Q&A with Mick Wu

Starting out as a teacher, Mick discovered early on in his career that there's no greater satisfaction than watching students learn and grow. The education industry would inevitably path his way, his passion progressing into helping online learning organizations thrive. Mick answers all your burning Teacher Management as a Service questions, including the biggest reason why partnering with The Really Great Teacher Company will benefit your online school - in his words, "it's a win-win!". 

Watch the Q&A with Mick, or read the interview at your leisure.

Q1: Tell us a bit about who you are and what you do at The Really Great Teacher Company.

I'm the General Manager, which basically means I'm in charge of growing our company, making cool friends, and ensuring our clients are over the moon with our teacher management. I've been in this role for several years now and have had the opportunity to work closely with various educational institutions, from online language schools to international corporations.

Our team and I are dedicated to delivering top-notch teacher management services, allowing our clients to focus on what they do best - providing quality education.

Q2. What is your experience in the online education space, and how did you transition into the fully remote working space?

My journey began as an English teacher in the education space in 2003. I gained experience as a teacher and later as a manager. The experience as a teacher truly enhanced my passion for education, the greatest joy is to see your students grow under your nurturing. Education helps people to know this world and to be a better version of themselves. 

In 2015, I saw a trend in online education in China. Later, I met Rob Schulenburg, our COO, who invited me to join the team. Through our chats, I knew that this team will change the landscape of online education. Not only because we have extensive experience, but because we genuinely care about our teachers. We focus on teacher development and growth so they can be happy and inspire students.

Q3: What is your department’s main objective in the company?

To build rock-solid and lasting relationships with online schools and cool organizations! We're the bridge between our clients and the remarkable services we offer.

My responsibilities encompass various facets of business development, including lead nurturing, pipeline management, preparing and presenting proposals, arranging and participating in client meetings, and playing an integral role in contract negotiations.

We're like custom tailors, making sure our clients get exactly what they need. It's all about making these connections seamless so everyone's happy.

Q4: How do the services that The Really Great Teacher Company offer add value to its clients?

We offer comprehensive teacher management solutions, which encompass teacher recruitment, management, and development.

Teacher Recruitment: We have a vast network of exceptional teachers with diverse language skills and expertise. This enables us to provide clients with the best-fit teachers for their specific needs. Our recruitment process ensures that we can match the right teacher to the right teaching context.

Teacher Management: We handle all aspects of teacher management, allowing our clients to focus on their core business. Our non-lost hour policy guarantees that students never miss a class due to teacher unavailability. This reliability is invaluable in the online education space.

Performance Management: We maintain a keen eye on teacher performance, constantly optimizing and enhancing it. This dedication ensures that our clients receive top-quality teaching services every time.

Teacher Development: We don't stop at recruitment; we also invest in the continuous development of our teachers through our Evolve initiatives and the Inspire Academy. This means our clients benefit from a team of highly skilled and motivated educators who deliver exceptional results.

Our services empower our clients to concentrate on delivering excellent education while we handle the intricacies of teacher management. This seamless collaboration creates a win-win scenario, ensuring that students receive top-quality education while our clients experience streamlined operations and enhanced reputations in the education market.

Q5: What benefits are there to online learning organizations by using us to facilitate these services for them?

  1. Teacher Quality: We provide access to a diverse pool of highly qualified teachers, ensuring that clients can select educators who meet their specific requirements.
  2. In-Class Performance: Our commitment to teacher development and performance management guarantees top-quality in-class teaching, enhancing the learning experience for students.
  3. Continuity: Our non-lost hour policy ensures that classes run smoothly, without disruptions due to teacher unavailability, offering consistency and reliability to students.
  4. Scale: We can swiftly scale up our services to meet increased client demands, making it easy for clients to expand their operations.
  5. Focus on Core Business: By outsourcing teacher management to us, clients can free up their resources to concentrate on their core business projects and strategic growth, rather than getting bogged down in the complexities of teacher recruitment and management.

