Tefl Watch

[Athena]

From my experience, I would suggest the following: Do NOT bother with TEFLwatch.org; the site is biased and run by dictators; it is not an open forum. In short, the site lacks free speech and does not provide anyone with the freedom of expression needed to hash out their differences. The site is full of fakes who either try to bring down a school because they are disgruntled or by fakes who are trying to save their school's well deserved, negative reputation.

[PeaceBlondie]

Your opinion is duly noted. Many of us do not find that to be the case, however. We still recommend that teachers with grievances against schools voice their concerns at www.teflwatch.org since there's nowhere else to voice their concerns. The little side squabbles that arise on any open forum are dealt with by moderators, according to their rules.

[Loaded]

From my experience, I would suggest the following: Do NOT bother with TEFLwatch.org; the site is biased and run by dictators; it is not an open forum. In short, the site lacks free speech and does not provide anyone with the freedom of expression needed to hash out their differences. The site is full of fakes who either try to bring down a school because they are disgruntled or by fakes who are trying to save their school's well deserved, negative reputation.

I have a feeling you are connected to TEFL International. They took a right old bashing recently. Eye opening for many.

Everyone can reply to a comment on that site and the reader makes a choice of what to believe. What's wrong with that?

[mopenyang]

Nothing.

[Xangsamhua]

I think TEFLWatch has a role. Some posts are very badly written (though the writers appear to be native speakers) and when they're sounding off about a school you wonder about their credibility. Other posts seem responsible enough. Anyway, you can usually tell after a few posts whether the complaints are credible.

They went through a negative period a few months ago with a lot of personal stuff and then seemed to peter out almost entirely for a while, but they're back on track, hopefully.

A problem for a site that serves as a repository for complaint and accusation is that this role is rather a narrow one and may restrict the site's development as a broader forum, especially if there are other sites providing an effective forum for diverse issues. Still, if those fora don't provide space for a teacher to register a complaint, TEFLWatch can be helpful and, perhaps, encourage a level of accountability among schools that may think they can be negligent without exposure.

On the other side of the medal, though, is the fact that a school can be attacked on TEFLWatch by someone with a personal axe to grind and where sufficient information is not available for a balanced judgement. The schools usually don't like to respond to this kind of thing because TEFLWatch is not itself an accountable investigative instrument and it has no generally recognised authority to pass judgement on school-based matters. The schools under the hammer don't want to get caught up in a game played on someone else's terms and that they can't win because the complainant either won't stop or questions his/her critics' honesty, moral integrity, etc. However, by not entering the ring a school under attack can seem to be validating the complaint.

The mods at TEFLWatch do a good job in my view and some of the discussions are lively and valuable. I think it has a place as a resource for teachers, but its role as a site where disaffected teachers can make a case has to be managed responsibly. If it wants to serve as a kind of union rep for teachers, it must remember that successful unions are usually very careful not to support misrepresentation.

Edited July 20, 2007 by Xangsamhua

[PeaceBlondie]

Xangsamhua, I agree with your preceding post, and would like to offer another reason or two why schools so seldom respond to accusations on TEFL Watch. Some of the accusations are basically true. Some school owners and administrators don't care what the disgruntled employees and former teachers say or think. Some owners/admins don't even know the complaint is there, if they have a small staff of farang who don't tell them. Many owners do not have the verbal skills in English to defend themselves. Some ignore it in the mai bpen rai attitude that the problem doesn't exist, and will soon disappear. Some lower level administrators at the bigger schools are powerless to effect change.

And as you say, the moderators at TEFLWatch try to keep the discussion balanced.

[enuff said]

.

This newbie is obviously posting the same stuff under a new name. She had complaints about a school and suggested everyone "boycott" it.

As far as I know she was allowed to state her case on TEFL Watch and others commented about it but no one took her side.

She has posted here and on ajarn.com also. It became clear that it was a personal vendetta with little substance.

I think she is emotionally disturbed and am very glad she isn't teaching my children.

