20 Sept 2021

Toxic drama and management

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

- Genuine and supportive colleagues who truly care for the children, though almost all have left. - Nice clients - Bear minimum training - Minimum payout (though terms & conditions change according to boss' favour) - Medical benefits ($100/year).

Cons

1. 50-50 split Let's talk about the 50-50 split. First off, company only gives you: 1) clients 2) training; supervision (however, it is not sufficient. you have to be proactive and read up alot on your own. I'd say training & supervision is only 20% of what you need to know). - Travel reimbursement is only given when you hit certain number of hours. - They dont provide any employee benefits- no CPF, maternity, annual leaves etc because they operate on a "free-lance" model. - Toys, materials and learning resources- you will have to source/make on your own outside working hours. They do give you $50 a YEAR to reimburse though it is definitely not enough. - Timesheets, rescheduling, filing taxes have to be done by yourself since you are considered self-employed. So... if almost everything is to be done by yourself, it is difficult to see how it is justifiable that the company is taking half your cut every month. Yes, they give you the clients and bear minimum training, but it is your tenancity and hard work that retain the clients. 2. They exploit your passion & children's parents - Yes, we love our children but it is not right that our passion is taken advantage of especially when the company is taking a 50% cut. - Pushing parents to get consultations (higher rates) in order for child to "progress". Claiming that consultation is also to give therapist advice to things they may be blindsided to. But most often, comments are to just continue what we have been doing as kid is progressing well. So then, what is the point of it? - Knows and takes advantage of therapist good relations with child/parents to push for consultations, increase sessions and increasing rates. 3. Unprofessional management - Boss gossips about people she interviews and employees during trainings. We are all entitled to our views, but as a boss.. it is unnecessary and uncalled for, breeds toxicity too. - Management gets new therapists (barely in company for 3 months) to leave review on glassdoor, so the 4-5 stars reviews should be taken with a pinch of salt. - During COVID, when most centres had to stop sessions, company claims they have approval to continue operation yet have no prove of it. Even told us to listen to correct sources when MOE, MOH and ECDA clearly stated we cant. They told us we are not obligated to work, with our ricebowls (you dont work, you have no income) as an invisible threat. When parents are concerned of rising cases and want to pause sessions, they told them they cant hold the slot for them for too long... The list really goes. But i believe these red flags are enough to give you a glimpse of what's it like. I am aware that no company is perfect and that this is just a small company that has lots of room for improvement. My advice is, read and discern for yourself- are the cons are worth it.

1.0

17 Aug 2021

Empty Words False Front

Behavioural therapist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

1) Flexibility to plan your own schedule and rearrange when needed 2) The feeling of fulfillment and motivation to carry on when you realize the impacts you have made 3) A good stepping stone for the short-term (Bear in mind the new contract that started mid-year 2021 binds you for 2 years)

Cons

1) Burnout from the freelance model: The freelance model is great for those looking at this as a side income but evidently not for those looking for a long-term sustainable job for your future goals (Housing plans, family plans, further studies, and personal savings). There is truth in the fact that a freelance model is advantageous in your ability to plan and schedule your sessions (Subjected to clients' approval and needs) but one must be cautious in falling for this model as you will have to push yourself to work more hours to earn more money. This is the opposite of a 'reward', which is a thing given in recognition of service, effort, or achievement. You're working and earning what you've worked for and entitled to, which is merely termed 'Income'. 2) Profit mentality: The business outlook is one that attempts to squeeze out as much from therapists and clients in various hidden ways. A few important examples (Not limited to) would be clients subjected to 2% interest for late payment, therapists will be encouraged to purchase therapy card sets, and parents too (Reasoning that therapists should not have to carry heavyweight to sessions), and parents have to pay more when a therapist is promoted (For our promotion, our clients will have to incur more cost). 3) Increased workload: New projects are created as the company starts to upgrade and this is subjected upon the therapists. During the week, there are 2 meetings, a mass training, and a mastermind meeting, you have to create materials, prepare lesson plans, generate articles and infographics, and on top of that these projects. 4) Poor consideration of therapists' welfare: During the Covid circuit breaker period, therapists were asked to carry on with sessions despite the risks and no written statement of approval to do so. This year during the heightened measures this experience similarly occurred in spite of evidence provided that MOH and ECDA did not send out a written statement of approval. In such lockdown times, your income would be in great devastation. A policy 'Min payout policy' (A sum of money given when therapists are not able to work during lockdown and no income is earned) was put in place to counter this but err on the side of caution when thinking this initiative is great. A critical point to note, if you worked more hours prior to the lockdown, you will be applicable for this payout.

1.0

8 July 2022

Can do better

Behavioural therapist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

- Colleagues were great - Good support from supervisors, very willing to answer any questions or render help if needed - Skills learnt were invaluable

Cons

- Ability to get a high payout as advertised were unrealistic and grossly exaggerated. It was physically, mentally, and virtually impossible to achieve the "high payout" as advertised without sacrificing your physical and mental health. - Poor benefits. Lack of performance bonus and wellness benefits. Extra amount of money spent on buying toys are all at your discretion (but of course that can limit the quality of delivering the therapy work). - Travel reimbursement advertised are given in a form of 'incentive payout' rather than reimbursed directly. As such, employees are reluctant to take private transport and had to suffer from the long travelling hours. - Long travelling hours also mean lesser time for rest and meal times. Often had to sit at the void deck and have a small snack rather than a full meal. - Lack of support from management when faced with issues related to burnout and motivation.