My last job's exit survey

Are there any other comments about your experience working at ----------------?

Out of my 4 years in the company, I had good and bad days, but there was only 1 or 2 days when I really didn't want to come into work. I generally loved my job, and it's definitely about the connections I made there. I was glad to see, just as I was leaving in September, that the company started to roll out some benefits and adjustments. I suppose "better late than never" should be said, but I think some of the higher ups need to visit the schools and spend a day with a few teachers and get some empathy. You'd be amazed how far a little non-financial gratitude goes. Try to make some copies, use the toilet, and watch a teacher struggle showing a video clip that perfectly adds to their lesson, and you'll quickly understand that a few benefits is only the tip of the iceberg of what THESE schools really need.

Describe what you liked LEAST about working at -------------------------:

The state of the facilities and lack of benefits were a constant reminder that every ESL teacher has to be internally motivated. If the company really valued teachers, we would have gotten the obvious. Students saw cruddy classroom conditions and malfunctioning equipment, after paying hefty tuitions. 50% of our campus (one building) didn't have wifi until I personally installed a router. This just sends a terrible message about --- to both employees and customers.

Describe what you liked BEST about working at --------------------:

The ESL environment and freedom with it. I will miss the fact that I can assign real world tasks, like interviewing university students and writing reviews of restaurants, bars and cafes. I'll miss the age group, and diversity of nationalities. I miss having a pool of really talented teachers that I can draw and develop ideas with during those tense breaks. Working abroad, I am surrounded by teachers whose teaching methods have little in common. Students simply repeat and use lots of books and almost never speak. At ---------------, we used a completely different approach.

What does your new job/company offer that ------------------ did not offer?

I spent over 30 hours a week at --------, and often worked through lunch. Here is full-time, but I bring home an extra 30% after taxes and benefits. Transportation reimbursement, healthcare, 20 personal days off per year, in addition to holidays, modern classroom equipment and facilities, my own desk. Teacher's room is well-lit and the copiers are dependable. Each teacher is given their own laptop with wireless internet and every classroom has a tv to connect the PCs.