Yangon Academy-PSY Guy
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History Guy
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Fri Nov 16, 2012 11:24 pm
Yangon Academy-PSY Guy
Can you tell me a little about this school Psy Guy? You know so much about so many, hope you can shed a light for me.
Comment
Its a third tier school, and its in Myanmar, which has some safety/security issues. Its really a local school with an international (American) curriculum, specifically its a bilingual school. Meaning its an ESL school using a western academic program as the vehicle of english instruction.
The students are OK, on the entitled side, but they are respectful. Administration is mostly local. They want to be big and you can feel that.
The workload is pretty easy, few outside hours, and EL proficiency is going to be a bar to really complex difficult concepts, so you dont have to work or prep very hard.
The money isnt great, but if you were new and just wanting to get some international experience the package is Ok (its better then an EL teaching position). Your not going to leave much more competitive then when you go in.
The students are OK, on the entitled side, but they are respectful. Administration is mostly local. They want to be big and you can feel that.
The workload is pretty easy, few outside hours, and EL proficiency is going to be a bar to really complex difficult concepts, so you dont have to work or prep very hard.
The money isnt great, but if you were new and just wanting to get some international experience the package is Ok (its better then an EL teaching position). Your not going to leave much more competitive then when you go in.
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History Guy
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Fri Nov 16, 2012 11:24 pm
Yan Goon
"Can you tell me a little about this school Psy Guy? You know so much about so many, hope you can shed a light for me."
Please, please tell me you are being ironic!
Please, please tell me you are being ironic!
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History Guy
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Fri Nov 16, 2012 11:24 pm
Actually Walter, its funny. I work at Yangon Academy now. In fact, I am sitting in my room at this very moment. I just wanted to see what he was going to say about it. He gets all of this information from websites and TIE ads don't you know! Local admin? Wonder what he would say if he saw my 6'3 inch tall Colorado native principal, the only one we have. Native admin my butt. Every thing else was just drivel he gets from our website and our ad on TIE. Thanks for blowing it for me buddy! I set him a trap, and he was about to fall right into it.
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History Guy
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Fri Nov 16, 2012 11:24 pm
Joined: 12 Oct 2011
Posts: 1990
Location: Northern Europe
PostPosted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 4:32 am Post subject: Comment Reply with quote
Its a third tier school, and its in Myanmar, which has some safety/security issues. Its really a local school with an international (American) curriculum, specifically its a bilingual school. Meaning its an ESL school using a western academic program as the vehicle of english instruction.
Actually, kind of correct, except for the safety security info which is an out and out lie, unless you live in the border areas. Yangon is by far the safest city I have lived in, out of many. Lots of feral dogs though. Thing is military dictatorships are known for being safe.
The students are OK, on the entitled side, but they are respectful. Administration is mostly local. They want to be big and you can feel that.
The workload is pretty easy, few outside hours, and EL proficiency is going to be a bar to really complex difficult concepts, so you dont have to work or prep very hard.
We have one admin. He is very white, from Colorado. There is no other, so, lie. We dont want to be big, we are stuffed to the gills. How can you feel that PSY Idiot?
We are required to do spend LOTS of time on extra curricular things. Again, I actually work here so I know! If you dont work or prep hard in an ESOL school your screwed, another lie. My kids speak way better English than others I have taught, and have better grammar, and spelling than PSY idiot, and myself.
The money isnt great, but if you were new and just wanting to get some international experience the package is Ok (its better then an EL teaching position). Your not going to leave much more competitive then when you go in.
Actually the package is great for Yangon. Biggest housing allowance outside of ISY for sure. Health insurance is worlds better than YIS, ISM, or MISY, MIS.
I am MUCH more competitive than when I started here by the way.
Just wanted to see what this idiot would say about a place I currently work at, and know for a fact he has never been.
Walter, you offered to interview PSY idiot for laughs, the wife and I will be at UNI, MS/HS Social Studies and Elementary, can we interview with you for an actual, serious, position, in other words, not for laughs?
Posts: 1990
Location: Northern Europe
PostPosted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 4:32 am Post subject: Comment Reply with quote
Its a third tier school, and its in Myanmar, which has some safety/security issues. Its really a local school with an international (American) curriculum, specifically its a bilingual school. Meaning its an ESL school using a western academic program as the vehicle of english instruction.
Actually, kind of correct, except for the safety security info which is an out and out lie, unless you live in the border areas. Yangon is by far the safest city I have lived in, out of many. Lots of feral dogs though. Thing is military dictatorships are known for being safe.
The students are OK, on the entitled side, but they are respectful. Administration is mostly local. They want to be big and you can feel that.
The workload is pretty easy, few outside hours, and EL proficiency is going to be a bar to really complex difficult concepts, so you dont have to work or prep very hard.
We have one admin. He is very white, from Colorado. There is no other, so, lie. We dont want to be big, we are stuffed to the gills. How can you feel that PSY Idiot?
We are required to do spend LOTS of time on extra curricular things. Again, I actually work here so I know! If you dont work or prep hard in an ESOL school your screwed, another lie. My kids speak way better English than others I have taught, and have better grammar, and spelling than PSY idiot, and myself.
