http://www.eslteachersboard.com/cgi-bin/review/index.pl?read=27165

This site has some info on them.  It does not seem to have a good reputation at all.  But these reviews are a few years old so things may have changed since then.

My best suggestion would be to see if you can talk one-on-one with some of the other foreign teachers there.

Google it:

Bad review on Shenzhen Meten English

http://eslwatch.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5441:meten--review-on-qmeten-englishq-shenzhen-guangdong&catid=3:china-school-black-list&Itemid=13

As I know,they don't have a good reputation in Guangzhou.

Honestly,most  language centers in China don't have a good reputation.

But private schools. most Chinese parents prefer to send their kids to private schools instead of language centers If they can afford,even more expensive,still worth it.

I interviewed with them in Suzhou. 

They made me travel about an hour to their central office instead of letting me interview at the local school where I wanted to work.

They wanted me to prepare for one hour and then teach an hour class to paying students--all as part of the interview.  I walked out.  I didn't think they should be making money off me before they even offered me a job. 

I think smaller training centers are better.  Meten seems to be a corporate juggernaut that makes money screwing foreign teachers.  Expect to earn every penny of your high salary the hard way. 

I work for METEN English now, and  I can honestly tell you that they're better than most other major English training centers I've come across in China, take that for what it is .

Here are some reasons:

1) They won't mess around with your visa. If you sign a full-time contract you visa will be taken care of. A big relief after working for other schools that have really screwed me over.

2) They've always paid me on time, and whenever there's been discrepancy they've heard me out.

3) The students are mostly all adults that understand the importance of coming to class.

The problems are about the same as you'd find at any English training center.

Most of the reviews you see are overly sunny. The pay is about 10k RMB, and don't count on getting them to cover the cost of the airfare or give you vacation. The contract they have you sign isn't an official SAFEA contract and it is absolutely hilarious. Basically any differences need to be "talked" about and the headmaster has no problem cheating foreign teachers out of money they're owed.

I was ultimately fired because my enrollment was too low. Every time Josie would show up in class she'd make some demands on me to change things and my enrollment would drop. Peter Cooke the person that handled my interview outright lied about the school situation and has yet to explain why or even respond.

To date, they owe me about 10k RMB for things the government says they're responsible, for, but they won't pay because they don't feel like paying for it.

Do not take a job with them under any circumstance. Corporate turns a blind eye when the center staff is taking advantage of the foreign teachers and none of the contracts are legal SAFEA registered contracts which means you're out of luck if you don't like the way they're handling their end of the deal.

I was offered a position with Meten in Nanjing.They sent me two different contracts, each saying 'Suzhou' as the school location.  I was told some BS story about how, because they were a big school, they were permitted to have RPs for one city while working in another (because 'Suzhou is where HQ is'.)  

My mate works at meten.

This is what he's told me: 25 classes per week (actually more but paid OT). Never get consecutive days off but he doesn't mind that. Work 2 days, day off, work 3 days, day off is usual. Most teachers RP is for another city. Contract is enforced from their side, your side...not so much. Basically leave FTs alone but treat them like second class workers. Mostly edutainment and face work. Pay ontime. The usual random policy application by incompetent managers. Better than most training centres to work in.

They screwed a friend of mine over, royally. They had her work in Chengdu, but made her fly to Shenzhen so that they could (illegally) process her visa. Her flight to Chengdu was at her own expense. Because they did not tell her the true cost of living in Chengdu, she ran up a credit card debt while renting her first apartment (3 months rent + deposit). That was her first time in China.

When I PTed for them, they were so cheap that each FT was allocated 2 markers, neither of which worked. When I wanted to print something out for a lesson, I had to make a formal request, and the pieces of paper were individually counted out for me. The pay is peanuts, when you consider that you will be there for 40 hours a week.

I think your mileage may vary....like all these mills (EF, Webi, Meten, Wall St)

My mate works for them in SZ and does ok, he's a bit older than the usual victim.

Reckons he managed to save 60,000 rmb in a year....but how much of a life he has I dunno?

good luck lmao

literal glass walls, face job, little focus on substance.

but it's teaching adults. if you do it well, then you can move up to more professional, corporate teaching by making connections.

it's how Mike made his first step out of teaching and towards a decent job, IIRC. see it as a stepping stone.

Update as told to me on the weekend:

Holidays aren't holidays. FTs are expected to work 100 classes per calendar month or they are financially penalised although failure to reach this lofty target is a scheduling issue and no fault of the teacher. If you take holidays you are required to work the classes you will miss whilst on hols before you go, which means basically 7 one hour classes per day for the month before you take leave.

Allegedly, one guy who wanted to take an extra week off in spring festival next year was told he could take the week but would have to do extra classes before and upon his return would not be paid for the remainder of the month but would be required to work a full schedule.

The popular 4 year veteran told me that his contract was not renewed because they found an ex-McDonalds worker and an ex- truckie who lost his licence for drink driving to work for peanuts. They employed both of these people for the same amount of money they were paying him and fired my mate. Apparently, the newbies are surprisingly hopeless and Meten wanted the veteran to return. He declined having found a job at an international school for more money and less classes, so now they won't pay him for his last month and are jerking his chain about the release letter.

I mentioned earlier how they pay FTs OT for doing more than 100 classes per month. Allegedly, according to my source, they fudge the books each month so as they don't have to pay you for the extra work they require you to do.

New teachers need to travel to another provence where meten has guanxi to get their RP where so in effect they are working illegally but the clueless newbies don't know that. Work experience is not necessary for new graduates as an in-house TEFL course is conducted which somehow satisfies SAFEA in the distant provence.

More madness later after our next meetup.

I worked for Meten in Suzhou. I would not recommend the job. If you want to work for a school teaching English in China, even in Suzhou, there are many schools teaching younger students with better pay and better hours. I worked for the company for a year, and I really like teaching the students. However, The company often tries to deduct money from your salary. If you don't punch the clock, even if you work all your classes, or come in early, they will deduct your salary each time, and possibly a full days pay if you do it only 6 times. The hours are always 1 to 9. No weekends and maybe a morning shift once a week. The communication between the company and the teachers is very poor, and you'll often feel left out from Chinese teachers. That being said, my boss was a sweet heart. Very kind. And the students are very sweet. But the company is not the best. Be careful and know what you're signing up for.

lmao