AMA - Binh Duong

You sign a contract to commit to not selling the company's intellectual property, not to check your brain at the door.  It's not a commitment to knowingly follow practices that will lead to failure.

I've joined companies as a programmer and seen people doing things that I knew weren't going to work.  I'd bring it to their attention.  Most would get all frosty about it, some would listen.  Sometimes I'd be the sacrificial lamb to protect the manager who'd made the bad decisions (twice; you'd think he'd have learned the first time).  On several occasions, however, they'd listen to me and examine my position in terms of its technical merits instead of in terms of seniority at the company. 

Fealty is for feudal societies.  When I went to work my experience came with me.  If they want a tabula rasa they can hire an H1-B.

ancientpathos wrote:

colinoscapee wrote:

As you said you have been working at this for 3 months, so you dont have a lot of experience with schools. As I said before, go to Daves ESL and read what the long term teachers say about the industry in Viet Nam. Most are negative due to the way the schools are run,so they cant all be wrong and you right. The AMA here in Vung Tau doesnt get a good wrap either, the lady owner has a very bad reputation.Most of her teachers are very young and dont hang around for long. The older more experience ones keep away from her as they are not desperate to make a buck.

Do you have a work permit to work at AMA, if not they are breaking the law.

Work permit, AMA paid for the work permit and also renewed my visa during the process. I have read the comments on Daves, just a fact of life if you give people a place  to complain they will where most have to be asked to leave a positive comment.  Whiners usually make it a lifetime career to complain and are never happy. I believe that teachers should focus on teaching not how much money the language center makes, complaining about textbooks or the lack of books, complaining about having to pass people you want yo fail. As an employee in any organization you need to do what is asked of you. If that means finding something good to describe a substandard student, then do it, it may even generate the spark needed for him to focus on his studies.
Remember, signing a contract has meaning.  If you disagree with it then do not sign it.

Ok, looks like you know better then long term expats. In 3 months of teaching you are going to say that guys with 7 years experience have got it all wrong. Everyone has a right of opinion, but I just cant agree with yours.

Just my experience.... looks like the OP deleted his postings.....

ancientpathos wrote:

Just my experience.... looks like the OP deleted his postings.....

Maybe they've caught up to him??
Or, they've paid him!!

Cambridge does some, maybe most, of the very best physics publishing. 

Best book I've run across for Vietnamese is "Chung Ta Noi," no  diacritics in the title, but it's intermediate level, not beginners.

If schools dont use text books that have been produced by a well known source, they could always make their own. Just like a guy I worked for here in VT, the spelling, grammar and subject matter was terrible. It was written by a Vietnamese as their name was at the bottom of the booklet. It consisted of about 20 pages per booklet, the owner was charging students 60,000 vnd per booklet, each booklet cost 5000 vnd per book to have copied. I know the price to copy as I do it all the time. As I said before, its all about bucks, most owners couldnt give a damn about the students actually learning something.

Dr Lee of Outerspace fame has the same thing going on at his dodgy establishments. Lets not forget VUS (the biggest language school in the South)who were fined for breach of copyright when they were photocopying a local publishers work.There are so many dodgy schools out there,finding a decent one is getting harder and harder.

This guy is a personal hero of mine. Take a look at his body of work.  Talk about having a fire lit.  I love his letters to admin. more than anything else. 

ENGLISH BANANA

Everything is free for a school to use, but not for them to sell(not that anyone would do such a thing).

My comments were not meant to be disrespectful to others.  My intention was only to relate my experience and perception about AMA.  Sometimes using this format it is easy to have misunderstandings.  My apologies to everyone.

Unfortunately I have also have been ripped off..

Mark do you know any expats living in Rach Gia?
I just excepted a job here and have not meet anyone who so speaks English.
Angie

I am also currently working for AMA in Binh Thanh. I am so discusted with their management, owners, and overall lack of concern for the students, that I wouldn't send a dog there. It's a place where new teachers go who don't know the system. It's just a money making machine. Active learning is just a production line of money, where the students don't get the benifits of what they are paying for. None of their computers work, the staff are all moody, and the overall, attitude of the owners is just to make money.
Teachers beware. Do not work there.