Chuyên đề thực tập tốt nghiệp: An assessment of foreign teacher recruitment at apax english corporation

NATIONAL ECONOMICS UNIVERSITYFACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGESDEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS ENGLISHGIANG THI SON AN ASSESSMENT OF FOREIGN TEACHER RECRUITMENT AT APAX ENGLISH CORPORATION Hanoi, Novem

NATIONAL ECONOMICS UNIVERSITYFACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGESDEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS ENGLISH

GIANG THI SON

AN ASSESSMENT OF FOREIGN TEACHER RECRUITMENT

AT APAX ENGLISH CORPORATION

Hanoi, November 2022

NATIONAL ECONOMICS UNIVERSITYFACULTY OF FOREIGN LANGUAGESDEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS ENGLISH

GIANG THI SON

AN ASSESSMENT OF FOREIGN TEACHER RECRUITMENT

AT APAX ENGLISH CORPORATION

Hanoi, November 2022

Resource Management through the lectures at school.

Thanks to the invaluable guidance from my supervisors, Ms Pham Thi ThanhThuy, I can carry out this research and present the paper clearly Therefore, I amreally grateful for her support, patience and motivation throughout the semester

My sincere thanks also go to Ms Tran Mai Anh (Head of Foreign teacherManagement Department), Ms Phan Thu Phuong and Ms Nguyen Minh Anh(recruitment executives) for offering me the opportunity to take internship at Apax

English Corporation and helping me all the time

My completion of this thesis could not have been accomplished without thesupport of several foreign teachers taking part in the survey, so I would like toexpress my appreciation to all of their contribution

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This paper focuses on the recruitment of foreign teachers at Apax Englishcorporation, which provides English teaching services for children with over 120centers across Vietnam It is aimed to provide an in-depth investigation into the

current situation of foreign teacher hiring process, then to find out how effective it

is, and which measures can be taken to improve the process efficiency Theconclusions are drawn from the analysis of data collected from a survey of 50foreign teachers at Apax English, existing data provided by the company and

synthesized literature

The hiring process of foreign teachers at Apax English includes 8 steps:recruitment planning, attracting applicants, preliminary screening, interview &demo teaching, selection decisions, background & medical check, training andlabor contract signing From the analysis of recruitment results between 2019 —

2021, it can be included that the foreign teacher recruitment was tremendouslyaffected by the Covid-19 pandemic

The assessment of foreign teacher recruitment process revealed someshortcomings such as limited recruiting sources, ineffective job advertisements, alack of employer branding, reputation deterioration and long time to fill vacancies.However, several good points were also demonstrated For example, therecruitment procedure is well designed with necessary steps to attract and selectthe candidates The teacher evaluation is carefully conducted with many tools used

such as screening criteria, interview and demo teaching Both recruitment process

leave positive impressions on the candidates, although each still has specificweaknesses

In accordance with the development orientation of Apax English, some

recommendations were presented to improve the effectiveness of foreign teacherrecruitment process Training recruitment executives is believed particularlyuseful to the company Besides, it is crucial to diversify recruiting sources andmethods with new employment websites and headhunting services being twopossible options Maintaining a positive presence on social media and establishing

an official recruitment website or online page were also suggested Finally, thecriteria used to evaluate candidates should be reviewed to eliminate biased factors,subjective decision making and obtain better hiring decisions

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Typical Selection Process

Figure 2: Recruiting measurement metrics

Figure 3: Revenue and after-tax profit of Apax English from 2019-2021

Figure 4: Organizational Structure of Apax English

Figure 5: Foreign teacher recruitment process at Apax English Corporation

Figure 6: Job Advertisement on LinkedIn of Apax English

Figure 7: Teacher Evaluation Form at Apax English Corporation

Figure 8: Interview Assessment at Apax English Corporation

Figure 9: Hires by different channels at Apax English Corporation by 2021

Figure 10: Applications from recruiting sources at AEC from 2019 — 2021

Figure 11: Cost per hire at AEC from 2019 — 2021

Figure 12: Survey results about application satisfaction at Apax English

Figure 13: Survey results about interview satisfaction at Apax English

Figure 14: A suggested design for job posting on social media

il

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Advantages and disadvantages of internal recruiting

Table 2: Advantages and disadvantages of external recruiting

Table 3: Business results of Apax English Corporation from 2019 to 2021

Table 4: Characteristics of Foreign Teachers at Apax English from 2019 — 2021

Table 5: The results of foreign teacher recruitment at AEC from 2019 — 2021

Table 6: Applicants from recruiting sources at Apax English from 2019 — 2021

Table 7: The percentage of qualified candidates from 2019 — 2021

Table 8: Time to hire a new foreign teacher at AEC from 2019 - 2021

Table 9: Survey results about application satisfaction at Apax English

Table 10: Survey results about interview satisfaction at Apax English

Table 11: Selection rate and Retraining rate over the period 2019 - 2021

ili

BOM Board of Management

CV Curriculum VitaeESL English as a Second Language

FMD Foreign teachers Management DivisionJSC Joint Stock Company

HR Human ResourceHRM Human Resource Management

IT Information Technology

JD Job Description

TRC Temporary Residence Card

VTJ Vietnam Teaching Jobs

1V

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

TABLE OF CONTENT EXECUTIVE SUMMA RYY - 5 G0 9.9.0 0000 00005689889660 i LIST OF FIGURES 2< 5< 5< 0.0 0 000089089666 ii LIST OF TABLES 0-5-5 5G 5< 4 HH 0.0914 00 050090090 iii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS o- 5 GHI HH 0040890 iv INTRODUCTION <5 <5 < 5< SH 9.0 0 00 0000509609666 1

1.1 Definition, importance and objectives of recruitment 5

1.1.1 Definitions -o- s55 5S S0 05085689666 51.1.2 Importance and ODj|€CfÏVS o5 S9 090608996 51.1.3 Relationship between recruitment and other HR practices 61.2 Sources and methods of recruitment s- 5< 5< ssssess=seesse 7

1.2.1 Infernal SOUTC€S (G55 5 S9 9.999.909 099989 96 71.2.2 Exfernal SOUFCCS cosecG5 S555 05 520050 650566950058 60568956056 81.3 Recruitment DFOCSS << 5 s9 9.9 0900000 0090688408 890 10

1.3.1 Recruitment planning d << 5< 5 65s 56S9955956569% 10 1.3.2 Strategy deYeloping c o5 G5 9000 05 058 101.3.3 Attracting appÌÏCATIS o << G0 89008686 66 111.3.4 Screening o SH HH HH 00000900 121.3.5 Evaluating and controlling s55 ss<ssssss ss + se 201.4 Criteria to evaluate recruitment effeCfÏV€IieSS <s«<ss<<se 21

