Beware this outfit.
Having worked? here for a number of months, things are clearly not what they should be.
Now it is understandable to put up with some crap in whatever workplace that you have the pleasure of landing in, however this place continues to get worse.
Firstly it is the general lack of resources available to the teachers. To actually purchase any relevant materials is like getting blood out of a stone.The use of the photocopier is almost seen as a crime - we are often told that we are using the machine too much. The photocopy police here guard the machine with avengence.
Communication is another problem - lessons are rearranged or changed and teachers find that there lessons have been changed on arrival or even canclled. There is never a reason for it, it just happens. If there are complaints the heavy handed memo's appear.
Regarding sickness, I quote, "it is unprofesional to call in sick". Apparently teachers now have to give 48 hours notice if they are going to be sick. I find this rather strange as no one can predict with any accuracy when he or she will be sick. In respect of this, the teacher who had been sick quite genuinley had phoned at the earliest opportunity, however because the "office staff" don't turn up to 8:30am the margin of being able to report sickness is very minimal. I am sure that parents of children would hardly be impressed with a teacher throwing up all over one of their children.
Work permits are often held - initially we need to take a photocopy and you can have it back. Myseriously these then appear to be locked away in the depths of the centre. Will you ever get to see it again? I can't answear that one yet.
Lesson reports are often censored by the owner - as they may be to negative! In fact one teacher recently was asked to sign a batch of reports that he hadn't written. He quite rightly refused to do this. The following week, the same teacher was then presented with a batch of reports. Now as the "admin staff" are not the brightest he decided to check before giving them out. Sure enough the same reports written, with his name on it and pp'd by the owner. He had already said that he would not have anything to do with the reports as he had only taken the class on 2 occassions before the completion of the course and could not verify what had been written. This was a prime example of the deceit in which this school operates.
There have been other occassions when pay has been late and when pay has been incorrect.
Teachers are blamed for the lack of students, however this no fault of there own. The majority of students continue their courses so numbers stay consistent. It is quite clear that the marketing plan or lack of it is one of the major reasons for limited expansion. English First seem to have a lack of desire to remain in Thailand, and with the closure of their head office in Bangkok and planned closures of some of their outposts it seems quite clear that this is a company in retreat. Having lost their operations manager becasue they treated him like shit the ship appears to be rather rudderless. This particular centre's idea of "target marketing" is to hand out a few leaflets at the BTS or otside Seacon.To me it's just a waste of paper - you only have to witness the amount of leaflets tossed back onto the streets.
The centre again now finds itself without a DOS- all to frequent here as any self respecting teacher will not put up with the continual interference from above. It is interesting to note that this centre now only has one full time teacher. The DOS leaves this week, and 4 more teachers are finishing, which will leave this establishment with only one full time and two part time teachers.
I am sure you get the idea of what I am saying. if you want to work in a diorganised shambles were then come over here.
Topic: EF/English First Thailand (Read 8519 times)