# working at DISNEY ENGLISH..



## machintaro

I'd really like to know who among from this forum have already experience working this company, DISNEY ENGLISH and how's the experience working with them. I have actually job offer by the end of this year and will be assigned at Beijing China. please help me, both positive and negative comments. Thanks


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## AwesomeBlossom

Hi! I worked at Disney English in Beijing for about 9 months. I just left in August 2013. 

The Good 
There's a plethora of TEFL schools out there and very few are "brand" names. At least Disney English truly is owned, operated, and managed by The Walt Disney Company. 

The content they make you teach is OK. Some teachers are used to working with zero resources and Disney English does give you something to start with. Granted, it's a double-edged sword (see below in negatives). 

About twice a year you are given two free tickets that can be used in their theme parks (closest one to Beijing is Hong Kong). 

The Bad 
Disney English has an extremely high "churn and burnout" of not only their teachers, but employees of all positions. Thus, you'll never feel like you are working with a team. I worked at a convenience store when I was in college and we had people stay there longer. It's so weird to suddenly have a new manager and then even watch that person take off. 

As noted above, the content they make you teach is a start. The problem is that Disney English higher-ups think that their content is the Holy Bible. They refuse to alter it and you'll face disciplinary action for not adhering to their system. To be fair, some weeks the content works. Some weeks they give you so little to come up with that you're just forced to make it up on your own. I had regular run-ins with management on this issue. What could I do? My parents were asking me, "Why can't my child speak a sentence in English after being enrolled in Disney English for two years?" 

Disney has a great reputation and they've touched the lives of millions through their movies and theme parks. No one would argue that. But the employee experience? Ooh boy. When you report that your classroom has a major safety issue (i.e. smoke from a nearby restaurant being pumped through the vents into your classroom) you'll get hemming and hawing. "It's not that bad! Compare it to Beijing's air outside!" No, I'm not kidding. Major health and safety issues were routinely ignored. When a group of teachers in Tianjin ganged up on their manager about a broken stair in their center that was risking the kids safety, they were told, "We don't have the budget for it." It was RIDICULOUS! 

The schedule that Disney English makes you work (nights and weekends) means that you won't have any semblance of a normal social life in Beijing. Forget trying to meet other cool expats in the city. Sunday brunch? Nope, you'll be doing a 10-hour day! 

Honestly, I could go on and on. My advice to you? There are a TON of other English-teaching jobs in Beijing (and throughout Asia, to be honest) that have employees who STAY and will REPAIR major safety issues. And these same schools like to hire teachers for their professionalism and creativity. I would sincerely encourage you to expand your job search to this caliber of schools. The fact that you are doing your own due diligence tells me that you do NOT belong at Disney English. Good luck!


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## Rainbow99

Hi,

I can't tell you anything specific about Beijing but I worked for Disney English in Shanghai for more than two years - I left in April of this year.

Pros

Decent salary for ESL (you can get more at a regular school but not at other ESL organisations)
Lots of training and development - you can even transfer to other cities, assuming there is a vacancy. It's a great way to see China.
Great kids and classes (seriously - the kids are so cute!)
Great content and resources - they do encourage teachers to plan their own activities as well - it's part of the lesson plan - every class you should include at least 30 minutes of your own activities. I used a lot of flashcard games but I know other teachers did even more. The resources are amazing - there's a whole room just for realia. I used to work in a school where you were lucky to have a working computer so it was a nice change! You will get observed on your teaching a lot so you have to use the content but I was told the most important thing is that the kids can produce the target language. I think that's why they built the trainer time into the lesson planning - so that you can ensure you're teaching well.
Community - Disney English is pretty big in China so there are lots of other teachers working for the company to meet and hang out with. You start at Disney with a group of people and I was really close to mine. I heard that Beijing was really good for teambuilding - they have a group of teachers who organise monthly events. Shanghai was more informal but we still had a lot of fun.