1.4.1 Source of hÏre œcs G9 2909001005605 666 211.4.2 Quantity of applicants and qualified candidates 211.4.3 Time to hÏr€ 0G G5 S1 9 9 090000090 098968948696 221.4.4 Cot per hiỉre c G5 6S 69989 968999898966899886666666 22

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

1.4.5 Recruitment safiSfäCfÏOII <5 555 c5 55 5SSSS5955565SSS59955 231.4.6 Selection rate & retraining Faf€ sse<ssessesseessees 231.5 Measures to increase recruitment effectiveness -ssss- 24 CHAPTER 2: INTRODUCTION OF APAX ENGLISH CORPORATION 26

2.1 Background ÏnfOrITẠOTI s5 5< s9 9 54 96.99 9.9 0.5 050598 08 262.2 Business results 5-5 5< 5 0.9.9 0.0000 00500960096 60406 272.3 Organizational SfTICẦUITF€ d << < 6 << %9 994.89 989 589899898998865088 282.4 Characteristics of Foreign TeaCH€TFS 65 <5 s «S905 25.8 30CHAPTER 3: ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS on sex 33

3.1 The current situation of foreign teacher recruitment at Apax English

333.1.1 Foreign teacher recruitment Process s- <5 55s 55s se 333.1.2 Recruitment results at Apax English in the period 2019 — 2021 45 3.2 The assessment of foreign teacher recruitment at Apax English 46

3.2.1 Source Of Hires 5G G G 5< 9 9 9 0 000 0.00004000000408 463.2.2 Quantity of applicants and qualified candidates 473.2.3 Time t0 HÌÏT© <5 <5 5 HH HH Ọ 00090090004008009 8096 493.2.4 Cost per Wire 6 << 5 9 9 9 9 0 00 004.0006060 493.2.6 Selection rate and Retraining rate s- << s<ssesssssesse 54

3.3 A general assessment of foreign teacher hiring process at Apax

English ccscscscscssssssscssscescssscssccescssscssssssesescssscssccesscsscssssescssscssocssssssssseesees 55

3.3.1 Strengths << <0 1009 8896 553.3.2 WeakNeSSEs - 5 << s0 0009680660 56CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDA TIONS o- co n1 Y1 1e 58

4.1 Improving recruiting sources and methods < 5-5 s=<s«« 584.2 Developing employment branding o << <5 5< «5< se 55959 s5e 594.3 Providing training for F€CTLIÏTFS << 5< S5 93 953 56985055895958 604.4 Reviewing assessment Criteria d 6< 6 SE 999.89 98968896898968665058 60CONCLUUSIONN 5 << HC HH HH 00500000800 61REEERENCES so 55-55 << cọ HC HH 0005006 050 62APPENDIX c5 G9 HH G00801001001801001004004088080080080480100080 1

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

INTRODUCTION

1 Research introduction

While our economy has been integrating internationally at an unprecedented rate,

enterprises, especially small and medium ones, encounter fierce competition fromboth internal and external sides Therefore, each company needs to determineappropriate business strategies and harness resources to stay strong and resilient insuch an environment

Resources are contributing factors to the success of every organization For somecompanies, finance is the most essential element, so they focus on formulating astrong financial foundation to operate and nurture other functions For almost allcompanies, however, human resources are the backbone to their survival anddevelopment Therefore, how to use this capital effectively is always a big question

to the companies of all sectors and industries Only when the human resource isexploited efficiently, a company can acquire its strengths and advantages tosurvive from the intense competition and achieve its goals Because of this, humanresources management has become more and more fundamental to the businessadministration Armstrong (2006) points out that a HRM system involves severalpractices: acquiring HR, rewarding HR, developing HR, managing labor relationand promoting safety and health

Among these practices, acquiring HR including recruitment plays a critical role to

a company’s success because it formulates the “input” of the whole system Aneffective recruitment process can help the company acquire the right people for the

right positions, which not only enhances the productivity but improves the turnover

rate as well However, not many companies can develop and implement a complete

hiring process, let alone assessing how effective it is Therefore, evaluating the

effectiveness of recruitment process is essential, helping the companies find outthe problems and take measures to solve them

2 Rationales

In the era of the 4.0 industrial revolution, it seems that technology is the dominantfactor in the development of every company Since the introduction of autonomousrobots and A.I technology, enterprises have benefited from reduced costs andaccelerated work efficiency, so they have spared no expense on investingtechnological devices to replace manual workers This tendency has apparently

1

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

made many people unemployed but simultaneously created thousands of jobs and

required employees specified knowledge and skills to manage those technologies

Therefore, it is understandable when Oswal, Khaleeli and Alarmoti (2020) statethat technological innovations have brought difficulties in identifying, attracting,acquiring and retaining talented candidates at an organization

Apax English is a pioneering corporation in providing educational services for

children with over 120 centers across Vietnam Established in May 2015, Apaxhas consistently modernized and renewed teaching methods by leveragingtechnological tools such as smart boards, speech recognition devices, etc Besidesthe advantages in technologies, it has been making non-stop efforts to look forenthusiastic and proficient ESL (English as a Second Language) teachers globally

to better its teaching services, aiming at becoming the market leader in Englishteaching sector Therefore, it can be said that foreign teacher recruitment not onlymakes a substantial contribution to human resource management but also is adecisive factor to the company’s success Unfortunately, this activity has beendrastically disrupted over the past three years due to Covid-19 pandemic and itseffectiveness has not been assessed regularly This not only can cause temporaryproblems but also costs the company a significant market share and loss of talentedpeople in the long run Given this situation along with real experience at ApaxEnglish, I choose the topic "An assessment of foreign teachers recruitment at ApaxEnglish Corporation"

3 Purpose and Scope of the research

e Purposes

First, this study synthesizes theories related to human resource recruitment whichprovide a framework for investigating the current situation at AEC (Apax EnglishCorporation) Next, the paper analyzes the steps and methods implemented by thecompany to recruit and select ESL teachers from overseas, then evaluate theeffectiveness of the whole process Finally, some recommendations are presented

to improve the foreign teacher recruitment at AEC

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

e Scope of the research

Most foreign teachers at Apax English have been teaching on ESL programs which

were designed for teaching English as a second language Therefore, ESL foreign

teacher is the main subject of this paper To attain deeper insights, the paper isfocused on the foreign teacher recruitment at the Head Office of Apax EnglishCorporation Secondary data are collected over 3 years starting from 2019 to 2021and primary data are collected in September 2022

included in the survey:

> Likert scales questions: options of 5 levels, for example starting at “strongly

disagree” scaling up to “strongly agree”, are provided to assess opinionsand attitudes of respondents towards many topics

