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Employer Exposition: York English

Jul 03, 2019

 
Employer Exposition
York English

By: Ted Salonek


Every day we’re working diligently to help connect you to the highest quality employers. In order to give you a closer look to a specific employer, we had a quick chat with a manager from a well-established school that is rapidly expanding. Founded in 2003, the school has been developing for over 15 years and is renowned for its professional reputation and positive work environment. This company is called York English, and they are actively interviewing and hiring. We spoke with Cody about his school, their size, their educational philosophy, their hiring process, and the daily work of the teachers working at York.


CJD: When was York English started? Where is it located? How many employees does it have?

Cody: Our company was started in 2003. We have 17 locations (all company-owned and operated) with schools in Fuzhou, Xiamen, and Shenzhen. We have over 350 employees with roughly 130 Foreign Teachers from the UK, USA, Canada, Ireland, Australia, NZ, and South Africa.


CJD: Describe the educational philosophy at York English.

Cody: We provide ESL language instruction to young learners that focuses on not only developing a child’s language abilities but does so using 21st century skills (such as communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking). We look to make our classes as inclusive as possible and focus on student-centered learning and output.


CJD: What do you look for in potential teachers/employees?

Cody: We look for teachers that have a growth mindset, that is they are eager to develop their teaching skills and try out new ideas. Whether you are new to teaching or have years of experience, we believe that teachers need to be role

models for students and model the correct attitude towards development.


CJD: Is there anything special you would like to share about the work environment at York English?

Cody: Our classes range in size from 8-16 students allowing us to focus on each individual child and form a strong rapport with them. Our classrooms are all equipped with interactive whiteboards which allow teachers to use a range of

media to produce engaging classes.


CJD: What is it like to teach a class of Chinese students?

Cody: Working with Chinese students is wonderful. The children, especially when coming to a school like York which has a very different teaching style than the public schools, are excited to be taking part in an engaging and fun classroom experience. While they can be a bit more reserved in the beginning, once you create a safe and comfortable classroom environment for them to speak out, they certainly won't be shy for long.


CJD: What are some of the challenges your teachers face in their daily work?

Cody: Teaching is a challenging career and when working with young learners no two days are the same. Teachers need to continually work to manage classroom dynamics and ensure they are creating the right environment to allow students to feel comfortable speaking out in a second language. With this in mind, our school provides comprehensive training and support to help teachers achieve this goal.


CJD: What are the best parts of working with York English?

Cody: A great community of fellow educators (both foreign teachers and local teaching assistants), comprehensive training and support with many opportunities for further development, the opportunity to progress in your career either as a trainer or manager, and many more.


CJD: What current job openings do you have available?

Cody: We have positions for ESL teachers in all locations or daycare teachers in Shenzhen.


CJD: Describe your application process. What advice do you have for potential candidates looking to work with you?

Cody: My advice is that you do your homework, there is a lot of information available about York English from our website and social media posts to our YouTube Channel and PDF information package. Take the time to familiarize yourself with our school, our philosophy, and our materials to ensure that you come across in the best possible light.


CJD: Please share an example of an exceptional teacher who started with an entry-level position and moved up the corporate ladder within your company.

Cody: One teacher who comes to mind is Gemma Fay. She has been with us for five plus years. Gemma first joined us as a teacher, though she had some previous experience doing UK Summer Camps. Gemma embraces a growth mindset and was able to quickly adapt to York's teaching systems. She was first promoted to Senior Teacher where she mentored other teachers and then to Academic Coordinator where she managed one of our schools. About two and a half years ago York began to expand outside of Fuzhou and we needed to create a Regional Manager role to help us manage our growing company. Gemma was a natural choice for this role and she successfully held the Fuzhou Regional Manager role for two years. This past January she transferred to be the Regional Manager of our Shenzhen / Xiamen schools, in order to bring her expertise to our newest locations.


Interested in York English?

York English is a school that is dedicated not only to their students, but to the professional advancement of their teachers. York English provides teachers with ample training, as well as opportunities for advancement that are often available at schools of this type. On top of all of this, many of their managers are from western countries, which can make the experience of working in a foreign country much more comfortable. Their schools are situated in some of the most sought after cities in China. They are currently seeking teachers for their Shenzhen openings. If you are interested in exploring available job openings at York English, please reach out to me at ted@foreignhr.com.


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