Hi Campers,
If ever you post a negative review of a camp you need to be aware that the company in question might retaliate with a threat of court action for defamation, particularly in Thailand. Indeed, many campers say they experienced this during the 2017 Invasion saga. This can be really scary if you're unprepared. So here are some hints on how to handle it.
The most important point to remember is that if what you say is factually accurate, it's going to be very difficult for any company to win a defamation case. Apart from anything, once in court it will become immediately apparent that you are the victim, such that the court is much more likely to sympathise with you. In addition to that, the last place any company that has short-changed their customers wants to be is in court, because any misdeeds are quickly going to come out in the washing. Think carefully, how can a company take you to court, having ripped you off, and then demand that you pay them more because you told the world the truth! What kind of justice would that be?
Also important is that, in the modern world, reviews on social media (e.g. this blog) are standard and common place. It's something every company has to accept. The point is that any review or comment needs to be objective and any opinions based on facts. And, of course, the facts themselves must be accurate. It is also important to keep the tone civil and not to degenerate into abuse. Reviews and feedback play a huge role in our lives, so be confident that you are providing the world a service by making your opinion heard.
Fortunately, Philip Crabb no longer works with Invasion. However, in days past, he was always the most notorious individual for threatening people with defamation. Basically, he'd do something rotten to you (like take your money for nothing) and then threaten you with defamation if you squealed. He'd also be very quick to tell you that in Thailand defamation laws are very strict, and that the onus would be on you, the defendant, to prove your innocence. This would be terrifying for a 19 year old travelling for the first time in Asia. Images of being locked up in a Thai prison would flash into their minds and Philip would do everything to nurture that image. So usually Philip's threats worked. People backed off. However, eventually enough comments appeared on social media, and clearly they stuck, particularly the ones linked to Island TEFL, Philip's former company. And clearly it was a wide range of people posting. I'm pleased to say, Philip has never yet succeeded in getting anyone into court.
So don't be worried, because even in Thailand the basic principles as described above still hold true. I was actually in Thailand when they introduced the laws. It was in 2006 during the military coup. The laws were mainly brought in to protect the King, because there were sections of society that wanted to do away with the monarchy altogether. I'm sure everyone knows about the battles between the Red Shirts and the Yellow Shirts. The prime purpose of the laws wasn't really concerned with everyday cases like yours, but those with political implications.
However, if you're back in the UK, those complications certainly don't apply. Just be confident about your right to free speech and your duty to inform the world at large of any wrong doing. I've put a couple of links below to websites that give good information about defamation. Don't let the bullies win!
Happy Camping!
EFL Greg
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/defamation-law-made-simple-29718.html
https://solicitors.guru/articles/27-law-defamation-explained/
Showing posts with label English For Fun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label English For Fun. Show all posts
Wednesday, 4 April 2018
Tuesday, 27 March 2018
Example Emails about Invasion
Hi Campers,
I just thought I'd post a few typical emails I received about Invasion. I've kept the authors anonymous for reasons of confidentiality, but I can assure you they're all genuine.
"I booked to do a 3 week TEFL qualification in Thailand with a company called "Summer Camp Thailand" who work under an umbrella company registered here in the UK called "Invasion Ltd"
I was in Thailand and partaking on this programme between the 9th August to 30th August 2017
There were many issues from when our intake arrived in Bangkok. The teaching itself, and the TEFL qualification was very disorganised. Having learnt nothing, we were already disappointed but this wasn't the biggest issue.
During camp, on the 25th August before we were set to leave for our mini break in Cha-Am, we were told that there'd been a last minute change to our accommodation and that we had been "upgraded". On the same day, we received an email from a one "Mr Phillip Crabb" telling us that our accommodation wasn't an upgrade, and we were being moved due to a cash flow problem at Invasion Ltd.
A group of us spoke to the reps on site. The English reps who were employees of the English "Summer Camp Thailand" company were insisting it was an upgrade and told us to ignore any emails from Mr Phillip Crabb as he was no longer an employee of Summer Camp Thailand. So we did just that but our problems only grew.
We had all spoken to our families back home to make them aware that we were moving destinations to Hua Hin, as opposed to Cha-Am. When we arrived at our new destination it was blatantly obvious that everything Phillip Crabb said in his email was true.
We arrived at this hotel, which was a 40 minute drive from the beach and local restaurants/ bars and a 15 minute walk away from the nearest shop as Phillip had surprisingly truthfully stated. The bus driver had to come out of the vehicle and lift electrical wires above the coach in order for the coach to access the accommodation.
After 14 hours of travelling and anxious family members concerned about our whereabouts, the wifi didn't accommodate the amount of people in our intake (67 people). So I had to wait another 10 hours before I could update my family members on my whereabouts.
We were given keys to our rooms. Our bed sheets were stained with blood and other bodily fluids and one person from our intake found a dead frog in their bed. The free food that was advertised was nothing more than basic rice which wasn't covered, therefore covered in bugs. Most of the rooms were infested and there was no hot water. Later we would learn that the air condition and hot water were only installed the day prior to us arriving.
Of course we brought all of these issues up with the reps on site, who called in a gentleman called "Harry Lote" to explain the changes to us. He arrived in a truck, followed by another truck that was supposed to be taking us to Hua Hin centre later that evening. On the truck that he got out of, were large Leo beers and it was obvious that he was intoxicated which made us all a little uncomfortable as he was supposed to be the head rep, and assistant director of the company "Summer Camp Thailand". He explained that Phillip Crabb was a disgruntled previous supplier of the TEFL certificates, and due to switching suppliers, Summer Camp Thailand decided to switch our accommodation too.
