employer cover photo
employer logo
employer logo

James Cook Languages

Is this your company?

Just another corporate machine - ESL Teacher James Cook Languages Employee Review

2.0
Jan 23, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

JCL is a large school so it has a lot of resources to help teachers lesson plan. They always have a lot of classes to be taught, so not having enough hours to teach is not an issue at JCL. Some of the administrative staff is very friendly and helpful. The senior teachers are also friendly and helpful. They have useful training sessions which help, especially if you are new to teaching.

Cons

Same thing as everybody else has already said, they don't pay enough; especially for the amount of work you have to do. You end up running around to hundreds of different companies, the constant walking, constant train rides, constant bus rides, constant tram rides, constant traveling. Doing all this in the winter is very unappealing. Some course coordinators are very cold and unsympathetic to your pleas. If you don't put your foot down, you can easily be taken advantage of, especially when the course coordinator tries to keep on adding an infinite amount of classes to your schedule. JCL doesn't mentally or emotionally support their teachers, which they need because most of them are foreigners in a new country and don't speak the language or know how anything works. There are also conflicting expectations of what the teachers should teach because a lot of clients want only conversation classes with strictly no grammar but JCL expects teachers to teach these students grammar in some way shape or form. Another example is that students often don't want homework, but JCL tells us that we should always give homework. Most companies require a 2 week notice when one wants to resign...JCL requires twice that, which is strange considering they hire new teachers every week. JCL has a corporate mindset which shows; it seems that they value the bottom line, making more money and acquiring new clients than they do their overworked and underpaid teachers.

avatar
James Cook Languages Response
5y
Thank you for taking the time to write a review. Coordinators always take into consideration travel time, if teachers feel their schedule is not efficient enough, they can contact either coordinators directly or our Academic/HR department. If a teacher believes a coordinator's conduct is unprofessional, they can always contact our HR. We understand that moving to a new country can be stressful, thus we have a website full of useful information about the life in the Czech Republic. Moreover, we have a "buddy for teachers", a person who can accompany teachers to different offices and help them with different things they need, plus our HR colleagues can be also contacted. If a teacher believes the syllabus for the course is not suitable, they should ask their ST for help. Apart from the given Senior Teacher, it is also possible to contact our Directors of Studies. There is a month notice period at JCL, which is definitely not anything uncommon in the Czech Republic. Regarding the travel expenses reimbursement, it is now possible to get the pass even without teaching during peak hours.

Explore other reviews about James Cook Languages

5.0
Sep 29, 2017
Anonymous contractor
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Friendly and professional staff, vast amount of teaching resources, flexible scheduling, and very educational training sessions.

Cons

I have no major cons, but on several occasions I was told I did not submit my time sheets for my classes on time when I had email proof that I had. The issue was always quickly resolved.

avatar
James Cook Languages Response
8y
Thanks for your comments, we are glad you were satisfied working with us. We apologise for the issue with time sheets, as we deal with thousands of them every month, it sometimes happens that there are some oversights. It's good to know that they were resolved quickly.
1.0
Apr 23, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

While the company projects an image of professionalism, the reality often falls short of expectations. However, one advantage of working for JCL is the access they provide to a wide range of books and other teaching resources.

Cons

My experience with JCL was deeply disappointing. Initially, they hired me and assigned me a decent number of classes to teach. However, after teaching for a month or two, they started making excuses to delay payment. To make matters worse, the contract did not specify payment dates. Communication with them was painfully slow and lacked transparency. They frequently provided contradictory information, leaving me to figure out the truth on my own. Despite my relentless efforts, including sending dozens of daily emails and seeking legal advice, obtaining my rightful salary was an uphill battle. JCL was intentionally withholding the payment. To add insult to injury, they promptly fired me after finally receiving my salary. They started to defend themselves and hide their misconduct. My experience with JCL was nothing short of a nightmare. I strongly advise others to avoid wasting their time with such a company.

avatar
James Cook Languages Response
2y
Thank you for your review. We are glad that you were satisfied with the variety of teaching materials we offer to teachers. We believe that it made the preparation for each lesson more effective. However, we are very sorry to hear about your view on the payroll situation. Unfortunately, we are not aware of this problem, the whole situation described here comes as a surprise to us, even as you write, after daily communication from your side (which department did the communication take place with?) All teachers can arrange a meeting (even online) with representatives of the HR department and resolve things directly and quickly. We always try to communicate things openly and transparently. All contracts that teachers sign are always even in English. The contract clearly states the pay date, which we adhere to every month. We have clearly defined processes that we communicate to the teachers when they start, the initial orientation meeting takes 2-3 hours. Still, we would like to thank you for your cooperation and we wish you all the best.
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All