Where Has The Inspector Gone?

"Goodness gracious. Not a post in ages. What on earth has happened to the old fart?"

I'm sure there has been the odd muttering that either I've copped a sniper's bullet from The House of Windsor or have simply been shagging myself senseless with the lovely Rosita in Pamplona at night, whilst puffing gently on a nice Cuban cigar with a glass of the finest Highland single malt after a nice siesta in the afternoon.

In truth postings arrive on the different threads that most of you probably aren't even aware of, so The Blacklist has seen a steady trickle of information and misinformation, especially from old Bruce at TEFL International, and since the demise of Sandy your beloved sleuth has been even more acutely aware that real information about the TEFL business is in short supply.

So I've taken time out to reflect on the future of the blog.

Oh and it's about time the Oscar winners for 2008 were announced.

_________________________________________________________
Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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Paul Lowe. A Threat to Free Speech!

Paul Lowe is becoming a real nuisance. The Inspector has received this request from Alex Case and is pleased to offer whatever help he can. The beauty of the Internet and especially Google is that everyone has a voice. Mr Paul Lowe is now attempting to silence any voice that might be even mildly critical of his business methods - remember this is the same person that was selling fraudulent Trinity certified TEFL courses after he had been struck off by Trinity. A lot of teachers graduated to find that their TEFL certificates were Mickey Mouse qualifications.

So this is what Alex requests.........

"If you could put this up as its own post or spread the word in any
other way, would be much appreciated:

An appeal to TEFLers everywhere.

I would be grateful if you could help me and TEFLers everywhere by
sparing ten minutes to read this and do one of the actions suggested
below

Some background: 2 weeks ago a certain Paul Lowe of Windsor
Schools/Windsor TEFL came out of nowhere and into my life by
threatening to sue me and the owner of the site my blog,TEFLtastic, is
on. Obviously boosted by the success this effortless method had in
shutting down Sandy McManus's TEFLtrade blog and Wally Windsor's site,
he didn't even think it was worth spending a few minutes checking what
TEFLtastic had to say about him before firing off a threatening email.
I can say that with full confidence because before I reprinted his
email mentioning legal action there was not one reference to Paul Lowe
or Windsor Schools on my blog.

So, why should you care? Apart from the specific loss of a couple of
blogs, I would argue that there is a major principle at stake here, one
that could affect all of us and one that we are approaching a critical
period with.

The TEFL world on the internet is rapidly changing from one where a
quick Google search can bring up a full and colourful range of views
from teachers, students, trainees and the occasional crank, to one
where any TEFL related searches will find you yet again on Cactus TEFL
or i-to-i TEFL. My accidental brush with Mr Lowe has helped me come up
with a plan to tackle that loss of our influence. Whether it will be a
successful last stand or not I can't say, but here's how to go out with
our guns blazing:

My proposal is to make a lesson of Mr Paul Lowe of Windsor
Schools/Windsor TEFL that other school owners and TEFL training
organisations can learn from by making sure that everyone who searches
for him on the internet hears what we have to say, and making sure
there are enough of us saying it that he has to give up the use of
unjustified threatening emails to silence us. As diversity of voices is
the whole point, I won't even suggest what you could say about him, but
here are some simple and time efficient ways of using this opportunity
to show the TEFL big boys we won't be gagged:
- Paste this and/or your own comments into an email and send it to
everyone you know, especially people in TEFL
- Leave a brief message of support here or anywhere else he or his
school get a mention
- Google him or his school and only click on the pages that give an
independant viewpoint
- Give links to such pages in your blog, MSN page, Facebook page, email
signature etc.
- Paste this post and/or make a comment in your blog with suitable
tags, or in any of those other places mentioned above
- Start a new thread on this topic in TEFL and other forums
- Start a suitably titled new blog with info and links on Paul Lowe and
Windsor TEFL-it takes literally 5 minutes to set up a free blog on
Blogger or Wordpress,and if I can anyone can!
- Write to Paul himself at paul@windsorschools.eclipse.co.uk and let
him know what you think

I hope I have convinced you that by making our voices heard in this way
we can all benefit in the longer term, or at least that I am genuine in
my attempts and worth 5 minutes of your time to help.Any help at all
would be much appreciated

Thanks

Alex Case, TEFL teacher and blogger."

_________________________________________________________
Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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Richard Bradford TEFL?

This comment was left by a Mr. Anonymous on the "Who Killed Sandy McManus" post. What The Inspector finds most interesting is not the content so much as who could have been the author. There are quite a few clues, in fact to work out what sort of person might have written it, in fact it's a bit like Cluedo. Who dunnit? Was it Colonel Mustard with a revolver in the Billiard Room. Before you read it here are the following pointers:

• The author works in EFL
  
• The author is 37/38 years old
  
• The author first started working as an EFL teacher in 1994
  
• The author is probably British as EFL rather than ESL is used to describe the profession.
  
• The author left teaching in 2002
  
• His last post paid £1000 a month so certain countries can be eliminated
  
• He now clearly is rather full of himself
  
• He looks down on EFL teachers now
  
• He has a highly paid job and is either senior management or owner of a business
  
• The business is not a language school
  
• The author probably has poor people management skills. Arrogance does not make for a good working atmosphere in any business.
  

Well assuming that there are no red herrings in the comments I would guess that there are enough clues to have a pretty good guess as to who might be the author. Richard Bradford of Cactus TEFL would be a possibility but he doesn't own Cactus as far as The Inspector knows and the author has apparently started his own business. Cactus as agents don't actually run a language school but take a commission as agents for TEFL courses/English homestays/language courses they sell.

He/she is probably an agent in EFL hence the comment about wanting to take on someone with a salary of £40,000 and involving a fair bit of admin and some travelling.

Whoever you are Mr/Ms Anonymous thanks for the posting. What an insight into the mindset of an EFL agent!

Any other guesses as to who it might be? Anyway here it is ........................

"I used to find such comments on low wages tiresome but now they just amuse me.

I remember I instigated a bonus scheme to help people realise that if they did what only what they were contractually obliged to do, they could earn a little more. As I could have predicted when you give staff more for them doing what they have always done they become less happy. Why? Well, I’ll let you work that one out. In one instance of a teacher who was always late, got miffed because he didn’t get any bonus for the punctuality element. Can you believe it!

See if you can disagree with any of this

Most people who enter efl are young graduates who have very little ambition or skills and don’t have any prospect of a good career in the UK commensurate with their perceived value as a graduate so gain a cert to go and live abroad for a while. It has been a truism for at least two hundred years that if you can’t make it in the home country you go abroad. They go abroad and work for low wages which they don’t really care about as it seems like an extended holiday and are glad to have the chance to survive in a foreign country/culture. They are now qualified (long expensive training gives them a professional status as an efl teacher – well 4 weeks and £800).

