An Insider's Perspective

The school where I trained, OxfordTEFL, requests updates every so often so they can see how their former students are doing and get a feel for the employment situation, especially in Prague. This is the letter I recently sent.

Hello Adrian,

I just thought I'd let you know what I was doing. I am working at the McNeilus Language School here in Prague. It is a private gymnasium that focuses on American English. The school has some very good qualities. First, all of the classes are in one location, so there is no travel time. Second, the school uses the same curriculum, so prep time is minimized. The school's director is supportive and encourages creativity in the classroom, and the school has a substantial library with lots of resources. The school is accredited by the state, so the director is very concerned about getting all of the teachers legal. She provides extensive visa assistance and has connections in the government that help her get things done quickly. She doesn't pay any of the fees, but she doesn't charge anything for the help either. She takes advantage of power of attorney, so I didn't actually have to make the trip to Bratislava, one of the other teachers did. The entire staff is full time, and, once hired, it is very easy to fill your schedule. So far, I have been paid on time with no issues. On the downside, they have a custom curriculum that I say is average at best, and the school asks for a little more paperwork than most.

I also teach 3hrs/wk with the London Institute. I teach on-site at Oriflame, which is a Swedish cosmetics company. The class itself is great, my favorite actually, just because the students are so open, friendly, and enthusiastic. The London Institute doesn't really provide any visa support, and, quite frankly, I don't think they care if you are legal or not. As long as the customer is happy, they pretty much leave you alone unless you request something. They asked to review my first lesson plan. I did an extensive, still at OxfordTEFL style lesson plan, and they said that I did much more than they expected and haven't asked me anything beyond "How's it going?" since. They do have pretty good resources and they pay on time (and in cash).

So I'm enjoying Prague and now, more than ever, appreciate the quality of training I received at OxfordTEFL. A few other teachers have asked me where I did my certification. Each time I told them it was at Oxford, they say things like "Wow, you actually went to a legit school" and "I've heard great things; I wish I went there."

See you (sporadically) at Pub Night!

Tim Minich