Q6: We have positioned ourselves as “The World’s Most Tailored Teacher Management Solution,” how can you customize our services based on a client’s unique needs?

Customization is one of our core strengths. We recognize that each client has unique requirements and constraints. Our approach involves a deep understanding of these specifics, and then we tailor our services accordingly.

  1. Scheduling and Time Zones: We align our services with our client’s scheduling needs and time zones to ensure a seamless teaching experience.
  2. Curriculum and Materials: We can incorporate the client’s curriculum and teaching materials to ensure a cohesive learning experience.
  3. Teaching Standards and Methods: We communicate with our clients to make sure the methods and standards of teaching meet our client demands.

By way of example, one of our clients in Europe had an urgent demand for native English-speaking teachers. Our team met this urgent demand and successfully delivered excellent classes to their students.

Q7: One can understand that bringing a service like ours on board could seem like a daunting task – what would you say to clients who are concerned about continuity and onboarding timelines?

Transitioning to a new teacher management service can indeed be a significant change, but we can with confidence guarantee the following:

  1. Uninterrupted Session Delivery: We make this our main priority. Before your teachers become our teachers, we make sure that we have backup measures in place to handle unforeseen teacher unavailability.
  2. Personnel and Technical Continuity: We guarantee that the transition is seamless. Our experienced team is well-versed in handling the onboarding process efficiently. We maintain a detailed record of each client's needs, ensuring continuity in both personnel and technical aspects.
  3. Quick Turnaround Time: We are committed to quick turnaround times by assigning a dedicated single contact window. Whether it's recruiting new teachers or addressing issues, our processes are designed for efficiency, meaning minimal downtime during the onboarding process.
  4. Seamless Onboarding and Training: Onboarding and training are integral parts of our service. We work closely with our clients to understand their specific training requirements and execute a smooth onboarding process.

The best way to verify the capability of a service provider is to start a small-scale trial! Everything will be clear to see.

Q8: A lot of online schools have seasonal needs – they peak and drop throughout the year. How is The Really Great Teacher Company equipped to handle up and down scaling at short notice?

  1. Scaling Up: We've successfully helped large organizations respond to increases in demand quickly. We have a pool of talented teachers from various backgrounds, so when demand surges, we can rapidly recruit and onboard new teachers.
  2. Scaling Down: To ensure a smooth scaling-down process, we aim to provide our teachers with at least 2-4 weeks' notice. This period allows us to manage teacher allocation and scheduling efficiently and helps us avoid damaging our client's reputation by ensuring a graceful transition during periods of reduced demand.

Q9: For online teaching schools, it can be difficult to expand services into subjects other than English, how would we tackle that challenge?

  1. Global Reach: We operate in 63 countries, and our teacher recruitment extends across 12 languages. This means we are equipped to recruit global talent across multiple languages and subjects. We've successfully provided teachers for a wide range of subjects, supporting our clients in diversifying their course offerings.
  1. Tailored Recruitment: We tailor our teacher recruitment strategies to the specific subject needs of our clients. Our extensive experience in recruiting teachers across various disciplines ensures we find the right candidates for the job.

Essentially, our global reach, tailored recruitment, and ongoing professional development programs allow us to tackle the challenge of expanding into various subjects, enabling our clients to diversify their offerings and reach a broader audience!

Q10: What is the number one reason you would encourage online schools to pursue an online teacher management partner?

The particular reason for choosing The Really Great Teacher Company, is our emphasis on the reliable delivery of classes. With our model, schools can count on uninterrupted sessions, top-notch teaching quality, and the flexibility to scale up or down as needed. Our goal is to give schools the confidence that their classes will always run smoothly, no matter what.

Q11: What do you love most about your job?

It's the passion that drives us at The Really Great Teacher Company. Our company culture is built on trust and the belief that everyone can always be better. We're not just providing a service; we're making a difference in the education industry.

It's the joy of seeing our clients succeed and our teachers thrive that makes every day a fulfilling experience!