The old accommodation that we were supposed to be staying at was 5 minutes from Cha-Am beach and night markets. It has an outdoor swimming pool and had been used by all the previous intakes with no complaints as far as I am aware. It was very very obvious that we were moved to this new accommodation in Hua Hin due to the cash flow problem at Invasion.
The whole ordeal had us very stressed. I'd sent out numerous emails to Summer Camp Thailand here in the UK that weekend and they've only just responded now, and their response doesn't shed any light on the situation.
The programme fee we paid was £699. We paid this fee for the original itinerary that was on their website and to receive a 120 hour internationally accredited TEFL certificate whilst we were there (which we still have yet to receive). In light of the certificate itself, some people did more hours than others. So I'd done 3 days of 8 hours each day then an additional day of 5 hours. Yet some of the intake only did 2 hours each day at different schools.
Now after 10 minutes of googling, I've come across some of your blogs. This man [Philip Crabb] has been working under Invasion Travel Ltd, providing the TEFL part of the course. Since the first email he has sent, he has sent many more emails asking for money in order for us to receive this TEFL certificate that we have ALREADY paid for.
He has also breached the data protection act by giving out our emails and details to people on the subsequent intake for Camp C - Summer Camp Thailand and a reporter from Manchester.
As we still haven't received these certificates, our details were handed out without our consent and we stayed at an accommodation that wasn't listed on the itinerary or agreed to, I'm in the process of seeking a refund from the company.
Given that they are not willing to give us a partial refund, I'll be seeking a to initiate a charge back with my bank. Summer Camp Thailand have been incompetent at answering the questions that I have and are blatantly not responding to my queries."
I'll put more up shortly. Meanwhile, please read my comment below.
Stay safe,
EFL Greg
I just thought I'd post a few typical emails I received about Invasion. I've kept the authors anonymous for reasons of confidentiality, but I can assure you they're all genuine.
"I booked to do a 3 week TEFL qualification in Thailand with a company called "Summer Camp Thailand" who work under an umbrella company registered here in the UK called "Invasion Ltd"
I was in Thailand and partaking on this programme between the 9th August to 30th August 2017
There were many issues from when our intake arrived in Bangkok. The teaching itself, and the TEFL qualification was very disorganised. Having learnt nothing, we were already disappointed but this wasn't the biggest issue.
During camp, on the 25th August before we were set to leave for our mini break in Cha-Am, we were told that there'd been a last minute change to our accommodation and that we had been "upgraded". On the same day, we received an email from a one "Mr Phillip Crabb" telling us that our accommodation wasn't an upgrade, and we were being moved due to a cash flow problem at Invasion Ltd.
A group of us spoke to the reps on site. The English reps who were employees of the English "Summer Camp Thailand" company were insisting it was an upgrade and told us to ignore any emails from Mr Phillip Crabb as he was no longer an employee of Summer Camp Thailand. So we did just that but our problems only grew.
We had all spoken to our families back home to make them aware that we were moving destinations to Hua Hin, as opposed to Cha-Am. When we arrived at our new destination it was blatantly obvious that everything Phillip Crabb said in his email was true.
We arrived at this hotel, which was a 40 minute drive from the beach and local restaurants/ bars and a 15 minute walk away from the nearest shop as Phillip had surprisingly truthfully stated. The bus driver had to come out of the vehicle and lift electrical wires above the coach in order for the coach to access the accommodation.
After 14 hours of travelling and anxious family members concerned about our whereabouts, the wifi didn't accommodate the amount of people in our intake (67 people). So I had to wait another 10 hours before I could update my family members on my whereabouts.
We were given keys to our rooms. Our bed sheets were stained with blood and other bodily fluids and one person from our intake found a dead frog in their bed. The free food that was advertised was nothing more than basic rice which wasn't covered, therefore covered in bugs. Most of the rooms were infested and there was no hot water. Later we would learn that the air condition and hot water were only installed the day prior to us arriving.
Of course we brought all of these issues up with the reps on site, who called in a gentleman called "Harry Lote" to explain the changes to us. He arrived in a truck, followed by another truck that was supposed to be taking us to Hua Hin centre later that evening. On the truck that he got out of, were large Leo beers and it was obvious that he was intoxicated which made us all a little uncomfortable as he was supposed to be the head rep, and assistant director of the company "Summer Camp Thailand". He explained that Phillip Crabb was a disgruntled previous supplier of the TEFL certificates, and due to switching suppliers, Summer Camp Thailand decided to switch our accommodation too.
The old accommodation that we were supposed to be staying at was 5 minutes from Cha-Am beach and night markets. It has an outdoor swimming pool and had been used by all the previous intakes with no complaints as far as I am aware. It was very very obvious that we were moved to this new accommodation in Hua Hin due to the cash flow problem at Invasion.
The whole ordeal had us very stressed. I'd sent out numerous emails to Summer Camp Thailand here in the UK that weekend and they've only just responded now, and their response doesn't shed any light on the situation.
The programme fee we paid was £699. We paid this fee for the original itinerary that was on their website and to receive a 120 hour internationally accredited TEFL certificate whilst we were there (which we still have yet to receive). In light of the certificate itself, some people did more hours than others. So I'd done 3 days of 8 hours each day then an additional day of 5 hours. Yet some of the intake only did 2 hours each day at different schools.
Now after 10 minutes of googling, I've come across some of your blogs. This man [Philip Crabb] has been working under Invasion Travel Ltd, providing the TEFL part of the course. Since the first email he has sent, he has sent many more emails asking for money in order for us to receive this TEFL certificate that we have ALREADY paid for.