> Open-ended questions: this type of question allows respondents to write

their own words and give individually viewed responses It will be usefulwhen asking for recommendations and solutions to some problems

Once identifying question formats based on the purposes and scope of research,

steps were respectively conducted to collect data:

(1) Use Google Form to create an online questionnaire

(2) Deliver the questionnaire to foreign teachers at Apax English through a range

of channels such as email, Facebook, WhatsApp or Zalo The online survey began

to be distributed in October 2022 for one week and valid until 50 responses

collected

(3) Follow up and remind the teachers of completing the questionnaire

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

(4) Collect the answers

(5) Analyze the data collected

Besides, the information obtained from consistent observation at the company alsoserves as the primary data for this research

Secondary data

This study includes information provided by Apax English Corporation along withthe data synthesized and analyzed from textbooks, journals, articles and existingresearch on related topics

Methods of analyzing data

The data collected for this study are presented in the form of descriptive figures toillustrate the author’s arguments and conclusions Specifically, the data obtained from the survey are presented under tables and charts to illustrate the teachers’satisfaction about the company’s hiring process The data provided by ApaxEnglish Corporation are used to describe the current situation of the company withspecific pictures, diagrams and tables

5 Research questions

> What is the current situation of foreign teacher recruitment at Apax

English?

> How effective is the recruitment of foreign teachers at Apax English?

> Which measures can be taken to increase the effectiveness of foreign

teacher recruitment at Apax English?

6 Preliminary outline

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

CHAPTER 2: INTRODUCTION OF APAX ENGLISH CORPORATION

CHAPTER 3: ANALYSIS & FINDINGS

CHAPTER 4: RECOMMENDATIONS

CONCLUSION

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter discusses the theories related to HR recruitment, which helps provide

a theoretical basis for the study

Human resource management (HRM) is referred as the function performed byorganizations to enhance the effective use of employees, thus help them

accomplish organizational and individual goals (Ivancevich & Konopaske, 2013)

It plays a critical role in identifying the organization’s human resource problemsand explore solutions to them Without this function, an organization cannotachieve and sustain effectiveness, so it has been proved to be strategicallyimportant to the survival of an organization HRM consists of several practices,but Ivancevich lists some prominent ones including human resource planning;recruitment, motivation and retention; performance evaluation and compensation;training and development; labor relations; and safety, health and wellness Thischapter discusses different perspectives of human resource recruitment includingrelated definitions, recruitment process, and criteria to evaluate the effectiveness

prospective employees” says Ivancevich and Konopaske (2013), so they point out

the necessity to create a positive impression with applicants in this stage

1.1.2 Importance and objectives

According to Armstrong (2006), recruitment employee is extremely important in

HR management as it ensures that employees who wish to enter into theorganisation are a perfect fit for the business, whilst further displaying the

5

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

professionalism of the entire organisation at the very first moments a prospective

employee wishes to onboard Moreover, the importance of recruitment includesgaining skilled employees, assures cultural fit, saves time and money,improves employee satisfaction and ensures positive brand image Chhinzer (2014)also supposes that good recruitment is vital for every organisation, especially whenlabour markets are tight - finding the right people for the right roles at the righttime It ensures that the workforce has the relevant skills and abilities for theorganisation's current and future needs

Regarding objectives, Roshani (2020) states that the main purpose of recruitment

is searching of suitable candidates for filling the vacancies of the organization.Similarly, Foot, Hook and Jenkins (2016) also suppose the prominent goal ofrecruitment is providing a pool of candidates for job vacancies, and they add thatensuring the process significantly contributes to the organizational goals and beingcost-effective, efficient and fair are other two objectives of employee recruitment

1.1.3 Relationship between recruitment and other HR practices

When it comes to recruitment, it is believed to have a direct relationship with otherhuman resource functions Specifically, Nguyen Van Diem and Nguyen NgocQuan (2007) argue that selecting effectiveness significantly depends on therecruitment results because employers cannot find the most qualified workers from

a short list of candidates Foot, Hook and Jenkins (2016) also believe these twoprocesses are closely connected because both are aimed to obtain employees with

desired competencies and attitudes Recruitment provides a groundwork for

selection process by creating a pool of applicants from whom potential employeesmay be selected However, she adds that individuals involved in each process need

a separate set of skills and expertise

Because recruitment is a prominent step of acquiring human resource, it become acritical component of an organization’s HRM program and closely links to otherpractices Nguyen Van Diem and Nguyen Ngoc Quan (2007) point out thatrecruitment inserts remarkable impacts on not only selection but also on otherfunctions of human resource management such as performance evaluation,compensation, training and development, labor relationships, etc For example, themore qualified candidates a company can attract, the less training it needs toprovide for the newcomers, illustrating the close link between recruitment and

training activities Additionally, an effective recruitment process can also enhance

6

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

labor relationships within an organization because placing the right people at theright place can reduce turnover rate and increase job satisfaction In other aspects,

the evaluation of work performance can directly reflect recruitment needs, andoffering high salaries and wages helps an organization attract more qualified andtalented candidates

1.2 Sources and methods of recruitment

Most organizations combine internal and external sources to recruit people as each

of them has both advantages and disadvantages, according to Thebe (2014).Although internal recruiting sources are usually prioritized by HR managers,

hiring new people from the outside plays a meaningful role in many cases To filljob vacancies, organizations should utilize a suitable source and correspondingmethods

1.2.1 Internal sources

Hiring people internally may motivate employees to grow in the organizationinstead of looking for opportunities elsewhere Internal recruiting shows manybenefits and drawbacks Some are illustrated by Mathis and Jackson (2009) as inthe following table:

Advantages Disadvantages

- Training costs can be reduced - It may restrict the diversity within

- The employer can better assess the organization, limiting

candidates’ competencies based on creativity

prior work performances - It may cause challenges when the

- Candidates’ loyalty, attitudes and organization change its business

responsibility have been evaluated strategies

- Candidates can easily adapt to the |- Those not promoted may

job and work environment encounter morale problems

- The process can encourage other - The process may cause “political”

employees to work more fighting among employeeseffectively

Table 1: Advantages and disadvantages of internal recruiting

When it comes to internal recruitment, they listed the most popular methods used

by many organizations such as job postings, transfers and promotions, referrals,employee databases

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

Job postings: This method is a fundamental means for recruiting employees

within the organization (Thebe, 2014) Job openings are uploaded in a system in

which employees can get notification as well as apply for desired positions Moreand more companies create a web-based system for posting jobs so that employeescan log in, view job openings, create a profile and easily attach their resume Withtechnological advances, more opportunities are provided to employees within thecompany, before any external recruiting is conducted (Armstrong, 2006)

