Posts Tagged ‘Scams’

Look for lines like this:

“I got a real buzz working with some of the teenagers who didn’t really want to be there”

Newspapers are full of PR releases repackaged as “journalism” nowadays, and I don’t just mean rags like the Mirror (source of the article the quote comes from), and TEFL has more than its fair share. Here’s hoping that some people try Google before deciding that working as a TEFL teacher is something you should pay for the privilege of.

Some courses, for example, demand a non-refundable interview/ application fee for the pleasure of being asked questions about grammar. Other courses, however, just say this:

“I understand and accept that should I be offered a place on the course I have applied for, I am committing myself to completing the course, and am therefore liable for payment of the entire course fee.”

Wait a minute- you what?? Let’s move that into other areas of life and see how it sounds:

“I understand that by coming for a job interview I am agreeing to work for you, even if I don’t like any of the answers to the questions I ask you at the end or the room we have the interview in smells of pee”

“I understand that by going on this blind date I am agreeing to marry you, even if the photo turns out not to be yours, and will be liable for alimony payments if I do not”

Etc.

Luckily, it was just badly written, didn’t mean that, and they are clearing it up after having it pointed out by me, but the person writing the blog I found this quote on was seriously thinking about paying it all in advance. If you should be only 23 and so incredibly naive too, let me spell it out in big friendly letters- AVOID CELTA COURSES THAT DEMAND INTERVIEW AND OTHER NON-REFUNDABLE FEES BEFORE YOU DECIDE THAT YOU WANT TO TAKE THE COURSE. Luckily, the vast majority of courses don’t charge such fees, giving even less justification to the ones that do (see my article for EL Gazette for more details).

Here’s the original  blog entry , in case you want to give some kind uncle advice or are interested in a TEFL trainer that takes suggestions for improvements (from me!) seriously and are considering Milan.

… and it’s not because of Interactive Whiteboards- see here for details. (more…)

I’d love to believe that the collective efforts of TEFL bloggers and website owners were working towards building a tefl internet where a word or two on Google will be worth more than asking people you know for recommendations for TEFL qualifications, schools and countries to work in, and teaching techniques and materials to use. Unfortunately, I think the present and near future reality is not so ideal.

Starting with a simple and practical example, would you be better off spending 20 minutes searching on the Internet for suitable worksheets, or should you spend that time trawling through the teachers’ room bookshelves and asking other teachers? If my own experience and the people who arrive on my blogs looking for something that isn’t there are anything to go by, I’d leave that keyboard alone.

And now to the more complex question of trying to find out something about, for example, training with and/or working with TEFL International in Thailand. What are the chances that an Internet search will give you the information you need? The answer is clear… (more…)

Missing- One Subash Melwani and Two Advanced Institutes

Talking of Spain (see below), whatever happened to Advanced Institute in Fernandez de los Rios in Madrid? More important, what happened to the lovely filing system I set up there? Has my life’s work gone to waste???? Is my masterpiece no more?????

Not that this would be the first English school to disappear without trace, if in fact it hasn’t just changed name or something. In this case, the fact that there is nothing on the internet is probably a good sign. At least this school actually taught some students (very well when I was there!) unlike the “schools” in Spain that make their money offering Pakistanis jobs teaching English in Spain as long as they send a “small advance” to sort out their visas.

Anyhows, Scooby doobie doo- where are you? (What a prescient nickname by George Cloonie that turned out to be!)