He has also breached the data protection act by giving out our emails and details to people on the subsequent intake for Camp C - Summer Camp Thailand and a reporter from Manchester.
As we still haven't received these certificates, our details were handed out without our consent and we stayed at an accommodation that wasn't listed on the itinerary or agreed to, I'm in the process of seeking a refund from the company.
Given that they are not willing to give us a partial refund, I'll be seeking a to initiate a charge back with my bank. Summer Camp Thailand have been incompetent at answering the questions that I have and are blatantly not responding to my queries."
I'll put more up shortly. Meanwhile, please read my comment below.
Stay safe,
EFL Greg
Thursday, 9 November 2017
Gap Odyssey Phuket
Hi Campers,
We've noticed that a new camp has started to emerge in recent weeks. It's Gap Odyssey Phuket. It also has branches in Buriram and Cha Am. It already has both a website http://www.gapodyssey.com/ and a Facebook page. Rest assured, this is simply another incarnation of Philip Crabb's Island TEFL or Camp Thailand. So be warned, you can expect exactly the same kind of standards as per those two schools.
It's currently asking for $1,499 for the camp, including a "free" TEFL course, normally valued at $495. In our opinion, this is a total rip-off, an absolutely ridiculous amount of money to pay. As mentioned in our previous posts, the English For Fun TEFL course is worth about $100 at most. It's fully unaccredited and is usually taught by any teacher who happens to be around at the time. They also seem to have teamed up with ITA in some way. The exact connection is unclear, but, in out opinion, it reflects badly on ITA and devalues their credibility in the market.
There may be excursions and teaching in a school, etc, but is it worth spending that kind of money on? Again, as mentioned before, you can do almost all the activities offered off your own bat at a mere fraction of the cost.
We're strongly recommending potential campers to avoid this outfit altogether.
Happy holidays,
EFL Greg
We've noticed that a new camp has started to emerge in recent weeks. It's Gap Odyssey Phuket. It also has branches in Buriram and Cha Am. It already has both a website http://www.gapodyssey.com/ and a Facebook page. Rest assured, this is simply another incarnation of Philip Crabb's Island TEFL or Camp Thailand. So be warned, you can expect exactly the same kind of standards as per those two schools.
It's currently asking for $1,499 for the camp, including a "free" TEFL course, normally valued at $495. In our opinion, this is a total rip-off, an absolutely ridiculous amount of money to pay. As mentioned in our previous posts, the English For Fun TEFL course is worth about $100 at most. It's fully unaccredited and is usually taught by any teacher who happens to be around at the time. They also seem to have teamed up with ITA in some way. The exact connection is unclear, but, in out opinion, it reflects badly on ITA and devalues their credibility in the market.
There may be excursions and teaching in a school, etc, but is it worth spending that kind of money on? Again, as mentioned before, you can do almost all the activities offered off your own bat at a mere fraction of the cost.
We're strongly recommending potential campers to avoid this outfit altogether.
Happy holidays,
EFL Greg
Monday, 23 October 2017
Invasion and Ethics
Hi Campers!
Following the events of August and September, I think Invasion really need to be doing some serious soul searching. First they need to establish what their core values are and then make sure they apply them with full integrity. Clearly they have been coming up short on the ethical front in recent months.
First of all, how did they get into bed with their previous TEFL providers (English For Fun) in the first place? EFF's track record was well known to all before they linked up. Did Invasion seriously believe there would be no problems ensuing from that liaison? Clearly, it was a deal based on expediency at the time rather than one that matched their core values.
Secondly, Invasion have failed miserably in their response to the complaints of campers taking part in the August camp in Chiang Mai. Rather than offer measly £250 vouchers, they should offer full refunds. Only this way can they realistically hope to keep customers and hold on to their market share. Word gets around quickly on social media these days.
At the very heart of all Invasion's venture must be ethicality towards the campers themselves. Most of the campers are youngsters who have never travelled to Asia before, and have anxious parents at home worrying about them. To cut corners and condone sub-standard behaviour at camps is simply not acceptable (see previous posts).
In the future, Invasion must make ethicality and the maintenance of high standards an absolute must, not just an optional extra. If they can do this, we wish them luck going forward with their new TEFL partners. If they can't, they must expect to see an inevitable decline in the number of participants on their camps, and deservedly so.
Let's hope there's some improvement in the future.
EFL Greg
Following the events of August and September, I think Invasion really need to be doing some serious soul searching. First they need to establish what their core values are and then make sure they apply them with full integrity. Clearly they have been coming up short on the ethical front in recent months.
First of all, how did they get into bed with their previous TEFL providers (English For Fun) in the first place? EFF's track record was well known to all before they linked up. Did Invasion seriously believe there would be no problems ensuing from that liaison? Clearly, it was a deal based on expediency at the time rather than one that matched their core values.
Secondly, Invasion have failed miserably in their response to the complaints of campers taking part in the August camp in Chiang Mai. Rather than offer measly £250 vouchers, they should offer full refunds. Only this way can they realistically hope to keep customers and hold on to their market share. Word gets around quickly on social media these days.
At the very heart of all Invasion's venture must be ethicality towards the campers themselves. Most of the campers are youngsters who have never travelled to Asia before, and have anxious parents at home worrying about them. To cut corners and condone sub-standard behaviour at camps is simply not acceptable (see previous posts).
In the future, Invasion must make ethicality and the maintenance of high standards an absolute must, not just an optional extra. If they can do this, we wish them luck going forward with their new TEFL partners. If they can't, they must expect to see an inevitable decline in the number of participants on their camps, and deservedly so.
Let's hope there's some improvement in the future.
