International School Evaluation
School name: Ms. Agnes Chan / Ricky Tan (Chairman of KinderWorld Group) (Uniworld School in North Vietnam) (KinderWorld in South Vietnam) Director's name: Singapore International School Dates covered: 2007 2011 Evaluation 1) 08/2009
Academic integrity of school Effectiveness of administration
6 6
Academic and disciplinary support provided
7
Director's involvement in academics
6
Fair and equitable treatment by board and director
1
School has adequate educational materials on hand
5
Attitude of local community towards foreigners
7
Cost of living in relation to salary (10= most favorable)
8
Satisfaction with housing
6
Community offers a variety of activities
8
Availability and quality of local health care
6
Assistance with visas, shipping and air travel
2
Extra curricular load is reasonable
5
Security / personal safety (10 = very safe in and out of school)
8
Comments:The School Management operates the school primarily as a business, not an educational institution. They issue contracts without even knowing the laws of Expat Employment in the countries they have schools, and hire staff based on one 20 minute phone interview, without requesting any documentation of teaching experience, certificates, or ability to get VISA or work permits. They leave these details for when you arrive to the country, and if you don't qualify, they use that as a reason to cancel contract with no remuneration whatsoever. This happened to me, my contract was canceled and the $5000+ I spent to get here, property sold, and shipping arrangements made was not reimbursed, not even air flight, and when they canceled your contract, you were told to go home, regardless of your ability to do so or not. School Management has no regard for their 2 year contract, or honoring any agreements made by the company to its teachers, both verbally and in writing. They are closed minded, refuse to listen to any explanation of disputes or disagreements, and do not return emails or phone calls requesting assistance. Administrative staff are left to apologize for management behavior, but are powerless to do anything but watch the injustice as it unfolds.
If you accept employment with this company, do so with your eyes wide open, and an attorney retained. There conduct towards teachers has also created an excessive teacher turnover problem and poor standing in the community with parents and neighbors. Singapore International Schools are a part of Kinderworld, Inc. They also put unrealistic loads on their teachers, not considering the effect on the quality of the students' education.When I arrived in Hanoi, they informed me I would be constructing a new curriculum for Computer Technology for 5 grade levels: 6, 7, 8, 9, and 11, but gave me no time to develop the curriculum. I was also expected to teach several levels of Science concurrently. There was no way to do this and teach at the same time, while delivering a cohesive curriculum for the students. Management was not concerned. In conclusion, my advice is to stay away from these people. If you do choose to work for them, I advise you to watch your back at all times and have an escape plan at all times. x Evaluation 2) 2007 2009 Uniworld School
Academic integrity of school Effectiveness of administration
5 2
Academic and disciplinary support provided
6
Director's involvement in academics
4
Fair and equitable treatment by board and director
2
School has adequate educational materials on hand
4
Attitude of local community towards foreigners
9
Cost of living in relation to salary (10= most favorable)
7
Satisfaction with housing
7
Community offers a variety of activities
8
Availability and quality of local health care
8
Assistance with visas, shipping and air travel
3
Extra curricular load is reasonable
8
Security / personal safety (10 = very safe in and out of school)
8
Comments: Singapore International School is an interesting entity. It has only just become Singapore International School in Hanoi. Before August of this year they called themselves Uniworld International School in the north, and SIS in the south. My review is about the northern operations (Uniworld). The package they offer sounds good, and is generally adequate for your needs in Hanoi and the other northern cities, where cost of living is quite low. Housing varies radically; whilst adequate in most situations, in some it was downright disgusting. No help with shipping or transport, and the air ticket home is not flexible to other destinations. Its either home, or nothing. I will also note that I had no special needs, but I have seen several instances of people with special needs being completely ignored, even after management had specifically said they will help them in specific ways. Be warned – they do not. Everything must be in writing with this company, and even then they have been known to deny everything, even when presented with written proof of their agreements. Laws in Vietnam are shady and difficult to navigate, and management will often use this to their advantage. Staff were underpaid, bullied, and generally ignored on a regular basis. In one case, management actually withheld an entire month’s pay from some employees, giving them all of one business day’s notice before doing it. Was it illegal? Yes, but it was too expensive
