I have now read all I can bear.

There seems to be a strange culture existing on this board.

The basic premise seems to be that anyone who bashes on a school with little or no factual platform is using the forum correctly, whereas those who may have something positive to say are branded as "Grovelling Weasels" who are shamelessly looking to promote themselves within an organisation.

Like it or not, Training Centres have long been a part of the "ESL Industry" both in China and worldwide. There may well be a history of these places being money-making machines churning through both students and teachers with no regard for educational values or standards: This in no way should mean that all such establishments operate in this fashion in today's marketplace. Teachers without a specific teaching background other than going through (admittedly highly varied) TESOL qualifications to gain their employment certainly puts them on the back foot in the classroom initially. Given specific training, guidance and observation, an environment where others take their job seriously and encourage them to take their job seriously, and qualified teachers to impress upon them the many and varied teaching philosophies and ideologies to be gleaned from all manner of western countries there is no reason why an educationally impassioned individual cannot become a genuine educator over time.

We have all had, during our education (elementary, secondary, tertiary or otherwise) teachers who were fully qualified but unmotivated and lacking in true passion for education, and/or were of questionable temperament and generally disparaging toward students feelings and well being. They leave us with far less than what any student deserves in a classroom, and we will remember them for life for their shortcomings, whatever their specific nature.

I would urge anyone researching a position at a Training Centre/School to be thorough in their investigations, as taking any position in China's ESL market is a leap of faith to some extent. Please realise that horror stories occur in both the Chinese "school" system (all levels) as well as in Training Centres.

It is important to note and realise that some Training Schools are founded by individuals who are attempting to educate in a more western fashion, which is not possible to the same extent within the "school" system in China.

York School is one such school, and I feel that saying so does not diminish anything written above.

I am not saying that the goal has been achieved, merely that there is one, and it is sincere in its educational content.

Slinging mud backwards and forwards is a surefire way of leaving prospective teachers with little or misleading information for their efforts.

The ESL industry in China exists - be a part of it growing and developing toward a more educational future - don't grandstand and rake muck where there is none.

Brad