EFL Greg
Friday, 6 October 2017
Invasion and Camp Thailand
Hi Thailand Campers!
Following my last post I've received a lot of disturbing news. It seems there's been a real bust up between Invasion and Philip Crabb. In fact, Invasion have dispensed with his services altogether and are now using Greenway China to provide the TEFL component of their Camp experience. I don't actually know anything about Greenway, so I can't honestly vouch for them. What I can say, though, is that Invasion should be applauded for parting company with Philip Crabb and his English For Fun farce. We have been pressing for this for a long time on this blog, so let's hope this move heralds a brighter future.
Meanwhile, Invasion is in quite a state of turmoil, in that there have been several complaints from campers and from parents about the messy way the August / September course turned out. Apparently, there was trouble about visas as well as the switch in hotels from Cha-Am to Hua Hin. It seems that Invasion had some genuine cash flow problems, probably as a result of overextending themselves with too many camps. This was compounded by the possibility that Philip Crabb was embezzling money sent to him by Invasion. At this stage, we have no proof of that. However, it seems the possibility alone was enough to make Invasion act.
Overall, it seems Invasion are trying to do their best in difficult circumstances. For example, they have offered dissatisfied campers vouchers for £250, etc. However, Invasion need to be much more open, honest and communicative in dealing with their camp participants. I'm getting reports of unanswered emails and robotic responses to phone calls. That's just no way to treat customers. They really need to work on their PR
Whatever happened to cause the bust up, Philip Crabb clearly has his own agenda, the main component being to claim Camp Thailand as his own. In fact, many of you may already have noticed that there are two Camp Thailands now, Summer Camp Thailand https://summercampthailand.com/ run by Americamp and Camp Thailand http://www.campthailand.org/ run by Philip Crabb. What it seems Mr. Crabb is trying to do now is to create as much of a stir as he can about Invasion in the hope that they go out of business, leaving him 100% control of Camp Thailand. He even tries to claim that he created the whole project. This is complete poppycock, he is merely a provider of sub-standard TEFL courses, nothing more. For future reference have no doubt that Invasion/Americamp's version of Camp Thailand is the original one.
I'll make more comments about developments in my next post. Meanwhile, please do post your comments or email me directly.
Keep camping!
EFL Greg
Following my last post I've received a lot of disturbing news. It seems there's been a real bust up between Invasion and Philip Crabb. In fact, Invasion have dispensed with his services altogether and are now using Greenway China to provide the TEFL component of their Camp experience. I don't actually know anything about Greenway, so I can't honestly vouch for them. What I can say, though, is that Invasion should be applauded for parting company with Philip Crabb and his English For Fun farce. We have been pressing for this for a long time on this blog, so let's hope this move heralds a brighter future.
Meanwhile, Invasion is in quite a state of turmoil, in that there have been several complaints from campers and from parents about the messy way the August / September course turned out. Apparently, there was trouble about visas as well as the switch in hotels from Cha-Am to Hua Hin. It seems that Invasion had some genuine cash flow problems, probably as a result of overextending themselves with too many camps. This was compounded by the possibility that Philip Crabb was embezzling money sent to him by Invasion. At this stage, we have no proof of that. However, it seems the possibility alone was enough to make Invasion act.
Overall, it seems Invasion are trying to do their best in difficult circumstances. For example, they have offered dissatisfied campers vouchers for £250, etc. However, Invasion need to be much more open, honest and communicative in dealing with their camp participants. I'm getting reports of unanswered emails and robotic responses to phone calls. That's just no way to treat customers. They really need to work on their PR
Whatever happened to cause the bust up, Philip Crabb clearly has his own agenda, the main component being to claim Camp Thailand as his own. In fact, many of you may already have noticed that there are two Camp Thailands now, Summer Camp Thailand https://summercampthailand.com/ run by Americamp and Camp Thailand http://www.campthailand.org/ run by Philip Crabb. What it seems Mr. Crabb is trying to do now is to create as much of a stir as he can about Invasion in the hope that they go out of business, leaving him 100% control of Camp Thailand. He even tries to claim that he created the whole project. This is complete poppycock, he is merely a provider of sub-standard TEFL courses, nothing more. For future reference have no doubt that Invasion/Americamp's version of Camp Thailand is the original one.
I'll make more comments about developments in my next post. Meanwhile, please do post your comments or email me directly.
Keep camping!
EFL Greg
Tuesday, 29 August 2017
Accreditation and Pricing
Hi Campers,
I was just looking at Americamp's Camp Thailand website and noticed that they've put up a whole load of blurb about TEFL certificates in relation to accreditation. I think it's been up a while actually. Click on TEFL They're no longer claiming that their certificate is "internationally accredited", which is a major step forward. I congratulate them on their honesty. However, what they've put up instead is a pretty vague piece that really tells us nothing at all, just a series of generalities with nothing specific. Basically, it's a load of hogwash designed to pull the wool over your eyes, cloaked in that kind of formal language that makes it sound oh so credible. "School and authorities"? Yes, the schools they give free lessons at. "The Ministry of Education"? Take it from me, there's no way the ministry gets involved in farang run TEFL schools. Their concern is state schools and private schools running the proper national curriculum. EFL courses are not part of their domain. The point is that Camp Thailand's courses are completely unaccredited and it's pot luck how good any one course will be. Worst case scenario is if Philip Crabb himself gives the course.
