San Migs
- 2012-08-03
Clyde, I feel what T is trying to say is that education is NOT fast food.
It's not like selling subway sandwiches, maybe everyone can make a sandwich, but can everyone teach english effectively?
Can the DOS yuppies guarantee quality, when oft times, they are drinkers and poor teachers themselves? NO, turnoi is right, EF, New Oriental, all those crappily named kindergartens, avoid them !!!!
Magister
- 2012-08-03
A business can make a profit AND offer good service, including teaching.
I agree. At least in the West the evidence is all around us for such the existence of such businesses. Perhaps at the moment those businesses aren't located in the ESL sector or in China but that doesn't mean that at some point in the future this won't change. I've written before about the idea that the ESL market in this country will mature and at some point surely consumers (students and parents) will ask for more for their money. When this happens someone will be willing and able to provide that for them - simple supply and demand!
In fact, if you put me in charge of most of these chain schools, they could be good places to work.
Haha! Maybe you should re-consider leaving China and put your money where your mouth is! I was in charge of the academic department of a training school for 18months. During that time not one foreign teacher finished their contract early (most stayed on past he initial period) and the academic standards rose considerably (it would have been difficult for them to get much worse). However, i had to fight tooth and nail for every little concession that made the working and learning environment better. Given yourself and LondonGirl's previous posts on the standards of education in China and particularly training schools i'm sure you can understand how exhausting and soul destroying the experience was and why i now choose to stay away from such institutions. It's highly unlikely you'll ever find a school in China that'll give an experienced educator total control of all school affairs. My business philosophy was simple, if the teaching quality is high enough you won't even need a sales and marketing department. To quote a field of dreams, if you build it, they will come. But as you correctly point out, Chinese bosses and 'leaders' can't see past the tips of their own noses when it comes to making business decisions.
Clyde
- 2012-08-03
they are run for profit, but that does not mean education and a positive learning environment cannot be maintained at oneWrong again, and by saying that you show that you don't know what quality education. Quality education and running a REAL school for profit exclude each other like fire and water.
EF is a language mill, with its own crappy business model and corporate "philosophy". With EF, there is nothing about education at all - especially in China where they do not how to spell that word at all!
Turnoi, once again your argumentative skills astound, at least in how poor they are. By your logic no business could ever offer a sound product or service. Any restaurant that was "for profit" would serve inferior food. A business can make a profit AND offer good service, including teaching. In fact, if you put me in charge of most of these chain schools, they could be good places to work. The problem is that, particularly in places like China where capitalism is NEW and they have no value for workers, the bosses will stupidly sacrifice long term quality and reputation for short term minor profit. They will often run their business into the ground through stupid attempts to cheat employees and customers. On the other hand, a properly, intelligently, and benignly run school could turn a profit, gain a good reputation, and thus more enrollment and increased profits.
Your weird over-the-top generalizations about China not being able to spell "education" at all, coupled with your inability to make anything like a sound argument, show me a mind that's not fit to be in an educational institution. You might be OK, on the other hand, to teach basic English to young children, but you probably don't have the critical intelligence to teach at a university, even in China. If you have already, as I assume you and countless jokers have, I pity your students.