Promotions and transfers: According to Foot, Hook and Jenkins (2016), theseprograms bring some advantages such as boosting employees’ skills, enhancingproductivity and reducing turnover rate However, there are some drawbacks thatcompanies should concern For example, a person doing well in this job does notnecessarily mean they can succeed in other jobs Moreover, when a person ispromoted to another position, there is certainly a vacancy that need to be filled

“Planning on how to fill those openings should occur before the job transfers orpromotions, not afterward”, say Mathis and Jackson (2009)

Referrals: There are many potential candidates introduced by current employeeswithin the organization This method, therefore, can create a great pool of qualified

candidates, while maintaining costs relatively low Large employers even spare noexpense to provide bonuses for every successful referral, especially for fulfilling

“hard-to-fill jobs” (Mathis & Jackson, 2009)

Employee database: Nguyen Van Diem and Nguyen Ngoc Quan (2007) believethat HR information system is a useful tool for many employers It includes data

on current employees’ skills, education, work experience and qualifications Whenopenings arise, HR staff can access this database by typing job requirements andthen obtain a list of current workers who satisfy those requirements Additionally,employment data can be sorted out by professional fields, education, career

interests, prior work experience and other factors

1.2.2 External sources

Besides internal recruiting, hiring people from the outside is also a helpful strategy,providing organizations with a diverse group of candidates These sources caninclude fresh graduates from schools, acquaintances of current employees, formeremployees, people from other organizations and freelancers, etc (Nguyen Van

Diem & Nguyen Ngoc Quan, 2007)

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

According to Mathis and Jackson (2009), external recruiting has become an

effective HR approach when the unemployment rate climbs globally However,

they point out some advantages and disadvantages of hiring people from the

outside which are demonstrated in Table 2

Advantages Disadvantages

- New people bring new ideas and - Organizations may face risks of

insights to the organization choosing unmatched people with

the job

- New hires are willing to change - The process may negatively affect

and innovate procedures and internal candidates’ morale whenworking styles, enhancing they are not selected for promotioncreativity and breakthroughs - New people may need more time

and effort to adapt and requiremore orientation

Table 2: Advantages and disadvantages of external recruiting

Regarding external recruiting, Chhinzer, Cole and Dessler (2014) present severalmethods such as attracting through referrals, job advertisement, employment

agencies, job fairs and educational institutions

Job advertisement: Media such as television, radio, newspapers, magazines andbillboards have been used for advertising job openings for a long time The writersreckon each channel has its own benefits and drawbacks but since the introduction

of the internet, job ads have gradually expanded to online platforms such asFacebook, LinkedIn, Google and numerous websites Whatever medium is used,they believe that an effective recruiting advertisement should contain information

on the job, the company and application process, and required qualifications such

as experience or work capabilities

Employment agencies: Nguyen Van Diem and Nguyen Ngoc Quan(2007) arguethat this method is commonly used in Vietnam, especially at organizations not

having a specialized department for human resource management These agencies

are either state-owned with branch offices throughout the country or private-owned.Headhunting services are typically provided by private employment agencies,focusing on managerial and executive positions (Chhinzer, Cole & Dessler, 2014)

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

Job fairs: Mathis and Jackson (2009) explained that “Job fairs have been held byemployers, HR associations and others to bring employers and potentialcandidates together’ This method is considered particularly useful to those whoneed to fulfill a large number of vacancies quickly

Educational institutions: Torrington and Taylor (2008) regard colleges anduniversities as the prominent sources of candidates for entry level and technical-required positions High schools and vocational schools are also believed toprovide relevant employees for some organization Employers, therefore, shouldactively maintain their presence at schools and try to build relationships withfaculties as well as career staff

1.3 Recruitment process

According to Foot, Hook and Jenkins (2016), a recruitment process in HRM startswith identification of job vacancy in the organization, later the HR departmentanalyzes the job requirement, review the job application, screen and shortlist thedesirable candidates and the process ends with hiring of right and best candidatefor the job Therefore, a good hiring process involves recruitment planning,

strategy development, applicants attracting, screening, evaluation and control

1.3.1 Recruitment planning

It is the first step of HR Recruitment Process in which the job vacancies in the

organization are analyzed and relevant job description is prepared It also includes

preparation of job specification and details about qualification and skills needed toperform the job Job Description and Job Specification which have been described

by Mathis and Jackson (2009) as below:

“Job description points out the tasks, duties and responsibilities of a job, while Job specifications list the knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) an individual needs to perform a job satisfactorily” (2009: 136).

They believe that this step is very vital for recruitment process as it helps inattracting the right and suitable candidates for the job Based on the education andexperience requirement described in the recruitment plan a pool of interestedcandidate can be created

1.3.2 Strategy developing

Nguyen Van Diem and Nguyen Ngoc Quan (2007) argue that it is crucial for an

organization to identify how many applicants they need to attract To answer this

10

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

question, “selecfion rafe ”, which describes the percentage hired from a given pool

of candidates, needs to be calculated The writers explain that selection rate should

be measured precisely and appropriately because it decides the budget forrecruitment activities and affects the applicant’s expectation There are certainfactors that need to be concerned when identifying selection rate such as labormarket (demand — supply), the quality of workforce, job complication, traditionalbeliefs, and experience (Foot, Hook & Jenkins, 2016)

Identifying sources and methods

The type of candidates desired for the position will determine the recruiting source.Organizations should figure out whether internal or external recruiting will bringmore benefits and show effective results Once identifying recruiting sources,organizations will decide on recruiting methods Among all approaches,cooperating with employment agencies and using job advertisements are mostcommonly used to attract applicants (Nguyen Van Diem & Nguyen Ngoc Quan,2007)

Identifying recruitment places and time

It is essential to select appropriate places for conducting recruitment activities Forinstance, when hiring a large number of manual workers, employers can look forapplicants in agriculture sector By contrast, to look for high-quality labor,employers are advised to focus on urban areas which provide qualified employees

of several fields However, focusing on a single source of candidates can limit thediversity of labor force, and even cause discrimination problems

Once choosing places, employers will divide the recruitment process into phases

to go through The timeline necessarily adheres to the organization’s goals (bothshort-term and long-term) and corresponds with business scale, growth rate,technological advances, etc

1.3.3 Attracting applicants

This stage contributes significantly to the success of the recruitment process

Organizations, therefore, should implement appropriate methods for attracting

applicants

11

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

According to Nguyen Van Diem and Nguyen Ngoc Quan (2007), the very first

way to draw the attention of potential employees is “employment branding ” Theyexplain that employment brand is all views towards the organization held by both

current employees and outsiders Firms with good reputations will be moreattractive to qualified applicants than those with less positive image Therefore,companies have spent remarkable efforts improving recruiting branding to become

a desirable employer However, maintaining a positive brand image does not meanpolishing the organization, but providing “realistic job previews” The authors

explain that when giving applicants an honest description of the job, the number

of applications does not change while the turnover rate considerably decreases.Similarly, Mathis and Jackson (2009) argue that employers should provide bothadvantages and challenges of the job because employees can quit quickly afterdiscovering the “reality” not matched with what they expected.

