Beelzebub
- 2013-03-29
I have today been approached by a journalist from Wakefield, somewhere in the UK, making some extremely disturbing allegations about one of the senior management of this school. I'm not going to repeat them, but I would advise people to research this institution very carefully when applying for a job.
I would suggest that if you are not prepared to enlighten us as to what you're talking about then you should never have brought absolutely nothing to out attention. What your post could do though is to fuel the rumour-mill furnaces, and this senior manager could end up being accused of all manner or terrible things. Bit hard on him if his only crime was cross-dressing in Wakefied Park.
BostonAbroad
- 2013-02-23
Britannia (or Cambridge as they refer to themselves, and often claim direct affiliation to Cambridge University rather than just the use of the teaching materials) continues to have a shocking reputation in Kurdistan for the way in which they treat their staff - I can't say about the standard of education, though. Although Erbil is the regional capital, it's a small town for efl teachers and word has gotten around (I haven't worked for them). I've heard of at least one verifiable case of a staff member being unpaid a considerable amount, there are rumors of a member of staff being assaulted by one of the managers a couple of years ago. I know one person who worked for them without too much trouble for over a year though, so it can't be ALL bad. Certainly they are known for slandering teachers who leave, so I found their response to this with the link to a libel website very funny!
Britannia Educational Services
- 2011-12-02
These alleged allegations have been taken very seriously by the Management at Britannia Educational Services and we would like to refute these claims by a disgruntled employee who we know to have also been dismissed from various other reputable institutions such as Salhaddin University, Jihan University and Isik University in Erbil. This person has also waged virulent campaigns on other language schools in Erbil such as the Kingery School of English being one of them with widely abhorrent untrue accusations.
We have now become victim to their tirade of hate and jealousy.
To refute the claims of us being misleading
We would like to state that we are the genuine and authentic agent for INTO in Iraq
(http://www.into-corporate.com/en-gb/news/news/recruitment/into-visits-iraqi-kurdistan-in-advance-of-historic-scholarship-scheme.aspx)
The authorized centre University of Cambridge ESOL exams in Iraq (http://cambridgeesol-centres.org/centres/search.do?source=candidateexam&country=ALL&qualification=18)
Authorized to provide the Pearson Test of English Academic (http://www.pearsonpte.com/news/Pages/PTEAcademicopensfirsttestcenterinIraq.aspx)
And City and Guilds (www.cityandguilds.com/67836.html)
Regarding the libelous claim that we have stolen student’s money – this is wholly untrue and we will be taking legal advice as to this libel statement.
To publicly refute this claim – we state the following -:
1. We currently do not provide services for undergraduates
2. All applications are processed directly to UK universities and the University fees are never given to us but always paid directly by the student to the university.
Regarding teachers we have had our fair share of unqualified and unprofessional teachers who we have had to let go, of course they are not happy with this decision and choose recourse through these sites – but most of our teachers are professional and we have provided them with excellent references.
People are entitled to their opinions and free speech, people are NOT entitled to lie or spread incorrect stories that are damaging to other people or companies.
What is internet libel? http://www.netslander.com/internet-libel
Burnout
- 2011-04-12
Britannia Educational Services is a study in human psychology. They claim to be the leading center for English teaching (through their partnership with Cambridge and INTO study abroad programs in the UK and USA) however these claims, and many others, are thoroughly misleading.
In other words, that is a company to be avoided by all means!
The usual thing - they make money on foreign teachers' backs!
Avoid, avoid!
Britannia Educational Services is a study in human psychology. They claim to be the leading center for English teaching (through their partnership with Cambridge and INTO study abroad programs in the UK and USA) however these claims, and many others, are thoroughly misleading.
Their staff is recruited from overseas, promised flight reimbursement, timely visa applications, cross-training, decent housing with the usual amenities included. Few can say that all these promises have been fulfilled.
Mis-communication between managers and staff is a common complaint throughout Asian and Middle Eastern companies, but the owners of this outfit simply fail to communicate at all. Important tasks, such as residency procedures, housing, class scheduling, and clear objectives and direction for implementing new projects is given to the owners' cousins or good friends, who aren't aware of organizational skills, preparation, or proper training. You're literally left on your own, from the time you arrive in the airport, through your work as an administrator or a teacher, while the managing staff often disappear, and the owners spend substantial amounts of time in England.
What's sickening is that many Kurdish undergraduates have trusted this company to provide guidance and preparation for graduate study abroad, and have simply had their money stolen, with no follow up, or even applications submitted on their parts. Few of the staff I worked with are returning. Some are seriously looking for other work and bearing the lies, mis-direction, and managerial apathy in the meantime. Until I came to Erbil, I was unaware of just how many foreign staff felt cheated, lied to, or dismissed on trivial charges by Britannia Educational Services and Consultancy. It's too bad that this is my first post on an educational institution. I warn you to be careful dealing with this company, and to ask for references of current foreign employees, and information about previous employees. They have just advertised this past October 2010; but I suspect they will be advertising again soon. They may tell you that they're expanding; however if you can't speak with one of the October - January hires to provide a positive reference, then consider this the most disturbing indicator of all.