Pic of Brian McCloskey.

sinbad wrote:
Look if Brian is smart he'll raise some cash, come strolling in looking doe eyed and telling everyone he was off on Christmas holiday,, in Bali, without a phone, and fry the teacher who made the announcement at the XuHui branch in the press and probably take him to court. Since the other branches are still open for business.

Other branches are not open for business. And were not open for business.

With all due respect, do your homework. Gubei and People's Square closed down due to insufficient funds. Yangpu was next to go. Pudong and Xujiahui were running on vapors. No management. No CEO. No Directors. No Academic manager. No Operations manager. No Corporate Training Manager. No Financial manager. No Human Resources Manager. No Teacher Trainers.

If by "open for business" you mean "open to take students money until someone tells us to go home because we are all out of a job" then sure. KaiEn's last few branches were still "open for business".

But tell me where it is wrong for that teacher to tell his colleague. "we aren't gonna get paid this month. The school has almost no money. And we have no one in charge. I dont know about you but I am not gonna tell my students that things are fine anymore."

What planet are you living on that you think that is "the smart thing for Brian to do" to attack one honest and honorable person?

sweetie first back off. i was exploring what could happen if mcdickhead decides to do some spin. Running on vapors however is not the same thing as being closed, and you should work on protecting yourself just in case. i think what you did was the right thing, I was ONLY looking at possible scenarios if they should try to keep the business alive and my scenario is a very good one and one you should consider protecting yourself from IF you were the teacher quoted in the paper. IF the quote was correct, lots of IF's but one thing is sure, IF they decide they want to spin it just the way I outlined it, (which is highly doubtful as they probably wouldn't have let things get this bad) then they can use you (or that individual who spoke to the press) as a potential scapegoat.

What you did was right, I have no issues with it or with you, I was only speculating on what a nefarious character MIGHT do to potentially save face/business.
Get over yourself, and re read what i wrote, it was a simple speculation, and perhaps one you should be thinking about how to answer on the slim chance it presents itself. As to the planet I live on, it's one where people plan for things like this and the have's more often than not make mincemeat out of the havenots. "Be prepared" is more than a boyscout motto.

root wrote:Pic of Brian McCloskey.

Here you go

tihZ_hO wrote:Here you go

Great pic ! The dude did international Bank Job.

D'oh!

KaiEn Traiing Centers: Bringing the Nova-Japan experience to you in Shanghai!

One can hope that this will put ALL ESL staff on alert. Late pay = no work unless you like being taken on a hike up the dirt track.

yo yo yo sup my bruthas
niggaz - we iz gonna starts a ebonics and merican slang shop in SH dats gonna be da bomb
gots sum sweet cribs in Gubei, People's Square, Yangpu , Pudong and Xujiahui
homies want in - we need paper fo da man

That is so thin! Type in your own name and see how many returns around the world you get!

tihZ_hO wrote:Check this out LinkedIn (I refuse to sign up so I cannot see the profile)

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/dir/brian/mccloskey

Brian McCloskey

Education Management | China

Coincidence?

Wait a second!!!!!

Wasn't McCloskey the corrupt cop on Sollozzo's payroll?

There you go!



The Chinese students should've known better.

Never con a con man.

this is not the only case in china now. it seems there is a big problem with the education industry. the tuition fee are all paid for more than one year, even 4 years. if the school can not recruit new and enough students in this period, this school may face the problem to pay back the tuition fee and large amount of compansation. i think there is no school can afford that. so disppear is the only way to go.

Attention! if you want to learn a language, find a suitable school is necessary and DON'T PAY THE TUITION FEE FOR LONG TERM. if the school push you to study a long term course, just leave it. short term course will both benefit the student and school

My Chinese teacher jumped ship from her education company. Another teacher left last week. Some people just can't seem to properly manage a business. I continue to employ her and she is now looking to expand her private tutoring (she also tutors for several international schools) to include English lessons. Anyone looking for a good job just pm me.

My Chinese teacher jumped ship from her education company. Another teacher left last week. Some people just can't seem to properly manage a business. I continue to employ her and she is now looking to expand her private tutoring (she also tutors for several international schools) to include English lessons. Anyone looking for a good job just pm me.

tihZ_hO wrote:I thought I would do my part and help out because Brian might be busy with his banana daiquiris. So here is an update for their website.



HAHA!

you really are an ass! What do you know. Brian left with nothing and had put alot of his own personal money into the buisness this year after ken and steve done a runner. He is a broken man, there are no banana cocktails, believe me.

From the Shanghai star, 2001

36-year-old Brian McCloskey from Ireland had a similar experience as Sarah Yong when he first met his father-in-law, a wealthy entrepreneur in Taiwan.

"I worked hard to learn Chinese because my father-in-law did not speak English, but I totally forgot everything I learned when I met him," McClosky said. But after his father-in-law accepted him as a family member, he found him to be very nice.

Forgot everything...including how to oversee the winding up of a business/human decency/a sense of justice/a business brain/power of speech to inform staff/customers that you've cost them their jobs/money

Seriously, it's a dangerous thing to be running away from things - they always have a habit of catching up with you...just as well his wife can bail him out.

Ken Carroll, China Daily 2001

"Never associate me with Li Yang, I will never gather several hundred students in an auditorium chanting English," said Carroll, who believes language and culture are inseparable."

