Job Discussion Forums

[Mattingly]

At Hanoi ACET you see piles of debrees with rubble covered with ash and simmering smoke.

Two main reasons (among others) for this fall:

1. After consistent declines in enrollment for years the hammer has finally dropped.

2. A major fat-daddy account study abroad program contract left Acet for another school across town.

3. Stagnant pay, reduced pay, evening load gimmicks, and mandatory workshops on how to "teach" a new textbook,, leave Acet hiring people who got their celta 10 minutes ago without any experience.

The Assistant DOS, who was actually the acting DOS because of his work load (but not by job title and pay because he was not Australian) is leaving this week.

In addition, several teachers are leaving this week. Some for better pastures, others because they know the necessary cull is in progress. The new main guy is reviewing the teacher feedback reports and those with negative feedback will be gone. Fair enough.

As for now, Ocean Park will close.

Acet is downsizing.

After years of using outdated and inefficient material and using the typical tactics to increase revenue (by taking one class and splitting it into 2 and charging more, the party is over).

Adapt or die.

[biliana]

Without wishing to be pedantic, what is debrees?

Do you mean degrees?

Are they not worth the paper they're printed on?

Have they been awarding worthless degrees? If so they deserve their fate!

[kurtz]

Debris maybe?

I wonder if any of the major mills will start downsizing.

[mark_in_saigon]

From the context of the post, he must have meant debris. I guess it is not a terribly well known word in some parts of the English speaking world. Where I come from, we have lots of debris, though not nearly as much as we have here.

We have a guy who works for ACET in the south that may add some comment, if it is not too confidential for him to discuss.

Might be interesting for folks to note whether or not they see enrollments generally up or down. I met a director yesterday who I have known a while whose school is doing much better than in the past, but they have also had a major facelift. His school is in HCMC.

Even more interesting is the overall economy, which we should probably address on the other thread.

[1st Sgt Welsh]

[snollygoster]

Ditto to Sgt.
I worked there (in Hanoi) several years ago. It was a good place to work, and one with a rather strict, but successful class-room environment that produced results.
After I left, I heard rumours of some decline in quality, but I have no first hand experience of that.
I would be sad to see what was once one of the few "up there" ESL establishments go down hill.

[biliana]

'classroom' ..........one word!

[kurtz]

[snollygoster]

Yes Kurtz, that thought occurred to me too.

I am sure Bilious will get the same short shift from the mighty pen of Mr K just as he did when he was the Mad hatter, alias......., alias,,,,alias??????

Beats me how posters on the Vietnam forum seem to get so very personal and sarcastic. Maybe those peoples lives are so small they have to make a noise somewhere-here, in an anonymous fashion suits their way of dealing with life.

How about we stick to addressing the subject, instead of making first class pratts of ourselves by attacking the messenger?

Much more helpful to all concerned.

[BenE]

You're going to stop fighting and moaning about the Vietnamese?!?!
(aimed at nobody specific)
Damn it was great for comedy value.

Anyway I've heard similar reports about ACET going down and a lot of the older teachers there are either leaving or saying not-so-nice things about the place. The main issue seems to be that they never update the materials so there are other places that are moving faster and offering a more interesting and dynamic option.
I've also heard similar things to what is said above.

[biliana]

[snollygoster]

'classroom' ..........one word!

Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary 7th edition, disagrees.
eg Dining room, sitting room, living room, waiting room, etc.

If ACET employed this person at any time as a teacher then I must say it doesn't surprise me that they are in trouble.

I am doubtful my misunderstanding of spelling from some other planet had a significant effect on ACET's fortunes.


endless litany of Vietnamese horror stories. [/i]" ??????

Maybe you interpret them as horror stories-I interpret them as fact.

Time to get off the personal attacks that show a certain personality type that is far from healthy. Yes?

[Expat101]

Thanks for the news Mattingly! They keep advertising for more teachers and people should know the truth. I also heard that they raised their tuition rates when enrollment was down, which sent a lot of students running out the door looking elsewhere. Oh, and they don't even have computers in their uh classrooms. This is 2012! You might be able to get away with this at a public school or university, but not in this competitive business of 'teaching' ESL. Or is it just popular entertainment for bored and lazy people who need an excuse to get out of the house? Better yet, are students learning to wisen up instead of falling for gimmicks and false advertising as I have seen with ACET?

[1st Sgt Welsh]

[Mattingly]