While here, I'd like to remind all you potential campers that you'll be spending over £700 for only three weeks of "training" and activities. So are you really getting your money's worth? Remember that, while accommodation is included in the price, it is bunk beds in a dorm, and even then you have to pay extra if you want air-con. You can stay in a 3 star hotel in central Bangkok for just £20 a night. So surely they could afford to give you something better than 5 in a room with no air-con for your £700? The TEFL course isn't worth more than £100 and the same goes for the excursions. Camp Thailand's expenses are simply the rent for the premises and some low salaries for their workers. Even the trainer won't get more than a $1,000 a month. So you can see just how much money is going directly into the pockets of Philip Crabb and Americamp. They're cutting costs any which way they can to maximise their own profit. Philip Crabb is interested in one thing only, and that's your money. You're being well and truly fleeced. You really need to open your eyes to that.
So once again, we recommend that you avoid this kind of overpriced summer camp and set out independently. Do an online TEFL course, preferably not English For Fun's, and go direct to a Thai placement agency for a free placement and orientation course. Do the excursions at your own leisure during your year in Thailand. It's such a wonderful country. Just take that bold step to be independent. Thailand is a very safe country if you stick to common sense precautions. You should have a wail of a time.
Good luck, campers!
EFL Greg
I was just looking at Americamp's Camp Thailand website and noticed that they've put up a whole load of blurb about TEFL certificates in relation to accreditation. I think it's been up a while actually. Click on TEFL They're no longer claiming that their certificate is "internationally accredited", which is a major step forward. I congratulate them on their honesty. However, what they've put up instead is a pretty vague piece that really tells us nothing at all, just a series of generalities with nothing specific. Basically, it's a load of hogwash designed to pull the wool over your eyes, cloaked in that kind of formal language that makes it sound oh so credible. "School and authorities"? Yes, the schools they give free lessons at. "The Ministry of Education"? Take it from me, there's no way the ministry gets involved in farang run TEFL schools. Their concern is state schools and private schools running the proper national curriculum. EFL courses are not part of their domain. The point is that Camp Thailand's courses are completely unaccredited and it's pot luck how good any one course will be. Worst case scenario is if Philip Crabb himself gives the course.
While here, I'd like to remind all you potential campers that you'll be spending over £700 for only three weeks of "training" and activities. So are you really getting your money's worth? Remember that, while accommodation is included in the price, it is bunk beds in a dorm, and even then you have to pay extra if you want air-con. You can stay in a 3 star hotel in central Bangkok for just £20 a night. So surely they could afford to give you something better than 5 in a room with no air-con for your £700? The TEFL course isn't worth more than £100 and the same goes for the excursions. Camp Thailand's expenses are simply the rent for the premises and some low salaries for their workers. Even the trainer won't get more than a $1,000 a month. So you can see just how much money is going directly into the pockets of Philip Crabb and Americamp. They're cutting costs any which way they can to maximise their own profit. Philip Crabb is interested in one thing only, and that's your money. You're being well and truly fleeced. You really need to open your eyes to that.
So once again, we recommend that you avoid this kind of overpriced summer camp and set out independently. Do an online TEFL course, preferably not English For Fun's, and go direct to a Thai placement agency for a free placement and orientation course. Do the excursions at your own leisure during your year in Thailand. It's such a wonderful country. Just take that bold step to be independent. Thailand is a very safe country if you stick to common sense precautions. You should have a wail of a time.
Good luck, campers!
EFL Greg
Wednesday, 28 June 2017
Americamp and Camp Thailand
Hi EFL World!
Let's just have a quick look at Americamp's relationship with Camp Thailand. Although Camp Thailand comes under Americamp's general umbrella, it is actually at least half owned and run by Philip Crabb. The CEO of Americamp is Lee McAteer, and for his operations in Thailand he has teamed up with Philip Crabb, who runs the show there. He also has a rep called Dean Hallworth there, but his power is limited.
Up to now, this blog has been pretty complimentary towards Americamp and the aspects of their camps that they organise directly. However, it is clear that there is something amiss with the way Philip Crabb is running operations at his end. Typical complaints so far against him are:
1. He claims his TEFL certificate is "internationally accredited", but this is completely unfounded. It's not accredited in any meaningful sense of the word, and is basically a junk qualification.
2. Most of the trainers for the courses are unqualified. Instead, they are often just random teachers are in the area at the time who happen to be looking for a job.
3. Similarly, Philip Crabb himself has no formal EFL qualifications, and is best known in the EFL world for being fired by a school in Bangkok for coming in drunk.
4. Even now Philip often attends sessions either drunk or clearly hung over.
5. Philip usually fails and expels a student quickly in order to create fear and compliance among the other students. The student will invariably be someone who has caused some kind of problem or asked some awkward questions.
6. Later, he often does the exact converse and passes students without even looking at their submissions. The "blank document" incident in 2016, when he passed a student who submitted a blank document, is well-known.
7. He tries to extract extra money from students anyway he can, with all kinds of extra charges for towels, taxis, air-con, etc.
8. Most importantly, in 2016 one of Thai staff pulled a gun on some girls students because they did not use Philip's own expensive taxi service. We now have this evidenced from three separate sources.
9. His history with Island TEFL, which he ran as Philip Dunne before acquiring Camp Thailand, is truly shocking. Google and lots of results will come up. They can't all be lying.
10. He charges as much as £500 for a five day orientation course before placement in a school by an agency. An identical orientation course can be obtained directly from the agency completely for free.
I will leave it to the reader to decide whether the above is merely sharp practice or outright criminality. The point is that Philip Crabb is clearly not a man you should be entrusting yourself to or giving your money to. It also reflects back on Americamp that they continue to work with him. It shows that they themselves lack any real ethicality. Clearly it's just about money at the end of the day.