Cons

The working hours are long, especially at the weekend. You have to be in the center for the full 40 hours a week, even if you don't have classes. You might have up to 20 hours of classes (I had about that). On the plus side, in Shanghai at least, there are a lot of promotions in bars during the week so you probably save money. Ladies nights are pretty much every weekday which is good for the schedule Disney has. If your friends aren't ESL teachers though, it can be hard as they'll be out on a Friday night and you have to start at 8.30 on a Saturday morning. And yes - Sunday brunch will only be an option on public holidays.
Lots of policies and procedures. I had the opposite experience to the above poster. They were so obsessive about safety. Every day we'd have to fill out a checklist for our own classroom and write every tiny problem. If a chair is broken, we have to log it. If you stack your chairs too high you get told off for it being a safety risk. We would have inspections regularly and any tiny safety issue had to be followed up on. I imagine it's a Disney thing but it could be frustrating when they were constantly checking everything. I even heard they were moving a center because of a smell they thought was an issue (I don't know if that's true!). Every kid has to be signed in and out of the center twice and even going upstairs with the kids has to follow safety procedures. I get that safety is important but I found it a bit much at times! Then you have to adhere to the Disney Look - your hair tied back, even nail polish was checked.
Paperwork in general - with the safety checkists, your lesson plans, report cards twice a term it can be hard to manage time to do it all.

Overall I would recommend it. My contract finished and I'd been there for two years but I really enjoyed the experience, particularly the people. My manager was great - really supportive and helped me a lot. I would say you need to be prepared to work hard but if you do, I think you'll enjoy it.


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## Summerisle

I'll be moving to Shanghai at the end of next year, and through my niece and her parents I've heard good things about Disney English. They mentioned I should considering working for the company based on my teaching experience and energy.

I'm older (30+) and married, so I'll admit that the longer work hours and schedule appeal to me as I'd want something full-time and that I could possibly turn into a career.

Does anyone have any other information about Disney English in Shanghai and what they might look for in candidates?


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## notwhatitlookslike

*Working at Disney English (Part 1)*

*Working for Disney English*

I can’t tell you how long I have waited to write this article. As I type this I am still working at Disney English and have just under two weeks left. The reason why I am going to post this article after I’m safely back in my home country will become obvious after reading ahead but before I begin I would like to add a couple of disclaimers: my experiences may not be reflective of the whole organization and I will try to be as fair and objective as possible. In addition, the information given is accurate as of December 2013. To answer the question, “Shall I work for Disney English School?” the answer from me is a strong and firm, no. Here’s why:

Initially on the face of it the benefits look competitive when compared to other ESL organizations. You would hope so too because Disney requires a solid two year’s EFL teaching experience. Benefits include an enumeration package of around 15,000RMB per month but let’s look at it more closely.

Base pay and other benefits
Base pay is around 12,500RMB per month; on top of that you’ll receive a housing allowance which varies from city to city and a travel allowance. The company will pay for your visa and health insurance for your time in China. All in all, after tax, your net income per month will be around 15,000RMB per month, about 2,460 USD. I mentioned a travel allowance, that should be used to help pay for a flight home. Disney pays for a single flight to China, don’t expect it to be direct or be your preferred carrier but it will be paid for you so no reimbursement forms to fill out.

The Skype interview and training
Be prepared to have an interview over Skype. There you will have the opportunity to ask questions about the ‘on boarding’ process and length of contract. Some of you will be shocked to find out that the contract is for 13 months and not the standard 12. As you will begin to discover Disney English make changes to policy as if change itself is going out of fashion. One of the few celebrated and hailed advantages of working for Disney English was the initial 3 week training period you receive before starting teaching. However, as of December 2013 this has been condensed into a 3-day briefing with a week of observations. Our latest colleague at our center complained of being overwhelmed and said that the on boarding team gave too much information too soon. The company has been hemorrhaging so much staff as of late that they can ill afford to continue with such luxuries: trained and competent staff.

