Job Discussion Forums

Dancebiscuits · Joined: 03 Dec 2012 Posts: 63

Can anyone give me some advice on how to politely turn down job offers but actually be honest about why? I've been applying to many positions in Italy, Turkey, Thailand and Spain and several of them offer perfectly reasonable T&Cs....
... But then sometimes you get a school that puts you through 3 interviews, contacts your references etc, and at the end announce they pay 800 Euros a month, no flights, no accommodation help, 35 hours a week in split-shifts etc. Sigh. I feel if these sort of places are advertising for teachers with CELTAs, years of experience and degrees, someone needs to start telling them that their offers are ridiculous.

Or does one simply say 'thanks but no thanks' and leave it at that?

fat_chris · Joined: 10 Sep 2003 Posts: 3198 Location: Beijing

Simply say "thanks but no thanks" and leave it at that...and move on.

Good luck in your search and may you find something suitable!

Warm regards,
fat_chris

White ice · Joined: 28 Aug 2012 Posts: 37

Surely you can simply say,

Thank you for the offer but the package you have offered is not good enough.

Dancebiscuits · Joined: 03 Dec 2012 Posts: 63

Cheers! I've actually found a couple that are fine and am looking forward to heading off back to Italy Smile

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

Teacher in Rome · Joined: 09 Jul 2003 Posts: 1286

Teacher in Rome · Joined: 09 Jul 2003 Posts: 1286

Anyway, @dancebiscuits, it looks like you've got something decent, but for future reference, save time by:

a) insisting on knowing the package before you jump through hoops
Everyone is going to say their salary etc is competitive, but it's complete BS unless they can tell you - upfront and in plain English - how much they're going to pay.

b) never being strung along by people who refuse to put their cards on the table
They're the employer, they know the budget, and they know how much they can move up or down. Don't be suckered into saying how much you want or were paid in a previous position unless you have a good idea of what their pay scales are.

c) understanding that cheap employers will behave cheaply to you all the way through your relationship
If they try and diddle you on pay, or try to string you along throughout the recruitment process, or say the initial pay scale is only initial and after a few months it gets reviewed, sharpen up those BS antennas. Cheap potential employers don't morph overnight into reasonable actual employers. They remain cheap.

Qaaolchoura · Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2012 9:46 pm Post subject:

I've found that at least in Turkey when a school offers ridiculously low pay, the other parts of working for them promise to be equally ridiculous (the hours you mentioned, but the management skills of the managers you didn't), and I simply tell them I'm not interested and never speak to them again.

Dancebiscuits · Joined: 03 Dec 2012 Posts: 63

Agreed, chaps! I've been politely saying 'I'm very sorry but, on the salary your school offers, I can't find any suitable accommodation' and being hit with a buttload of abuse in return. I give up, frankly, and am going to Asia where they pay a wage that reflects the cost of living.

artemisia · Joined: 04 Nov 2008 Posts: 875 Location: the world

The ones behaving like this are doing so because they can get away with it. The best opportunities exist for the most qualified and those with specific experience and skills. However, the competition is cutthroat. It's sometimes been my experience, and not just in TEFL, that the ones who ask for the most, offer the least. And you're supposed to be grateful for their measly offer. I'd be tempted to give them a piece of my mind, but probably moving on is for the best.

Hope it works out, Dancebiscuits, for you in Italy. Ah,