TEFL Job Review: June 2013

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Jobs of the Week June 30, 2013

GOOD

Wrinkly Gus is happy with these jobs!

1)Earlybirds – China

jobs@earlybirds.cn

Sounds like a sweet deal. But other than the name of this recruiter, is the sentence at the bottom of the post that really grates against my kisser. You claim you are not a recruiter, but what you describe IS what the job of a recruiter does. No matter if you have ‘personal’ relationships with universities. You are sending out job posts in order to recruit teachers for those specific posts.

It’s like a pig dressed up as a woman, saying it’s not a pig.

Insulting to my intelligence, but still sounds good.

2) Semyung University – Korea

ktw5797@semyung.ac.kr

Alright! 4 day work week! Low number of students and contact hours! Though, a position more suitable for (somewhat) experienced teachers with qualifications.

Sign me up! But negotiated wisely for adequate pay. Remember: you’re an educated person, don’t let them lowball you.

3) Kangwon National University - Korea

langcntr@kangwon.ac.kr

Low pay for the type of qualifications and experience this place is looking for. With that in mind, low contact hours, ample vacation time and partly-furnished housing. No mention of flights...

Give it a go if you’ve got at least a year teaching experience with BA or MA...though, I’d negotiate for a minimum of 2.5 Won/ month.

BAD

Angry or pooping? Or pooping angrily?

4) WithAble Recruiting – Korea

withable3@gmail.com

I’m sketched out by the gmail address. But with that in mind, this recruiter has a range of jobs for your perusal. Different locations with salary between 2.0 – 2.7 million Won. However, some of the contact hours reach upwards of 30 (for kindy, no less) and require you to work 10 hours in one day. Will you lose your sanity teaching kindergarteners 6 – 8 contact hours per day and remain in the office for an addition 2-4 hours? Salary is pretty low for the work demand.

Keep looking.

5) Orange Education Co - Korea

eduorange@hotmail.com

If a stable, reputable recruiter for the last 11 years, why are you still using a Hotmail address? The website offers suitable information about aspects of the job (contact hours, pay, holidays, etc). Be careful though, since Orange Education Co. is a recruiter, the demands of the director/ principal of language institutes may differ than what is stipulated on the OECo. website. For most of the jobs, there seems to be high contact hours with low pay and are looking for Kyopo teachers (F visas) and E2 visa holders already inside Korea.

As well, misspelled words and grammar errors proliferate on the job posting.

Beware.

6) ACE Recruiting Agency – Korea

acecareer@hotmail.com

Go to the ACE Career website, under Recruiting Info, and you will read about teacher’s home leave after signing another contract.

I don’t like the unpaid 14 day home leave for teachers who will re-sign. That’s how you pay back your loyal teachers?

I find that extremely offensive, especially when most other institutes pay you for vacation time.

No thanks.

NOT WORTH IT

[witty caption redacted due to the image speaking for itself]

7) Expertise Education – Beijing, China

hr@expertiseedu.com

No mention of contact hours. Salary is disgustingly low. Look elsewhere. Also, this company should think about renaming it since it sounds so much like the disreputable Education Experts in Saudi Arabia.

Pass...

8) China TEFL Network (CTN)

admin@helengroup.com

This post is sloppily presented. Reading it makes my eyes hurt, and my heart as well when I read the range of salary offered at the different schools.

White space is important when reading. Organize the information into salary ranges. Learn how to write links in your job post. It's much cleaner...unorganized noob.

No thank you.

9) Korea International School Beijing – China

kisbwj@gmail.com

You had me at the salary! But then made me think twice about a small detail you tried to sneak past me.

Yes, 20 contact hours per week is good. Yes, the housing and pay are great too.

But... you have to submit weekly lesson plans. Any good teacher has a lesson plan, but I think you will have to submit highly detailed plans for approval. If you are making the curriculum from scratch, you’ll easily be working 60 hours per week in preparation and teaching.

Go sit on an egg.

10) British Academic Centre – Moscow Region – Russia

recruit@bc-english.ru

No mention of contact hours. No mention if provided housing is shared or not. No mention of the amount of vacation time. Pay is little more than slave wages. Also, it’s located in the Moscow ‘Region.’ You could be out in the boonies.