Another important factor is HR staff itself According to Armstrong (2006), a

desirable recruiter must have good qualifications, specialized knowledge, andtechnical skills to accomplish tasks Besides, they need to acquire a generalunderstanding of psychology and be aware of the employees’ concerns

1.3.4 Screening

Once the job applications are received by the HR Recruiter it starts the screeningprocess It is a step in which the application are shortlisted for the further selectionprocess After short-listing of application based on the job specification, theselection process begins

In the past, selecting decisions used to be made based on the subjective mood and

feelings of the boss However, selection today is much more complicated as theapplicants need to go through a series of screening steps Ivancevich andKonopaske (2013) describe a typical selection process as the figure below:

12

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

Figure 1: Typical Selection Process

The author adds that this series can be different among employers For instance,government employers often conduct tests at step 2 rather than step 3, so do someprivate-sector employers Moreover, some steps may occur concurrently, and somemay be removed since performing all these steps is time-consuming and costly.Thebe (2014) also argue “company size, job characteristics, the number of peopleneeded, the use of electronic technology and other factors cause variations on thebasic process’’.

Regarding selection process, Nguyen Van Diem and Nguyen Ngoc Quan (2007)provide 09 typical steps as below:

(1) Reception of application(2) Initial screening

(3) Tests(4) Interview(5) Medical test(6) Interview with Direct manager(7) Reference checks

(8) Job preview(9) Selection decision

Generally, these steps are similar to those provided by Mathis and Jackson (2009)but slightly different in the order and the ways they are grouped into one step Forexample, Mathis and Jackson combine the reception of application (step 1) and

13

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

initial screening (step 2) into a single step instead of two separated ones Moreover,

as mentioned above, the selection process alters among companies due to the

differences in the organization’s characteristics and the job complication.Therefore, this paper will focus on the model suggested by Mathis and Jackson toanalyze the most common steps of a typical selection process includingpreliminary screening, interview, tests, reference and background checks, selectiondecision and physical examination

Step 1: Preliminary screening

According to Mathis and Jackson (2009), asking a candidate to fill out an online

or physical application form is typically the first step in any selection process.Application blanks, as they are commonly known, range in length and level ofintricacy Almost all blank application forms ask for enough details to determinewhether the candidates are qualified for the post For instance, when hiring Englishteachers, questions about teaching certificates or diplomas should be included inthe application form so that recruiters do not need additional steps to obtain this

information Once satisfying the minimal criteria listed in the application forms,

applicants will be proceeded to the next stage which are interview and employment

insights about the candidates (Ivancevich & Konopaske, 2013)

Structured vs Unstructured interview: Foot, Hook and Jenkins (2016) mentionunstructured interview as the interview in which no pre-established questions oragenda are followed They believe that if used by highly skilled interviewers,unstructured interviews may provide useful information about a candidate.However, the outcomes of several research have revealed that structuredinterviews generally produce more relevant data than unstructured ones This isbecause during a structured interview, all applicants are asked a “standardized list

of questions” which are created based on the information desired by the recruiters(Graham & Bennet, 1995) This information helps the interviewer predict moreaccurately the candidate’s competency and attitudes needed for the job Moreover,

14

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

this list of questions is usually developed by many people so a structured interview

hopefully can minimize prejudices and biases, thus increasing the credibility of the

results (Torrington & Taylor, 2008)

The second dimension is whether the interviewer should focus on past behaviors

and experience or on hypothetical future behaviors

Behavioral description interview vs Situational interview: Regarding thesetwo types of interviews, Mathis and Jackson (2009) explain that:

Behavioral description interview raises questions related to prior workexperiences of candidates, assuming the past is the most relevant predictor of thefuture For example, interviewer can ask “Tell me about a time when you resolved

a conflict with a customer?” Follow-up questions may be “What lessons you can learn from that?” or “How did you control your frustration?”.

Situational interview (SI) uses a different approach to determine whether anapplicant is qualified for the job SI questions help the interviewer obtain moreinsights about their candidates by mentioning hypothetical situations they wouldface in the job For instance, an applicant for teaching job may be asked “If astudent suddenly cries in the class, what would you do?” or “If parents complainabout the teaching method, would you ignore those comments or considerchanging the way of teaching?”, etc

Between behavioral and situational interviews, the writers believe that the formerseems to identify achievement and performance more accurately than the latter

because the responses illustrate what applicants actually did rather than what theymight do in a hypothetical situation

Competency-based interview: Besides the above-mentioned types, Mathis andJackson also mention competency-based interview which shares some similaritieswith behavioral interview except the questions are built to measure the applicant’sresponse “Competency profile” which presents a set of competencies required forthe job is a typical tool used in this type of interview The interviewer will usecompetencies as a benchmark to predict the candidate’s performance However,the writers remind that training is needed to recognize strong answers for eachcompetency hidden in the question

15

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

Stress interview: Anxiety and pressure are intentionally raised during a stress

interview to determine how candidates handle it The interviewer adopts a very

hostile and disrespectful posture during the interview However, this approach isquite risky because a desirable applicant can reject the job offer due to negative

impressions of the employers (Cullen & Farrelly, 2005)

Who conducts interview?

According to Chhinzer, Cole and Dessler (2014), job interviews can be performed

by a single person, by numerous people sequentially, or by panels or teams Theyfurther explain some positions, such as entry-levels, may require only onerecruitment executive to interview the candidates For other positions, companiesinterview candidates more than once, first with a human resources specialist andthen with the direct managers and supervisors The final decision is then madecollaboratively

In a panel interview, the candidate meets with many interviewers at the same time

so that everyone can hear the same replies Individual interviews and panel

interviews can be combined

In a team interview, many different candidates are interviewed simultaneously.This strategy allows the employers to select the best candidate, but it is hard forthem to get an in-depth understanding about each candidate

Effective Interviewing

Being friendly and talkative is not enough to become a good interviewer Training

is necessary to improve interviewing abilities (Armstrong, 2006) He also suggestssome ideas for improving interviewing effectiveness such as:

(1) Planning: before the interview, the interviewer should do research and

decide on certain areas to probe It is also important to scan the candidate’sresume and prepare facilities needed for the meeting

(2) Controlling: the interviewer should know what data must be collected, and

keep the interview job-related by asking questions about work experience,working skills or case studies, etc

(3) Using effective techniques: the interview should consider whether using

behavioral or situational questions will better indicate the candidate’scompetencies and attitudes required for the job