Disney does not send a contract for you to sign. What they do send is an ‘offer letter’. At the time I was willing to accept that since I knew the Disney brand and felt they wouldn’t be able to get away with changing the contract mid-flight. However, an expat who I met in China had worked for Disney English in the past. In her case she was promised a contract completion bonus (now not offered) during the interview process. When she arrived in China everyone signed their contracts. However, half the contracts stipulated this bonus and half did not. When people finished their contracts and no one received the promised bonus, Disney informed them all that the bonus was withdrawn. In addition even those whose contracts had stipulated the bonus were still not entitled to it. After many complaints the company receded but only to the half with the written stipulation. 

Before you arrive in China you will be asked to fill out numerous forms and scan various documents to satisfy both the Chinese government and the Disney Corporation. You will be reminded on numerous occasions not to write ‘teacher’ as the job profession on the visa application. Instead you are asked to write ‘trainer’. The reason given is that Disney English School is not actually a school; it is a training center. Whether that’s because the company can bypass certain rules, procedures or tax obligations is up for speculation but it also creates problems for the teacher, *coughs*, I mean trainer later down the line; more on that later.

Arriving in China and being placed at a center
When you arrive in China you will be greeted at the airport, sometimes by a fellow employee or by a hire car employee who speaks little to no English. Once met at the airport you will be taken to a hotel. For those arriving in Shanghai, I am sorry, the hotel is very basic with a less than economy experience. Nevertheless, it’s paid for by the company and is great for those coming to China with little in the way of money.

When you arrive at your assigned center you should have at least a week of observations before you start teaching. However, for many, this is certainly not the case. New staff may observe an inexperienced teacher for a couple of days before teaching alone; even worse they may just be thrown in. This is common because of the chronic lack of teachers Disney faces. However, Disney’s solution to the problem is to implement a compulsory three month notice period for employees who want to leave. Many teachers find more favorable working conditions at other companies after arriving in China, especially at international schools. If you try leaving within the notice period Disney will not give you a ‘release letter’.

Release Letters Explained
Disney holds their existing employees ransom by withholding release letters from their employees. Chinese law regarding schools stipulates that a release letter must be given to the next school before they can process your paperwork and new visa. If this is not possible you must fly back to your home country and reapply for a Z-VISA all over again. Do you remember on your application form Disney asked you to put ‘trainer’ under your job title? Well, it turns out that under the rules, schools may not withhold release letters to prevent teachers from finding a new job. Legally speaking, Disney is not a school, it’s a training center. Therefore, it could be argued that they are not subject to the rules. Keep that in mind and always plan three months ahead. 

Teaching Hours and work environment
I have worked for ESL schools in the past and am no stranger to working evenings and weekends. In fact I have enjoyed doing so in the past. However, at Disney you are expected to work 40 hours a week, 20 of which is teaching. The schedule is gruesome and tiring. Many schools in China have no compulsory office hours but a lot of the bigger names do. The syllabus and the actual teaching are great and you will have use of some great technology. Unfortunately the rest of your time will be filled with being a performing monkey. Before each class you must be present in the ‘Club House’ which is overlooked by the parents. You are required to teach a 10 minute learner focused activity followed by a 5 minute group song. You then wave goodbye to the parents and proceed to march and sing all the way to the classroom. If you are a shy person, this job is not for you. Most classes last 2 hours with a 10 minute toilet break in between, for the students, not for you. Some centers do not have adult toilets especially if they are located in a shopping mall. If there is an adult toilet it may be located away from the classrooms. After your 2 hour class, work isn’t over, the students make a line inside the Club House and you announce to the parents what the students have learnt and then inform them about any promotional activities that can be purchased from the front desk. After, you proceed into the waiting area to talk to the parents and answer any queries. This whole process usually lasts 15 minutes. So one class is actually 2 hours and 30 minutes long including the start and finish procedures. Now, on the weekend, you will have 3 lots of these 2 hour and 30 minute classes. Don’t forget you will be teaching children, so if you don’t know what being tired feels like, you will after your weekend classes.