them all of one business day’s notice before doing it. Was it illegal? Yes, but it was too expensive and risky to launch legal action, so we just had to grin and bear it. Dissent and disagreement are not tolerated at SIS, and the senior staff protect their own disciples. If you work here, either be invisible or become good buddies and go drinking with a principal or manager. Good teachers are removed, no matter how exemplary their record is, if the director or managers think they make too many waves. At least now the school has actually employed a few qualified teachers – in the past, they were employing English language teachers with adult CELTA qualifications (or in some cases, no qualifications at all) and putting them into primary and high school classrooms. Several are still teaching there, still in general classroom situations, so don’t expect the standard of teaching to be particularly high. The brochures say the school is now teaching the Singapore curriculum, though this is a little misleading. I left the school in July 2009, and at that time nobody had even seen the new curriculum that was supposed to be implemented in August. Many outlines, such as elementary social science were not even written by the start of the first term this year (I know this because I was writing it), and the Vietnamese students are nowhere near the educational standard required to meet the Singapore curriculum levels stipulated, mainly thanks to a lack of curriculum development or competent, qualified teaching staff in the past. Curriculum resources mainly consist of photocopies and internet resources, with a few books to access. Libraries are a joke. The school flatly refuses to purchase program licenses for things like Word or Excel, so all software used by staff and students is freeware and shareware. The turnover in the schools has traditionally been very high – one primary school class went through more than 10 teachers in the two years I was with the company – and I can only hope that, for the sake of the children, this situation is improving, but I won’t hold my breath. Vietnam itself is just wonderful. Locals are friendly, and the children are great. The Vietnamese teaching staff are wonderful very helpful, and generally they work really hard, even though management treats them even worse than the expat staff. I thoroughly enjoyed the classroom teaching when I was there, but the poor management, the unprofessional, often inexperienced principals, and the low morale in all schools can be very difficult to cope with sometimes. Overall, from my experience, I would only recommend SIS to anyone with a strong constitution, who wants a short stint in the international circuit, or who wants to get into the ground floor of international teaching as, unlike real schools, they will pretty much take anybody with a white face and a heartbeat. But I would not make this company a long term destination. Get in, get your experience, make some good contacts, and get out, and while you are there, keep your head down and your mouth shut, and you should come out fine. I actually consider myself lucky to have lasted my two years there, because now I feel that, after the experience, I can cope with anything any international school throws at me in the future.
Evaluation 3) 2010 2011 Academic integrity of school Effectiveness of administration Academic and disciplinary support provided Director's involvement in academics Fair and equitable treatment by board and director School has adequate educational materials on hand Attitude of local community towards foreigners Cost of living in relation to salary (10= most favorable) Satisfaction with housing Community offers a variety of activities
7 8 8 9 3 3 8 5 3 4
Community offers a variety of activities Availability and quality of local health care Satisfaction with school health insurance policy Family friendly / child friendly school and community Assistance with visas, shipping and air travel Extra curricular load is reasonable
4 8 9 9 5 7
Security / personal safety (10 = very safe in and out of school)
8
Comments: This review is relevant to the Saigon South campus which is Kinderworld's flagship school in southern Vietnam. (600+ students) Pros: Great Principal and Deputy at the school. The Principal is supportive and all round a very nice guy. They are both Australian and hence know how to deal with western staff. The Vietnamese and Singaporean staff have a very "black and white" way of looking at things and really are just pawns of the Head office dictatorship. The kids are really great at this school. Keen to learn, generally respectful and well behaved. Classroom teaching here is an enjoyable experience. Other staff. The foreign staff are great. There are some truly fantastic teachers within the cohort who do a great job with the kids. There are some great Vietnamese teachers at the school but also some who need to go back and do some retraining. NB. You don't actually need to be a qualified teacher in your home country to teach at this school. Work load is very manageable and there is no expectation to commit to extra curricular activities. Cons: The Pay. It is low compared to most other International schools in Saigon. Hence, teachers only stay for a short time at this school before leaving. Expect $2000 US after tax each month and $360 rental allowance. The school is a money making business. The director appears to know little about education but wants his school to be prestigious and known amongst the community for its high standards. Unfortunately he is not willing to put his hand in his pocket to make this happen. The Library: I was quite shocked when I first walked into the school Library. I've seen magazine sections in news agencies which were bigger than the Library at SIS. Sortware: All computer software is fraudulent and nothing has been purchased on licence. Many computers have issues/viruses/malfunctions as a result of this but as the classroom teacher you are left to solve your own problems. The IT guy is helpful enough, but clearly out of his league and simply just another robot on staff who does what he is told. An International School? Well it's not really. They teach the Singapore curriculum (very rigid) and most of the students are wealthy Vietnamese with a few Koreans added to help with credibility. This school is more like a private Vietnamese school which calls itself an International school. Sort of like McDonalds calling itself a restaurant. Staff morale: Whilst many teachers are doing their best many are counting down the day until they leave. The façade has washed away and they are are now in full realization of what this school really is: a business.
