Bad teacher Bad school: Tefl International issues refund

Thursday, June 5, 2008

The TEFL Blacklist

NPO TEFL international Franchising

From:
http://tinyurl.com/5bao99

Dave's ESL Cafe's Teacher Training Forum

TEFL International and Franchising

Posted By: Bruce <brucev@teflintl.com>
Date: Tuesday, 17 January 2006, at 6:38 p.m.

In Response To: Clarification may clear the air (The Critic)

TEFL International currently operates the following courses:

Thailand (Ban Phe)
China (Zhuhai)
Costa Rica (Manuel Antonio)
Czech Republic (Prague)
Egypt (Alexandria)
England (Plymouth)
France (Bordeaux)
Italy (Rome)
Italy, Florence/Tuscany
India (Kolkata)
Nepal (Katmandu)
New Zealand (Thames)
South Korea (Seoul)
Spain (Barcelona)
Spain (Seville)
Thailand (Phuket)
Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City)

Of these 17 sites, all are directly controlled by TEFL International except for 4. These four would probably be considered franchises.

The four in question, Rome, Phuket, Prague and Barcelona, all began as competitors and requested that they become part of the TEFL International team under rather unusual circumstances.

--------

Above posted by Bruce Allen Veldhuisen, also known as Bee Khayim.

Isn't it illegal for an NPO to have franchises?

Not mentioned in his post but he has also sold franchise schools in India.

Anyone wanting proof of those sales give an email address and I will send.

Bruce Allen Veldhuisen AKA Bee khayim

Most of us know Bruce Veldhuisen as the CEO of TEFL international and the owner of another thirteen schools (found to date).

In ongoing homosexual relationships he is also known as Bee Khayim.

The first revelation came from: http://www.1s.com/HKmission/alumni/elder/yr80-84.htm

This is the Mormon temple in Hong Kong, Bruce listed as a church elder:

84 - 85 Veldhuisen Bruce Allen pesasia@hotmail.com

All those corresponding with “Bee Khayim” are in reality communicating with Bruce Veldhuisen.

Below two emails, more will follow. I have these in my inbox complete and unedited neither in content or date. They were forwarded from email addresses below:

From: pesasia@hotmail.com
To: zachlsd@hotmail.com
Subject: more pics of me
Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2007 05:21:49 +0000

here are some more pics na ja!!!!
call me soon na

0815665176

AND:

From: r2828@hotmail.com

To: Bee khayim <pesasia@hotmail.com
Subject: from Robert / coming to Asia
Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2008 16:59:06 +0000

Hello,here is Robert again
I come backto Asia to Thailand and also Vietnam in march.
Can we meet us then ? I like to meet you so much and have still the nice picture of you.
I am still single and want You so much !
Please write me back
LOVE
Robert

Conversation ex student to owner of TEFL international

Below Brandon/bruce:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Brandon Fike
Date: 2008/4/26
Subject: FW: hmmm
To: boshim6@gmail.com




From: brucev@teflintl.com
To: brandon_fike@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: hmmm
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 23:48:51 +0700

A dog told me you had sex with it! Here is a quote:



Bark bark bark bark Brandon bark bark bark.



It must be true. I think I will post this on a blog or a website. Brandon like to have sex with animals! I just proved it!



Man, it must suck to be you. Honestly. You have nothing better to do?



Anyway, I do. So good luck. I will not be replying further.







From: Brandon Fike [mailto:brandon_fike@hotmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, April 26, 2008 11:39 PM

To: Bruce A. Veldhuisen
Subject: RE: hmmm



Prove it.

From: brucev@teflintl.com
To: brandon_fike@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: hmmm
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 18:43:41 +0700

And you have talked to HOW MANY PEOPLE? Your classmates on the course said you were an idiot. It must be true?



From: Brandon Fike [mailto:brandon_fike@hotmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, April 26, 2008 6:38 PM

To: Bruce A. Veldhuisen
Subject: RE: hmmm



Do you know how to spell?


The vast majority people I've talked to think it's worthless.

From: brucev@teflintl.com
To: brandon_fike@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: hmmm
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 18:05:00 +0700

Yreah the coruse sucks but it gets rated very highly by the vast majority. THAT makessense….