The money isnt great, but if you were new and just wanting to get some international experience the package is Ok (its better then an EL teaching position). Your not going to leave much more competitive then when you go in.
Actually the package is great for Yangon. Biggest housing allowance outside of ISY for sure. Health insurance is worlds better than YIS, ISM, or MISY, MIS.
I am MUCH more competitive than when I started here by the way.
Just wanted to see what this idiot would say about a place I currently work at, and know for a fact he has never been.
Walter, you offered to interview PSY idiot for laughs, the wife and I will be at UNI, MS/HS Social Studies and Elementary, can we interview with you for an actual, serious, position, in other words, not for laughs?
History Guy
You made my day. There was just a little too much bait on the hook, which made me think it might be a cod post but Dave Psyguy's ego is such that I can imagine his eyes spinning around when he saw your invitation. I shall certainly be in Iowa and even if I don't have the right jobs available by then, I owe you a beer.
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BookshelfAmy
- Posts: 120
- Joined: Sat Jan 21, 2012 4:21 pm
History Guy,
Can you tell me more about living in Yangon? The husband and I have an interview with ISM coming up, and I'm a bit nervous. We've lived in developing (and corrupt) countries before, and I understand that the safety warnings issued by the US government are intentionally over-cautious. What is it like to live there? Husband specifically wants to know about Internet access.
To be honest, while I'm excited by the opportunity, ISM is not the kind of school we expected to end up at. We were under the impression that we were fairly competitive for newbies (no dependents, Science/Math & Elementary/Middle/Library), but we haven't gotten a single nibble except for this one. When our Search Associate put us on the waiting list for Cambridge and invited us to SF instead, I decided we'd better broaden our net a bit. :)
We'd love to know any information/opinions you can offer on lifestyle, culture, food, safety, school... whatever.
Can you tell me more about living in Yangon? The husband and I have an interview with ISM coming up, and I'm a bit nervous. We've lived in developing (and corrupt) countries before, and I understand that the safety warnings issued by the US government are intentionally over-cautious. What is it like to live there? Husband specifically wants to know about Internet access.
To be honest, while I'm excited by the opportunity, ISM is not the kind of school we expected to end up at. We were under the impression that we were fairly competitive for newbies (no dependents, Science/Math & Elementary/Middle/Library), but we haven't gotten a single nibble except for this one. When our Search Associate put us on the waiting list for Cambridge and invited us to SF instead, I decided we'd better broaden our net a bit. :)
We'd love to know any information/opinions you can offer on lifestyle, culture, food, safety, school... whatever.
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BookshelfAmy
- Posts: 120
- Joined: Sat Jan 21, 2012 4:21 pm
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History Guy
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Fri Nov 16, 2012 11:24 pm
If you think I was bullying, you should go back and read some of Psy Guys posts. Erroneous, sexist, and mostly wrong information from a supposed expert on literally every international school on the planet. After all this gibberish he has spewed I was just curious to hear what he had to say about a school he knows nothing about.
Walter, would love to meet up in Iowa, if your an admin, it wont be hard to figure out who we are from where we both work, just look for our resumes under our qualifications and see that we are the only two people from YA that are there. I am going to hit you up for that beer!
Living in Myanmar-well it has its ups and downs. Cost of living is rising fast but if you are fairly frugal, its still pretty cheap. For me, the toughest part is it is hard to get out of the city. Poor transportation, bad roads, ect. We do love it here but want something different. Food is ok, oily, but there are some great things as well. Very culturally diverse in terms of religions, ethnicities. Good social life as an expat.
The bad-Internet is horrible, but getting better. Very slow though. Lots of poverty. Electricity and water shortages in the hot season, though ISM puts people in buildings with generators. It is an exciting place though, rapid changes. Very very safe, except for the large amounts of feral dogs! Very little native on westerner crime, although that is rising. Health care is not the best. IF you have medical issues I would not come.
Lots of vacation opportunities outside of the country, you have to leave every 70 days for visa purposes so many trips to Bangkok. Limited number of flights to other places though. BKK is an hour away by air. We are glad we came when we did.
ISM-IF you need a job, you could do worse. It is a huge school, lots of teachers, most of whom I know, who are good people. I have been in the Elementary school and high school and they are nice facilities for Burma. ISM provides decent PD, I have been to some of their workshops. You should understand though they have lots of turnover year on year, the housing provided is not the best, but there is a shortage of western type housing available in Yangon so all schools suffer from that. There are reviews of the paid portion of this site, which I have read, and mirror many of the comments that I have heard from teachers who work there, but as I do not, I will not really comment on them but encourage you to read them before committing. Keep in mind, as all schools in Burma, bar one (ISY), it is a for profit school which means that is the key motive.
In terms of package, they get more per year on paper in salary, but are also taxed, get less visa money, ie my school pays for me to go to BKK, airfare and hotels, but they, ISM, only pay for the visa. They have a high insurance deductible compared to mine. That is about all that I think I should say about the school, because again, I do not work there.
