Afflatus
- 2016-05-05
what makes you think that you guys were going to be the only international teachers, i'm at the school now and there are a lot of international teachers and curriculums including IGCSE and they offer toffel on the weekends they try their best
Afflatus
- 2016-05-05
i have children in this school and know many parents, i indeed love the the type of education they are getting and don't think of this school in any way that this person has described it. i feel that the administration is trying their best and i have also talked to many teachers that feel very happy at the school. the school has a great reputation that continues to grow. if the school was as bad as teacter31 described then there would not be graduates going to harvard, stanford and yale which there are each year. i believe andinet to be an interntional school that has 20+ nationalities and a growing amount of international teachers. i know teacthers that have been fired for screaming, and disrespecting students that go on to write hate comments. in my opinion i don't know when teacher31 was last there but andinet is a wonderful school and i think teacher31 wrote the comment out of hate.
Teacher31
- 2015-02-19
Ummmm, sour grapes, no. Point in case, since 2012, 3 of the remaining 5 international teachers who taught at AIS have left. The school has only successfully retained 2 international faculty from its 2012 international faculty roster for the reasons I have pointed out. At least 1 of the 2 remaining international faculty has such a foul temper and mouth that she has proven herself a teacher no other school would retain. And those of us that left? ALL (yes, ALL) have gone on to enjoy successful careers in education in some form or another either in Ethiopia or in other countries including the USA, India and Nigeria. Half of us have remained in touch and are friends to this day. You do not see complaints from any of us here about our other teaching experiences whether those experiences have been in beautiful Addis Ababa, Ethiopia or elsewhere. Sour grapes, no. The issue with this school is its Head. She needs a serious wake up call to turn her school around.
Teacher31
- 2012-04-02
I taught at this school and was sorely disappointed by the lack of professionalism and lack of organization of this supposed "international" school. AIS hires international faculty under fradulent pretenses and does not honor the contract it offers, choosing instead to stave off contract negotations/signing until well past the academic hiring season--thereby forcing teachers to agree to less than desirable terms. Salaries and housing allowances are low, teacher qualifications and ability are not comensurate with assignments and the result is that many international faculty have departed this school less than satisfied and on heavily strained terms with administration. This so-called "international school" only has about a 5% international hire and retention rate with a student body to match and is not doing itself any favors by mistreating the few qualified international faculty members who agree to teach there. In short, it is a local school masquerading as an international school, run by a poorly trained US expat who is caught up in agrandising her own "accomplishment" (in establishing the school)which is a disorganized, filthy, poorly supplied mess by all accounts. In fact, the Head of School is so busy patting herself on the back for founding the school and has become so greedy for recognition that she has run what started out (to her credit) as a good school, straight into the ground. The Head seems oblivious to how her own behavior contributes to the revolving door for international faculty that AIS has become. The school now clings to life based on an old reputation that no longer applies, with a spoiled, wealthy student body that--in this chaotic and disorganized environment--is difficult to teach. The most highly qualified faculty at the school complain about the disrespectful nature of the student body, the inadequate supplies and lack of organization while the Head and her Deputy dismisses the complaints as trivial--failing to recognize that keeping the international faculty happy is key to growing the international faculty roster and turning the school into what it aspires to be.
A whopping 5 international faculty abandoned the school for a myriad of reasons in 2010 and 2011, which represented a loss of roughly half the school's total international teaching staff in just one year. The Head replaced those internationals with less qualified locals, seemingly unaware that the loss could have been avoided by fair and timely contract negotations, professional behavior and a school environment that is better organized and cleaner. No doubt, if the "Head" ever takes her head out of the sand and reads this post, she will reply as she did to the last poster here--pointing her finger at everybody but herself. She will rant and rave about how unfair this post is before pointing out why the poster "deserved" the ill-treatment they received at the hands of her and her administrative henchmen. But the truth is, the blame rests squarely with her and the rest of AIS' top administration. They all live in big fancy houses in the nicest neighborhoods in Addis Ababa and whine about how they can "barely afford to live" while most AIS local teachers earn just $400 per month and several internationals earn barely double that in a city where a minimum of $1,500 per month enables you to live decently. My advice? If you want to teach at AIS, be sure to have a second income stream available, be prepared to lose the cost of your ticket--because chances are they will not reimburse you for it even though they say they will--and be prepared to be jerked around on your contract and treated like dirt by a snobby Administration while working long hours at a filthy, disorganized, poorly supplied school full of spoiled rich kids. Or if you really know what's good for you, don't bother with this school and take your expertise to some other Ethiopian school where it will be respected, appreciated and adequately compensated!
john
- 2010-08-03
I am a bit surprised to learn that this thread has receives so much activity since that post was made. I have moved on, but apparently some others have not.