From: Brandon Fike [mailto:brandon_fike@hotmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, April 26, 2008 11:17 AM

To: Bruce A. Veldhuisen
Subject: RE: hmmm



"Even some people who pass are not happy—maybe they are just jerks"




Yeah, or maybe it's the course that sucks and "teachers" like Mike who do nothing but lose peoples' work.....even after you claim to have received that same work....Mike has contradicted himself so many times in his e-mails that I really can't believe anything that either one of you say.




From: brucev@teflintl.com
To: brandon_fike@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: hmmm
Date: Sat, 26 Apr 2008 08:01:29 +0700

I could tell you EXACTLY why. We got him fired from his job for taking pics of girls panties under the table with his phone camera. For the past 3 years he has sent fake applications to schools all over Thailand calling our Academic Director and his wife lots of unpleasant things and claiming to have found my secret porn stash.



We fail about 5 percent of the people who take the course. Do the math. 2,700 students x 5 percent. A lot of potential hatred there. It comes with the territory. I do not worry about it. Our course feedback is excellent. Even some people who pass are not happy—maybe they are just jerks. Lots of them around. Today, just sitting in a café in Ban Phe, 5 grads came by and said hello from 2 to 5 years back. The vast majority of our trainees loved the course. That is just a fact backed up by empirical evidence. Some people do not. That's life.



The guy has been claiming for years that he hacked our school computer system and found "Bruce's porn stash". Here's the problem with his claim—at the time he made the claim I did not have a computer at the school. I usually work from home and always on my notebook which is not connected to any network. In fact, since the school opened, I never had a computer that was hooked to the network.



Did he find porn on the school network? Maybe. There were four computers that were basically for internet access by trainees. I know one of our Thai staff has been said to download porn. The fact is hundreds, if not thousands of people had access to the network. We had a ladyboy take our course a few years back andhe/she had al kinds of interesting pics of him/herself. Saying it was mine was just a lie.



You may think that people who have extra marital affairs are unethical. That's a valid opinion. But, like it or not, the world is filled with people who have had extra marital affairs. Its not illegal in most countries. And, when you start judging, some people think that pre marital sex is immoral and unethical. In fact, Mormons do! Just curious—are you a virgin? If not, would you like to be branded as unethical?

In summary, we have a person who has made wild and unsubstantiated accusations before now making… more wild and unsubstantiated claims. Is there ONE PERSON who has come forward to confirm I have met them for sex? Its my private Email account, right? Should be pretty easy. Email them and ask them. Oh, all we have is one freak making baseless claims? Nothing to see here, folks. Move along.

I just find it fascinating how much time and effort this guy (and a few others) put into this utter nonsense.









From: Brandon Fike [mailto:brandon_fike@hotmail.com]
Sent: Friday, April 25, 2008 11:21 PM
To: Bruce A. Veldhuisen
Subject: RE: hmmm



Well, if you say so.

I agree that men are as interesting as chairs but someone who is married and makes sexual advances with both men and women doesn't strike me as someone with much integrity.

Sure, people can be bi or gay and that're their business, but, call me old-fashioned, I believe married people should be loyal to their spouses.

I know mormonism has a history of polygamy and maybe that's the way you were raised but it still strikes me as primitive and unethical.

I just can't imagine why people (who passed the TEFL course, i.e. didn't quit like me) would just make this kind of thing up for no reason at all.

I'm not talking about or referring to anything I've found on the internet either. I'm talking about what people have been sending me about you....people who have met you in person, passed the course in Ban Phe (not long-distance) accessed the computers there and are describing their experiences and impressions of you and your company.

From: brucev@teflintl.com
To: brandon_fike@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: hmmm
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2008 20:03:03 +0700

Anyone who knows me, including my wife and my many gay friends, know that I am not gay or bisexual. Not even any tendencies towards this. My wife has kicked me for looking a little too long at an attractive girl. Never at a guy. Just not me. Again, I have gay friends. We have had long discussions about homosexuality. Its their choice what they do between consenting adults. For me, men are as interesting as chairs—and that is exactly what I tell my gay friends.



Just goes to show you how much utterly ridiculous crap you can find on the internet.



But if you get your kicks by believing it is true, heck, go ahead! It really makes absolutely no difference to me. In fact, if I were bisexual, would it even be your business? Unless I was doing something illegal it would not be. Last time I checked, a LOT of people are Gay and quite a few are bi. So?





From: Brandon Fike [mailto:brandon_fike@hotmail.com]
Sent: Friday, April 25, 2008 7:26 PM
To: Bruce A. Veldhuisen
Subject: RE: hmmm




Where there's smoke there's fire and there's a whole lot of smoke comin' outta Ban Phe!!