They return for summer school work for a few years and then they start to think they are not really getting anywhere so they’ll return to the UK to make some real money commensurate with their value as a professional, qualified, experienced graduate.

Of course permanent posts are quite rare and almost all are poorly paid. Why is that? Because every year there are more and more “qualified teachers” (remember that long and expensive professional training?). For supposed graduates the fact that almost all of them have no grasp of the basic laws of supply and demand says something doesn’t it.

Remember however that the longer one stays in this business as a teacher the more entrenched in a losing mindset you will become. Hey presto the only outlet is to complain about how other people don’t give you things (higher wages) which are your birthright as a professional, qualified, experienced graduate. So wearying, so sad.

That is not to say there aren’t some nice people in the business but the overwhelming majority are those who have abjectly failed in their other chosen pursuit (usually artistic) and are complete losers in every way, boring, lazy and lacking ambition.

I think the apotheosis of this type is Sandy Mcmanus. If I didn’t have better things to do I would start a website to name and shame all the useless twats I have had to deal with, but why bother? It won’t improve my life. What will such people ever understand about working for six months, 15 hours a day, 7 days a week for no money at all, and you have had to remortgage to pay wages to the sort of “professionals” who walk off the job, and worse.

I’ve met hundreds of these types. Indeed I was one myself. Although I don’t remember complaining about how other people didn’t give me more money. My first efl job at the age of 26 paid £60 per week. That was in 1994. I have been in EFL since then and worked hard. Pay attention to that last sentence. My last job as a teacher in 2002 paid £1000 in a good week. In 2005 I earned £77,000. I once had a school but left that business as having to deal with all the criminals, shysters and useless teachers stressed me out too much. Still in EFL but do not own a language school (thank God). How much do I earn now? about £11,000 per month. If my financial predictions pan out in about 15 months it should be about £66,000 per month.

I can hear the gasps of disbelief. Funny thing is, it isn’t that much. Loads of people in the City earn these sorts of figures. “Why, How?” Oh how I wish the Guardian would teach readers the basics of supply and demand, even a short article on working hard instead of waiting for handouts would be helpful

In case any of you think this is a silly boast, think again. Apart from the fact none of you know me, nor are you ever likely to, money in fact means very little. Making it is just a game. And no, I’m not going to tell you how. Just like wisdom, all the answers are out there, you’ve just got to work it out for yourself. Unfortunately very few of you will. I can guarantee that anyone who complains about how other people won’t give them something for free is unlikely ever to learn anything, which will ever help them get out of such a situation. The essence of success (if that is what you choose to call it, btw why are you all so avaricious?) is to work out how to give more to people while they give you less. Ok, I’m sure many of you didn’t know that, although I am confident that giving away that little secret will not help any of you. Stony ground.

Remember 95% (exactly) of the population will never amount to anything. Do you know why? I hope there will be a post with the correct answer. If there is, I will respond to it. Indeed if someone does come up with the correct answer and they need a leg up financially or in any other way, I’ll help them. I can guarantee however that almost all responses to this post will be negative and there ye shall remain. I’m rambling a little here but I haven’t quite lost faith in people yet. I am in fact looking for someone to do a job for me in EFL. Quite easy, quite a lot of admin, a little travelling and 40k for the right person.

None of you who work in schools and complain about your wages have ever spotted a decent employer and said to them, “I am going to do something for you for free because I like working here”, or “I want to be paid less” If any of you have any balls, just try it and see what happens. Those with the right attitude are always spotted sooner or later and given a chance to better themselves. There are many who started at the bottom with nothing and went right to the top. Do you think they got there by saying to those who mattered, I’m going to do less but I want more from you?

I expect you’ll all be posting how bad I am. I can’t see that I am but no doubt you’ll find something to bleat about. But before you do, consider who creates jobs, pays taxes which run the country and pays for all the health and education you lot consume. And who pays to look after the old and the sick? and gives more money away to charity than you lot earn in a year? What do you contribute?"

Posted by Anonymous

Who Killed Sandy McManus?

I suspect foul play. Last year Sandy was blackmailed by the "Headmaster" in Japan and handed over the keys to the TEFL Blacklist to your noble sleuth. Now suddenly and unexpectedly he has abruptly ceased his Tefltrade blog.

His list of enemies it must be confessed was rather long. I have a suspicion that someone has finally tracked him down.

I notice that someone has nominated Paul Lowe for an Oscar. He's certainly been after Sandy for some time.

Old Sandy used to let rip. Now alas it's R.I.P.

_________________________________________________________

Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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The TEFL Oscars 2008

Obnoxious School. Classes Appalling. Real Shysters.

The 2008 TEFL Blacademy Awards Ceremony
presented by the ever popular
Inspector McHammered of the Lard.

Live February 24, 2008 from The Hotel Wanker in Austria where the Inspector is currently on a skiing holiday.

THE 2008 CATEGORIES FOR THE OSCARS....................

• OVERALL OSCAR WINNER WORST SCHOOL 2008
• WORST SHYSTER
• WORST PAID
• WORST LOCATION
• WORST FRANCHISE
• WORST JOB BULLETIN BOARD
• WORST TEFL JOB ADVERTISED
• WORST TEFL COURSE PROVIDER
• WORST SCHOOL FOR RIPPING OFF STUDENTS
• WORST TEFL AGENT
• WORST TEFL PUBLICATION

Only a few more days to go.

A quick reminder of last year's winners:

OVERALL OSCAR WINNER WORST SCHOOL 

2007ASTA Kids Club in Incheon, Korea. 
WORST OWNER
Shane of Shane schools and his alter ego Saxoncourt Recruitment.
WORST DOS
ASTA Kids Club in Incheon, Korea 
WORST PAID
East London School of English 
WORST LOCATION
China. Can be great if you do your research well but a place to be very wary of as there are some terrible schools. 
WORST FRANCHISE (for people daft enough to buy one)
Smith's School of English, Japan. Shame on International House London as well and worthy of a special mention.
WORST JOB BULLETIN BOARD
TEFL.com. No attempt at all to inform the unsuspecting teacher of crap outfits. At least Saint Dave Sperling has a forum (albeit heavily neutered).
WORST TEFL COURSE PROVIDER
Paul Lowe of Windsor TEFL Courses
WORST SHYSTERS FOR STUDENTS
Wall Street Institute for being bankruptcy bandits.