In that post that I have written, I had suggested that everyone should do their own research when looking for employment in unfamiliar places. I regard personal endorsements as more valuable than any PR or sales job that any director or HR person has to offer.
When the poster defames me for their own personal advantage, I feel the need to respond. However I am not going to get into a flame war with anyone. I have more important things to do with my life. I have a good idea who you are and you know who I am. The difference being is that I am not hiding behind a factious name and you are. Since the poster of the negative comments has chosen to attack my character then thats fine. It speaks volumes as to their method of addressing how they choose to put forth a counterpoint. In response to the accusations all I can say is NOT TRUE!!. I am sure the readers here can see what is what. One point I would like to make however, is I was not fired from that other school. I was naively thinking about professional development when I went to Andinet. What a sales job they did on me.
Anyway, I am grateful for those that have written in favor of my post and sympathy for those that disagree with my point of view. It does not take a rocket scientist to know why they have taken that tact. Usually this happens when someone has a vested interest in a company. It is interesting to note that this particular person so strongly opposed, as to lambast the website for publishing my post. In the USA (I believe this is where this website holds its server), free speech is embraced and not stifled.
Ok, I am done..feel free to slander now in my absence
XXX
- 2010-04-09
ANDINET INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL'S ADMINISTRATION AND SUPPORTERS HAVE HURT MANY THROUGH THE YEARS, WHICH IS WHY THEY HAVE A HIGH TURNOVER RATE EVERY YEAR, AND WITHIN THE SCHOOL YEARS. DON'T WORK FOR THEM OR DON'T SEND YOUR CHILDREN THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
your conscious
- 2010-02-06
andinet is a really bad school. anyone who defends it, in any way, is being really dishonest, fearful, or allowing themselves to be used by andinet's administration for whatever reasons. this whole environnment, from the top, reeks with dishonesty, deception, fear, abuse, and punishment tactics for anyone who speaks out. no matter how much perfume/cosmetics you put on it, lying, acting, smiling in faces, laughing, fun, games, nice/foolish talk, etc, it's still a lie and dirty. it's time the truth come out. make your choice because god will judge all there, including silent staff/servants who just want to keep a job and help harm come to children and silent/do nothing parents who pay to give their children/ future away. ...it's better that a stone be tied around your neck and you be thrown into a lake of fire. wisdom knows that nothing profits from lies but distruction, no matter what money or the love of it is involved. that's the law. many people at andinet, affiliated with andinet, or keeping quiet about it are just selling their souls. god is not the spirit of fear. what's done in the night will be reveeled in the day. justice is coming and anyone who has collaborated, coroborated, or just kept quiet about andinet or it's practices/behavaior will be caught up and reap the benefits thereof. when you lie with dogs, you rise with fleas. can you touch fire and not be burned? those children at andinet are the most casualties of all the nonsense, mayheim, lies, deceit, deception, dishonesty, abuse and fear tactics, disrespect, silence, back door/behind the door deals, trickery, nontransparency, unqualifications, and more. no matter how much smiling or nice talk goes on there, vile drips from the inside out the lips. cleanse, open your books, and lift up your skirts andinet for the world to see your true self. you are just a young lie.
Monitor
- 2009-11-05
Everyone should have to consider the source of whatever is written and make our own choices about what to believe. That is free speech. Including what I write. I do not need you to question me. If care anything about education, question John.
I did say that teachers, past or present or budding, are by and large fit intellectually to decide the true situation according to what you and others have posted re said school.But in my view, the kind of person who believes what John has posted wouldn't be an asset to your school in any case.That is just my view, which of course I'm entitled to. Despite that,I have no regrets letting others make up their own minds re said school, even if they are diametrically opposite to mine. Of course, I have no hidden agenda re said matter, as I've no intention of teaching in Ethiopia, and never will have.
That said, my take is that supply and demand likely dictated why said school chose to appoint John, ie Hobson's choice. What's more, I think that everyone who makes mistakes should suffer the consequences thereof, employers and employees alike. Employers aren't high and mighty compared to employees, in my opinion. Actually, I suspect that there were faults on both sides in John's particular situation. At the end of the day, I ask myself why he felt it necessary to make so much trouble for the school. Either he's very vindictive or he genuinely feels he has been mistreated by his employer, rightly or wrongly.
It's good that you have posted your side of the story to counter his. But I also feel that this forum shouldn't be berated for having posted his side in the first place - there are too many wimpy forums for EFL teachers on the net! Long may this forum continue to operate in the same way it has up to now!
aster
- 2009-11-04
Dear Monitor,
When you say the facts according to me, you must be sure to take a balanced look. You also need to say the facts according to John. Because what he writes is only his opinion. It is not fact. It is the way he sees it and if he had a bad experience maybe its because he just wasn't a good teacher. You make the assumption that he is.