I thought Mormons weren't allowed to be gay/bisexual.

How do you reconcile the two? I'm genuinely curious.

You'd make a great case study :)

From: brucev@teflintl.com
To: brandon_fike@hotmail.com
Subject: RE: hmmm
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:24:12 +0700

And its all true! Haha wanker!



From: Brandon Fike [mailto:brandon_fike@hotmail.com]
Sent: Friday, April 25, 2008 11:48 AM
To: brucev@teflintl.com
Subject: hmmm



Who is Milliband David?

And what's this I hear about IRS Investigations and child pornography on your computer?

I'm also hearing about you being a mormon and being bisexual.

How interesting!

Are you still "enjoying your laugh"?

It won't take long for you to be exposed, moreso, for what a piece of crap person you are.

Brandon

This NPO is a For Profit TEFL International

Found the resume below at:"http://tinyurl.com/3dnkxk"
That’s Michael Sean Fitzgerald.

I know this guy better than I wish. He was my teacher when I took the Media Kids course sponsored by TEFL international. He was a miserable teacher. Anything questioned was twisted to blame the student who asked.

He lost half of my work submitted during the course. My classmates had the same problem with Mike.

Now he’s looking for work in Korea. I feel sorry for his next students.

I did my best to reason with Mike and with administration of TEFL international. It can't be done, they took my money and now Mike tells me not to contact him or anyone at the school.

I and some other teachers who have had bad experiences with TEFL International are kind of networking together there to share info.

It’s a scam where you pay $500. You teach for three months where your salary is discounted directly to the pockets of Tefl International. Supposed to get a TESOL certificate at the end of this time.

Every student in my class was failed and recommended to take more courses for more money.

I didn’t know until after I was at risk of being jailed for teaching in Thailand with no work permit.

Tefl International straight out lied on that point. They told all of us no permit was required.

TEFL international uses all these sites:
www.isolutions-th.com
www.esl-teachers.net
www.teflcourse.net
www.teflcorp.com
www.bestonlineteflcourse.com
www.tesolonline.com
www.teflcourse.net
www.bestteflcourse.com
www.teflinternational.com

They look different but all link to the same schools.

Strange how TEFL international is listed as a Not for Profit Organazation and the above sites all link to schools which specifically say “for profit”.

Is this legal? It’s for sure not honest.

Before you throw away money do a few google searches.

Try “bruce + bribery charges + Thailand” or “TEFL + scam”…

I couldn’t believe how many times TEFL international came back.

--

Below Mikes resume, he looks great on paper. You don’t want this guy for a teacher.

W O R K H I S T O R Y

TEFL International (France, UK, Thailand, China)

Dir. of Public Relations & External Affairs / Lead Trainer May 2005 - Present

Hired to assist the CEO and Academic Director, duties included but not limited to: Writing news articles; designing & writing websites; setting up and running new teacher training operations; oversaw an international board of ELT experts; organized international teacher training conferences; met and did training demos for audiences of government bodies with hundreds of teachers; wrote phonological chapter in training handbook; worked behind the scenes at the executive management level; created and implemented, alone, a very successful 4-week training program for Chinese Primary/Secondary teachers and delivered it many times. Developed and implemented international and local marketing strategies for EFL classes, camps and TESOL Cert courses. Trained staff and developed a 3-week summer camp for 284 Chinese secondary students. Designed and managed teacher training programs for 150 native-speakers; set up and ran Thai teacher training programs; wrote/edit on-line training courses (young learners); interviewed and hired international staff (trainers and directors); took on duties of General Manager, Academic Director and Marketing Director when needed.

Windsor TEFL (Trinity College London) (Barcelona/ Madrid, Spain)

Head of Teacher Training (Full-time) May 2003 – May 2005

Responsible for staff of 6 teacher trainers, regular teachers & training 12-20 teachers per month to top international (Trinity) standards. Duties included those with ITC as well as: opening new centre; curriculum design & development for trainees & teachers (all levels); reducing staff & supply budgets; job search; maintaining relations with proprietor, Trinity & teacher employers; level testing; designing resources, inputs & TESOL course; and much more.

International TEFL Certificate (ITC) (Prague, Czech Republic. & Spain) Lead Teacher Trainer (Full-time) February 2002 – May 2003

Trained & certified over 150 teachers. Included over 150 hours of teacher observation & feedback; inputs on phonology, teaching foreign languages (Czech, Inuit & Russian) in alternate methodologies, grammar, Business English, young learners, course books, class management; marking 1-2-1 projects; creating new inputs; giving demo lessons, etc. Left to accept Head of TESOL Position at Windsor.