Likewise, go sit on an egg.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Education Experts

Education Experts

(aliases: Ed Ex, Edu Ex, Education Experts Company, Education Experts LLC)

http://www.edu-experts.com

*First compilation: June 27, 2013

Head Office: Main Branch at Saudi Arabia

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - P. O. Box 22066 Riyadh 11495

TELEPHONE 920000139

FAX 92000766

E-MAIL info@edu-experts.com

Contact Personnel: 1) Dr. William Frawley Executive Director English Programs

(edexdrbill@gmail.com)

2) Mr. Osamah Manna Director English Personnel

(osamah_mannaa@hotmail.com)

Partnerships: King Saud University, Najran University, Taibah University, Imam Mohammed Bin Saud Islamic University, King Abdul Aziz Military College, King Fahad Security College, Qassim University

Analysis: Overall, the company does not have a sterling reputation. There are various criticisms floating about the internet (here, forum pages 1-15; Personal Review 1; Personal Review 2; Personal Review 3) that run the gamut of:

contracts not being honored
work hours being amended to include unpaid weekends
return flight tickets not provided if leaving the company on final exit
salary not being paid in full or not being paid on time
late or non-existent airport pickup of newly arriving staff
switching location of employment upon entering the country
providing unsuitable accommodation in terms of quality and distance to location of employment
personal conflicts with unethical managers (lying to teachers about support, classroom incidences and student complaints, etc)
arriving to KSA on a work visa, and possibly extending the period to 365 days so that the company does not have to apply for the iqama (resident card). Without an iqama, teachers will not be able to open a bank account or transfer money. Other means to send money without an iqama requires using another person who does have an iqama to transfer for them.

Salary Range: 3,000 - $4,000/ month

Housing Allowance: 25% of base salary (if accommodation is not provided)

Benefits: basic health insurance, return flights, travel allowance or provided transportation (i.e. company bus to/ from work, weekend outings, etc.)

*No tuition allowance for children.

*Single status visa.

*No flights provided for family.

*30 days' vacation after working for 11 consecutive months.

Recent Job Posts: 1, 2, 3

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Jobs of the Week June 23, 2013

Some good pickin's to finally whet my appetite. And in case you’re wondering, I don’t work for EF or English First. Good huntin’ to the lot of you.

GOOD

Hopefully this will be you

1) EF English First Yuci – China

Comprehensive package on offer: accommodation, salary, bonus, flight allowance. Quite generous for noobs fresh out of University. Though, no mention of contact hours.

2) Golden Bridge Training Center – China

Low pay, but what can you expect for 0 years of experience and working in China? From the post, I gather there’s solid support for new teachers, provided accommodation, generous holidays on offer (though one could expect to be teaching for Winter Camp holidays, and if you are paid for it is another question to ask in the interview) free Chinese lessons.

Give it a go.

3) English First – Hefei, China

Good package for noob teachers, but does require a TEFL cert. The pay is quite low for candidates with a CELTA. Don’t they know it costs around $2,000 for that training?

4) EF English First Swara Group – Indonesia

No mention of salary or even a range. ‘Accommodation assistance,’ which means you will not be provided an allowance. Flight allowance (return ticket, though from where? You home country, hopefully.) No mention of contact hours or number of students in class. As well, you have the choice of working in Jakarta or the outskirts. Be careful of a bait and switch, as Jakarta differs drastically from the countryside.

I would apply, but ask many, many questions.

5) Oxford House College – UK

If I was going back home this summer, I’d apply. Low pay, but provided meals and accommodation.

6) SELECT EMPLOYMENT – Turkey

Good pay...for Turkey. But you’ll be paying for rent out of your take home salary. Flight allowance. No mention of contact hours, though I’m sure they will differ depending on what age groups you’ll teach. Expect more hours for young learners. Job post requests teachers have 1 year experience + CELTA.

BAD

Choose where to send your C. V. wisely!