So we conclude that, even though there are some wonderful positives about the Camp Thailand experience, potential campers should boycott Camp Thailand, and use another provider until such time as Americamp disown Philip Crabb.
In my next post, I'll quote from some of the numerous emails I have received.
Stay wise!
EFL Greg
Let's just have a quick look at Americamp's relationship with Camp Thailand. Although Camp Thailand comes under Americamp's general umbrella, it is actually at least half owned and run by Philip Crabb. The CEO of Americamp is Lee McAteer, and for his operations in Thailand he has teamed up with Philip Crabb, who runs the show there. He also has a rep called Dean Hallworth there, but his power is limited.
Up to now, this blog has been pretty complimentary towards Americamp and the aspects of their camps that they organise directly. However, it is clear that there is something amiss with the way Philip Crabb is running operations at his end. Typical complaints so far against him are:
1. He claims his TEFL certificate is "internationally accredited", but this is completely unfounded. It's not accredited in any meaningful sense of the word, and is basically a junk qualification.
2. Most of the trainers for the courses are unqualified. Instead, they are often just random teachers are in the area at the time who happen to be looking for a job.
3. Similarly, Philip Crabb himself has no formal EFL qualifications, and is best known in the EFL world for being fired by a school in Bangkok for coming in drunk.
4. Even now Philip often attends sessions either drunk or clearly hung over.
5. Philip usually fails and expels a student quickly in order to create fear and compliance among the other students. The student will invariably be someone who has caused some kind of problem or asked some awkward questions.
6. Later, he often does the exact converse and passes students without even looking at their submissions. The "blank document" incident in 2016, when he passed a student who submitted a blank document, is well-known.
7. He tries to extract extra money from students anyway he can, with all kinds of extra charges for towels, taxis, air-con, etc.
8. Most importantly, in 2016 one of Thai staff pulled a gun on some girls students because they did not use Philip's own expensive taxi service. We now have this evidenced from three separate sources.
9. His history with Island TEFL, which he ran as Philip Dunne before acquiring Camp Thailand, is truly shocking. Google and lots of results will come up. They can't all be lying.
10. He charges as much as £500 for a five day orientation course before placement in a school by an agency. An identical orientation course can be obtained directly from the agency completely for free.
I will leave it to the reader to decide whether the above is merely sharp practice or outright criminality. The point is that Philip Crabb is clearly not a man you should be entrusting yourself to or giving your money to. It also reflects back on Americamp that they continue to work with him. It shows that they themselves lack any real ethicality. Clearly it's just about money at the end of the day.
So we conclude that, even though there are some wonderful positives about the Camp Thailand experience, potential campers should boycott Camp Thailand, and use another provider until such time as Americamp disown Philip Crabb.
In my next post, I'll quote from some of the numerous emails I have received.
Stay wise!
EFL Greg
Friday, 3 February 2017
Go Abroad
Hi Campers!
We've noticed that a lot of very good reviews for Camp Thailand have been posted on GoAbroad. That's good news and I'm sure most of them are completely genuine. However, there are a couple of things you need to be aware of. A company can often get customers to review positively by offering an incentive. In this case it could be something like a discount or a good grade or a placement. The reason we think this might be the case here is because suddenly a whole bunch of reviews went up at the beginning of January. That plus Philip Crabb's reputation for threatening people he think might say something negative.
So let's quickly review the main positives and negatives of Camp Thailand.
Positives:
Terrific group experience and camp atmosphere. Easy to make friends.
Interesting expeditions and activities, e.g. elephant sanctuary, etc.
Meaningful experience teaching to Thai children.
Helpful and creative Americamp reps, e.g. Dean.
Negatives:
Unaccredited TEFL certificate. Basically a junk qualification. Placements should be free too.
Over-priced. Most activities can be done independently at fraction of cost.
Rigid structure and subordination to the tyrannical Philip Crabb (formerly Philip Dunne of Island TEFL).
Also, remember that, although you may be working as a volunteer when you teach in the Thai schools, Americamp and Camp Thailand are making a mint out of the whole thing. Just do the maths, work out how much you pay and how many campers there are. You'll quickly get an idea of the kind of money involved.
Good luck. Hope you make the choice that's right for you!
EFL Greg
We've noticed that a lot of very good reviews for Camp Thailand have been posted on GoAbroad. That's good news and I'm sure most of them are completely genuine. However, there are a couple of things you need to be aware of. A company can often get customers to review positively by offering an incentive. In this case it could be something like a discount or a good grade or a placement. The reason we think this might be the case here is because suddenly a whole bunch of reviews went up at the beginning of January. That plus Philip Crabb's reputation for threatening people he think might say something negative.
So let's quickly review the main positives and negatives of Camp Thailand.
Positives:
Terrific group experience and camp atmosphere. Easy to make friends.
Interesting expeditions and activities, e.g. elephant sanctuary, etc.
Meaningful experience teaching to Thai children.
Helpful and creative Americamp reps, e.g. Dean.
Negatives:
Unaccredited TEFL certificate. Basically a junk qualification. Placements should be free too.
Over-priced. Most activities can be done independently at fraction of cost.
Rigid structure and subordination to the tyrannical Philip Crabb (formerly Philip Dunne of Island TEFL).
Also, remember that, although you may be working as a volunteer when you teach in the Thai schools, Americamp and Camp Thailand are making a mint out of the whole thing. Just do the maths, work out how much you pay and how many campers there are. You'll quickly get an idea of the kind of money involved.
Good luck. Hope you make the choice that's right for you!
EFL Greg
Friday, 30 December 2016
TEFL certificates
Hi EFL World!