As you have probably gathered The Inspector was not in a good mood last year. Just thinking about some of these "schools" brought out boils on his bum and he couldn't sit down for a week.

There's a whole load of new schools to take into consideration for The Oscars 2008.



_________________________________________________________
Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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Marriage - A little Levity

(dedicated to Lady Florence McHammered)

What am I doing wrong?

Okay, I’m tired of beating around the bush. I’m a beautiful (spectacularly beautiful) 25 year old girl. I’m articulate and classy.
I’m not from New York . I’m looking to get married to a guy who makes at least half a million a year. I know how that sounds, but keep in mind that a million a year is middle class in New York City, so I don’t think I’m overreaching at all.

Are there any guys who make 500K or more on this board? Any wives? Could you send me some tips? I dated a business man who makes average around 200 - 250. But that’s where I seem to hit a roadblock. 250,000 won’t get me to central park west. I know a woman in my yoga class who was married to an investment banker and lives in Tribeca, and she’s not as pretty as I am, nor is she a great genius. So what is she doing right? How do I get to her level?

Here are my questions specifically:

- Where do you single rich men hang out? Give me specifics- bars, restaurants, gyms

-What are you looking for in a mate? Be honest guys, you won’t hurt my feelings

-Is there an age range I should be targeting (I’m 25)?

- Why are some of the women living lavish lifestyles on the upper east side so plain? I’ve seen really ‘plain jane’ boring types who have nothing to offer married to incredibly wealthy guys. I’ve seen drop dead gorgeous girls in singles bars in the east village. What’s the story there?

- Jobs I should look out for? Everyone knows - lawyer, investment banker, doctor. How much do those guys really make? And where do they hang out? Where do the hedge fund guys hang out?

- How you decide marriage vs. just a girlfriend? I am looking for MARRIAGE ONLY

Please hold your insults - I’m putting myself out there in an honest way. Most beautiful women are superficial; at least I’m being up front about it. I wouldn’t be searching for these kind of guys if I wasn’t able to match them - in looks, culture, sophistication, and keeping a nice home and hearth.

it’s NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests
PostingID: 432279810

THE ANSWER
Dear Pers-431649184:

I read your posting with great interest and have thought meaningfully about your dilemma. I offer the following analysis of your predicament.
Firstly, I’m not wasting your time, I qualify as a guy who fits your bill; that is I make more than $500K per year. That said here’s how I see it.

Your offer, from the prospective of a guy like me, is plain and simple a crappy business deal. Here’s why. Cutting through all the B.S., what you suggest is a simple trade: you bring your looks to the party and I bring my money. Fine, simple. But here’s the rub, your looks will fade and my money will likely continue into perpetuity…in fact, it is very likely that my income increases but it is an absolute certainty that you won’t be getting any more beautiful!

So, in economic terms you are a depreciating asset and I am an earning asset. Not only are you a depreciating asset, your depreciation accelerates! Let me explain, you’re 25 now and will likely stay pretty hot for the next 5 years, but less so each year. Then the fade begins in earnest. By 35 stick a fork in you!

So in Wall Street terms, we would call you a trading position, not a buy and hold…hence the rub…marriage. It doesn’t make good business sense to “buy you” (which is what you’re asking) so I’d rather lease. In case you think I’m being cruel, I would say the following. If my money were to go away, so would you, so when your beauty fades I need an out. It’s as simple as that. So a deal that makes sense is dating, not marriage.

Separately, I was taught early in my career about efficient markets. So, I wonder why a girl as “articulate, classy and spectacularly beautiful”
as you has been unable to find your sugar daddy. I find it hard to believe that if you are as gorgeous as you say you are that the $500K hasn’t found you, if not only for a tryout.

By the way, you could always find a way to make your own money and then we wouldn’t need to have this difficult conversation.

With all that said, I must say you’re going about it the right way.
Classic “pump and dump.”
I hope this is helpful, and if you want to enter into some sort of lease, let me know.

Courtesy of Craig's List

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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The TEFL Whitelist is Born

Check it out by clicking HERE

_________________________________________________________
Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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The Index - What Index?

There has been such a glut of postings that the index is clearly in dire need of updating. The TEFL Blacklist is also in need of some light hearted comments to counterbalance the recent outpouring of bile on the "nominate a school for blacklisting" section.

The Inspector will have to give the gorgeous Margherita the night off and burn the midnight oil in order to make the Blacklist a shade less black. In any case If I carry on at this rate she'll cause me to slip a disc. At least young Hamish McHammered has now gone. Took a job to get Ryanair to take his caber on the plane as sports luggage but we finally managed it!

Anyone care to nominate a very good school? Now is the time.

_________________________________________________________
Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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CBI Canadian Bilingual Institute in Bratislava, Slovakia (Slovak Republi

Phew! The Inspector is Mcknackered. Surely there can't be that many bad schools out there. Rest assured if you have been unfairly listed here then just drop a quick word in his ear.

CBI Canadian Bilingual Institute in Bratislava, Slovakia (Slovak Republic). This English school has the worst management, an incredibly greedy owner, and doesn't take care of its teachers.

Teachers are coaxed into signing a contract, then after they arrive (paying their own travel expenses) are told about other personal expenses, deductions, and work requirements that weren't in the contract and never mentioned during interviews (I even asked a direct question regarding some of the matters during an interview, and once I started working found out that I was lied to!).

They also think they are above the law - illegal contracts, screwing up people's visas, income tax problems, etc.

Terrible!

_________________________________________________________

Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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Anglo European Study Tours AEST Summer Schools

Another comment that appeared on the "nominate a school for blacklisting section."
WARNING to anyone who'll apply for summer work with AEST summer schools. I worked as Assistant Course director last year and it was by far the shoddiest shadiest bunch of cowboys I've come across (and in 10 years I've seen a few!). I worked in Galway, We were forced to pay £25 to receive our own wages (well overdue, needless to say) transferred into a UK bank account . I rang their bank (Coutts &Co. no less) and was told that it was NOT necessary to pay anything for a 3-day transfer: I rang the AEST head office in London to tell them this, they blatantly lied, I told them I'd just got off the phone to the bank who told me otherwise and they simply slammed the phone down on me. It would of course have been easier if teachers could have been paid in euro from AEST's Bank of Ireland account, though again they told me this didn't exist, even though at the end of the course I had to pay a company there with - surprise, surprise - a cheque from their non-existent account.
Apart from staff money problems, the kids had no books, pens, etc. Teachers resorted to buying these and paying for photocopies out of the own pockets.
There is another centre in Dublin, I finally tracked down the DoS there and if anything their situation was even worse: NOBODY got paid from the beginning to the end of the school. Half the teachers left before the end, simply giving up on the prospect of seeing any money. Regarding understaffing, in our centre the DoS ended up simply going round the pubs in the evening trying to find extra teachers (he found one, actually a qualified TEFL teacher, who lasted one day and then left in disgust).