7) COMPASS Education - Vietnam

While not entirely bad, as the presentation of the post is helpful and straightforward. The only inference worth noting is the pay and accommodation. If you are paid hourly and your contact hours drop, you could make substantially less money. Makes things difficult, such as ensuring you have enough money to pay rent at the end of the month.

I would look for a salaried position.

8) Meten English – China

Not too bad. Yes the flight is reimbursed, along with the visa and medical costs, but are you provided with an outgoing or return flight? 40 hour week with 25 contact hours is not too bad. But using the other 15 hours to learn about Meten’s methodological approach could mean a very tiring work week. I would understand this if your teachers were noobs, but the job requires the teacher to be TEFL certified.

Could be promising if you ask the right questions: salary? accommodation allowance?

NOT WORTH IT

Choosing this job is just as terrible a choice as the tats above.

9) Kidz-n-us – Hong Kong, China

Good salary, but you’ll be paying for accommodation. It can be quite expensive in Hong Kong.

Friday, June 14, 2013

Jobs of the Week June 16, 2013

Dear all,

I have been working on some consultancy work, and have not had much time to browse the job listings. But from the ones I have seen, here's the good, bad and not worth it selections from China and Korea. Not like anyone's reading this anyways. Any who, marvel.

GOOD

1) University Teaching Jobs - China Vacancies info@chinavacancies.com

Thank you for not providing quirky (read: annoying, offensive) rhetorical questions or a descriptive paragraph that falls short of the mark. Thank you for listing only need-to-know information for me, the prospective employee. Shit pay, shit hours, but whatever...I like companies that give you the info without you having to punch them in the face to get their attention.

2) DFL Recruitment Agency – Korea – dfl.worldteacher@gmail.com

Many jobs to choose from. Postings are straightforward with detailed information. I like DFL Recruitment Agency, but get rid of the Gmail address and set-up a domain name that can host email. It makes you look unprofessional.

3) Daegu Haany University – Korea – english@dhu.ac.kr

I am saddened to read the yearly salary is only about 29,000,000 won, and the job requires you to have a Masters. Low hours and paid vacation make this a go. But you should attempt to negotiate a higher salary. Korea! You and China and Japan make me angry with low paying university gigs that require higher ed qualifications. How dare you!

BAD

4) East-West Education LLC – China – HR@BeijingTeach.com

Teaching kids 25 hours per week? At your own peril. Especially since most kiddie jobs are higher paying than this one. I like the website http://www.beijingteach.com/ because it’s informative. Also, the pictures that display an unpolluted Chinese sky near the Bird’s Nest. And all the teachers are white! Ethnicities not preferred? But that’s racist China for you.

I hate kids. If you’re a pedo or a Mormon or Evangelical Christian, then go for it...perv.

NOT WORTH IT

5) Readingtown – China – judyh@sageshanghai.com

Zero job details. It describes the school and the curriculum, albeit vaguely. Even on the website, it only shows the recruitment process. What the hell is the salary range? If you can’t put together an informative job posting, in what other ways are you disorganized?

Pass, sucka.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Interesting New Blog

Hello folks,

Found a nice new blog that gives a nice comprehensive overview of Global TEFL Scams.

As you can see, it's nice!

Hopefully this blogger will keep it coming with the helpful information for TEFLers.

Friday, June 7, 2013

June 9, 2013 Jobs of the Week

Three jobs that tickle my fancy. I hope they tickle you noobs out there, as well. The other jobs might tickle you in the wrong spot, laugh yes, but then make you angry to know there are such crap organizations in the TEFL world. TEFL employers: get your act together! If you want professional employees, post professional, informative job postings.

GOOD

I would like to thank Selena Gomez for personally assisting me with these GOOD TEFL job selections. You're such a dear!

1) EFL Teacher – Bell – Assumption College Thornbury in Bangkok Thailand

This is what all companies should aspire to when posting jobs. All the info I need to make a good decision whether or not to send my CV.

Why hasn’t anyone jumped on this job yet?

2) Prime Teachers - EFL Teachers required in Shenzhen, China

This company’s all up on Bell’s quality job posting. Clear, direct information.

Apply you fool! Apply!

