Modulo Language School Reviews

They bill themselves as a "luxury" language school charging students 1000 baht per hour and more. There is nothing luxurious about the student experience. They have to work with a different teacher every time, the books are outdated, and the teachers do not prepare for their lessons (they don't have time). Then Modulo management turns around and skims 60% of that money for themselves and gives teachers only 400 baht per lesson. They are making tons of money, with no overhead. Knowing all this it's unfathomable how the owner can turn around and treat the teachers so poorly. My first day I came in for a training session with another new teacher. The other teachers and head teacher were very cordial and stopped to chit chat with me, share their backgrounds. I walked past a computer room near the front and there was some guy surfing facebook. He gave me the dirtiest look while I walked past the room, and didn't say a word to me. That guy turned out to be the owner! A couple weeks later while walking past the same room the owner yells at me, "Hey! Close that door!" I'm thinking, who in the actual hell does this guy think he's talking to?? He walks around like royalty and barks orders at everybody. It would be nice if he at least did his job. There aren't enough textbooks to go around, teachers have to make photocopies before lessons, there aren't enough bluetooth speakers (to play audio materials for students) to go around, there is only one photocopier that works. There is only enough desk space for 3 teachers to prepare at one time, yet you may have 8-10 teachers trying to get ready at the same time. The Thai admin staff has no noticeable supervision. They make scheduling mistakes, pay mistakes, lose paperwork on a daily basis. They always seem to be in the best of moods though, chit chatting and Facebooking all day.

As a full-time employee for over a year, I wanted to add my perspective to one of the new jobs ads Modulo just put out. My input will appear in brackets like [this]: Full-time native Chinese teacher needed for a top Bangkok language school. [Modulo is not top of anything. The students don’t take any standardized tests, pre-tests or post-tests to measure their language improvement. Modulo doesn’t track student improvement, because they know that if they did, the results would be terrible.] The candidate must be available evenings and weekends. [You’re only going to get 2-8 hours a week as a new teacher.] Modulo Language School is Bangkok's fastest growing chain of language schools, and because of this we are always on the look out for the best teachers. [There were two schools when Modulo started, and there are still two schools. They are not growing. They do not hire the best teachers. The best teachers have years of experience, teaching certifications which allow them to teach in their native countries, degrees in education and ESL, and letters of reference from past employers. Modulo teachers have none of these things. If they are lucky, they have an online TEFL certificate.] The ideal candidate must be energetic, determined, knowledgeable, personable and hold a willingness to improve as a teacher. [In truth, their ideal candidate works in poor conditions, without proper support, treats the manager like royalty and doesn’t complain.] They must also be a qualified and experienced native Chinese speaker who is happy to teach a mix of: -adults (60%) -children (25%) -and teenagers (15%) at all levels! [Modulo doesn’t have any academic standards or integrity, so your true mix of students will be disrespectful, speak Thai while you are talking, play on their phone during class, not do homework, and expect you to entertain them.] We teach a wide range of courses, including general Chinese, business Chinese, academic tests (HSK, IGCSE etc.), reading, writing and many more. [In truth, they will promise students anything as long as they are paying.] Modulo pays 360 baht per 50-minute lesson. [I am glad to see that they started to be honest about salaries. Up until last month, they used to lie and tell people they would be getting 480 baht per hour, by double-accounting for the 10 minute break.] The number of lessons typically varies from 5-7 a day. Monthly salaries range from 43,200-46,800 baht in an average month. [In truth, monthly salaries range from 1500 to 35,000 baht per month. The salary they list above is for the head teachers, and there are only two of them. They love to use little tricks like that to fool people.] We mainly teach private (75%) and semi-private (20%) classes as well as small groups (5%, up to 8 students). While we mostly teach adults from Monday to Friday, children and small groups dominate the weekend schedule, so experience with this type of class is also a bonus. Furthermore, upon completion of a contract teachers who choose to continue working with us will receive a raise of 3-5%, depending on performance throughout the year. [It is very uncommon for a teacher to stay with them for over a year. The average teacher stays about six months, then moves on to a better job. Their business model runs on fast hires, and constantly shifting schedules. They move the teachers around among the students, so that they may get an experienced teacher this week and a brand new teacher next week.] Modulo invests more money in the continued development and academic performance of its teaching team than any other school in Bangkok, because we care a great deal about delivering our students with the best quality education. [This is simply lies. There are no facts to back up these claims.] We are looking for individuals who care about teaching, and are determined to maximize their teaching skill-set, and be justly rewarded for it. [see above comments re: best teachers] All training and coaching is paid, and teachers participate in their own development, and the progress of their peers. [They don’t pay new hires for their training and coaching hours until three months later. But they won’t tell you this; you find out the hard way.] Because of the close proximity in which our teachers work with one another, we are keen to make sure any new employee will be a good match for our team. [You will be required to attend mandatory fun time with the manager and the other teachers. He will pay for a meal; in exchange he will take 100 photos of you at the event to be used as recruiting propaganda on social media. If you decline, your hours are cut and you become “that guy”. The manager treats people that stand up to him very harshly.] To assist with team bonding, we have quarterly events ranging from board game nights, river cruises, charity work at underprivileged schools to buffets and a night of drinks in a 5-star hotel… and there's free cake for all birthdays in the office. [see above comments] Modulo believes in promoting from within, and all academic management originally started as, and continue to work as, full-time teachers. As we expand, we are looking for standout individuals with a long-term plan to stay in Thailand and work with a company passionate about growing. While this ambition is not necessary for all our teachers, it certainly is a plus. [There is a school manager and head teacher at both schools. They are the same management crew that was there from the beginning. There is no career progression available at Modulo.]