Yangon is a decent two year post, especially if you want to travel in SE Asia. But keep in mind it is VERY early in the year yet, most schools have not had letters of intent from teachers yet, for once PSY Guy is right on that point. Have you thought of the UNI Fair instead of Search? I personally like it much better, it is not for profit, and a great mix of schools, from the high flyers like Singapore American to the third tier.
Walter, would love to meet up in Iowa, if your an admin, it wont be hard to figure out who we are from where we both work, just look for our resumes under our qualifications and see that we are the only two people from YA that are there. I am going to hit you up for that beer!
Living in Myanmar-well it has its ups and downs. Cost of living is rising fast but if you are fairly frugal, its still pretty cheap. For me, the toughest part is it is hard to get out of the city. Poor transportation, bad roads, ect. We do love it here but want something different. Food is ok, oily, but there are some great things as well. Very culturally diverse in terms of religions, ethnicities. Good social life as an expat.
The bad-Internet is horrible, but getting better. Very slow though. Lots of poverty. Electricity and water shortages in the hot season, though ISM puts people in buildings with generators. It is an exciting place though, rapid changes. Very very safe, except for the large amounts of feral dogs! Very little native on westerner crime, although that is rising. Health care is not the best. IF you have medical issues I would not come.
Lots of vacation opportunities outside of the country, you have to leave every 70 days for visa purposes so many trips to Bangkok. Limited number of flights to other places though. BKK is an hour away by air. We are glad we came when we did.
ISM-IF you need a job, you could do worse. It is a huge school, lots of teachers, most of whom I know, who are good people. I have been in the Elementary school and high school and they are nice facilities for Burma. ISM provides decent PD, I have been to some of their workshops. You should understand though they have lots of turnover year on year, the housing provided is not the best, but there is a shortage of western type housing available in Yangon so all schools suffer from that. There are reviews of the paid portion of this site, which I have read, and mirror many of the comments that I have heard from teachers who work there, but as I do not, I will not really comment on them but encourage you to read them before committing. Keep in mind, as all schools in Burma, bar one (ISY), it is a for profit school which means that is the key motive.
In terms of package, they get more per year on paper in salary, but are also taxed, get less visa money, ie my school pays for me to go to BKK, airfare and hotels, but they, ISM, only pay for the visa. They have a high insurance deductible compared to mine. That is about all that I think I should say about the school, because again, I do not work there.
Yangon is a decent two year post, especially if you want to travel in SE Asia. But keep in mind it is VERY early in the year yet, most schools have not had letters of intent from teachers yet, for once PSY Guy is right on that point. Have you thought of the UNI Fair instead of Search? I personally like it much better, it is not for profit, and a great mix of schools, from the high flyers like Singapore American to the third tier.
Comment
@bookshelf amy
Its a third tier, for profit school and the region has safety and security issues. Its still early in the season. I know it can be frustrating but since you dont have a lot of experience your not going to be at the top of anyones list. They are one of the schools that is always hiring, and has a revolving front door. You can do better, at the very least you could have similar conditions in the ME but making more money.
Wait longer, you will have better schools contacting you soon. This is not the school you want to be at.
@historyguy
I don't need your confirmation.
No. the region has safety, infrastructure and security issues. Dictatorships are seldom safe, as they lack stability. We dont share the same definitions of safety I imagine.
No, the head is certainly a westerner, but all his support staff are locals, those the use of the term mostly.
No, The money is low despite the local economy. It's ok to live of locally, but there is no saving potential.
No, I sense you have to work harder for the same amount of progress and performance as other teachers. Compared to other international schools the workload is pretty low.
No, It sounds like you havent taught many kids, and the reality is that real international schools, for western students dont really need ELL at all. In my experience their language ability is about below average. That's why their focus is on language acquisition.
Its a third tier, for profit school and the region has safety and security issues. Its still early in the season. I know it can be frustrating but since you dont have a lot of experience your not going to be at the top of anyones list. They are one of the schools that is always hiring, and has a revolving front door. You can do better, at the very least you could have similar conditions in the ME but making more money.
Wait longer, you will have better schools contacting you soon. This is not the school you want to be at.
@historyguy
I don't need your confirmation.
No. the region has safety, infrastructure and security issues. Dictatorships are seldom safe, as they lack stability. We dont share the same definitions of safety I imagine.
No, the head is certainly a westerner, but all his support staff are locals, those the use of the term mostly.
No, The money is low despite the local economy. It's ok to live of locally, but there is no saving potential.
No, I sense you have to work harder for the same amount of progress and performance as other teachers. Compared to other international schools the workload is pretty low.
No, It sounds like you havent taught many kids, and the reality is that real international schools, for western students dont really need ELL at all. In my experience their language ability is about below average. That's why their focus is on language acquisition.
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History Guy
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Fri Nov 16, 2012 11:24 pm
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History Guy
- Posts: 10
- Joined: Fri Nov 16, 2012 11:24 pm
and of course the administration staff is local. They are almost always, you think there is a secretary/administrative assistant fair for IS's? And dictatorships are usually very safe, for expats. And please show me a school in the international world where the majority of students are native speakers of English.