American Eagle Institute (弋果美語)

[roggie66]

Yes, I'm also looking for information about American Eagle, Fusing branch, Taipei. I"m in negotiations with Nora Hsu and a Maggie.

I just want general information on the school and over-all environment.

Sorry I couldn't find the posting button for "new topic" and had to post a reply to get on the forum.

Private messaging welcome, too.

Thank you.

[bjorkchicago]

I wanted to write a quick post regarding American Eagle since I have about 2 months under my belt so can at least shed a dim ray of light on the subject.. I'm at a VERY new branch in Toufen. Very small town in Miaoli County and, coming from more than a decade in Chicago and a few years in San Francisco, it is definitely quite a change. But that is for another thread.
The director at my school is relatively young (33 I think?), but very professional and well-educated. Fortunately for me her English is exceptionally fluent which I think probably alleviates some frustrations that could arise otherwise. I'm working on my Mandarin, but it is a work in progress which I think will continue to be a work in progress for some time. Sure, there are some things that we're just doing by trial and error, but we're in it together and i really do feel like a colleague rather than an underling.
The corporate headquarters are in Hsinchu and I have been there a few times for trainings and will be there in 4 weeks for some more, and in my limited experience I found the entire operation to be quite efficient, modern and clean buildings, decent lesson plans, and the higher-ups I've met seem to be approachable and down-to-earth.
I'm not a doe-eyed naive guy here, either... yes, I'm new to the ESL scene, but at 37, I've had my share of jobs and i can definitely say that i feel STRONGLY, based on what I've read and heard first-hand, that I think I'm fairly fortunate in my position. Yes, I have heard that perhaps i make a LITTLE less money than what others make in similar positions, but as a newbie I don't feel exceptionally entitled to the highest payscale immediately, and i also have a really great arrangement for my housing so i probably come out ahead anyway.

[Hamletintaiwan]

I wanted to write a quick post regarding American Eagle since I have about 2 months under my belt so can at least shed a dim ray of light on the subject.. I'm at a VERY new branch in Toufen. Very small town in Miaoli County and, coming from more than a decade in Chicago and a few years in San Francisco, it is definitely quite a change. But that is for another thread.
The director at my school is relatively young (33 I think?), but very professional and well-educated. Fortunately for me her English is exceptionally fluent which I think probably alleviates some frustrations that could arise otherwise. I'm working on my Mandarin, but it is a work in progress which I think will continue to be a work in progress for some time. Sure, there are some things that we're just doing by trial and error, but we're in it together and i really do feel like a colleague rather than an underling.
The corporate headquarters are in Hsinchu and I have been there a few times for trainings and will be there in 4 weeks for some more, and in my limited experience I found the entire operation to be quite efficient, modern and clean buildings, decent lesson plans, and the higher-ups I've met seem to be approachable and down-to-earth.
I'm not a doe-eyed naive guy here, either... yes, I'm new to the ESL scene, but at 37, I've had my share of jobs and i can definitely say that i feel STRONGLY, based on what I've read and heard first-hand, that I think I'm fairly fortunate in my position. Yes, I have heard that perhaps i make a LITTLE less money than what others make in similar positions, but as a newbie I don't feel exceptionally entitled to the highest payscale immediately, and i also have a really great arrangement for my housing so i probably come out ahead anyway.

I assume that you are American.

I have never worked for American Eagle Institute but have been there for interviews.

It's just a hunch, but, if you are not American and/or do not have a very standard American accent you are second choice only if hired.
In other words, if they hire you and you are not from the US you might be replaced as soon as the opportunity for that arises.
I also noticed that they are looking for new teachers quite frequently. Therefore, they must have fast turnovers.
I suggest, if you aren't from the US, and have two schools lined up, don't work for American Eagle. I might be wrong but maybe someone else can elaborate on this.

[ReadySalted]

I assume that you are American.

I have never worked for American Eagle Institute but have been there for interviews.