It makes me sick that though we were treated like slaves, lied to and ignored by head office, I read the contract they had with an Italian government body, and they got 517,000 euro for the Galway centre alone. Yet didn't fork out for a photocopy budget or board markers for teachers. nice. (Anyone who doubts this can have a photocopy of the contract which I have). Yet they STILL wanted more money: they knowingly accepted more kids than they had accommodation for, even suggesting at one stage that Italian teenagers could simply sleep two to a bed (I kid you not)!
SO PLEASE: SPREAD THE WORD!!!!!

_________________________________________________________
Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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Daleena International Language Centre in Malaga, Spain

Interesting comment.

Not too sure if this is strictly one for the blacklist as I doubt this school really exists!!

Just wanted to warn others not to waste time with these guys- any recruitment process will end with them asking you to wire money.. its just a scam!

They may operate under other names also- but if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
_________________________________________________________
Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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North China Electric Power University.

Nearly at the end of the many comments that have recently appeared on the "nominate a school for blacklisting section."
This one is notable in that the person concerned has come out and given his name (I think!)

North China Electric Power University.

Michael Coombs, an English teacher from the UK who was employed by the university, was disappointed to find that he was not given the three room apartment with all facilities he was promised. Instead, he was placed in foreign students accommodation. Living conditions included: One room; No hot water until 18:00; Absolutely no guests allowed except from 16:00 until 22:00, and then only two guests maximum; Main doors locked at 23:00 with no exit/entrance for residents until 06:00, any attempt met with abuse by the night watchman; A small kitchen shared with many students, from which food was consistently stolen; Improperly fitted windows and doors resulting in coldness and mosquitoes. He was told throughout the four months he was there that he would be moved to the three room apartment with all facilities soon. Eventually he resigned.

_________________________________________________________
Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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British Institutes (BUSTO ARISIZIO)

Another comment that appeared on the "nominate a school for blacklisting section."

British Institutes (BUSTO ARISIZIO)

I lasted a month and actually left without pay because I was so keen to Foxtrott Oscar.

I worked in Japan and Poland before B.I Busto Arsizio so I wasn't completely green to the situation.

There are too many ridiculous things to mention. Most of them happened to us (another guy left just after me) and a whole lot more happened to the people who we replaced (they all lost money).

In short, stay clear!!

_________________________________________________________
Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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Berlitz Istanbul, Turkey

Another comment that appeared on the "nominate a school for blacklisting section."
I wouldn't recommend Berlitz Istanbul. If you are interested in seeing a foreign country for 6 months and experience a new culture then this place is a no-brainer. But, if you are looking for medical benefits, a teacher's permit, travel pay (all promised in the original contract) forget it! There is no honor by this thief. They even pocket the teacher's income tax at the end of the year!

Strong stuff! Anybody care to add to this. I'll remove it if nothing more substantial emerges


Addendum

Indeed it has. The Inspector's Investigations unearthed the following ancient (2003)
observations elsewhere on the web!
_________________________________________________________
As you have all probably seen, Berlitz Istanbul is hiring once again, and I wanted to warn the uninitiated out there that they are a very poorly-run organization and I would advise anyone against taking a job with them. The reason they are always hiring is that their teachers are always quitting. Avoid them like the plague.
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I have been contacted by Inlingua Istanbul and noticed that their Web site contained "Berlitz." Are they one and the same, or affiliated??
_________________________________________________________
Check this site out for more info on what life is like working at Berlitz Japan and Korea.
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I've said this before as well Berlitz has a bad reputation in Taiwan and Korea and, depending on your school, Japan.

If you are patient and look carefully, I believe better schools can be found than Berlitz.

Check this site out for more info on what life is like working at Berlitz Japan and Korea.

I just finished reading another thread on the Saudi Arabia Forum here at Dave's and it looks like Berlitz in the M.E. offers a pretty weak package for prospective teachers.

I've said this before as well Berlitz has a bad reputation in Taiwan and Korea and, depending on your school, Japan.

If you are patient and look carefully, I believe better schools can be found than Berlitz.
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I also advise teachers to avoid Berlitz Istanbul. Speaking from experience, I can say that their management staff is very difficult to work with and they really don't seem to care about their teachers at all. Probably the reason why their turnover is high (the average teacher stay seems to be about two or three months). Also: if you do get into negotiations with these guys, beware the contract. They may tell you it's just a formality, but they're actually very serious about it and may try to pursue you in court if you attempt to quit. It may be worth getting a lawyer to look at it beforehand. Bottom line: it's possible to teach there, but be very wary and stand your ground at every turn.
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Hi folks,

No one answered the previous poster, is there a sneaky relationship between Inlingua and Berlitz? I've been looking at the Inlingua in Baglarbasi, does anyone know anything? I'm limited in that my credentials are in Spanish, not ESL, and that seems to limit my choices a little bit.

Should I be lying awake tonight like this: ?

Gracias,
stural
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I was offered a position with Berlitz in Beyoglu some weeks ago. Since I'm domiciled in Hong Kong, this entailed packing my belongings, giving notice, arranging transportation etc. One week before I was due to leave Hong Kong I was told by the Berlitz center manager that I could not be hired after all, because the Turkish Ministry of Education had issued a directive that prevented them from recruiting staff in Hong Kong. As far as I know, Turkish schools do not make a practice of recruiting people in Hong Kong, so I found it rather surprising, to say the least, that the MofE would bother formulating and issuing such a specific directive. Predictably, when I asked Berlitz for further clarification (and the name of someone at the ministry with whom I could communicate) my letter was ignored.

I've not been able to determine, by my own efforts, if such a directive was ever issued but I have been offered employment with another Istanbul language school, so I'm very much disposed to believe that I was lied to. If this is an example of the way in which Berlitz treats people I'm not surprised at all that they have such a poor reputation.
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I know this is a bit late to respond, but I was very moved to reply once I read what Iskender wrote.

I did work at Berlitz Istanbul for an entire year. YES! I finished my contract- but I got stiffed for half of the expenses for getting my work permit. I was told that he was not going to pay for my honeymoon. I left screaming nasty things like you are a lying SOB. He agreed with me and said he had no problems sleeping at night and disinvited me to enter his facility again.