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## notwhatitlookslike

*Working at Disney English (Part 2)*

HR, Payroll and I.T.
This is where a large amount of frustration derives from. These three departments are mostly made up of Chinese staff. As expats in China will already know, the way Chinese people interact and do business with each other is very different to how westerners interact. It is extremely common for a Chinese person to shy away from delivering a piece of bad news until the very, very last minute. This causes a lot of problems and frustration especially when dealing with HR or pay issues. There will be many times where you will think ‘why didn’t you tell me that to begin with’? It very much feels like you are being deliberately cheated or tricked. 

New guidelines are often rushed through and some are silently pushed through which can be frustrating when you find out that the rules have changed e.g. regarding holiday pay or claiming medical insurance. Sometimes policy is so badly communicated it leaves people without all the facts needed to make an informed decision. The people who work in these departments are slow to respond and often make mistakes. It is not uncommon for your salary to be short or delayed. One of my colleagues was short for three consecutive months. On investigation it was Payroll who neglected to inform her that there was a processing error on her account. 

The I.T. department is extremely slow to respond to e-tickets. At Disney you will be required to log in to a variety of web based systems, all of which are buggy and slow. Be sure to log into your employee portal at least every three months otherwise it will expire and you will have to wait weeks for your new login. This portal is where you book holiday and sick days. Yes, you must ‘book’ your sick days! And don’t forget that when you are sick you must get a sick note from your doctor even if it’s just for the common cold or a bout of 24-hour diarrhea, common in China. And I implore you to go to the hospital on day-one whether you are spewing from both ends or not because the doctor will often refuse to back date a sick note, another way for Disney to save. All sick notes must be handed in, copies are not permitted. However, do make yourself a copy as paperwork does get lost.

Handing in your notice and your last pay check
As stated above you must hand in three months’ notice otherwise you will not receive the much sought after and sacred release letter. Without this document you must return home to process a brand new visa application. A trip to Hong Kong may or may not be an option as rules change all the time but one thing is for sure, if you plan to stay for more than a few days, Hong Kong gets expensive. So you’ve given in your three months’ notice and you want to be paid on your last day before flying back to your home country. Think again, only those who complete their full contract will be paid on their last day. For those who have had the audacity to leave before their term please be inconvenienced and wait until the end of that calendar month. Be prepared to absorb any international withdrawal fees or charges to access your own money abroad.

Saying good bye
Your last few weeks will consist of shadowing your replacement teacher and being a ‘floater’. This means you can be asked to travel anywhere in the city to work at another center. In larger cities you may have to commute an hour and a half each way.

Summary of the red flags
#1: A severely reduced training programmed compared to the previous generally recognized successful training program of past. 
#2: You are not allowed to see the contract before arriving in China. In the past the offer letter did not match the contract shown on arrival.
#3: Disney English is technically not a school and you are advised to write 'trainer' on your visa forms.
#4: Sometimes a week of observations turns into being thrown straight in due to the chronic turnover rate.
#5: To combat the chronic turnover rate you must give at least 3 months’ notice before the company will let you go and award you with a release letter that is needed to get a new teaching job in China.
#6: Extra responsibilities such as liaising with parents after every class and doing activities before class, both not counted towards your teaching hours.
#7: It is not uncommon for Payroll to make mistakes. Urgent changes are not actioned very quickly as this department has been outsourced to save the company money.
#8: If you neglect to log into your employee portal within 3 months your account will be suspended and you will not be able to book holiday. 
#9: You need a sick note from the hospital even for a 24-hr bout of diarrhea. If you don't go on the day of sickness you will not get paid your entitled sick pay.
#10: Benefits change constantly. Pay reviews and potentially pay increases used to happen every 6 months, now changed to every 12 months. The contract completion bonus was withdrawn. Re-sign bonuses are available but are subject to an array of caveats.