Resources: The school has very few resources available. As mentioned the Library is useless and hence your only real resource is the internet. Singapore Curriculum: How this curriculum got a good name is beyond me. Apparently they have a good name in the Maths and Sciences. How surprising, as these are the best subjects for those who love to learn formulas out of a textbook and never develop a questioning mind. Be prepared to teach straight from the textbook and employ a teaching style of "chalk and talk (guess it worked in the fifties!). The Vietnamese staff get paid $200$300 per month and are on their feet all day with little time for breaks. Needless to say that their morale isn't particularly high. Most however are great workers and never openly criticize the school or the overlord Ricky. The hours: As a member of staff you are treated like a common factory worker. You have a manual punch card which must be slotted in to the machine on your arrival every morning and every afternoon when you leave. Your hours are noted and if you slip out early you risk being docked a percentage of your pay. All staff must arrive by 8am and cannot leave until 5pm. Admin staff work half Saturdays as well. All staff must come to the school at least once a term on a Saturday morning for PD sessions. Vietnam: Vietnam is a developing country so don't expect things to work well or arrive on time. All mail sent from overseas will be opened at the mail centre before you receive it. Therefore do not post valuables or have valuables sent to you. The average Vietnamese person will do their minimum for you unless you make it worth their while (ie. cash payment). To be honest, if I was getting paid what the average Vietnamese person gets paid I wouldn't be efficient either. If you come here you are entering a country in which the cops would rather see $10 from you than your licence, you will be treated like an ATM by everyone, having a motorcycle accident is a given, and where individual rights like we have in the west are none existent. The positives are that you can pay off the Police and never really get in trouble for anything. Smoke and drink wherever you want (restaurants, along the street etc) and explore a country with much natural beauty and history. My advice: All around SIS is a good school however the Director wants to make money out of his venture and hence all other considerations are placed last. If you don't mind the low pay then it's not a bad start to get your foot into the door within the International School scene. If you are an experienced teacher with the IB realm, then I'd advise to keep looking. z
Evaluation 4) 2010 2011 KinderWorld School Academic integrity of school Effectiveness of administration Academic and disciplinary support provided Director's involvement in academics Fair and equitable treatment by board and director School has adequate educational materials on hand Attitude of local community towards foreigners Cost of living in relation to salary (10= most favorable) Satisfaction with housing Community offers a variety of activities Availability and quality of local health care Satisfaction with school health insurance policy Family friendly / child friendly school and community
2 1 1 1 1 1 8 8 6 4 8 10 9
Assistance with visas, shipping and air travel Extra curricular load is reasonable
1 1
Security / personal safety (10 = very safe in and out of school)
4
Comments: This is definitely a ruthless sweatshop experience. Save yourself the experience and the degradationtheir only goal is to create profit. All the moral and ethical values associated with teaching children are nonexistent in this corporation. The pay is somewhat adequate but it cannot begin to compensate for what it feels like to be exploited by a money oriented capricious employer who has no interest in the students or parents beyond the tuition check. And if you, as a staff member do not join their "groupthink" by striving to provide a quality and caring teaching environment (with proper resources no less!), you are suspect of disloyalty to the company. z Evaluation 5) 2011
Academic integrity of school 5 Effectiveness of administration 2 Academic and disciplinary support provided 3 Director's involvement in academics 3 Fair and equitable treatment by board and director 1 School has adequate educational materials on hand 6 Attitude of local community towards foreigners 4 Cost of living in relation to salary (10= most favorable) 6 Yearly salary range for teachers in US dollars $18K $36K Satisfaction with housing 3 Community offers a variety of activities 6 Availability and quality of local health care 5 Satisfaction with school health insurance policy 3 Family friendly / child friendly school and community 1 Assistance with visas, shipping and air travel 1 Extra curricular load is reasonable 1 Security / personal safety (10 = very safe in and out of school)
7
Comments: This is part of a chain of schools that are popping up like MacDonalds all over Asia. On the outside the schools look well made but the quality of the buildings and overcrowding makes it almost impossible for the kids to get any exercise. It is intergrated which means that it runs a local program for 1/2 a day and an international program for 1/2 a day. The international section kids are taught in English by expat teachers with various qualifications. Staff rarely stay beyond the contract length and most get out after the first year. The teacher must provide their own airfare upfront as well as the cost of their work permit and visa extension then you have to fight for it back at the end of the year. The HR processing is poor and sometimes teachers have to pay for 3 or more visa extensions before they actually get it right. It can be up to $1000usd for all the paperwork upfront. They tell you this after you get there. Housing allowance is poor at only about 1/4 of what it costs to get a decent house here, and there is no help to get started as most contracts require 3 months advance rent! (Fine if you want to share with 4 others). Staff have no voice and if you question or make suggestions that actually benefit the kids rather than the pockets of the CEO you are reported to HR and they can take away your pay for not supporting the company.
away your pay for not supporting the company. The main problem is the hours you work. You MUST clock in at 8am and clock out at 5pm every day. If you don't they can take your pay. Not great for some of the teachers who have kids. You have to apply for annual leave during the school holidays, most teachers get 30 days vacation a year total so expect to sit in your classroom for a few weeks over summer. You will be required to join 3 committees, 2 clubs, 2 duties each week. On top of that you only get 30mins for lunch beacause you have to be in your classroom for the kids for half of the lunch break. The local teachers are treated like slaves and seriously under appreciated. If you are not white, you will get paid about half as much even if you are more qualified or experienced! The principal and deputy are grossly under qualified and extremely unprofessional. They have been chosen so they can be puppets of the CEO, Ricky Tan, who charges high fees but spends so little on resources for the kids. There is no flexibility in the curriculum and it is just worksheet after worksheet. Even the 5 year olds take exams and the 6 year olds have 3 sets of 2 hour exams each semmester. Even though the kids are sweet and well behaved It's just not worth it. z Click here to submit an "Evaluation Form" for your school