Just because John says he is a "teacher" doesn't mean he is a real teacher. As many of us know many foreign "teachers" travel to "exotic" places in search of adventure and love or to try to set up their own businesses. They simply need a legal work permit to remain in the country. They show "proof" of their teaching experience and that is very hard to even check, especially when their experience is in China. These "teachers" don't intend to really teach. Their intention is stay in the country legally to do whatever they really came to do. Many of those kinds of "teachers" visit your "respected" website. John is one of those "teachers". He is not a qualified teacher but he presents himself as a qualified educator and he writes like he is some kind of an expert. He is just like many others who travel to countries to pretend to be real teachers by getting a quick TEFL certificate. They become angry when a school fires them because the school recognized that they are not real teachers. In talking with many parents and teachers at Andinet, I learned that John was not only fired from Andinet but he was also fired from another school in Ethiopia. After he was fired two times, I see that he has returned to my country again. So what did he really come to Ethiopia to do? I don't think it is for teaching.
So just because these people say they are teachers or as you say they are budding teachers, we should believe them? You do not even know me. You do not even know what kind of education I have before you began to make assumptions about me and how I understand free speech. Do you think whatever these "teachers" say is the truth? Why do you defend him? Why didn't you say the truth "according to John?" Is what he writes more true that what I write? Or is your website only for people who agree with those who write to complain about their experiences? If you're not a good teacher what do expect? How long do you think you can pretend?
Everyone should have to consider the source of whatever is written and make our own choices about what to believe. That is free speech. Including what I write. I do not need you to question me. If care anything about education, question John.
Monitor
- 2009-11-03
So again, consider the source before you believe what you read. If a teacher was fired from his job at a school, do you think he will have anything good to say about the school?
That depends on the teacher who was fired. Not all such teachers consider themselves to be blame-free, please don't generalise.
You know websites like this one should not allow such rubbish to be published on its site. Now I wonder what kind of website is this that people can say whatever bad thing about a school just because its their opinion.
You're obviously not in favor of free speech. That's too bad. What's more, this website is regarded by many readers as one that allows free expression. In my view, it's an excellent website that doesn't deserve to be criticized for choosing not to practise excessive censorship.
In his message John talks a lot about caring for children, but the facts are quite the opposite. He should not be teaching anyone's children in any country.
Maybe you shoud have posted "the facts according to you". That doesn't necessarily make them facts in the eyes of others, as they are actually just your opinions.
To sum up, I'm quite happy to let the readers make up their own minds as to the true situation there by considering both sides of the story. After all, most of them are teachers or budding teachers or former teachers, the vast majority of whom will be difficult to fool on account of their intelligence.
aster
- 2009-11-02
I have never written my opinion about what someone else wrote, but I felt I needed to say something here. I was really surprised when I saw these comments that John wrote about Andinet School. What I know about this school is very different from what he wrote.
I think somebody wrote if two people write a bad thing about one school, other teachers should take care before going to work there. My advice is you have to also consider the source of who is writing something negative. This person John was fired from Andinet International School because he was always shouting at his students and he refused to change. He wasn't a good teacher. I know this because my brother's son was in his class and I know many teachers at the school. My brother complained so much about this "teacher." He was not comfortable with John because John did not seem to like children. I don't know why he chose to be a teacher. Most parents thought he was a crazy man. My brother complained about John to the school administration and to other teachers. The other teachers also thought John was crazy.
In Ethiopia it is very difficult to find good foreign teachers. First because most schools can't pay big salaries because their tuition is not very high. Also Andinet is only a few years old and it takes time to grow. The big international schools like ICS and Sanford are 40 and 50 years old and they charge very high fees that most Ethiopians cannot afford to pay. I don't think the school owners at Andinet are trying to get rich. If that were true, why do you think they spent so much money on new books and school materials every year even though they didn't make profit? Schools that make education a business don't spend money on books. You can see that if you visit most private schools.
I have seen Andinet's library and it is full of many kinds of books.
You might not know this, but private schools in Ethiopia cannot be established as a non profit unless the school is closely associated with an embassy as a community school or the school is completely free. This means if the school is free, no fees are charged. The Ministry of Education in Ethiopia forces private schools to be businesses. But for profit doesn' t mean the school makes money.
So again, consider the source before you believe what you read. If a teacher was fired from his job at a school, do you think he will have anything good to say about the school? You know websites like this one should not allow such rubbish to be published on its site. Now I wonder what kind of website is this that people can say whatever bad thing about a school just because its their opinion.
Well I have an opinion too and if my child had been in John's class I would have left the school if the administration had not fired him. I heard many parents talking this way, including my brother. What kind of school would Andinet be if it allowed teachers to abuse and shout at children? In his message John talks a lot about caring for children, but the facts are quite the opposite. He should not be teaching anyone's children in any country.