Things are not right in Berlitz Istanbul and Marc47, you hit the nail on the head when you said you may have been lied to. This is the biggest problem of Berlitz in Istanbul. The owner and manager is a pathological liar. He really can not help himself.

just a few examples---I have a friend who went to interview with him for teaching the lawyer class. Another friend, who also finished a full one year contract had totally created the materials and the format of this class. The interviewing friend was told that she could not speak with the previous teacher because said teacher had left Turkey and was back in the US. LIE!!! The interviewing friend had had dinner with the ex-teacher the night before. The interviewing friend was then told that there were no materials to be seen for the class because the ex-teacher took them all when leaving Turkey. LIE!!!!!

The same ex-teacher friend had dinner with the ex-law class. The next day, the class was told that the reason for the delay in restarting their class was that the teacher died. When confronted with the fact that their teacher was very much alive and enjoying sheep for dinner, they were then told that Solmaz never told them it was that teacher, but a teacher. Strange that none of the teachers that were working at Berlitz at the time had heard of any teacher dying.

The personal problems mentioned by Iskender most likely have to do with rotten scheduling of classes, disorganization, weird contracts, low pay, lack of pay for long travel times, and various other job related reasons that have nothing to do with personal problems. I knwo of several instances of teachers during my year and just after who "ditched" Berlitz Turkey.

As far as the center thriving goes- all of the Asian based teachers are having to travel to Europe in order to have classes to teach. There ARE NO CLASSES in the Suadiye branch. It seems ridiculous to say recruiting because of expanding. Summertimes are not good for getting hours at Berlitz Turkey. I know of several instances of teachers who "ditched" Berlitz Turkey

Solmaz does do lip service in regards to "caring" about teachers and students and talks about his "happy family." Unfortunatly, most things come with strings. They also come with nasty things said about the students- "All students at the center are lazy Turkish B*******. He also has an unwritten rule that teachers are not to speak to each other. The Turkish staff is supposed to stop this action.

"The teachers are expected to work hard." Yes indeedy! I went several months working every single day because I needed the hours. I managed to earn an average of about 460 dollars per month for the year I was there. I also spent 6 hours a week travel for one class that paid me for 9 hours of work.

" I am satisfied with the work and I love living in Istanbul. I also find it comforting to work for a place that is secure and likely to endure the economic rollercoaster when other centers may fold."

I admit that I was satisfied with the quality of my students and that when I had a normal schedule, I was satisfied with the work. I too love living in Istanbul, but I find it much much more comforting to work for a University where I have REGULAR hours, am paid at the first of the month instead of two weeks later, actually have insurance and PAID SSK (unlike my entire years time at Berlitz Istanbul), and am paid for vacation time.

There is so much more to be said, but I believe I have said enough. Berlitz Istanbul is an experience I am glad to put behind me. Anyone who is considering working at any location should speak to people who have worked there in the past. I am happy to be finished there.

"I wouldn't write off working for Berlitz because of the comments of those who have no experience working there ..."

I am a real person who worked at Berlitz Istanbul. I have no qualms about signing my name either. I SURVIVED BERLITZ-TURKEY!
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This may also be a bit late to post but from my experience with Berlitz Istanbul it is best not to even begin negotiations with them. I accepted a job with them via email and when I came to Turkey highly regretted it. I spent only two days in the Berlitz office and left before my relationship went any further. The management was rude and unthoughtful and my gut told me to get out. I never taught a course there nor did I finish their training.

Just to get an idea of how little time I spent with them I'll give some background info. The training I did do consisted of sitting in a room by myself and watching 8 hours of videos. The next day I sat around my house all day waiting for them to call me and then finally when I was asked in at 3 was rushed through some of their books so that I could teach the next day. It had been my understanding via the emails we had that I would come in and discuss the job but was put in a room with the contract and when I asked questions was told don't worry, just sign. I had purposely not signed the contract from outside of Turkey because I wanted some other people there and the contract itself asked for someone from the AKYO corp (which owns Berlitz) to be there, I felt pressured into signing something I never should have and due to me being too trusting and advice I had received from a TEFL course I took that I could do no better than Berlitz unfortunately I signed.

Before I told them I would not work with them I had two Turkish lawyers look at the contract. Both told me that it is not valid for various reasons. I received a nasty email from the manager and was told not to respond by my lawyer. A couple of months later I received a court order from them asking for over $USD2500 in damages! Luckily I have a lot of connections in Turkey that are taking care of this. None of the other expats here I have spoken to nor any of the heads of other private language schools I have talked with have ever heard of a case like this going this far.

My advice is stay away from a place like Berlitz, go with your gut feeling and check out all your options! Istanbul is a great city, and Turkish people are very kind. If you are thinking about coming here there are many better jobs at private language schools like International House and English Time that not only pay better but treat their workers with more respect. Even better if you enjoy working with children many schools hire foreign staff to teach English. Good Luck and be wary of Berlitz!

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I see Berltiz is advertising yet again!! I wanted to add to my previous message for those who just don't know!

Beware of any email from a person named “Dave Smith” in correspondence with Berlitz Istanbul. There is no such person and there has never been any such person at Berlitz Istanbul. “Dave Smith” is a creation of Solmaz, owner and manager of Istanbul Turkey. Several people have fallen for this unethical created version of a “fellow American, who just loves working at Berlitz Istanbul” and have come to Istanbul only to find out that this “great” guy that they had been emailing about working for Berlitz Istanbul is admitted to be Solmaz himself. Solmaz has said that he emails people with the name “Dave Smith” so that people feel good about Berltiz Turkey and want to come work there.

I personally find it disgusting and highly unethical to represent oneself as an American working at Berltiz Istanbul when he is the owner of a franchise with well known problems with many past employees- as well noted on this board.

Don’t just accept any American sounding name as a reference. It is easy to lie via Internet and as stated in the past- it is easy for this person to lie to your face too.


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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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Eurolingua Brno, Czech Republic

This comment appeared on the "nominate a school for blacklisting section."

Eurolingua in Brno, Czech Republic is best to avoid.

"After one interview and seeing the premisis, I opted not to take a job offer with them and decided that I will not work with them ever.

The woman who runs the place has very little in people skills or social graces and said to my face that she refuses to hire people legally, won't help employees with taxes. Basically, she said she gives you the money and the rest is your problem and don't ask her for help.

The bureaucracy in the Czech Republic for foreigners is quite daunting, so you certainly don't need an employer like this

While I have not worked there personally, I have a colleague and a former student who both have done teaching work there (they are both Czech) and neither had much good to say about the owner of the school or her people skills, they also went on to say that many students were not happy at the owner's business practices on one level or another."
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Not too sure whether this schools deserves a mention here. Any comments either way (nothing nasty please) would be of help.
In any case a degree of caution never does any harm.

Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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Korean Xenophobia - The Inspector's last Word (probably)

LOST IN TRANSLATION
"Is Korea still an isolated country? Many have been calling for a "global Korea" over the last decade, stressing that globalization is the only way for survival. The number of foreigners living in the country exceeded the 1 million mark last year, but many of them say Korea lags far behind Singapore or Japan. There is plenty of inconvenience in their everyday life here, from basic communication and asking for directions to applying for credit cards and using the Internet. They also say Koreans still have little regard for the feeling of foreigners.
John (25), a Canadian English teacher in Seoul, has a problem with, of all things, his mobile phone. Despite plenty of battery power, his mobile phone goes dead a lot because he is on a pre-paid plan. In Korea, it is difficult for foreigners to subscribe to normal, post-paid plans, apparently because service providers fear they could scram without paying their bills.

Michael (42), an American who has taught English at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies for three years, has a similar problem. Last year, he went to an airline office to buy a flight ticket for the Christmas holidays carrying W3.5 million (US$1=W936) in his backpack -- and with Korea’s small-denomination banknotes that’s a lot of paper -- because he could not get a credit card. "I tried to apply to two banks for a credit card. But the only reply I got from their clerks was, 'No, sorry.' They neither attempted to explain to me why they were not issuing a credit card nor gave me any brochures in English."

Foreigners in Korea complain that it is very difficult to get ID numbers to use in the basic service sectors, including financing, the Internet, and communications. Most foreigners carry alien registration cards and numbers provided by the Korean government. But they are no use in everyday life, which makes it much more difficult to book train tickets, buy movie tickets in advance, or make online payments.

Korean websites use strict criteria for foreigners who wish to subscribe to their services -- and there are no set standards either. It is possible for foreigners registered with the Immigration Office of the Justice Ministry to apply for services on portal sites such as Naver and Empas with their ID numbers. But they are required to send copies of their alien registration cards by fax if they want to use services on CyWorld or CGV. And errors frequently occur even on Naver during the subscription process.

Banking is another headache. Even if a bank decides to issue credit cards to foreigners, services differ greatly depending, it seems, on the individual clerks who deal with them. One clerk at a call center of Kookmin Bank, the country's largest bank, said, "If you carry a professor's visa but don't have a third guarantor, you have to give proof of a salary of over W50 million a year." But another clerk said, "If you carry a professor's visa, you don't need proof of income."

What is the situation in other Asian countries like Japan and Hong Kong? In Japan, foreigners can immediately subscribe to mobile phone services and medical insurance if they carry an alien registration card. They are not discriminated against in terms and conditions or benefits from such services. Most portal sites in Japan like “livedoor.com”, the most popular site among Japanese netizens, only require foreigners to present basic information such as names and addresses, without asking for ID numbers.

In Hong Kong, foreigners also have little trouble subscribing to mobile phone and credit card services, even if they don't have third guarantors or make security deposits. Major banks in Hong Kong, such as HSBC, Standard Chartered and Heng Sheng Bank, allow foreigners to apply for credit cards three months after they open accounts -- on the same terms and conditions as local residents. Foreigners can also apply for housing loans after verifying their credit status, including income, just like local residents.

In Singapore, foreigners with employment passes, are not discriminated against in applying for mobile phone or credit card services. If they have employment passes and bank accounts, they can apply for bank loans. Ryan (32), a Canadian English teacher who arrived in Korea two years ago after living in Japan for three years, said, "Foreigners experience more inconvenience in Korea than in Japan because Korea has no universal standards. It seems Korea hasn’t even set its own standards yet, let alone using global standards."

Courtesy of english.chosun.com

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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Are There any Good TEFL Course Providers?

This question was posted deep in the bowels of The TEFL Blacklist. It's a good point and therefore The Inspector hereby invites all and sundry to comment.

Hello Inspector Mchammered

Interesting blog, found while I was searching for a training centre.

Whilst you have merrily bashed several training facilities, you have recommended none. Are there no schools that make the grade?

I would love a nudge in the right direction so as not to waste my hard-earned pennies on shysters and thieves.

Thank you.
January 31, 2008 7:53 PM

For a very good reason Toni Q. This is a blacklist and not a TEFL Whitelist.

However a few pointers wouldn't hurt the Inspector! So.................

In general ensure that your course lasts at least a month with plenty of teaching practice. Don't be fooled by "International House" as although the London courses are good (albeit ludicrously expensive given TEFL salaries), some of the International House "affiliates" or rather franchises are dreadful and clearly there is enough evidence that they don't all operate to the same standards. International House Kuala Lumpur is notorious.

Trinity (who actually removed accreditation from Windsor TEFL and Paul Lowe) or Cambridge approved is a positive sign. Google the hell out of your shortlist as the Internet often yields unexpected nuggets of information. Expect the course to be very hard. There are simply no shortcuts. The weekend or online courses might get you a job in Tibet but you won't learn anything much about TEFL.

Just remember only a tiny % of all the language schools make it onto the TEFL Blacklist. There are plenty of good ones out there.

Oh and don't expect unbiased helpful advice from Richard Bradford and the folks at Cactus TEFL or for that matter i - i or Saxoncourt Recruitment. Their priority is parting you from your hard earned cash.

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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Guardian Languages - Languages Out There

The Guardian Sweat Shop

Well I think we can all guess what you are up to Jason. Your business "Languages Out There" is a veritable TEFL sweat shop.

My son Hamish McHammered is arriving at the airport later on today so just a brief note on Jason West and his antics.











Young Hamish McHammered

Unfortunately dear Jason a full blacklisting is now in order for you ma lad!

If the Guardian wants to descend to the TEFl sewer through some kind of licensing/franchise (we've been here before with
International House methinks) then don't expect your noble sleuth to respect this kind of pricing structure which does the world of TEFL and teacher's pay generally no favours at all. Oh and if you want to get in touch with Alex Case, who does sterling work on Tefltastic, contact him directly, don't bother posting messages ostensibly for him, but in reality for a wider audience, on the TEFL Blacklist. They will simply get binned and you are now blacklisted after ignoring my last warning about sneaky behaviour.

To quote.........

Prices
" Teachers’ lesson plans come with a site licence. This allows the lessons to be used with all pupils at one language school location. Schools with more than one location should contact us to find out about our generous offers for multiple site licences.

Learners can buy self-study packs, and schools can also buy them for individual pupils. Don't forget Engage, our VoIP client – it's free to download! Learners only pay for the time they spend practising with fluent or native English speakers. The rate is £6.95 per hour (which is less than £0.12 per minute!) They can also use Engage free of charge to practice with other learners.