16

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

Step 3: Employment Test

Employment test is a useful tool for some organizations to make selectiondecisions An employment test, according to Ivancevich and Konopaske (2013),either a paper-based/ computer-based test or a simulation exercise is a mechanismthat helps employers assess certain characteristics of applicants Thesecharacteristics include aptitudes, intelligence or personality Tests of differenttypes can be utilized to assess candidates John named some of the most commontests: Ability tests, Personality test, Honesty tests

Ability tests

Tests that are designed to evaluate an individual’s ability to perform tasks arecategorized as ability tests (Torrington, 2008) Cognitive ability tests normallydetermine applicant’s conceptual reasoning, retention span or comprehensionability Physical ability tests, on the other hand, measure an individual's motion,strength, muscular movement or posture This type of test is particularly important

when hiring manual jobs or positions involving physical tasks, Torrington adds

According to Cuming (1994), different skill-based tests can be conducted,

including “psychomotor tests’? which measure hand-eye coordination, arm-handsteadiness, etc or “work sample tests” that require candidates to perform a specificpart of the job, or “situational judgment tests” which are designed to assess how

an individual deal with a situation in the workplace

Personality tests

Personality traits can significantly affect the way people interact within the work

environment Therefore, many organizations use personality test as a tool to

determine how much a candidate’s qualities align with the job

Although there are many diverse personality traits, some researchers believe that

there are just a few fundamental ones As argued by Ivancevich & Konopaske(2013), the "Big Five" framework is most generally used to invest those traits Five

personality dimensions - conscientiousness, agreeableness, extraversion,emotional stability, and openness to experience — can explain the majority ofhuman behaviors at work The writers suppose that an assessment of “Big Five”personality dimensions along with other tools such as structured interview orability tests can increase the effectiveness of the selection process

17

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

Honesty/ Integrity tests

Employers utilize different tests as a tool to screen out dishonest candidates, lowerthe incidence of workplace lying and theft, and convey to both applicants andworkers that dishonesty will not be accepted A method implemented by manyemployers is the polygraph, which is also called as a “le detector’ Ivancevich andKonopaske described:

“The polygraph is an instrument that records changes in breathing, blood pressure, pulse, and skin response associated with sweating of palms, and then

plots these reactions on paper The person being tested with a polygraph attached

is asked a series of questions ” (2013:237).

The idea behind the polygraph is that if he/she answers the questions incorrectly,the body’s physiological responses will be recorded, revealing the falsification.

In Vietnam, polygraph is not a popular tool of employment selection To assessapplicant’s honesty, employers often use psychological tests which are designed

to assess the applicant’s attitudes towards theft, corruption, dishonesty at theworkplace In this way, employers can predict the dishonest behaviors of theapplicants in the future

Step 4: Reference and Background checks

Reference check

When applying for a job, candidates are probably asked to provide a list of peoplewhom the organization can contact to get more information about them Thesereferences may be a former co-worker/ direct manager, or their personal contactssuch as friends/ family members However, checking references brings a limitedpredictive value since most candidates only refer to someone speaking favorablyabout them (Chhinzer, Cole & Dessler, 2014)

According to Mathis and Jackson (2009), previous supervisors and employerscould provide a “valuable snapshot’ of an applicant’s background andcharacteristics, resulting in a better prediction He also suggests some details needasking such as dates of employment, job responsibilities, strengths and weaknesses,

etc.

Background check

18

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

Background checking is required when applying for several jobs such as

schoolteachers, police, doctors, and so on Foot, Hook and Jenkins (2016) explainthat it cannot be guaranteed that an employee will not commit a criminal act atwork, but employers can reduce the risk by screening applicants for inappropriate

signs

The writers list some sources of information such as job records, testing records,

credit history, drug tests, etc Many companies even use personal web pages orsocial networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter to carry out backgroundchecks on applicants They believe these platforms provide an “in-depth” snapshot

of an individual, regardless of whether they use traditional application or digital

resume.

Step 5: Physical examinations

Examinations are conducted to ensure that employees have sufficient physicalstrength to accomplish tasks and avoid the incidences in which employeesintentionally make use of health insurance (Nguyen Van Diem & Nguyen NgocQuan, 2007) In Vietnam, this step is typically performed by legalized medicalcenters and health care organizations who then issue a document that verify theemployees’ health condition However, the writers emphasize that it is necessaryfor HR department to standardize the criteria for medical examinations and paymore attention to these activities

Step 6: Selection decision

There are typically a few candidates left after steps 1— 4 of the selection process

At this step, the hiring manager will decide which of these finalists should receivethe job offer Ivancevich and Konopaske mention two major methods used bycompanies to reach the hiring decision: “multiple-hurdle approach” and

“compensatory mode” (2013:238)

The first method creates a series of hurdles - preliminary screening, interview, teststhat candidates have to pass by meeting minimum requirements of each.Alternatively, organizations can implement a compensatory model in which theselection decision is based on the whole selection process, not on a single step Inother words, a candidate who got the highest scores in the job sample test but lowscores in the interview still have a chance to receive job offer

19

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

Once deciding on who is selected, the organization must notify the “winning candidate” by sending an offer letter, either in writing or digital form The offerletter should contain all job details such as responsibilities, benefits, salary, startdate and others Moreover, a deadline should be given so that the candidate canrespond and confirm their decision

In short, once making a decision on the successful candidate(s), a number ofadministrative procedures need to be fulfilled Foot, Hook and Jenkins (2016)

listed:

In case of successful candidate(s):

Y Offer the position to the candidate(s)

Secure their acceptance of the job offer

Agree and confirm the details of the offer letter

Check essential qualifications

SN NN Initiate new employee process

In case of unsuccessful candidate(s):

v Inform the results

v Provide feedback if necessary

v Prepare records

v Assess the process

1.3.5 Evaluating and controlling

It is crucial for an organization to assess the effectiveness of its recruitment efforts.Some criteria that can be used to measure how effective the recruitment process iswill be presented in the following part

20

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

1.4 Criteria to evaluate recruitment effectiveness

It is crucial for organizations to measure how effective their recruitment processhas been The figure below demonstrates key indicators for recruitingmeasurement introduced by Mathis and Jackson (2009)

Costs per hire

Recruitment

SatisfactionAnalyses

Figure 2: Recruiting measurement metrics

Skeeled (2022), meanwhile, suggests 6 metrics to assess a company’s talentacquisition effectiveness including time to hire, cost per hire, qualified candidates,source of hire, retraining rate and satisfaction rate Therefore, some criteria areused in this paper including Source of hire; Quantity of applicants and qualifiedcandidates; Time to hire; Cost per hire; Recruitment satisfaction; Selection rate &

retraining rate

1.4.1 Source of hire

Source of hire shows where the new hires come from and predicts the best hiringchannels (Samra, 2021) Therefore, it can provide employers with insights onwhich recruiting tools to invest in and where they can cut costs

1.4.2 Quantity of applicants and qualified candidates

The writers explain that because a recruiting program is aimed to attract as manyapplicants as possible, quantity naturally comes the first place to evaluate A basic

21

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

question that needs solving is: Is the quantity of applicants sufficient to fill jobvacancies?

