Benefits
Dental and medical coverage is $300 per year for associates and $400 for seniors — not particularly competitive. Bonuses are advertised as up to 4 months, but in reality, don’t expect them regardless of workload or performance. No AWS as well.
Leadership (Teaching Department Head)
The head of the teaching department displays significant gaps in effective leadership:
- Lack of direction: Decisions change frequently without warning, creating inefficiency and confusion across the team.
- Favoritism: Advancement often depends more on agreeing with him than on teaching outcomes or performance. Constructive feedback is discouraged, leaving many staff feeling unvalued.
- Unprofessional comments: Some remarks made to female colleagues felt inappropriate for a professional setting, creating discomfort and concerns about workplace safety.
- Double standards: Punctuality is emphasized since day 1, and staff are penalized for minor lateness, while he himself is often significantly late. Rules appear to apply only in one direction.
- Superficial training focus: Training under him focuses more on pronunciation, enunciation, and storytelling structures (which many find useless) rather than ensuring teachers gain strong content mastery and pedagogical skills.
While the other co-founder seems genuinely supportive and concerned, he does not oversee the teaching department closely enough to address these persistent issues and teachers (except for the selected few) are generally unhappy.
Career Growth
Promotion pathways are limited. Progression typically goes from teaching associate to senior in about two years, with potential for lead teaching associate after five years or more. Reaching a five-figure salary is unlikely within a reasonable timeframe.
Communication
Communication among cross-functional teams is highly inefficient, with frequent last-minute changes, unclear directives, and decisions requiring multiple intermediaries before reaching the right person. This creates daily confusion and unnecessary stress.
Workload
The role extends far beyond teaching or curriculum development. Teachers are expected to take on video editing, content creation, marketing support, and event logistics — effectively functioning as general staff beyond their hired scope. It depends on perspective, if you want to be an all-rounder then maybe this is for you.
HR
HR mainly manages bonding activities and payroll, with little capacity or authority to advocate for staff welfare or address issues arising from the teaching department head’s leadership style. I think their main focus now should be coming up with a plan to retain their talents, because the turnover rate for teachers is relatively high (would be higher if not for the bond period).
Boundaries & Privacy Concerns
Official communication is conducted through Telegram (personal messaging app). Upon resignation, staff are required to delete all company material from personal devices, and telegram chats will be reviewed as well. This blurs professional boundaries significantly.
