jdr

Sounds like whoever is at the top is a shrewd git, getting people to pay for his business and making sure they work for him in handcuffs.
All he has to do is reap in the profits, or if the crap hits the fan he is easy out with no cost.

jojojojojo

Not if its a co operative, which it should be if they're all paying equally! I suspect they would have to employ a manager or secretary to make the rules and regulations and to liaise with the education body, but there would probably be a senior partner who would gain or lose the most!!?! On the business front it seems like a good idea. But will it work for the pupils? More importantly would it work for my kids? and is it a risk I'd take??? Not sure on that one lol!!!

Jo xxx

rachelk

Indeed. 25 staff according to post above, each investing 120.000€ - that's 3€million of his start-up loan paid off.

Will the staff be paid salaries or just dividends? Will the salaries cover the loan repayments? What if they default on repayments when interest rates rise and the mortgage becomes more expensive?

jojojojojo

The staff will be earnng between 20,000 - 30,000€ pa which is considered a good salary for a teacher around here. I guess they'll be responsible for making their own repayments on their business loans. I dont know the answers to the other questions, altho in the UK, if you default on loan repayments then the other partners can be jointly or severally liable - but if these guys are all self employed???? Would they have to pay their own autonomos? I dont know. I wonder what would happen if a few of them simply dont pay their loans back? would the banks come after the school or just the guilty teachers own personal assets? Back to the UK Doctors surgery analogy, if a partner gets behind with any repayments, its his own personal assets that get repossessed and its their own homes etc that are used as security against their loans!

I know that the school, which is 3/4 built has cost 3 million, so therefore its not got any outstanding depts as such.......

Jo xxx

Madridboy

Question is............do you want to put your children in a new school with new ideas or an established school with a proven track record?

Carol&John

Who vets the background and credentials of the teaching staff at this private school?

jojojojojo

Dunno! I probably would for my daughter who is not doing too well in her state school and she hasnt got any important exams on the horizon. I dont think I would put my son in as he's midway thru his IGCSE course work. And on a practical level, the start and finish times wouldnt allow me to get them to their respective schools on time!! But if this school could offer the IB by the time he's 18, I may at a later date???? However, I know a lot of people who are going for it and a good few who are looking into it and are impressed!


Jo xxx

jojojojojo

I dont know!! I assume someone from the education dept.?????? I know the local Junta has given the school the land its being built on, and are keen that this school should work so I assume that they're involved in its setting up??????? Afterall, who checks anyone who applies for a teaching post in a state or otherwise school??

Jo xxx

twistedmelon

It seems like everyone is expecting you to know the answers
I would have to ask what is behind the Junta giving this land to a private venture. I would assume it's a vote winner probably paid for by some EU grant.
Unless there is a shortage of schools in the area it can't be anything else.

jojojojojo

LOL!! I dont know the answers, but the questions that people come up with are making me look to find the answers which is what I need to do, so its really helping me to make a decision and I'm becoming quite an expert on the subject now LOL!!!

The Junta giving the land is something to do with the Málaga technology park that its being built on, cos there are sizable discounts for the children of the technology park staff?? Apparently alot of thes staff are american and want their children to go to a school that teaches in their own language and is nearby?? WTF??????


Jo xxx

Sam Greenfield

Say no more - what the American wants the American gets

sandiewk

I don't know about the Spanish procedures but to teach in a UK state school you must have Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) and be registered with the General Teachig Council. To gain QTS you must hold a teaching degree (BEd) or be a graduate (B.A. or BSc) with a Post-Graduate Teaching Certificate.
Twenty to thirty thousand euros may be an attractive salary for some trades/professions but does anyone know what an experienced, qualified teacher in the Spanish state system would earn? Presumably Spanish teachers have assured tenure and some kind of Final Salary Pension Scheme.
Al these factors need to be considered when asking what kind of professional expertise you would expect from teachers at this new school. British teachers can expect to earn around £35k as a classroom teacher and in large cities can earn up to £100k or even more if a Principal.
German, French and Dutch teachers are equally well remunerated with Final Salary Pension Schemes which of course British teachers enjoy. So where will teachers for this new school come from, I wonder.
The 'modern' technology promised is commonplace in UK schools. Interactive whiteboards, tablets, IT Suites etc. have been features in British schools for years. Again, they might not be found in Spanish schools.
The proposed school seems to me to have some elements of a Ponzi scheme. If it is a business proposition then like other businesses it will be subject to the normal fluctuations of the market. What kind of dividend would you get for your 120k investment? Or would it be used to pay your salary? What if you decide to leave or are subject to capability procedures - if there were any.
I find it strange that I can nowhere find a mention of who the Principal of this school will be. It doesn't seem to appear on the prospectus and I see no list of staff with qualifications. Maybe all will be revealed later but I for one would want to know just who will be involved in delivering the not very ambitious curriculum.
Of course all could turn out well and the proposed school could be a centre of excellence. But as someone with decades of experience at senior management level in the UK state system and two grandsons at a UK public school with an excellent academic record and which incidentally offers the IB in lieu of A -Levels I would approach this venture with an open mind but extreme caution both as potential parent and putative investor/teacher.

jojojojojo

interesting points to which I shall endeavour to find answers ??? I assume (but assuptions arent good enough I know) that the school will have the same criteria of any school in Spain, altho the investment factor may either discourage good teachers or encourage teachers to work that little bit harder????? I think I need to find where the job vacancies are for this school and see how that puts across the not so small matter of 120,000€ investment!! to potential applicants

I can tell you that in Spanish state schools, interactive whiteboards or tablets are not the norm. Blackboards, exercise books, pencils and rubbers are still commonplace!!

Jo xxx

Sam Greenfield

When you find that out JoJo could you please enclose a link on here as id be very interested to see how they word this aswell - thank you xxx

sandiewk

Another thought.....if the average salary for a Spanish teacher is 20 - 30k, then what kind of bank manager etc. is going to offer a person on that yearly amount a loan of four to six times their annual salary with no collateral? Even in the good old days before the crunch it would be very unusual to get that kind of loan for such a shaky venture. And that would apply to most teachers especially the young and enthusiastic, essential for a new school to get off to a flying start.
If anyone knows such a kind old gentleman/lady manager in whatever bank, please point them my way IMMEDIATELY. I don't need to teach anymore but if they are willing to hand out such large sums of money on such lax criteria I have several pet projects to which I could steer it...