Fulfilling experience at NLA as a first time ESL teacher - ESL Teacher New Learning Academy Employee Review

The coordinator, Laura, is a great boss to work for. She's reasonable, hard-working and fair. A lot of the home-stays are located near the school, so you can get a nice, neighborhood feel about life. I recommend Jenny's place. The students are also great. The Costa Ricans are warm people with great personalities.

Depending on your schedule, sometimes the work-load can feel heavy. It's important to share your expectations (and work hard to prove your deserving of them). I worked everything I was given the first few months, and never took off a day, so that as I built seniority and reputation, I could use that toward working with management to get a better schedule that suited my lifestyle better. However, if you come into the job with an idea that you'll get weekends off, and all vacation days, you are wrong. Just like any professional setting, these people need reliable workers who aren't trying to take vacation every other week. It's hard, as you're in Costa Rica and San Jose doesn't do that country justice for what it can offer, but they're running a business and they need professionals. There is a lot of turnover and a lot of first-time teachers. This takes its toll on administration and students alike, but if you're committed to the job and your contract (I stayed 1 year) you can build a really great relationship with the school and the students. Keep in mind, this is a professional job, and if you treat it as such, you will maintain the standing you need necessary with administration to be able to use your schedule and time-off in beneficial ways

If you are new to teaching they will still hire you and give you a chance.

I've been hesitant to write this review. I've come here a few times and was discouraged to see a negative review quickly covered up by a glowing, positive review. I suspect this may be a tactic by the employer to deter feedback and encourage applicants. I do feel an obligation to anyone thinking about working for NLA to hear about my experience but I want to keep it brief so they don't waist any more of my time. The company will promise you at least $700/month and it is very difficult to reach that amount. You will have to be working at least 35-40 hours and your schedule will be difficult. If you decide to go having a savings is very important. There is disorganization, lack of communication, poor morale and an overall feeling of dismissal from the management. I felt taken advantage of and ripped off. I was promised a certain amount of money per month and was never given enough hours to reach that. I was asked to cover classes with only 30 min or less of prep time. During my time there all the teachers were asked to anonymously fill out feedback cards. Those were later all read aloud at a teacher meeting that lasted 2 hours. My comment about being asked to teach a class 30 min before it started was read aloud and then criticized. I was accused of not being a team player. I'm using this as an example to explain the worst part of NLA: At it's core they do not respect the people they hire. Please keep scrolling so you can see other reviews so you can make an educated decision.