3) ESL Teachers - EF English First Chongqing Schools

Hey now, English First (EF) provides a decent looking package for noob teachers. The pay is atrociously low, but so is the rest of China. Free accommodation, Chinese lessons, flight allowance.

Be careful if you don’t have a TEFL cert. already. If you don’t, you’ll have to fork out some bucks to get EF’s TEFL cert, which probably isn’t worth more than the paper it’s printed on.

If you’re fresh out of university, it’s a nice foot in the door. Hopefully EF delivers on its promises outlined in the job posting.

Apply to begin paying off your student loans (albeit at only $100 – 200 per month).

BAD

Even the King of Pop doesn't approve of these jobs.

4) Teach, Travel and Earn Money in Russia! – Aclipse

Something is off here. The job post at Dave’s is for Russia. Go to Aclipse’s website and the only countries on offer are Korea, China and Japan. The following screenshot is from the website. There are no mention of Russian schools partnered with Aclipse.

They probably do have relationships with Russian schools, but for godsakes people, post that information on your website. If you don’t post, then what other surprises do you have in store for prospective employees? Me thinks there’s also a good reason why you don’t post package details like accommodation, flight allowances, base pay and contact hours. This is shoddy marketing at its shoddiest.

5) Teachers Needed in Sakarya, Turkey

Adapazarý Private Enka School esunter@enka.k12.tr

Straightforward post mentioning the qualifications an applicant should have. But no mention of salary, contact hours, etc. Yes there is an email address, but that’s a mistake of the hiring personnel. Now they’re going to get inundated with simple questions that could’ve been avoided had they put basic info. like salary, contact hours, and other employment package details. No website for us to browse at our leisure?

It sounds good, but I wouldn’t expect much in terms of pay because it’s Turkey. You’ll have to query to find out more.

6) QUALIFIED NATIVE ENGLISH TEACHERS - Ankara, Turkey

University of Turkish Aeronautical Association ssahinel@thk.edu.tr

This post from Turkey is more comprehensive. It outlines the contact hours, what content you’ll be teaching, vacation, flight allowance. As well, clearly states accommodation is not provided.

Although, no website to direct us to for FAQs.

Again, it’s Turkey. Expect the salary to be low, even though you the candidate is highly qualified with over 3 years teaching experience. In terms of submitting required documents as part of your employment application, it’s a lot. Jump through hoops, but don’t expect to jump through hoops for big salary.

At your discretion, but personally, not for me.

7) CMT Learning Ltd – UK

First, they misspelled ‘definitely.’ Furthermore, the job posting format looks redonkulous. Other than the max number of contact hours (25), no mention of important job details like accommodation, flight allowance (though I think they’re looking for UK based individuals.)

Nice website for me to look at.

If you’re athletically inclined and from the UK, go for it. I expect the pay to be around £250 – 300 per week.

NOT WORTH IT

8) English-and-Skype

This old nugget of crap? They’re spending a fortune on posting on Dave’s ESL Café. They’ve got to change their game if they want to be considered reputable, or at least, halfway decent.

9) Native ESL/EFL Teacher - Interlingua School

Ok, let me say the employment package is decent (pay, accommodation, flight allowance, etc.)

But what I really enjoy, and for all the wrong reasons, is that Interlingua School is tacking on additional duties. You get to work as an office assistant as well! Maybe it’s a blend of working in the office and teaching, but I wouldn’t think the pay would be much better. Golly gee, no thank you.

If you’re teaching 26 hours per week, you deserve more than 8,600 RMB/ month.

This is a pass.

10) Beijing Hampson Education Training School – China

One on one teaching? It’s got its limitations. If you don’t develop rapport with the student immediately, it can quickly turn into a nightmare. You will still have to teach him/ her. Do you like pulling teeth on a daily basis for hours on end? Then this job is for you.

For the rest of you sane people, I’d pass on this ‘opportunity.’

11) Online English Teacher (part time) – dadaabc (company name)

Pass! And a big one at that.

The posting does not provide an email address or website. How do I apply to your crummy organization? Make it easy for employees to apply. Don’t make it a game of chasing the hare.

A Google search only yielded other job postings under the same company name.

These jokers aren't worth the time or effort to track them down and apply.

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