Dear All,
In 2004 I assisted WEB International with the opening of the training Center in Suzhou.

Through my American company and employer, I provided full time training services to WEB International under a two year contract with my company, and from time to time, I continue to provide these services today on an as needed basis.

Additionally, I am familiar with most Ex-WEB 'Teachers', and I am also familiar with many of the issues, allegations, criticisms, complaints and whines on this thread. Many of the dozen or so postings on this thread are mere rantings, in one form or another, by ex-employees who, for one reason or another, have been unhappy during their time at WEB International.

It is true that there are many ups and downs; many high quality and low quality training positions at the large range of English teaching schools and training centers in China (or any country for that matter) however, there are also many incompetent and incapable individuals who have elected to teach as a career.

For many years, I have been involved in decisions to both hire and remove 'teachers' at WEB International and I have also advised on various related issues, such as improving the management processes (which I admit are not perfect). But, I wish to state here that I have fully supported all dismissals that I was involved with. Most dismissals were related to repeated student complaints - customer satisfaction being one of the Key Performance Indicators in this business. Additionally, many dismissals were related to repeated failures by teachers to 'show-up' (or even call in). And, all those that resigned abruptly where about to be fired.

Some dismissals were also related to very poor communication techniques such as displays of anger, unprofessional language and a failure to respect others. In all such cases, my view was that these teachers should have chosen another career path.

If I was to give some slack to the teachers involved, I could say that the unfamiliarity of their new surroundings (in China) may have caused their hyper-defensive and critical and attacking attitude. Also, many teachers in China have chosen 'teaching' as their second career (previously being employed in some non-teaching role), so there is a certain amount of inexperience that teachers unwittingly (and unfairly) convert into hostility, defensiveness and criticism; when unsure, go on the attack! This is a personal issue for each individual and WEB International (nor any employer) can not be responsible for the personal state of mind of its employees.

The best teachers (in my experience) are those who are happy and patient individuals, and ready to 'give' - after all, teaching is a 'giving' profession!

We can all be critical of teaching material; much of which is seriously wanting, but the good teacher can work around that. Teaching also requires some organizational skill, patience, and the ability to show empathy to students, especially in the small-class (4 students) environment of WEB International.

Some postings criticized the teacher accommodation, however most training centers provide a monthly allowance of around 1,500 to 1,700 RMB towards rent, so the teacher is free to choose a place of their liking; in Suzhou I have rented a nice house for 3,000 RMB each month - more than any training center allowance, but this is my choice as most places at 1,500 or below are hovels. Good accommodation is usually provided gratis to University teachers but the salaries at the universities can be lower than the private training centers, although this seems to be changing with many foreign Universities now paying around 20,000+ RMB per month to qualified individuals for a 40 hour week, and you do all class preparation. Private training centers usually pay around 10,000 (including all allowances) for a 25 hour week and minimal preparation. So the difference seems justified.

Some postings criticized the teaching format or hours with some stating they were exhausted before the end of the week after 19 hours of 'talking' complaining that the universities only schedule around 12 class hours per week; it is true that university teaching is 'presentation' format with much of the class time consumed by teacher 'talking' whereas, in the private training centers, the students complete their learning on-line in the computer lab prior to the class. So the class time should in fact be dominated by the student talking (not the teacher) in response to the prepared questions provided in the teachers class notes - and it does require some skill and patience to get the students to open their mouth :) But this is where the skill level of the teacher can make the private training center work easy... or difficult! Some teachers just can't help themselves... they just want to talk and talk... and, while unnecessary, that would be exhausting!

The work at WEB is relatively easy with a minimum level of preparation. I did one term at a University in Suzhou (as their contracted teacher failed to show up on the agreed date); I taught Contemporary World Studies for one semester - 500 students divided into 6 two-hour classes with typical class sizes ranging from 60 to 100 students, and at the universities the teacher usually prepares all material; I had to research each week's topic and prepare 35 PowerPoint slides... every week!

WEB International teachers have 5 class hours each day for 5 days each week for a total of 25 class hours each week. And while contracts usually specify a daily shift of 8 hours, nobody is chained to their seat and all are free to go out for a coffee or for whatever... as long as you deliver your class in a professional and on-time manner.

If anyone has any specific questions not addressed here, you can reply here and I will do my best to respond.