Ajarnsara, Athena, or whatever name you pick tomorrow, LET IT GO! You are only ruining your own credibility.

wake

~

[fair]

TW is the only site teachers can complain about schools, recruiters, and TEFL providers.

[mrtoad]

The OP is a Troll, who has been posting on numerous sites encouraging people to boycott an international school in BKK.

She has posted on numerous forums under different names. Her posts on Teflwatch, thenation, ajarn etc, etc have been slaughtered by other board memebers who have not been taken in by her contradictions, inaccuracies and her very pompous attitude towards others.

[Jimjim]

It's true that a lot of posters at teflwatch or quite the eager vultures, though.

[PeaceBlondie]

It is the nature of TEFLWatch that you don't have to love and praise everything about schools, and that allows a few loose cannons to sound off occasionally, before the moderators step in. But there are other forums where it's easier to get flamed.

[MathsAjarn]

The problem with Teflwatch.org is the lack of transparency although it is plainly obvious who is behind it. “Still number one after all of these years.” I wonder if TEFL International will continue to advertise with Ajarn.com after this squabble?

[PeaceBlondie]

The problem with Teflwatch.org is the lack of transparency although it is plainly obvious who is behind it. “Still number one after all of these years.” I wonder if TEFL International will continue to advertise with Ajarn.com after this squabble?

I can safely say that ajarn.com and ajarnnet are not behind TEFL Watch. Maybe in the past, but not now. Phil and LDMA have taken too much flack on TEFLWatch lately. If TEFL Int. stops advertising on ajarn.com, it will because of how they were lambasted on TEFLWatch, not on ajarn.com. Phil and Louis are not stupid enough to kill a bruce-goose that lays golden TEFL provider eggs.

[dorkanomics]

That site is for losers by losers. It has good intentions I guess but the mods do not follow their own rules and it is now dominated by the dregs of the teachers in Thailand.

I would probably work at any place they recommended not to work after their <deleted> from the last 2 months.

What a joke.

[mrtoad]

That site is for losers by losers. It has good intentions I guess but the mods do not follow their own rules and it is now dominated by the dregs of the teachers in Thailand.

I would probably work at any place they recommended not to work after their <deleted> from the last 2 months.

What a joke.

Please explain.

[Loaded]

That site is for losers by losers. It has good intentions I guess but the mods do not follow their own rules and it is now dominated by the dregs of the teachers in Thailand.

I would probably work at any place they recommended not to work after their <deleted> from the last 2 months.

What a joke.

Someone with a strong opinion suggesting that the reports of misbehaviour by schools are not sincere (Call me a cynic but...). Anyway all schools have an opportunity to respond.

Ajarn needs TEFLwatch otherwise they will constantly be blocking teachers' negative reports of their sponsors. I don't know how close that relationship is though.

I very much doubt Bruce will stop advertising with Ajarn as Ajarn brings a lot of hits to his sites. If he did, he would feel the pain more than Phil IMO.

Recently there was a thread (Newbie page) on TEFL Int that has now been locked. I noticed some connections between a salesman for a TEFL provider and the original poster. Circumstantial but fairly convincing for me.

[mrtoad]

Considering Dorkenomics lack of response to a further explanation, it would suggest that he or she is possibly involved with either one of the schools criticised or is another pseudonym for ajarnsarah.

Whilst I agree that some of the posts on TEFL watch are not helpful and generally vindictive, it is still an important counterbalance to all the pro school sites. Amongst the crap there is still some useful information in there. Teachers do need to hear both sides of the story!!

The refernce to "losers" and "dregs" leads me to believe that this dork post is likely to be ajarnsarah under a different guise as it is very similar in it's content to previous posts on other sites such as TEFLwatch, Ajarn and the Nation.

[Ijustwannateach]

Our subforum also needs TEFLwatch, as the alternative is either to allow school-bashing here (which leads to lawsuits and trouble) or not (which leads to accusations of toadying and trouble). While they are not directly associated with us, we have a friendly relationship and I appreciate the role that it plays for the foreign teaching community here. I agree with most of the prior supportive comments; and I think we can let things rest here.