Somewhere, Li Yang, is saying "Never associate me with Ken Carroll, I will never gather 12,000 students in schools, unwittingly believing I will not steal their money"

Carroll also obviously believes that language, culture and a shred of honesty are inseperable, i.e. you get none of them from him.

Lots of businesses fail and how it is handled is a good indication of character of the owner. If you run a business in good faith and it doesn't work out, the best you can do is pay creditors out on a fair basis with whatever money is left. Generally speaking bankruptcy laws are based on fairness and employee back pay is usually at the top of the list for who gets paid first. Screwing employees is high on the unethical list (since going broke is seldom a sudden surprise and payroll is a very short term liability). Possibly as high or higher is taking deposits when you KNOW that you will be shutting down and not refunding anything. That is just straight fraud. Personally I avoid deposits or prepayments whenever possible, especially with gyms, courses and purchases from small businesses.

Other than that, this has been a great thread for fleshing out all the English teachers.

I hear on the reliable Suzhou grapevine that one English training outfit here has reduced salaries for local teachers, Course Consultants etc.. Apparently they had 3 local ladies quit in disgust in 6 weeks, not happy with the 12 hours x 6 per week. One received an offer to work with a US Fortune 500 co. gave a weeks' notice because they were so keen to her on board.

Hired after the 2nd interview, some say.

Management were not impressed and decided to fine her 1 months salary for bugging out fast = last months' work all for squat. Not a happy little vegemite, I heard. Tears and throwing things around the office, slamming phones and doors, kicking tables.

I'll circulate this Kai En story & the other among associates.

One thing does make me roll my eyes though. Local staff at K E weren't paid for months (allegedly), yet the Laowais enjoyed their (late) full salaries. Chinese do leak staff secrets on the side and I'm sure there would have been some worries there.

"November 15th, all payments come through on time (with the exception of travel reimbursements and bonuses). This comes after a near staff uprising the previous month at HQ which lasts until 2am. During this this uprising, it becomes clear that only foreign teachers have been getting paid (late). Local staff, including teachers, Course Consultants and administrative staff have not been paid for several months, causing extreme difficulties for those involved. "

I do feel a tinge of sorrow here.

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?p=818211 2-3 days ago

S'pose this a bellweather alert for O'seas teachers. Keep your ear to the ground and have private chats with the less powerful staff, and if your - or their entitlements are late or compromised, then suddenly "the Laowais have all come down with the 'flu", whilst they seek new positions.

Mate says : "2 days late with my fee, then I'm ill". Miracle cure when he checks the account balance at the ATM.

I don't know which is worse. Doing business in China or being the Albino monkey in the glass ESL cage - as far as getting shafted.

blosoom wrote:

tihZ_hO wrote:I thought I would do my part and help out because Brian might be busy with his banana daiquiris. So here is an update for their website.



HAHA!

you really are an ass! What do you know. Brian left with nothing and had put alot of his own personal money into the buisness this year after ken and steve done a runner. He is a broken man, there are no banana cocktails, believe me.

So "Ken" and "Steve" did a runner, so can I, Brian thinks!!

I know all I need to know sweetie!! I am not even involved in this, not even remotely. But who is being the arse?? Brian assured staff everything is ok and now he is no where to be found, just took off didn't he?

People do a runner for a reason dearie. Sure he might be a broken, but what kind of man runs and doesn't have the decency to stand by others who are ALSO broken.

Please send your hate mail to me and CC to the people whose lives are also broken by KAI EN so they can have their say.

These images are not on this web's server - they hot-linked and reside outside of China. Happy to take them down when Brian fesses up like a man!

Shanghai Daily or any other news group PLEASE feel free to use these images until Brian comes forward.

Brian, you need to TOUGHEN UP!

honestly, how stupid do you have to be to be ok with late paychecks for so long, let alone no paychecks? i would have just started "borrowing" materials and client info as an insurance policy as soon as the signs started to surface

Still doesn't excuse Brian's lack of integrity and as I been hearing he was always telling everyone everything will be alright. People can be stupid as you said by trusting someone they believed they could trust.

I know nothing about this business and the people mentioned. This story show running a business is not easy.

He can get charged for this. If the teachers filed a group lawsuit, and the students did likewise, he would be found.

Either you do something about it, or don't whinge! If you try and fight it alone, you will surely fail. As a group you will, with perseverence, succeed.

Shanghai PSB have all their details to catch up with these guys...but only if you make the effort to ask them.

Begs the question. If a Laowai teacher can can shafted severely by another Laowai, then who in turn can be trusted ?

Time to change to weekly salary, if you ask me. Weekly pay, or no contract, no me.

Well, there arevery few honourable owners of English schools out there.

It's a business where very few actually love their company or their product.

Most former teachers-turned-owners are egocentric, attention-loving people who have taken the gushing adulation of naive students and got addicted to it.

Teachers are generally decent, unless they are promoted by the above into "positions of power" (or "snitches" as they are also known).

These guys have to look at themselves in the mirror with the knowledge of what they did and what they are - so thats a little comfort i guess.

Hey everyone, join my Facebook group: "Kai Enron owes me money"

tihZ_hO wrote:Check this out LinkedIn (I refuse to sign up so I cannot see the profile)

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/dir/brian/mccloskey

Brian McCloskey

Education Management | China

Coincidence?

It is he. He currently is not accepting invitations or E-Mails. Says he has been in charge of Kaien for 13 years and currently still is.