Specific Examples
This comes from my own personal experience and my colleagues’ experiences. It also includes the experiences of those I trained with who were placed at other centers and those who work for Disney English that I have met along the way. Names have been omitted to protect privacy.

Too expensive to retain
This employee was told he wouldn’t be offered his third 12-month contract because management felt he did not perform well enough. A teacher used to get pay rises every 6 months and would be entitled to a re-sign bonus. Also teachers come to Disney with at least 2 years teaching experience prior to teaching at Disney. Since he had already worked for Disney for 2 years and wanted to re-sign he and his colleagues felt his performance was not the real issue. Nevertheless he conceded to make the improvements management suggested. On his last month they informed him that he had made considerable and visible improvements but on this occasion would not be renewing his contract.

Sacked for being unstable
This employee was told that she wasn’t positive enough by her manager. She was disheartened and remembered the experience of the colleague above. She was louder and more vibrant in the Club House in front of the parents but to no avail. Her manager found her alone in a classroom sobbing one day due to the stress. She was fired for being unstable.

Commitments and service not recognized
This employee worked for Disney for two and half years and was promised a promotion. She was a very experienced and passionate teacher. Her manager would forget to put her forward for the necessary training and even neglected to tell her to apply for the position for which she was promised while another employee at the same center was informed by the same manager. Out of frustration she handed in her notice. She had previously signed for her third year which had not yet commenced. She rescinded her decision but Disney then informed her she could not get a release letter since technically she had not given three months within her new contract. She was extremely upset after having accepted another job and eventually fought to overturn the decision.

Issues brushed under the carpet
This employee was passionate and experienced. Over time he had got so disheartened by the constant changes and poor communication within the company that he was very outspoken about what he thought needed to be changed. He had handed in his notice and was due to finish working his notice when, during a tense meeting, he referred to another colleague as a jack ass. The Regional Director was present at the meeting and sacked him on the spot, making him clear out all his possessions from the very classroom where the meeting was being held and in front of the entire faculty. While his actions were less than professional the management also acted less than professionally. Dismissing an employee in front of his peers without due process is not professional either.

Sacked for being ill
This employee took sick leave for a work related back injury and then was sacked due to ‘having a bad attitude’. Lawyers got involved and he was paid out until the end of his contract.

Pressure to hit targets too much?
A member of management was under so much pressure to meet targets that he fiddled the renewal figures. This was investigated and he was given the option of handing in his resignation immediately with the promise of a good reference or being sacked and given a bad reference. 

Payroll not rolling out the dough
This employee was short for three consecutive months because Payroll’s records were incorrect after a transfer of documents from one city to another. The Payroll Department did not inform her of this and did not reply to requests until she threatened to quit on the spot. 

Hidden in the small print
This employee was promised to receive 90% of 2 months’ pay as a re-sign bonus as stated and advertised in a feature presentation at a faculty meeting. However, it was only when she didn’t receive the expected bonus that she was told it would be half the amount. The excuse by management was that it was ‘miss-communication’ and that it was clearly laid out in the small print given to each center but just not included in the presentation given to all staff.

Dangling the carrot of promotion
This employee was told that he could not be promoted to the position he applied for even though he was qualified. Instead someone would be brought in from another organization who he must train. So essentially he had to train his manager.


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## notwhatitlookslike

*Working at Disney English (Part 3)*

Concluding thoughts
I would not recommend Disney English School to a friend and I would advise anyone doing their research into whether or not to work at Disney English to read the wide plethora of reviews online. If you have 2 years of experience then an international school would be a better place to start. Unfortunately this article is not an exhaustive account of the treatment of employees but does provide an idea of what you can expect.


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## jenouius

*+Disney English Shanghai Phone Number+*

Does anyone know the phone number for Disney English Shanghai? and/or the address?


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## nssan

*how to get in contact*

Just wondering how did you find the job? is it through an agent in our home country or just looked online?