I've just been doing some research on schools that offer properly accredited TEFL Certificates and two names that stood out from the crowd were The International TEFL Academy (ITA), and International TEFL TESOL Training (iTTT). They've both been around quite a while, and have proven track records. Actually I mentioned ITA in one of my previous posts. They may be a little more expensive than a school like English For Fun, but at least you will get a proper internationally accredited certificate. Best of all, of course, is the full blown CELTA, if you can afford it. Unfortunately, the old adage "you get what you pay for" still stands true.
If you want a job teaching in Thailand I recommend doing ITA or iTTT's online course (both are pretty cheap), and then going straight to a placement agency in Thailand, who will give you an orientation course and placement for free, because they take a direct cut from the school. Don't be conned into doing English For Fun's orientation course, particularly if you're signed up with Camp Thailand, because you'll be paying through your nose for something that should be free.
Some people have managed to get jobs in Korea using an EFF certificate, but I'd say that's just luck or poor checking by the school in Korea. Often they'll take you on the back of your teaching experience in Thailand rather than the validity of the certificate. The point is that any reports of people getting jobs there doesn't suddenly make the EFF certificate "internationally accredited" as Philip Crabb claims. It's still a junk qualification.
Good luck to all of you in the New Year !!
EFL Greg
I've just been doing some research on schools that offer properly accredited TEFL Certificates and two names that stood out from the crowd were The International TEFL Academy (ITA), and International TEFL TESOL Training (iTTT). They've both been around quite a while, and have proven track records. Actually I mentioned ITA in one of my previous posts. They may be a little more expensive than a school like English For Fun, but at least you will get a proper internationally accredited certificate. Best of all, of course, is the full blown CELTA, if you can afford it. Unfortunately, the old adage "you get what you pay for" still stands true.
If you want a job teaching in Thailand I recommend doing ITA or iTTT's online course (both are pretty cheap), and then going straight to a placement agency in Thailand, who will give you an orientation course and placement for free, because they take a direct cut from the school. Don't be conned into doing English For Fun's orientation course, particularly if you're signed up with Camp Thailand, because you'll be paying through your nose for something that should be free.
Some people have managed to get jobs in Korea using an EFF certificate, but I'd say that's just luck or poor checking by the school in Korea. Often they'll take you on the back of your teaching experience in Thailand rather than the validity of the certificate. The point is that any reports of people getting jobs there doesn't suddenly make the EFF certificate "internationally accredited" as Philip Crabb claims. It's still a junk qualification.
Good luck to all of you in the New Year !!
EFL Greg
Monday, 19 December 2016
Companies
Hi EFL World!
Following my last post when I recommended independent travel as something more meaningful than the "camp" experience, I just thought I'd build on that by pointing out some of the salient features of the companies that offer the camp packages.
It's easy for youngsters and gap year students to be deluded into thinking that these companies are some kind of extension of the education system they're coming from, and that they're full of altruists and people concerned only about their welfare. Don't get me wrong, there are undoubtedly people like that within the companies, particularly at ground level. However, that is not their raison d'etre. Don't be naive, this is the real world. They're businesses designed to make as much money out of you as they can by exploiting a niche in the market. This is almost certainly the motivation of those at the top running the company, the CEO, Managing Director or whatever.
That's why, when you look at doing one of these camps, you need to consider the possibility that you might be putting money into some fat cat's pocket (no personal reference) for something you could easily be doing for free. Take the Elephant Sanctuary. Try contacting them directly. And "island hopping" - you don't need to join a camp to do that. And any TEFL "orientation course" for a teaching job in a Thai school should be completely free. All the placement agencies do that because they take a direct cut from the school. If you do the maths and tot everything up, you'll see you're being well and truly ripped off.
That said, the camp experience can be great fun if you like being in groups or don't have the confidence to travel alone.
But think first, make sure that going to Thailand, or Cambodia for that matter, really does turn out to be the wonderful experience it should be.
Good luck,
EFL Greg
Following my last post when I recommended independent travel as something more meaningful than the "camp" experience, I just thought I'd build on that by pointing out some of the salient features of the companies that offer the camp packages.
It's easy for youngsters and gap year students to be deluded into thinking that these companies are some kind of extension of the education system they're coming from, and that they're full of altruists and people concerned only about their welfare. Don't get me wrong, there are undoubtedly people like that within the companies, particularly at ground level. However, that is not their raison d'etre. Don't be naive, this is the real world. They're businesses designed to make as much money out of you as they can by exploiting a niche in the market. This is almost certainly the motivation of those at the top running the company, the CEO, Managing Director or whatever.
That's why, when you look at doing one of these camps, you need to consider the possibility that you might be putting money into some fat cat's pocket (no personal reference) for something you could easily be doing for free. Take the Elephant Sanctuary. Try contacting them directly. And "island hopping" - you don't need to join a camp to do that. And any TEFL "orientation course" for a teaching job in a Thai school should be completely free. All the placement agencies do that because they take a direct cut from the school. If you do the maths and tot everything up, you'll see you're being well and truly ripped off.
That said, the camp experience can be great fun if you like being in groups or don't have the confidence to travel alone.
But think first, make sure that going to Thailand, or Cambodia for that matter, really does turn out to be the wonderful experience it should be.
Good luck,
EFL Greg
Wednesday, 12 October 2016
Camp Thailand Review
Hi, EFL Greg here!
We've had quite a few reviews of Camp Thailand now, with a mixed bag of reports. Everyone seems pretty agreed that the activity part of the camp, i.e. the excursions and elephant trips, as well as even the live teaching in the schools, is pretty well set up, and has been a positive experience for most campers. Most of this is directly under the control of Americamp, who seem to be providing a reasonably genuine service.
