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James Cook Languages

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Not a real job - Instructor James Cook Languages Employee Review

1.0
Jan 26, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The staff are friendly and courteous and the clients are generally delightful.

Cons

JCL is set up to make money off of teachers and not to help teachers make money. The incentive bonuses are unlikely. The company will not help you get settled, sponsor a visa, pay for training, pay for commute expenses or consider the situation of foreigners they recruit.

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James Cook Languages Response
8y
Thank you for taking time to write a review. We would like to address the points you have mentioned. We have a system of bonuses for our teachers which is designed to be achievable for those teaching full time and for the entirety of their contract. We carefully monitor the situation regarding this in order to make sure that those who are entitled to it get it. When teachers ask us for advice about housing etc. we always do our best to help, and we have information packs for new teachers, as well as Senior Teachers available to give advice about teaching and living in Prague. We are not able to sponsor visas, but we put teachers in touch with an excellent and reasonable visa agency. We do pay for travel expenses of full time teachers who teach during prime time slots. We also pay teachers for their initial training sessions as well as providing many other development opportunities for them for free, regardless of how many lessons they teach. When our students cancel a lesson with less than 24 hours’ notice, they are charged in full and the teacher is paid in full. This is not standard practice in the Czech Republic but it is something we insist on in order to create a fairer system for our teachers. We do many things for our teachers in terms of support, training and development, access to resources etc. which are far above industry standards in the Czech Republic.

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.

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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.

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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.
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