Thanks


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## beckyro

I just sent out my application for Disney English, Im 25 with a BA Degree and NO JOB. Im pretty much down for whatever so I decided going over seas is a good idea, after this review I am not quite scared and unsure. My question is, have you checked out the newlifeesl programs? I scheduled a skype interview to talk to someone about it. I really want to live this experience but I dont wan to be stuck in Asia for a year and wanting to come back home by the 8th month.
What would you suggest?


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## beckyro

what agencies or programs would you recommend to work for as a "mentor/teacher" in china?


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## f0reverj

*Me too!*

I also have a BA and no job.. Got offered a position in Nanjing for the end of May.. I've heard tons of positive and negative reviews but this work is something I am use to (the over-worked, bubbly personality 24/7). Are you going to end up accepting a job offer?! Let me know how it goes!


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## Mandynguyen

AwesomeBlossom said:


> Hi! I worked at Disney English in Beijing for about 9 months. I just left in August 2013.
> 
> The Good
> There's a plethora of TEFL schools out there and very few are "brand" names. At least Disney English truly is owned, operated, and managed by The Walt Disney Company.
> 
> The content they make you teach is OK. Some teachers are used to working with zero resources and Disney English does give you something to start with. Granted, it's a double-edged sword (see below in negatives).
> 
> About twice a year you are given two free tickets that can be used in their theme parks (closest one to Beijing is Hong Kong).
> 
> The Bad
> Disney English has an extremely high "churn and burnout" of not only their teachers, but employees of all positions. Thus, you'll never feel like you are working with a team. I worked at a convenience store when I was in college and we had people stay there longer. It's so weird to suddenly have a new manager and then even watch that person take off.
> 
> As noted above, the content they make you teach is a start. The problem is that Disney English higher-ups think that their content is the Holy Bible. They refuse to alter it and you'll face disciplinary action for not adhering to their system. To be fair, some weeks the content works. Some weeks they give you so little to come up with that you're just forced to make it up on your own. I had regular run-ins with management on this issue. What could I do? My parents were asking me, "Why can't my child speak a sentence in English after being enrolled in Disney English for two years?"
> 
> Disney has a great reputation and they've touched the lives of millions through their movies and theme parks. No one would argue that. But the employee experience? Ooh boy. When you report that your classroom has a major safety issue (i.e. smoke from a nearby restaurant being pumped through the vents into your classroom) you'll get hemming and hawing. "It's not that bad! Compare it to Beijing's air outside!" No, I'm not kidding. Major health and safety issues were routinely ignored. When a group of teachers in Tianjin ganged up on their manager about a broken stair in their center that was risking the kids safety, they were told, "We don't have the budget for it." It was RIDICULOUS!
> 
> The schedule that Disney English makes you work (nights and weekends) means that you won't have any semblance of a normal social life in Beijing. Forget trying to meet other cool expats in the city. Sunday brunch? Nope, you'll be doing a 10-hour day!
> 
> Honestly, I could go on and on. My advice to you? There are a TON of other English-teaching jobs in Beijing (and throughout Asia, to be honest) that have employees who STAY and will REPAIR major safety issues. And these same schools like to hire teachers for their professionalism and creativity. I would sincerely encourage you to expand your job search to this caliber of schools. The fact that you are doing your own due diligence tells me that you do NOT belong at Disney English. Good luck!


Hi there,

I saw your post on this page about Disney English long time ago.
As im looking for the contact of person who is working in Disney English now in China (as im currently based in Vietnam). Could i ask for you help if you know any contact of them?

Thanks alot.


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## gemc

Mandynguyen said:


> Hi there,
> 
> I saw your post on this page about Disney English long time ago.
> As im looking for the contact of person who is working in Disney English now in China (as im currently based in Vietnam). Could i ask for you help if you know any contact of them?
> 
> Thanks alot.



I would also appreciate a contact who is currently working there. I have accepted a Disney English offer and I am due to fly out in January. I will be based in Chengdu.


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