However, it's the TEFL side of Camp Thailand that is seriously suspect. This is run by Philip Crabb together with his Thai wife, and we've had several reports of unacceptable course standards and severe bias in the treatment of students. See the comments on the Camp Thailand post. In addition, it has now been conclusively proved that the TEFL certificate issued by EFF (English For Fun, formerly Island TEFL) is wholly unaccredited, and is basically a junk qualification.
From the reviews we've received, Philip Crabb, formerly Philip Dunne, seems to be running the place like a dictator, ruling by fear. Anyone who causes him any kind of problem quickly gets removed from the Camp, whether it be a a student or an employee. There are no refunds incidentally. The most disturbing incident, however, occurred just recently when he or his wife actually had some of the Thai workers pull out a gun on some of the girl students just because they weren't using the camp's own taxi and were liaising with a former teacher and employee banned by Philip. We cannot verify this independently. However, we've heard about this incident from two separate sources. So it needs to be taken seriously. It's possible Camp Thailand is even paying off the police. The incident was apparently quickly hushed up by both Americamp and Camp Thailand.
So because of the atmosphere of fear that Philip Crabb specialises in creating and the sub-standard courses he is fraudulently offering, we're recommending that prospective campers vote with their feet and boycott Camp Thailand until such time as Americamp have dealt properly with the situation and brought Philip Crabb to heel. Anyone who knows anything more about any of the above should come forward and post.
It's always important to remember that in developing countries like Thailand, and even more so Cambodia, law enforcement is weak. In fact, corruption is rampant, particularly within the police force. So don't expect that you will automatically get justice in the event of any criminal or illegal action inflicted upon you.
Always be careful when committing yourself and putting yourself in the hands of people you don't know, particularly when travelling alone to a developing country.
Good luck with whatever camp you finally decide on.
Greg
Thursday, 30 June 2016
Accreditation
EFL Greg again!
So your TEFL certificate's going to be "internationally accredited", is it? It's easy for any course provider to make a claim like that, but is it really true? First of all, it's unlikely that a course that advertises itself as half fun on the beach and half study is likely to meet international standards. Also, if it has almost zero training with real Thai students, again it's coming up short by international standards. Most importantly, though, any truly accredited course will have an external assessment by that accrediting body at the end of the course. For example, your last teaching session should be observed by someone external to the school you're paying fees to. Everyone knows this is the case with the CELTA and Trinity qualifications. If a school makes it look easy, they're almost certainly duping you. They're making a false claim as a means to acquiring your hard earned money.
A great example of this is English For Fun's (formerly Island TEFL) claim to be accredited by the University of San Diego. Our review committee recently contacted USD directly, and they confirmed that they do not accredit Island TEFL. Nevertheless, the claim is still clearly there on the Island TEFL website and the English For Fun log-in page. And, remember, these are the same people who will be running Camp Thailand.
So we advise all prospective EFL trainee students to research the academic credentials of the school. The best way is simply to contact the accrediting organisation directly.
Good luck with your hunt.
EFL Greg
So your TEFL certificate's going to be "internationally accredited", is it? It's easy for any course provider to make a claim like that, but is it really true? First of all, it's unlikely that a course that advertises itself as half fun on the beach and half study is likely to meet international standards. Also, if it has almost zero training with real Thai students, again it's coming up short by international standards. Most importantly, though, any truly accredited course will have an external assessment by that accrediting body at the end of the course. For example, your last teaching session should be observed by someone external to the school you're paying fees to. Everyone knows this is the case with the CELTA and Trinity qualifications. If a school makes it look easy, they're almost certainly duping you. They're making a false claim as a means to acquiring your hard earned money.
A great example of this is English For Fun's (formerly Island TEFL) claim to be accredited by the University of San Diego. Our review committee recently contacted USD directly, and they confirmed that they do not accredit Island TEFL. Nevertheless, the claim is still clearly there on the Island TEFL website and the English For Fun log-in page. And, remember, these are the same people who will be running Camp Thailand.
So we advise all prospective EFL trainee students to research the academic credentials of the school. The best way is simply to contact the accrediting organisation directly.
Good luck with your hunt.
EFL Greg
Wednesday, 27 January 2016
Camp Thailand
We have received quite a few reviews and comments on Camp Thailand, which seems to be based in Surin, but also with camps in Phuket and Chiang Mai. It also has the backing of Americamp, which is certainly superficially a plus. However, it's unclear whether Camp Thailand is a franchise or a company in its own right. The man running it is Philip Crabb (click here). Interestingly, Philip Crabb is the same man as Philip Dunne, who used to run Island TEFL, and the Camp Thailand courses are basically the same as the Island TEFL ones. As one would expect, the website is very impressive, with lots of bells and whistles - and, of course, testimonials. But always beware of testimonials. No company is going to give any kind of negative report about itself. It's also very easy for companies to massage testimonials on their own and other sites (e.g. GoAbroad) by giving students an incentive to post a review. That could be in the form of a discount or a pass or a special position. To get an idea of the kind of standards to expect from Camp Thailand and some of its early history, simply google "Island TEFL Review" and a good mix of reports will come up.
Do check out the other posts on this blog too. Just click on the blog title in big letters right at the top to get to the latest post. Read particularly the posts about accreditation and pricing. Finally, and importantly, read the comments below.
Good luck with your search for a good summer camp.
Greg
Do check out the other posts on this blog too. Just click on the blog title in big letters right at the top to get to the latest post. Read particularly the posts about accreditation and pricing. Finally, and importantly, read the comments below.
Good luck with your search for a good summer camp.
Greg
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