Teaching for IES - Anonymous employee IES Language Foundation Employee Review

You are given all the tools that you need to be successful. You do not have to create your own materials and there is paid training in how to best teach children with all manners of learning styles the language acquisition process. The staff is small and it feels like a family. The teachers that are with you for training some times work at the same school with a different class so there's a bond between fellow IES teachers. As many IES classes are after school you can teach without a teaching credential. Even if you have not achieved fluency in your target language you can become a teacher if you're dedicated to doing a good job. I got sick for a long time almost two weeks and with a Dr.'s note they worked with me without any threats of letting me go. I was able to return to work and my students from all my classes told me how much they missed me. Some teacher have been with IES since their inception which speaks to how great the organization treats you. They have real faith in you doing a good job and that makes you want to give your best. If a parent puts down your teaching or misrepresents you in any way they are not quick to jump to the conclusion that it's your fault that you've done something wrong. They match you to the ages that are best for you. You really fall in love with the kids you work with and there's so much satisfaction seeing their language skills take off. If you love language and children it's an amazing job!

Most of the cons have nothing to do with the organization itself. It's really the downs of being a teacher period. Some times parents can be difficult. Some times a student can have behavioral challenges that are really difficult to manage and you have to work around them. I really can't think of or say ANYTHING negative about the organization itself.

Quick hire they give you a (poor) curriculum They have training (in San Ramon) for minimum wage The pay is OK , but no prep pay If you need a teaching job, this is doable, but if its your first time it will be hard

The curriculum is old and inconsistent. They ship you the curriculum in boxes and they expect you to bring and color posters to use to teach the kids. Since the curriculum is old it can create gender norms (only girls are cleaning etc.) The few online resources are scattered and unorganized - You're better off using google to find worksheets. Not enough work hours, Not full time They hire a lot of first time teachers who are not always comfortable speaking English.