elisha
- 2010-09-05
Interested to read your comments defending the school. Well it is good to hear a satisfied EFL teacher who can deal with the organization and not be bullied or misrepresented by same. Perhaps, as you say, too many people wash up in EFL who never really had jobs before.
It is at times hard to separate what you rightly refer to as such people from the unsuspecting victims who may fall prey to unscrupulous business owners.
That said, there can be as many pitfalls in the so called 'public' institutions, especially in a country such as China, where public 'rules' - but rules are not public! That means, if you land up in a public school or university, it will be one set of rules for the locals and another altogether for ex-pats.
Not surprising perhaps, but one has to come to terms with the differing views on concepts such as 'lying' between West and East.
Although I think the West condones untruthful practices in professional activity, the East has a particular way of failing to acknowledge distinctions between conscious and unconscious motivational factors. I mean disingenuously so.
To look from the employers' side, I have also heard many stories from students (of university) - that their UK English teacher had "a terrible London accent" - intended to mean either cockney or something around slang London drawl.
On this, one has to hope that employers know how to interview better than that, but one can sympathise with a non English recruiter who might fail to distinguish between a good English speaker/teacher, and simply a native speaker.
It seems some private schools in China end up with the native speaker who has little or no teaching experience, (if under cover research is to be believed).
I am offering these comments without taking up either side, but I think it is good that you give a logical defense of a school and go through the reasons, one by one, so as you say ' what is wrong with a 40 hour week?'
In general, good point, but actual contact hours are considered to be optimal at less than 30 (even 25 BC guidelines)
englishgibson
- 2010-09-04
Oldtimer, the perennial problem is that the locals have decided to control their educational system completely and that with many of their poorly experienced and qualified individuals. Any unqualified/inexperienced westerners, that you are refering to, are often hired/fired by these locals. Then, if you think private centers are so much worse than the public schools, Oldtimer, you should spend more time on mainland. It seems you lack some fundamental knowledge about FTs salaries in the country, because quite a few private centers offer more than the public schools do. And, do not encourage me on the hours of work at either as the last few Uni offers to me went for not over 7,000 as oppose to 8,000-15,000 at private schools around and all WITH ABOUT THE SAME REQUEST FOR TEACHING HOURS.
Cheers and beers to our views on or off topic :)
I Milat.
- 2010-09-04
who don't mind being used and abused by training centers for 5000 or so Yuan a month; that is still an acceptable alternative to being a waiter (waitress) in the West for such 'adventurers'
I kind of agree with what you have written here, but I know one such training centre/private school where said "adventurers" earn 8,000 rmb a month. Sans degree.
Oldtimer
- 2010-09-03
The perennial problem is that there are always academically unqualified Westerners who cannot obtain employment at proper educational insttutions in China, such as middle schools and universities, who don't mind being used and abused by training centers for 5000 or so Yuan a month; that is still an acceptable alternative to being a waiter (waitress) in the West for such 'adventurers', some of whom will come badly unstuck here in China after having been duped by Chinese training center directors, most of whom are Chinese 'businessmen'. Anyway, one can but try to forewarn newbies, and thanks for having done so regularly in recent years.