true
- 2012-01-19
There are over 80 franchised schools in the EF China network all with a fairly lose affiliation with the Head Office in Shanghai. Therefore the quality does vary! I myself have worked happily at two centres for four years in total. That being said i've heard some horror stories about other centres and the way they treat staff and i assume there can't be smoke without at least some fire.
However, don't be put off by what some of the people who post on this site against any & every EF centre say. They obviously have a seriously big axe to grind but surely can't have experienced working at every school! In fact most of their posts are fairly non-specific or have little mention of personal experiences.
Just remember this - the only thing that really links EF franchise schools is the name above the door. Whatever you read good or bad about one school doesn't mean jack s&*t! If you drive 100km to the next city everything could be different.
flash in the pan
- 2011-07-17
I'm with you! Working in the public sector, working only three or four days a week, three or four hours a day, no night or weekend work, no commuting, that is the way to go!
Weekends are for fun and relaxation, preferably in the company of some twenty something, almond eyed, long haired Chinese beauty ( plenty of them at universities )
For forty or fifty year old divorced Western men, China is the place to be! Plenty of twenty something babes waiting for you!
San Miguel
- 2011-07-16
I'm a lazy kinda bloke who doesn't like teaching kids very basic English.
Me too-but thought I'll offer an alternative on what happens when you leave China and return to the UK. I am now playing catch up with the tax man and contributions, the longer you are outside the more screwed you are. Unless you got salary payslips, and can prove your income, it's hard to convince the Inland Revenue and so on.
So, basically, I am back in the UK, after five years in China, and one in the gulf rebooting or restarting from scratch....with my balls nailed to the wall.
Would I go back to China,probably....but then I also know I get no pension out there, and most places don't want teachers after 55 years or 60 years of age...so, anyways...GL man
Foxy
- 2011-07-16
I'm impressed! But I'm NOT an entertainer, and moreover, I'm a lazy kinda bloke who doesn't like teaching kids very basic English. Regarding paper qualifications for teaching EFL, I'm bereft of any. Even worse, I've been 'teaching in the 'Middle Kingdom' for more years than you, no offence meant, mostly with the wrong visa,BTW! Less money, but very little hassle, and I've gotten used to loads of spare time at weekends and in the evenings. Badly spoiled, perhaps, and sure to get myself fired if I dared to be so lazy back home. So, could you please advise me if your shangri-la is worth my while applying to? Personally, I doubt it would be. That would be similar to rejoining a kinda rat race, like in the West.
PS - All those years ago I was very happy to exit the Western rat race by teaching in China. Sorry for being a nasty, foxy, somebody who's difficult to take advantage of, but that's my character, and it's difficult to teach old dogs new tricks, generally speaking.
I think our fellow readers would be well advised to bear in mind the many problems teaching outwith the state secor in the PRC can entail before assuming too much regarding their suitability for your shangri-la at EF Shenyang. IMO, better to earn less money, but with more job security. Just a warning for those like me who would undoubetdly benefit from it. Please don't take it personally. Newbies should be made aware that every story has two sides, hence this post!
Dragonized
- 2011-07-16
So if you're really honest about wanting to see bad "schools" go down, you would surely wish to see every EF school go down until yours is the only one lleft. Then, you would make sure EF would never expand without finding the proper people who will make an actual contribution to society.
[edited]
Jetson
- 2011-07-16
Hello again,
I'd just like to add that EF Shenyang has the best teacher retention record out of over 60 EF schools nationwide. I've been here for seven years, one teacher 8 years, one teacher 10 years, at least 5 of our teachers are on their 3rd year contracts, and some teachers are requesting to sign longer term contracts of two and three years. You can verify this by calling or visiting the school for yourself.
Whatever EF as a global company stands for, EF Shenyang is a good place to work. Teachers are treated fairly and paid well. The welfare of teachers is a high priority for the owners of this school. Accommodation is of a high standard, our teachers get free meals on the weekend, and the school takes all the staff on an annual holiday for three to four days in the summer in addition to the teachers' paid annual leave. I can't speak for any other EF centre apart from EF Shenyang, because I haven't worked in another one.
Again, if you'd like to verify if this is all true, call or come visit the school. And again, if you're a professionaly-minded teacher with a good work ethic, please get in touch.
Cheers.
Crap School Spotter
- 2011-06-02
I am always bewildered when I see people asking about EF in XYZ location and whether or not this EF is OK -vs- some other EF in some other city, etc.
Rule 1: EF SUCKS IN A CONSISTENTLY UNIVERSAL POLICY 24/7/365.
Rule 2: See Rule 1.
If you see some dog poop in Los Angeles and the you fly to New Zealand and get off of the plane there and see some dog poop, it is the same. It does not matter if it is from a Dalmatian or a poodle, it is still dog poop, and that is the beauty of EF. It is consistently....C.R.A.P. anywhere, always, forever.
But let's pause for a moment to give credit where it is do.
Shane, Disney, Wall Street, Witty, Web, did I miss any?
Let's play a game. Its called good idea, bad idea.
Take a shower with a toaster while it is plugged in and turned on high. Good idea? Bad idea?
Staple your eyelids to your forehead. Good idea? Bad idea?
Work at any form of any training center anywhere for any reason at anytime... Good idea? Bad idea?