I did my CELTA course at their center in Montanita a few years back, and it was a nightmare. Everything these guys are writing on here sounds true. As for the CELTA program, it was quite disorganized, and they didn't even bother going over crucial teaching approaches such as Desuggestopedia, content-based learning, community language learning, silent way and soforth. They just give a very superficial understanding of communicative language teaching. They also pay practice students to be there sometimes. It was a total waste of time and money. The director and his wife are both hacks too.

I also worked at this place and have met a lot of other teachers who also have and none of them have anything good to say about this place. I also knew the ex-teacher you are talking about and he was a perfectly normal guy. There was nothing mentally unstable about him in the least, in fact he was one of the most level headed people there and this sounds like a typical Southern Cross smear campaign. They did the same with a Scottish teacher, saying that he was aggressive and unbalanced. I also know the lead teacher he is talking about, this guy was a nut ball! I remember he was a chronic drinker with self inflected scares covering both of his arms. There was also another guy, he was an English guy with a mop of curly hair. He looked like a mad professor and often sat talking to himself and twitching. I didn't really like working at Southern Cross and was glad to be on my way. I would suggest that anyone wanting to work there should stay for the shortest time possible and then leave.

My name is Gareth Jones, and I also work at Southern Cross. I've been at the school for nearly a year, and I'm perfectly happy here. I've been treated well by management, I'm paid what I was promised and on time, and they also gave me a pay rise (as promised) after the initial three month trial period. They were very helpful with the visa, and refunded all the costs that I'd incurred. On top of this, they provide free health insurance and paid holidays. Very few English language institutions in Ecuador offer these conditions. The teachers are very friendly and welcoming, and everyone is invited to social activities and parties - I'm not aware of any cliques. On top of that, they're always willing to share ideas and help each other out. I have no reason at all to complain about the school owners - I feel I'm very well treated by them. I attend Spanish classes, and the reception staff are very helpful when arranging my timetable, so that the classes I teach don't clash with the ones I attend. In terms of the experiences that I've had, I've taught KET, FCE and IELTS classes, and I've also delivered CLIL courses for secondary school teachers who teach bilingually. I'm also going to train as an examiner for the Cambridge English exams (this is the only school in Ecuador that can offer this opportunity). All of this will be great on my CV in the future, but I have no plans to move on right now, because I'm happy here. I can't comment on the school before my time here, of course, but I have good reason to believe that the negative comments about Southern Cross on this website were made by an ex-teacher with a huge chip on his shoulder, who was underperforming and had his hours reduced because of frequent complaints about him by students (the same guy may also be making comments under different user names). I also saw these negative comments just after I started working here, but they don't reflect my experience at all. So please, take these comments with a huge piece of salt. I'd be happy to recommend Southern Cross to any English teacher who's thinking of coming to Ecuador.

Nay lad, you are dead wrong, Sheffield is South Yorkshire, see.

Manchester lies between Cheshire and Lancashire.

They do actually make some yorkshire tea which is good to take to China like, a hard water brand. Us simple yorkshire folk like a piping hot cup of tea like. I don't know about Barnstaple mind, but it does sound like a place in yorkshire does it not? Now then my dear lad, it's time for you to carve out, make your mark, I must get you grafting.....no nice words of get it, got it, here. [edited]

When I first started work at the funeral parlour, we used to take cold tea(mixed with milk and sugar) in lemonade bottles and drink it cold-try googling it. Actually in those days that small opening at the top of the bottle which you'd swig out of was a wise restriction because whereas there's no flies on Devon folk haha, there used to be many on and around the Dear Departed- if you have a cups you might find yourself drinking the odd fly, in the summer that is; no AC and filters in them days......but must have been the same in the sewage works, surely? Bloody glad like yourself to be a teacher now, am I right or am I right?

Hahaha- but my history is true- you stick to kipping in derelict Manchester buildings in between China gigs-haha.

Funny you should mention Yorkshire Tea- Our make-up person (in my profession) used to swear by it, and whenever she made the tea, she used to use just one teabag between three of us; however, I did notice that the last time I had that tea they had weakened it considerably.

My idea of a good lesson is Mr Bean... however, the little hoorors seem to quite like me, which is half the battle.

Indeed, an uphill struggle.

But better than clearing settlement tank 3 at Doncaster sewage works on cold, rainy morning. It was there while over a steaming hot cup of yorkshire tea and a fag, that it struck me, I'd had enough of cleaning up after others and clearing their crap off the walls off a huge empty tank, and decideSan Migs Paled I can teach english. I went to the office computer back in Sheffield and printed meself a degree in English Literature, and then booked a flight to Bangkok from Leeds Airport and never looked back, got meself a tefl there from kao shan road like.San Migs Pale

I work at Southern Cross Guayaquil. Apparently the guy who wrote this post was really mentally unstable, scared everyone and eventually had to be fired because he was such a poor teacher and would not heed any advice which the DoS gave him. Not that I knew either personally but on the second hand reports of those that did, he was a unrelenting a***hole and the dos he condemns a lovely guy.

As you would expect of someone who scared everybody and was fired because they were in denial about how bad they were at their job, his words are totally untrue - or at least they are today.

I worked at Southern Cross for a while and didnt have any problems with the other teachers, but every problem at Southern Cross is caused by the ´director´, the childish,
manipulative, lying, bullying M[edited]. Oh, where to start with her? Constant stories about her not paying teachers what was promised, not paying someone on the CELTA course a whole months wages, bullying the DOS so making him leave, then threatening him with arrest over fictious crimes, not to mention never being present at SC and never taking an interest in the business (only as long as the $$ comes in she doesnt care). Every time a teacher approached her with a problem I was told her response was along the lines of ´not my f¨¨¨¨¨problem. Yeah thats a great attitude for a director isnt it?

I worked at this school a year back. It was not a good place to work. Tom the blond haired guy from southern England was there when I was teaching at the school. He and his group liked to exclude new teachers from his private hangout! The guy was a real jerk! I was also lied to about how much I would get paid. I was told in interview that I would not make below $1000 a month. On arriving at the school and meeting the manager, some British guy, I was told that I would actually be paid $800 a month and $10 every hour over I worked. They also arranged accommodation for me, a lodging in a house miles from the school!! Not nice when they expect you to start work at 7am!! I was leaving home each morning at 5.30am and not getting back until almost 10pm! I left after being forced to by the managers wife.

It's good of you to warn others. Best of luck in your next position.

My word, it's clear why you have evidently tendered your resignation. Two evil knife- wielding Englishmen and an obese misogynist sound quite a handful.(no pun intended) However, the Ecuadorian wife sounds a bit of a sweetie- no fringe benefits were to be had in her direction?? There is often a little advantage to be found in a grim situation.