It's just a hunch, but, if you are not American and/or do not have a very standard American accent you are second choice only if hired.
In other words, if they hire you and you are not from the US you might be replaced as soon as the opportunity for that arises.
I also noticed that they are looking for new teachers quite frequently. Therefore, they must have fast turnovers.
I suggest, if you aren't from the US, and have two schools lined up, don't work for American Eagle. I might be wrong but maybe someone else can elaborate on this.

I work at American Eagle, am not American, and I've just signed another contract. I don't think my boss wants just American teachers, as she has hired non-Americans in the past. I have to teach American phonics (obviously) and I try to use American pronunciations, but I do have the occasional issue with my accent/pronunciation.

For people after info on Eagle: in my experience it's a good place to work, with lesson plans done for you (which I like), and you're left alone to get on with your job. I'm happy working at American Eagle, and I know most of my colleagues are happy there too. Of course, I'm speaking for my branch; others could be different.

[lostfool]

I know two South African's, one Canadian and one Australian who are all working for American Eagle, are happy with it and getting resigned

[canucktyuktuk]

A quarter way through my third year there..... I'm totally burned out. They want too much. Word of warning... don't do the full time position.... at least at my branch...

[KaiXi333]

A quarter way through my third year there..... I'm totally burned out. They want too much. Word of warning... don't do the full time position.... at least at my branch...

Thanks for the warning. I was about to ask you to elaborate on that post but then I searched deeper and found one of your older ones. I don't blame you for feeling burnt out. I frankly don't think I would do to well there full time. I'm not good at grading copious amounts of work without making a mistake or two. I'll look elsewhere.

[globalgourmand]

I'd first echo that my experience has been the same as canucktyuktuk's-- I'm feeling quite burnt out from all the extra stuff (correcting the never-ending flow of intensive workbooks, decorating classroom walls, wordy parent communication and report cards, speech contest work, etc.) The curriculum is really intensive for the students so I pick and choose what I think is most helpful to them (being sure they'll still be able to pass the big exams and that the written work still gets "done") and I focus on what I think needs more consideration and practice. But this requires a lot of careful forethought so I put in a lot of unpaid time making my time with the kids as effective as possible.

On the plus side, the environment is great. Its clean and well lit. The staff and management at my branch are good people and pleasant to work with (for the most part). The students are enthusiastic, love to see me, and generally accustomed to meeting high expectations so they participate and do the work required with minimal resistance. There are exceptions and I've run into some serious (SERIOUS) learning disabilities and level misplacements that are being ignored in favor of the extra money coming in. I love my schedule. Most teachers do any combination of daily classes 1:30-4 (except Tuesdays), 4:30-6, and 6-7:30. I also love my students. Not all of them, obviously, but I really love many of them as if they were my own. Because I see them every single day, we're very close. I get to see their constant growth and I can tell immediately when they're struggling with something. This is the BEST part of the job-- working closely with the students is very rewarding and beneficial for teaching as you can address issues or review difficult material right away (albeit to the detriment of the intensive curriculum and workload).

On the negative side, I choose to take this job seriously and consequently put in a lot of unpaid extra work to make sure the students are caught up, exams are passed, management is happy and parents are happy. I've only been here for a semester and half and I'm already exhausted and tired of it! Another new teacher has only been here half a semester and she is feeling the same. I also pity the Chinese teaching assistants as they are totally overworked. At my branch, in particular, they are stretched so thin. Often responsible for monitoring and checking the work for 3 classes during a single time block. I can't imagine that any of them can tolerate these exhaustive conditions for more than a couple years, especially not in the face of complaining foreign teachers who probably make twice the hourly rate and less than half the hours! But we ALL deserve better, really. We do a great job with/for the kids and make the parents very happy. I'd consider AEI to be in the upper eschelon of grade schools in Taiwan, or at least in our county and parents probably do pay a pretty penny for it but we don't receive any raises. We do get bonuses.

I just want to take a moment to say that my branch, for certain, does not have a preference for American/Canadian accents. They're definitely more interested in dependable teachers who work hard. We currently have 1 American, 2 Canadian, and 2 South African. It used to be 4 South Africans until two of them left to pursue other paths. Hamlet's hunch is unfounded, as far as I can see.