Be prepared to stay till 1am everyday - English Teacher Writers Studio Employee Review

I experienced many challenges during my time at this centre, particularly surrounding the principal and consistency in management. From the beginning, I personally felt that the salary expectations, responsibilities, and job scope were not always clearly fixed and seemed to change frequently. This sometimes created uncertainty because expectations did not always feel stable or predictable. I also found that workplace decisions could sometimes feel highly reactive, with larger changes being implemented in response to isolated incidents or feedback. One incident I vividly remember was having access to teaching documents removed only minutes before a lesson was due to begin. We were informed that resources had been misused by another staff member, and as a result, access was restricted more broadly. Unfortunately, this affected multiple teachers and created stress immediately before classes as many had to adapt with very little notice. Another example involved feedback from a parent regarding a child standing for too long while waiting. In response, stools were introduced into a narrow hallway area. While I understood the intention behind the decision, the space itself was already quite limited and became difficult to navigate. During peak periods with many students present, the area felt crowded and less manageable for both staff and students. Another challenge I experienced was the leadership structure and communication style within the centre. There were situations where roles and responsibilities felt unclear. While team leads were appointed, I sometimes felt they did not appear to have much autonomy in decision-making, which occasionally created confusion regarding reporting lines and expectations. I also felt that communication could become overly indirect at times. There were situations where comments or concerns appeared to be relayed through different people rather than addressed openly and directly. This sometimes led to misunderstandings and unnecessary tension among staff members. It was unfortunate because many of the colleagues themselves were supportive, friendly and pleasant to work with. From my perspective, workplace discussions occasionally felt too focused on interpersonal matters rather than collaboration and solutions. Over time, this created an environment that could feel stressful and emotionally draining. The final factor that ultimately led me to leave was the work-life balance and expectations surrounding after-hours work. I personally experienced situations where staff were expected to stay back for extended periods to complete urgent projects and curriculum changes within extremely short timelines. There were occasions where major curriculum revisions were expected to be completed within only a few days, creating a great deal of pressure across the team. I personally remember staying in the centre until around 2am on one occasion to meet expectations. For me, that became a significant red flag. While I understand that certain periods may require extra effort, the frequency and expectations surrounding these situations felt difficult to sustain. What made it particularly challenging was that a considerable amount of time was often spent waiting for materials, feedback, approvals, or final changes before work could continue. This sometimes meant that long hours were not always spent actively completing tasks but waiting for direction or revised instructions before being able to proceed. Ultimately, the combination of changing expectations, last-minute revisions, and prolonged after-hours commitments significantly affected my experience and became one of the key reasons behind my decision to leave.