ESLguy
- 2007-03-30
Well, I am quite familiar with Ian. I worked under him at the Urumqi center, last year. It did not turn out he way I thought it would, and ultimately I left. When I arrived, there was already a lot of drama going on, and unhappy people. I kind of ended up being consumed by the negativity. But, people were miserable there for reason.
However, I am not going to put the blame on Ian. Although, he was not as upfront as I wish he would have been before I went to Urumuqi , and when I asked to be able to talk to some other employees, all I got was a friend of his that was part timer. Ok, so anyway.................other things were going on, and I don't think it would be fair to blame Ian. There is/was only so much he could do as a DOS, and he was proactive with gathering ideas, sharing information, and encouraging teachers to participate in helping out each other.....that is something I really dig.
In regards to your situation, perhaps there is something is going on which is beyond his control? Although, setting you up for a postion, then not following through is quite a set back. But, how were you promised all of this money? EF starts teachers out on the same salary, across the board. Can you clarify what exactly you were going to be doing?
Cheers.
eslguy
Even though I wasn't really in the job market at the time, I was directly approached by EF Guangzhou, by one Ian something-or-other and by one Jackie Wu (the area manager) about teaching children in one of their centers.
In spite of all of the warnings about this place all over this Board, and in spite of the specific warnings regarding EF Urumqui (where this Ian-something-or-other was the DOS in the midst of all the turmoil), I went on the interview.
I had several lengthy interviews with them and they offered me -- in writing -- a job with lots and lots of money involved. I accepted the job, gave my employer notice, put a down payment on an apartment, and secured the necessary early termination / letter of release, etc., etc. They told me that on the Friday before I was to start they would give me my schedule for the following week.
On that Friday, no schedule at all. Instead, this Ian-something-or-other sent me a message on my mobile saying that the Shanghai Head Office had decided that there wasn't enough money to pay me and that they unilaterally rescinded everything....what a mess.
But, folks, the psycho ward didn't end there...this Ian-something-or-other continued to send me messages on my mobile asking if I were interested in a job at a future point in time....when I tried to contact him, he wouldn't take my calls and he wouldn't answer my messages.
This little psycho ward behavior cost me a lot of time and a lot of money and a lot of face.
Lies, lies, and more lies. Anyone EVER considering working at EF Guangzhou in any of its branches would be well advised to run away as fast as possible to another job.
Avoid this Ian-character and this Jackie Wu character as you would avoid the plague.