However, Skeeled (2022) argues that analyzing the number of qualified candidates

is more meaningful because it shows recruiters how good the job advertising is A

“qualified candidate” is anyone who pass the screening process and moves to thenext stages She believes a high rate of qualified candidates may illustrate theeffectiveness of job advertising activities, and by contrast, a low rate indicates thatthe company should review sourcing and advertising methods to become moreattractive to talents

1.4.3 Time to hire

Measuring the amount of time needed to fill vacancies is helpful since certain

sources may deliver hires more quickly than others However, the amount of time

needed to hire an employee not only depends on internal factors but also externalfactors which are beyond the company’s control Therefore, in some cases,calculating time to fill is not a good indicator of the recruitment effectiveness

(Chhinzer, Cole & Dessler, 2014)

1.4.4 Cost per hire

Recruiting costs can be calculated using several formulas, yet the most frequentlyused is to divide the total annual recruitment expenditures by the number of hires

Recruiting expenditures

Cost per hire = Number of hires

Accurately determining what should be included in the recruitment expenditures

is a challenge with this strategy Mathis and John (2009) divide recruiting costsinto direct costs and indirect costs The former includes advertising charges,recruiters’ salaries, agency fees, etc while the latter may consist of the

involvement of public relations, brand image or operating managers, etc

In addition, recruitment costs depend much on the recruiting sources and methodsused, type of jobs and closely link to the organization’s HR strategy and policies.

22

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

1.4.5 Recruitment satisfaction

According to Kadjar (2021), many organizations conduct satisfaction surveys toassess the efficiency of their recruitment process This allows them to identify theproblems that should be solved and to reduce the turnover rate

She believes that the survey should be delivered to new recruits because they canprovide descriptions more precisely This method brings several benefits for thecompany, she adds:

e Improve the recruitment process: sending a survey allows employers to find

out what the most effective recruitment channels are

e Enhance the candidate’s experience: asking for the opinions and attitudes

of new hires helps the company develop and implement the process thataligns with their expectations, thereby increasing their satisfaction

e Acquire feedback promptly: sending a survey to new recruits can help the

company get a more detailed description of their experience The problemsthereby are early identified and resolved

Kadjar also suggests some criteria to measure an applicant’s experience such asSimplicity (Did the applicant have many options to apply easily?), Transparency(Did the applicant get a truthful and comprehensive job description?), Feedback(Did the recruiter respond quickly after the interview? Were candidates updated

regularly about their application status?), and other factors

1.4.6 Selection rate & retraining rate

Selection rate demonstrates the percentage of final hires from the initial pool ofcandidates For example, a rate of 30% means that 3 out of 10 applications werehired Measuring the selection rate is helpful to evaluate the effectiveness of the

hiring process

According to Blanks (2019), a low selection rate is not necessarily a good or badthing It could indicate streamlined recruitment processes with a skilled team, or itcould mean that job opening does not seem attractive to talents so the companymay need to evaluate their “employer brand” If selection rate and retraining rateare both high, maybe there are holes in the selection process that the companyneeds to find out and resolve Therefore, she argued that selection rate should not

be looked at by itself but combined with other metrics to obtain a bigger picture

23

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

1.5 Measures to increase recruitment effectiveness

Recruiting evaluation is aimed to improve the effectiveness of recruiting processwhich can be done by conducting some activities as suggested by Chhinzer, Cole

and Dessler (2009):

e Resume mining — a software used to acquire the best resume from a huge

database when HR staff enter the job requirement

e Applicant tracking — a method guiding applicants from a job listing to the

outcomes of performance reviews

e Employer career website — a useful recruiting place on the employer’s

website where openings are available to job seekers

e Internal mobility — a system tracking potential employees inside the

company and linking them with the openings

e Realistic job previews — in which individuals can get details about the

employers and the jobs

e Responsive recruitment — which ensures candidates get prompt replies

Evaluation data can be used to target alternative applicant pools, access larger labormarket, and alter recruiting methods

Another way to improve recruiting effectiveness is starting at training the recruiters.Untrained recruiters miss many qualified candidates and spend time screeninggood candidates out instead of screening them in (Gruzd, 2018) This candeteriorate the recruitment efficiency and cost the corporations a tremendous loss.Therefore, it is crucial that recruiters know how to acquire information needed forselection process and how to treat candidates fairly and professionally, she adds

For improving recruiting effectiveness, Nguyen Van Diem and Nguyen NgocQuan (2007) emphasis the importance of improving job advertisements

Job advertisements create a diverse source of candidates for organizations, but theyare very expensive To make the most use of them, employers should figure outsuitable channels to place With technological advances, organizations can usedigital platforms such as Facebook, Google or LinkedIn, rather than traditionalones Recruiting advertisements also need designing appropriately

According to Foot, Hook and Jenkins (2016), the first principle of designing a jobadvertisement is to “give sufficient information about the post so that suitable

24

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

candidates will apply, and unsuitable candidates will be discouraged fromapplying” She suggests some factors that should be included in every jobadvertisement: an introduction of the company, job tittle and main duties,competencies required, salary and benefits, how to apply Besides the above-mentioned aspects, job advertisements also need to use appropriate writing style,colors and graphics to draw the attention of applicants

25

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

CHAPTER 2: INTRODUCTION OF APAX ENGLISH CORPORATION

This chapter consists of information about AEC’s background, business results,

organizational structure, characteristics of foreign teachers and its direction ofdevelopment

2.1 Background information

Apax English was investigated and developed by Apax Holdings Joint Stock

Company, providing educational services, teaching English and developingintegrated skills for Vietnamese children With the context of intensiveglobalization in Vietnam, the demand for English training services has beengrowing at an unprecedented rate, especially for children and young adults Giventhis trend and a huge gap in the English training market, Apax English wasestablished with a vision of becoming the leader in providing excellent Englishtraining services, consistently expanding market share and aiming to gainnationwide coverage

