Written
by John Oliver Davies-Gay:
I was unlucky enough to encounter Opgrades
approximately two years ago when I first moved to London and needed a job as
quickly as possible. I saw an advert on Gumtree (which may now have been
removed after I complained) offering potential earnings of £30-40,000 for
dedicated and professional staff at a new education business. I then met a
person (I certainly cannot call him a gentleman) claiming to be called Michael
Zander who explained that his aim was to be bigger than English Town through 24
hour a day Internet English lessons. After the outrageously hyperbolic sales
talk ( perhaps his only real speciality) , he then offered me a nine week
internship for which I would be paid the slave wage of £600 going up to £900
after another month and so on. This was for 70 hours a week. My instincts were
immediate distrust and I felt insulted, however I was short of money......
My first responsibilities when I started at Opgrades were to write the materials and tests for the wholly imaginary courses Michael and the sales team had already sold. The syllabus ( to divest that term of any meaning) was a mere collection of grammatical items classified ( without any cogent reason) as belonging to the various levels. These levels were continuously expanding in relation, I must suppose, to however much money management believed could be diddled out of students.
I also was expected to teach a six day week (7 every second week) often beginning at 8am and ending at 6/8 pm. In other words I was paid around £3 an hour whilst being expected to be satisfied with airy promises of a wonderful future.
Whilst I was working at Opgrades I had many occasions to witness student and staff discontent. I would see a so-called Senior Teacher and Centre Management Designee ( Michael appears to think that offering titles can replace wages) arguing with students who felt that they had been misled about what they had paid for, and any time I went into the staff room there was always the warming spectacle of a new salesperson being ritually humiliated and dismissed for not meeting sales targets. Most of these appeared to be school leavers who learned the hard way what COMMISSION ONLY means- probably the most valuable lesson that was ever taught.
Staff were constantly leaving ( was it that they didn't actually appreciate being berated by Michael and insulted by Marcela?) , and the atmosphere was little short of poisonous.
I had decided to leave before the so-called internship was up. The clincher was not being paid even the pittance that I was due because of some half-baked nonsense about my not providing the right bank details. I brought this up with Michael, only to be told that he would arrange this "in a few days". Needless to say, this wasn't good enough. I replied that I didn't feel I could trust Michael , and he then tried to play the indignant innocent, finally asking me why I didn't go. For once I had heard something sensible from him.
After four weeks of emailing the "Senior Teacher" and Marcela, I still hadn't received any money. I then took the company to the small claims court. Despite the obvious attempts to misdirect the court ( well why not when you misdirect everyone else?) by returning mail, I was eventually paid about £400 for approximately 160 hours.
I can therefore fully confirm the many other horror stories people have told me and which have been documented here. I will spare you the pitiful account of how I was made to listen to Michael's lecture on the philosophy of core excellence in teaching in which he had to ask how to spell several of the words and simply conclude by warning all potential students and staff to beware of fly by night education companies headed by unscrupulous, ill-educated, ill-mannered and aggressive sales people - of which this is the prime example. Michael has introduced a modern form of slavery into this country!
As a postscript , I have recently seen that this company are now advertising media internships. Perhaps they provide case studies.....
John Oliver Davies-Gay
My first responsibilities when I started at Opgrades were to write the materials and tests for the wholly imaginary courses Michael and the sales team had already sold. The syllabus ( to divest that term of any meaning) was a mere collection of grammatical items classified ( without any cogent reason) as belonging to the various levels. These levels were continuously expanding in relation, I must suppose, to however much money management believed could be diddled out of students.
I also was expected to teach a six day week (7 every second week) often beginning at 8am and ending at 6/8 pm. In other words I was paid around £3 an hour whilst being expected to be satisfied with airy promises of a wonderful future.
Whilst I was working at Opgrades I had many occasions to witness student and staff discontent. I would see a so-called Senior Teacher and Centre Management Designee ( Michael appears to think that offering titles can replace wages) arguing with students who felt that they had been misled about what they had paid for, and any time I went into the staff room there was always the warming spectacle of a new salesperson being ritually humiliated and dismissed for not meeting sales targets. Most of these appeared to be school leavers who learned the hard way what COMMISSION ONLY means- probably the most valuable lesson that was ever taught.
Staff were constantly leaving ( was it that they didn't actually appreciate being berated by Michael and insulted by Marcela?) , and the atmosphere was little short of poisonous.
I had decided to leave before the so-called internship was up. The clincher was not being paid even the pittance that I was due because of some half-baked nonsense about my not providing the right bank details. I brought this up with Michael, only to be told that he would arrange this "in a few days". Needless to say, this wasn't good enough. I replied that I didn't feel I could trust Michael , and he then tried to play the indignant innocent, finally asking me why I didn't go. For once I had heard something sensible from him.
After four weeks of emailing the "Senior Teacher" and Marcela, I still hadn't received any money. I then took the company to the small claims court. Despite the obvious attempts to misdirect the court ( well why not when you misdirect everyone else?) by returning mail, I was eventually paid about £400 for approximately 160 hours.
I can therefore fully confirm the many other horror stories people have told me and which have been documented here. I will spare you the pitiful account of how I was made to listen to Michael's lecture on the philosophy of core excellence in teaching in which he had to ask how to spell several of the words and simply conclude by warning all potential students and staff to beware of fly by night education companies headed by unscrupulous, ill-educated, ill-mannered and aggressive sales people - of which this is the prime example. Michael has introduced a modern form of slavery into this country!
As a postscript , I have recently seen that this company are now advertising media internships. Perhaps they provide case studies.....
John Oliver Davies-Gay
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