£6.95 an hour!. Once again thanks to the EL Gazette for exposing this shyster. And shame on the Guardian for not choosing their partners more wisely.

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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The Guardian Newspaper - Yet Again!

Your intrepid sleuth received this posting from the Guardian. He appears to have ruffled their feathers of late.

"Can you contact me at info@guardianlanguages.co.uk so that I can send you some information about Guardian Languages that you might like to read, check for yourself on our website and then publish?

Thanks

Jason"

Well Jason if you think the Inspector's brains have been so addled by fermented yak's milk that he is going to send you his IP address (for the uninitiated each email carries an IP address which is like giving someone your phone number) you are an optimistic idiot.

To send dear old Jason an email, the Inspector might as well give just him the phone number of his hotel in Pamplona.

Why don't you give me your home address, Jason, and I'll send Lady Florence McHammered around for a quick chat ;)

Dream on Jason.

By all means post a reply but try that sneaky dodge once more and your right of reply will vanish forever.

What has happened to the Guardian lately. It used to be a respected newspaper. I suspect they are a bit short of cash.

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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The Korea Times

It seems to be contagious. First the posting where "i-to-i TEFL - Up to their Old Tricks" tells us all that we are not meeting the high standards of TEFL in China (LOL) and NOW Korea has a pot at us The Koreans seem to suffer from Xenophobia . The irony is that Korea is an absolute hell hole most of the time for TEFL (check out the Korean section of the TEFL Blacklist). Read on dear readers what the Korea Times has the cheek to write about us. The land of the hot dog (yes they eat the woof woof kind and adore putrid cabbage) should be avoided. Barge poles out and give the place a very wide berth.

53% of Foreign Tutors Lack Teaching Degrees
By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter

More than half of foreign teachers at elementary and secondary schools have no English teaching certificates. Of 3,808 native English-speaking teachers, 2,002, or 53 percent, didn't have teaching certificates such as TESOL and TEFL as of September 2007, according to the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development, Sunday.

TESOL is short for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages and TEFL means Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Among 1,806 foreign nationals who hold English teaching certificates, 532 teachers had teaching licenses from their countries, 1,134 had TESOL or TEFL and 140 had both.

``Native English speakers holding English teaching certificates are most preferred and applicants need to have an education major or teaching experience of more than one year if they want to work with us,'' said Kelly H. Ye, coordinator in recruiting native English speaking teachers at Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE).

However, schools, in practice, have difficulty hiring certificate-holding teachers. Currently, Korean elementary and secondary schools are hiring foreigners as teachers aides, as this is legal, for English conversation classes. Native English-speaking nationals with a bachelor's degree or above can apply for English teaching or E-2 visa.

By region, South Gyeongsang Province had the highest ratio of ``licensed teachers,'' with 60 percent. The province had 163 foreign nationals with teaching certificates out of 270. Following South Gyeongsang were Gwangju and South Jolla Province with 57 percent.

In Seoul, 54 percent had certificates while the ratio fell to 47 percent in Gyeonggi Province.

Ulsan City had the lowest ratio of licensed native English teachers with 23 percent and Daejeon City also showed a low ratio with 26 percent.

Korea has seen a growing number of foreign English teachers and accordingly the number of foreigners forging their degrees to get E-2 visas is also increasing, according to the Korea Immigration Service. A total of 692 foreigners with fabricated degrees were caught as of August 2007.

Meanwhile, top educators in 15 cities and provinces requested President-elect Lee Myung-bak to ease English teaching visa regulations that restricts foreign English teachers by national in a meeting with Lee at the Lotte Hotel in central Seoul, last Friday.

Regarding this, an SMOE official said they can secure more qualified teachers by expanding English teaching visas to more countries. ``If Asian teachers are allowed at schools, we can also place those teachers in math and science classes for English immersion programs planned by the incoming government,'' said Choi Chun-ok, the supervisor in charge of recruiting foreign teachers at SMOE.

kswho@koreatimes.co.kr

Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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i-to-i TEFL - Up to their Old Tricks

Come Into My Parlour Said the Spider to the Fly......

This outfit are cowboys and dangerous to boot. Check out the tales of woe from the Chinese section on the TEFL Blacklist and compare it to the absolute idiocy they claim below. As with Cactus Tefl it's all about selling courses, in the case of i-to-i of less value than parrot droppings. Do NOT be conned by the bullsh*t below. The TEFL schools in China are in dire need of some form of accreditation not the teachers.

You may get lucky and find a decent school. But google the hell out of it first or you could have a very very nasty experience.

Why is it that such outfits as i-to-i who know that TEFL in China can be very dodgy print such rubbish just to make a cheap buck.

Shame on you i-to-i.

EFL teachers avoid them and their rubbish curses (what a freudian slip! I should of course have written courses but curses is more appropriate) like the plague. If you seriously think a weekend course will teach you how to become good teacher then dream on because they are taking you for mugs and making megabucks. They are a total disgrace.

As for the four week tefl course. These cowboys sell loads of weekend courses. Here's what they have to say....

Become a fully qualified TEFL teacher in just 2 days

We've been running Weekend TEFL courses for more than a decade and in the last year alone we have trained more than 4,000 new TEFL teachers. Our courses are accredited by two leading independent organisations and our TEFL certificates are recognised by thousands of language schools worldwide. You can do a Weekend TEFL Course in the UK, USA, Australia, Canada, Ireland and Greece.

Spotlight Asia
Seeing as its Spotlight Asia month we thought we'd give our monthly update a bit of an oriental theme, so you'll find it's packed full of information about one of the world's most popular TEFL destinations - China!
China
If you're looking for the complete cross-cultural experience then you need to consider China. This incredible country boasts a unique and intriguing cultural heritage. It flows through every strand of modern Chinese society, from architecture and fashion to crafts and lifestyle. TEFL teachers will find themselves on a journey of discovery, as they live in the local community and work with the local people.
A few words from China…
I've always wanted to go to China so after spending three years studying history at Hull I decided to reward myself with a well-deserved holiday. I went away for two weeks and I loved every moment of it. When I got back I tried to settle back into life in England but all I could think about was going back - so here I am, three months later, teaching in X'ian!
The city is great, it's so filled with history that I never get bored. I've been to the Terracotta Warriors museum which was great and I even met some of the i-to-i volunteers there! I've done a bit of travelling on weekends too but I'm just as happy to go out walking in the hills. It's really beautiful here - nothing like living in Hull - and I can't get over how green everything is. I'm finally starting to get to grips with the language but I can't say I'm very good. It's given me a lot more respect for my students and I'm a lot more sympathetic now, but I don't think I'll ever be fluent!
The teaching is going really well too. It was a bit scary at first but I soon settled in. It doesn't feel like a job, more like an extended game, which is just what I wanted.
Dawn, 23, Cambridge, UK
Jobs in China
Immerse yourself in one of the world's most fascinating cultures by choosing a teaching opportunity in China! With such a rich cultural history, China offers one of the most incredible travel experiences available and teaching English will give you a unique perspective as you explore the land and work with its people.
Our Paid Teaching Placements have been specially designed to make finding work abroad as stress-free as possible. We'll train you, find you a job and even pick you up from the airport so you remember your first hours in China for all the right reasons. Click here to find out more.
TEFL Abroad courses in Beijing
China's sprawling capital, Beijing is everything you could expect from the world's fastest growing economy; a center of commerce, culture and community which throws up surprises at every street corner. In this incredible setting you could find yourself learning all the skills you need to teach English as a foreign language.

