I wish them good luck!

[Mattingly]

[Texas_blu]

[Texas_blu]

[Green Acres]

It's hard to say if they are playing a short-term game or not. Some schools go through the process of becoming an international school so they can expand their base and receive other benefits. The whole process takes about 4 years, and even longer. This allows schools to make a promise that they might not keep -- a common practice around these parts.

[Texas_blu]

[Green Acres]

Okay Blu. What I was trying say was that APC, or several of the other international wannabes, will not be getting their accreditation any sooner than 4 years, if ever.

Additionally, I would forward, that they (schools) are intentionally slowing the process down so they can advertise and draw in students over the next 4 years. Most students are Vietnamese and there is a demand for this type of education within communities here as there are long waiting lists for Vietnamese students in all the proper international schools.

There isn't free speech and there are no education watchdogs, so anyone can get a license to open an "international" school, make promises to parents, and operate unfettered for half a decade as they go through the motions of becoming certified. In the end, when they become rejected, they will have made a bundle and short-changed a generation. Parents have no idea, and in fact, only the schools and the government really understand what is happening (and educators, of course).

[Oneonta]

[vit]

Does anyone know who is doing the accreditation/licensing/certifying?