King’s College International, S.A. (Tres Cantos, Spain)

Assistant Director (Full-time seasonal) Summer 2000 & 2001

Co-responsible for the hands-on day-to-day management of over 200 children and 20 staff members at intensive 24-hour children’s ESL summer camp. Duties included: observing & training teachers; hiring & firing teachers; planning all social & classroom activities; dealing with stressful situations (disease outbreak, city-wide fire evacuation, inappropriate staff behaviour, medical emergencies, etc.)

Berlitz Language Centres of Canada. (Vancouver, Toronto & Miss., Canada)

English Teacher (Full & part-time) June 1995 – Oct.1999

Included in-company work, Business English & Presentations, and specialty classes in pronunciation, writing and young learners. Left to enroll in Cambridge Diploma.

Chilliwack Community Services (Chilliwack B.C., Canada)

Program Co-coordinator (Full-time) Feb. 1998 – Sept. 1999

Responsible for staff & government –sponsored ESL/settlement program (LINC) for 50 immigrants per day. Duties included: budget control; ordering supplies; organizing activities (events, trips, speakers); attending conferences & teaching. Left to enroll in Cambridge Diploma in Spain. Used my people/creative skills to leave behind an improved program with: better community image; volunteer literacy program; and an ESL computer lab.

Language Link International (Zelenograd, Russia)

English Teacher (Full-time) Oct. 1994 – May 1995

In-company & adult classes. Had a high success rate and carried many students from beginners to upper-intermediates. Left due to contract expiry, returned to Canada.

Carleton University (Residence Association) (Ottawa, Canada)

Director of Entertainment (1 year appointed) May 1992 –May. 1993

Responsible for all social & extra-curricular educational activities for 1700 residential students. Duties included organizing licensed/unlicensed events, sporting activities, educational seminars; chairing committees; initiating advertising /marketing campaigns; meeting with agents; entertainers & corporate sponsors. Also taught a university course in bartending.

E D U C A T I O N

Cambridge RSA Diploma in TESOL (DELTA)

British Language Centre – Madrid, Spain Oct. 99 – Dec. 2000

Received the Cambridge Dip. Which included teaching observation of new methodologies, materials development, testing and language awareness.

Post-Graduate in Corporate Communications

Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology – Toronto, Canada

Jan. 96 – Jan.97

Received a post-university degree in Corporate Public Relations. Course included classes in: public speaking, advanced writing/editing, seminar planning, internal/external business communications and media relations.

RELSA Certificate in TEFL

Galway Language Centre – Galway, Ireland April94 – May 94

Received a certificate in teaching English from RELSA (Ireland governing body of TESOL) which included observation and hands-on teaching practice.

Bachelor of Arts Honours Degree in Philosophy

Carleton University – Ottawa, Canada

1989 - 1993

Received a four-year university degree with a major in philosophy and elected courses in religion, psychology and Russian.

O T H E R S K I L L S

§ Youngest member of the Board of Directors for TESOL Spain. My post in 2004 was Special Projects Officer.

§ Hosted “Ask The Expert” Website (in Spanish) on ESL & Business English at Monster.com, world’s largest Job Search Website (HTTP://FOROS.MONSTER.ES/FORUM.ASP?FORUM=2661)

§ Familiar and up-to-date with most ESL Materials & Microsoft Office.

§ Hold a valid Int´l Driver’s License.

§ Hobbies: writing, cooking, exercising, photography, studying languages.

§ Second Languages include Spanish and some French.

R E F E R E N C E S

§ PAUL MCCONOCHIE (LECTURER & TRAINER W/ BURLINGTON BOOKS, FORMER HEAD OF TRAINING AT ADVANCED INSTITUTE) Madrid, Spain (tel: 34 652283764 email: paulm_7@excite.com)

§ GREG GOBEL (HEAD OF TEACHER TRAINING, INTERNATIONAL TEFL CERTIFICATES) Prague, Czech (email: gobelgj@hotmail.com)

§ MARTIN GUILEFOYLE (LECTURER AT COMPUTENSE UNIVERSITY / TRINITY COLLEGE LONDON TRAINER ) Madrid, Spain (tel: 34 91 528 9821 email: martingu@ceu.es)