What you'll get:

4-week intensive 120 hour TEFL/TESOL course.
An internationally recognized certification.
At least 8 hours of practical teaching experience in a real TEFL classroom.
And much, much more…
Click here to find out more about our TEFL Abroad courses.


TEFL News
Increasing demand for TEFL certification in China

Demand for TEFL teachers in China is extremely high but with no laws covering the qualifications required to teach English problems have inevitably arisen. Prospective teachers without TEFL qualifications or a thorough grasp of the English language have invaded the market, lowering the standard of teaching and creating a bad reputation for foreign teachers. Demand remains high but employers are becoming increasingly suspicious and it is now vitally important that TEFL teachers searching for jobs in this area of the world make every effort to impress their prospective employers.

Taking a TEFL course with a respected TEFL provider is the first step toward proving your commitment to quality teaching but if you want to avoid the problems entirely you might want to consider one of our Paid Teaching Placements. We work hard to build strong relationships with language schools around the world, so that you can secure a TEFL position with as little stress as possible.

We've developed a four step guide "Your International Career in Four Easy Steps" to show you exactly how to do it. Click here to take a look.

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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The British Council Gets the Boot (Russian)

That last bastion of the empire the British council is beating a hasty retreat from Russia.

This what the EL Gazette has to say about the sorry sage. Full marks to the EL Gazette which is now recommended by the TEFL Blacklist. I may be wrong but they seem to have developed a real cutting edge of late and are reporting stuff that normally just gets ignored. Obligatory reading for anyone interested in the seamy side of TEFL.

You can find the EL Gazette by clicking here.

THE BRITISH Council is to hand over its nine regional centres across Russia to local partners, typically state-run institutes of higher education, by the end of this year. This reduces the Council’s presence to Moscow and St Petersburg, but with direct teaching operations there suspended.

Martin Davidson, CEO of the British Council, insisted in a press statement that it is still very much committed to improving Russian access to British culture and education. The Council points out that centres will effectively be under new ownership but will continue to run a similar range of services, for example teaching-resource libraries, with support from London.

The move is hardly surprising, considering the Council’s increasingly beleaguered position in Russia. In December 2006 the teaching centre in Moscow was forced to close its doors after a long-running dispute over its legal status; in March 2007 a senior manager from the Council was one of four diplomats recalled from Russia amid wellpublicised tit-for-tat expulsions of embassy staff. Strained Anglo-Russian relations have implications well beyond the work of the Council in the Russian regions. UK language teachers entering Russia have faced a more complex and time-consuming visa process, a development condemned by Amy Cartwright from the Association of European Businesses.

The closures are consistent with the British Council’s latest European strategy, unveiled in March 2007, which aims ‘to free up resources currently tied up in physical premises and give millions more people around the world access to educational opportunities … through partner organisations and increasingly through our own online sources’. In addition to existing web-based products such as Learn English (www.learnenglish.org.uk), the Council aims to introduce new internet services in early 2008, revealed Paul Webb, senior English language consultant in Moscow.

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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The Guardian Guards Its Profits!

Thanks for the EL Gazette for the next couple of stories. The first is about the Guardian which it is now alleged is breaking the law!

BRITAIN’S LEADING left of centre newspaper company is paying freelance native speakers of English the UK minimum wage to conduct conversation classes online. Guardianlanguages. com, a website belonging to the Guardian News and Media Group, is offering £5.52 an hour to native speakers.

Paying minimum wage is not illegal; advertising for native speakers is more contentious. To 'justify discrimination' Guardian News and Media believe they have to show that it is a ‘proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim’, according to Jason West, whose company, languagesoutthere, developed the programme. Legal advice given to the Gazette states that courts require hard evidence in order to justify discrimination. We asked the Guardian for their evidence but none has been provided.

Only native English speaker ‘partners’ qualify for payment but no educational requirements are specified. Qualified EFL teachers with nothing better to do will also initially be paid minimum wage rate. West is confident that over time qualified teflers will earn more as users are asked to rate the lessons they receive and ‘partners’ receiving consistently good ratings can ask for an increase on £5.52.

Qualified teachers in London earn about £20 an hour for private conversation classes. Those who do sign up in the hope of earning more than £5.52 an hour can opt to download one-hour lesson plans costing £20. In the UK 120 hours of course material retails at around £25. The same amount of material would be £2,700 from guardianlanguages. Asked to justify the cost difference West said he was confident about both quality and price of the materials. 'Self-study students can purchase packs for just £1 each,' he pointed out.

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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The Tefl Blacklist Oscars 2008

The Inspector has been guilty of gross neglect of The TEFL BLACKLIST over the festive season. He is however pleased to announce that nominations for the TEFL BLACKLIST Oscars have now officially opened.
So feel free to let rip with your tales of woe, shoddy school management, non-payment of wages, exploitation etc.etc.. You know the ropes I'm sure.

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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i-to-i TEFL

Live Travel Earn?

Just a suspicion and the Inspector may be wrong but a recent scouring of the Internet led your intrepid sleuth to believe that many sites critical of i-to-i TEFL have been taken over by i-to-i TEFL themselves. As the saying goes, if you can't beat them buy them (or something like that).

Is this invasion of the body snatchers in TEFL?

Check it out for yourself. Do a google on "The TEFL-blacklist" and see how many sites default to the i-to-i TEFL website.

If your noble sleuth is wrong and has over indulged on fermented yaks milk please do let him know.

You can find the entry on i-to-i TEFL by clicking here.

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Inspector McHammered of the Lard in Pamplona, Spain

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