History of establishment and development

Apax English was established in Vietnam on 23" May 2015 by Mr Nguyen Ngoc

Thuy, which marked the cooperation between E-Group Education Group Joint

Stock Company and Chungdahm Learning Education Group

Since the end of 2014, Apax English has implemented “April English” — a teaching

method from Chungdahm Learning Education Group to teach English for childrenaged 4-16 Over the past 7 years, Apax has focused on expanding and developingthe system of 5-star English centers nationwide Within the first two years, ApaxEnglish opened 55 centers with nearly 40,000 students across the country.Particularly, the company also proved to become the number | supplier of Englishtraining services for children in Hanoi with 24 centers The company received theQuality Management System Certificate ISO 9001:2015 in 2016 Currently, ApaxEnglish is proud to be the leading English center system in Vietnam with morethan 125 centers in 31 provinces, more than 120,000 students, and 750 foreign

teachers

26

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

Source: Apax English Corporation

Table 3: Business results of Apax English Corporation from 2019 to 2021

120 1750

1700 100

1650

œ Oo

1600 1550

Million Dong fon] ©

Ga Revenue 9 ====Profit after Taxes

Figure 3: Revenue and after-tax profit of Apax English from 2019-2021

As can be seen from the graph, the business performance of Apax EnglishCorporation changed dramatically over the three years In 2020, Apax Englishachieved the highest revenue, up to more than 1,700 billion VND, illustrating anincrease of about 15% compared to 2019 Although many businesses were “frozen”

in the course of the pandemic, Apax English “speeded up” and grew strongly due

to technological application in its teaching method However, its revenue droppedback to 1,534 billion VND in 2021 In terms of profit after taxes, there was asignificant decline over the period shown, beginning with the highest figure (113billion VND) in 2019 and ending with only 22 billion VND in 2021 This can beexplained that the company’s revenue was seriously declined in 2021 because

27

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

classes had to be closed and switched online for 8 months Meanwhile, there wasvirtually no change in the fixed costs, so the profit was decreased immensely

2.3 Organizational structure

Source: Apax English Corporation

Board of Directors

Human Resource Media and Marketing| Finance & Accounting, Administrative and

Block Block Block ¬ — Legal Block

n : Finance and oe Department of

Foreign see ` bia ii, Accounting System of centers Product department số nh He Software

Management Division department department Sigal development

Departemnt of equipment purchase Operation center Training department

The Board of Directors’s mission is to manage the entire operation of the company

so that it is efficient and profitable; propose strategic development direction andgoals for the company in each period; set policies and plans for the central systemoperation; allocate financial resources according to the budget; set KPIs fordepartments

> Human Resource Block

Human Resource Department is responsible for advising leaders on theorganization of executive apparatus and carefully managing human resources inaccordance with company policies and regulations, as well as other benefits foremployees

28

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

Foreign Teachers Management Department (FMD) belongs to the HR Block Thedepartment is responsible for recruiting foreign teachers, connecting them with thecenters and supporting the teachers with administrative procedures from their firstworking day until they leave the company

> Media and Marketing Block

The Media and Marketing Block's mission is to develop media and marketing planseffectively; research, develop, and execute the company's business strategiesthrough brand promotion, service promotion, and market exploitation; and report,analyze, and evaluate communication marketing channel methods

> Finance and Accounting Block

The Finance and Accounting Block takes responsibility for payments to suppliers

and employees Besides, the block conducts and processes the budgets, invoices,and other accounting documents; monitors the revenue and expenditure; andsummarizes reports and plans the financial situation

> Sales Block

The centers organize classes to conduct the company's English educationalprograms, enroll and manage the students, inspect and evaluate the teachers’teaching abilities, and organize activities to improve the teaching quality anddevelop the center

> Academy Block

Academy Block is in charge of researching on English training programs/curriculum as well as educational/teaching methods for elementary and highschools It also participates in consulting, selecting and developing suitablecurricular for the system of centers based on the differences in academicrequirements and training models

> Administrative and Legal Block

The Administrative and Legal Block develops company legal documents,

mechanisms, and policies; controls administrative procedures; monitors lawenforcement; checks and systematizes legal documents; and inspects and resolvesdisputes, complaints, and denunciations of parents and teachers with the company

29

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

Source: Apax English Corporation

Table 4: Characteristics of Foreign Teachers at Apax English from 2019 — 2021

The number of foreign teachers at AEC altered over the period shown In 2019,

there were 638 foreign teachers working at the company The figure rose slightly

to 671 in 2020 before dropping back to 647 teachers at the end of the period

These changes could be explained by the effects of the pandemic Despite the

drastic decrease in revenue and profit, Apax English maintained classes and

tried to make full payments for teachers in 2020 This policy helped the

company retain the existing teachers and even attracted new ones However, the

consequent financial problems hit the company hard by 2021 A number of

centers were forced to be closed, leaving many teachers unemployed so the

number of foreign teachers decreased significantly

Regarding genders, female teachers accounted for the vast majority of foreign

teachers at Apax English with over 60 % throughout the period shown This may

be explained by the job specification and requirements which normally benefit

female teachers rather than male teachers The number of female and male

teachers altered correspondingly with the changes in the total number, showing

that equal opportunities were provided for teachers of both sexes

30

Giang Thị Sơn — 11194547 — Business English 61B

Another feature is that the number of full-time teachers was always larger than

that of part-time teachers This is because Apax English provides a wide range

of incentives and benefits for fulltime employees, from monthly housing

allowances, small city stipend to performance bonuses In 2020, the number of

fulltime teachers remained high, but this figure slightly dropped to 369 in 2021

In addition, the ratio between the number of full-time and part-time teachers

declined from 1.5 in 2019 to 1.3 in 2021, illustrating a slight increase in the

proportion of part-time teachers This may indicate that more and more teachers

choose to work on part-time basis rather than full-time, especially amidst the

pandemic because a part-time job can provide them much more flexibility

2.5 Direction of development

As a leading English training organization in Vietnam with more than 120 centers

and 120,000 students nationwide, Apax English always attaches great importance

to teaching quality in order to bring the best experience and service to learners, and

at the same time enhance its competitive advantages in the market The company'smotto is to put the students’ benefits first, apply technologies in classes and further

develop and provide the world's leading English program

Over the past 3 years, the company has been seriously affected by the covid-19pandemic Therefore, in the General meeting of Stakeholders 2021, the businessstrategy and development orientation of 2022 was provided

The key goal of 2022 for Apax English is to quickly recover from the epidemic,

taking advantage of the support and encouragement from the Government'spolicies, and restructure the organization towards a leaner and efficient system,constantly improve the quality of services that have been provided over the years

At the same time, the marketing strategy is focused on further promoting the image

of the Apax English - Apax Leaders as the market leader in terms of supplyingEnglish education services Additionally, the company aims to boost operating

capacity to achieve the equivalent revenue growth to the pre-pandemic period,creating a development cushion for 2023

Regarding the long-term business strategy, the company intends to expand themarket by providing English teaching services for working people through on-sitetraining contracts with companies; or for groups of people wishing to learn English

31