To protect and inform other people with a genuine interest in teaching:
user swstate2000
"real name" scott tate
e-mail address swstate2000@yahoo.com
holding a degree in, according to his facebook page, "Drinking mostly" at Alberta University
has an ad on offering a job for English language teachers. With the genuine intention of taking such a job, I enquired about payment and the age of the students. He riposted rather bluntly:
"My brother who is a CEO once told me...don't hire people whose main concern is pay".
You can see where this is heading. Obviously it's the employer whose main concern is pay. He continues to question my qualifications, all in the same, very disdainful and unprofessional tone. This is obviously not going to be a very pleasant employer. Also he seems to think that Chomsky's and Pinker's are essential theories to know when teaching English.
Anyone not convinced can get a full transcript of our e-mail communication. Or you can have a look at his promising website www.abcdragons.com/.
@bluppfisk
This isn't the first time other posters warned us about this place. Thanks for the heads up. We need to have a blacklist for these kinds of employers.
Anyone who attended the "University of Alberta" would NOT call it "Alberta University"!
Canadian schools do not offer degrees in "drinking mostly" even though some students seem to major in that activity.
Without passing judgement on the school, its CEO or his brother, I can say that's the worst website I've seen since the mid-90s.
oh no, another school named "dragon". why not "snake"?
the site looks likes a practical joke:
1 year language timeline:
The first words begin to be heard, including words for specific people (mama) and objects (doggie).
Although I haven't worked at his school, the time I did work together with Scott, he was a responsible and dedicated instructor. From what I've heard, he tries to run his school based on educational theory rather than financial incentive. No comment on the website.
People work for money. They cannot survive without it. It is ludicrous for a business to pretend that an employee should not care about money. We all know the business certainly cares!
I know of another business that runs on theory rather than financial incentive: Santa Claus. Also, there is no point in being rude and unprofessional to someone with a simple enquiry.
If Scott Tate is not a fraud, he's a bully at least.
Looks like a scam for sure...and it is a scam run by a fellow teacher targeting...you guess it...other teachers. I would never set foot in such a place, let alone invest any time teaching there. Who knows if he will actually pay you at the end of the month?
As for the website... CompuServe in the late 1990's looked better than what he came up with. A website is the first impression many get when looking at a potential employer...if I were him I would be ashamed to put that URL within the job advert.
I am most certainly going to put this school, and Scott Tate himself, on our blacklist and warn teachers not to work there.
