The International Schools Review Forum

I have read a lot of complaints about schools for profit.
Well think of it this way....if the school doesn't make money, teachers don't get paid. If schools don't make money, they shut down and we have no jobs. Gee what a concept.
Who goes into business without the thought of making money????

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Of course owners put the money into their own pockets. Da...what a concept...Their country, their business. Their right to do whatever they want to do.

Things are different outside the US. Business is business. All the complaining in the world won't stop things.

The complaining I read here is really sad and funny at the same time. I work for owners who are real idiots. But what to do? I go with the flow, I don't create the flow.

As it is, most teachers only stay at a school for a couple of years and move on. Why would an owner ever want to consider what a visitor has to say about how they run their business?

[quote="kfssbjj"]Of course owners put the money into their own pockets. Da...what a concept...Their country, their business. Their right to do whatever they want to do.

Things are different outside the US. Business is business. All the complaining in the world won't stop things.

The complaining I read here is really sad and funny at the same time. I work for owners who are real idiots. But what to do? I go with the flow, I don't create the flow.

As it is, most teachers only stay at a school for a couple of years and move on. Why would an owner ever want to consider what a visitor has to say about how they run their business?[/quote]

Gee kssbtt, how about the students and their families that pay good money and hope their children get a decent education? It's not about making a profit, it's about being honest with your employees and the families that fund the school. How about if the owner buys one less Mercedes or doesn't spring for a boobjob for yet another mistress and instead buys some text books or even paper.

I agree that I hope you are winding people up and can't possibly be this naive and self-absorbed. What kind of professional teacher wouldn't want to be able to provide his students with a meaningful education? Or would caring about that be too much against the flow for you? Put your backpack on and go visit 45 more countries.

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For-profit organizations operate for the benefit of the owner(s). Non-profit organizations operate for the benefit of the beneficiaries. Should a school’s ultimate focus be on profit or students? In education, I’m in favor of a focus on students.

Forget the above for this section. I thought I was posting to another sectioin. Kind of funny, eh?

I'm probably going to take a LOT of abuse here, but what if an owner IS doing what's best for the students? What if he or she puts a great deal of the money back into the school, FOR the students, FOR education and FOR good? He or she, of course, takes a cut, but is this a bad school then?

I only say this because I work at a "for profit" school, but I have never wanted for resources, facilities are brilliant, and though I know the owner is probably taking a chunk out of the parents, the school is still pretty darn good. (No, I'm not related to the owner or have any "vested" interest in the person; just, this is my first profit school and it seems like a good thing after reading all the negative posts re: profit schools.)

Ichiro, I'm especially interested in your take as you work at ISB and I'm at Shrewsbury in BKK...

I believe there are some pretty nice for profit schools out there but they're the exception rather than the rule. Just as I'd assume a couple non-profit 'mis-manage' resources giving lots of money to admin positions that don't really benefit the kids.

I've heard SIS is a pretty nice for profit school for example. I certainly don't know of any non-proft schools that fit into the category I mentioned above, but there's always an exception.

I can jump in and add to the category!

Before my current job, I had thought that a school's non-profit status would mean that it put the kids' experiences first!

Feeling a lot older and only a little wiser now, it is important to note, each should be evaluated on its own basis. I have heard that there ARE for-profits where teachers don't want for resources and honor contracts. My current school supposedly has "charity" status and has given exactly NONE of us ANY supplies this year. Those of us leaving after fulfilling our contracts are being cheated out of our plane tickets home. :evil: These are due to special and unique circumstances here, but they come down to arrogance, incompetence and blind ambition, all pretty common. I just would have far more expected these things to have their sway in a for profit, rather than a non-profit.

It is very true that no two schools are alike!

But I do have to agree that it is a bit absurd to say that it's ok to use parents' hopes for their children's futures as a means to work as much money out of them as possible. And it is uglier still to suggest that : "Their country, their business. "
At home, no, but ok elsewhere?
I really think this is a wind up.