Select colour:
-
Has anyone been in a similar situation as me? I was employed as a specialist subject teacher by a company that owns a group of international schools, with specific plans to teach IB. The company cancelled the IB program suddenly and we are expected to just teach to GCSE. They say they have suspended the IB but I was told "off the record" not to expect it to be introduced in the foreseeable future. I gave up a great job to take this one, partly because of the country and partly because I wanted to teach IB as a career builder.
I am now in the situation where I am not even teaching A level and have been told that the expectation is for me to do more primary level teaching. I feel frustrated as I like the city, even though it was not the one I applied for. The company offered some sort of deal for secondary teachers to break contract but it does not compensate for how bad this looks on my employment history, the fact I gave up a very good job. Overall I feel I have been employed on false pretences. This company and the school in particular have a track record of problems with poor staff retention and our secondary management is extremely poor.
There have been other breaches with contracts such as housing. I have heard indirectly from former staff and parents that this is not unusual with this school or company.
People (old timers) have tried to tell me that this is related to the head, but it seems to be more systematic and ingrained then that. I feel like I have been caught between making a financial and career loss, and staying in a place where management of the school and our contracts is very arbitrary.
Does anyone know of a mechanism by which I could get legal redress for breach of contract against a company that employs me outside of the UK but is a UK company? I also feel pressured by our school academic management and the company not too make a fuss, to the extent of psychological coercion. There is a core of very dominant people here who seem to silence any dissent (unless they are the ones dissenting). I feel very vulnerable as I have no family here and all my friends are from the school. The local legal system is expensive and complicated. There is no mechanism within the school (such as a union rep) to turn to for help. My line manager is part of the problem, the head is leaving and seems to have checked out, the school administrator is nice but I have heard she is not at all trustworthy and the company does not have any pastoral system for teaching staff.
The school has a lot of people who complain and I try not to, and I have seen what happens when this core group of people in the staffroom start to turn on people who don't fit with there vision. I have tried writing to the company but have had no response from them, and have been warned by my line manager that my reference is in jeopardy.
This cant be a unique situation- and presumably lots of privately owned international schools face this. Are there any advocacy groups for international teachers who can help me get out of my present situation, help out with my contract issues and advise me how to deal with the situation within the school? I am very frightened to speak out as I don't think I can cope with being shut out or bullied, and there does not seem to be any members of the leadership who are supportive.
Thanks for any advice.
|
-
2
Posted by:
shadocg 12/05/2007 at
20:29
To be blunt about it - take the escape offer, start recruiting NOW, and put it behind you. Be honest about why you are leaving - you came to teach IB in a start-up program that ended up not happening, the company said they had no problem with you giving notice and moving on, so you choose that option.
My wife's colleagues launched a lawsuit in a country against their (non-education sector) employer. She was invited to join, but my advice to her, and all, was to not waste their money, as they were leaving the country anyways. Really, too, in your case would the amount of money you would get from the company (for what? they told you they were not starting the IB program as soon as they knew and gave you the green light to go looking elsewhere. If their intent was to offer IB when they signed you on, then legally they are within their purvue and you will lose. How easy will it be for you to prove that they had no intention about offering IB? Don't expect your teacher colleagues to queue up in support.
Again, just teach out the year, move on, and never look back. It might sound cynical to you, but as a realist that is what your best option is.
|
-
Shadogc- Thanks for the blunt if realistic advice. The IB has not been the only issue, and there have been definite breaches of contract in other areas, including job plan and housing. Last month we took some legal advice and the feeling was that there is a case for negligent misrepresentation at common law- but as you say its going to be expensive to pursue and will have to be done when I return to the UK. Thanks also to the two people who contacted me from another thread. Its good to hear from previous staff members that this is not a recent or isolated issue.
Other than the legal issue, I wanted to raise the more general point about resources for teacher advocacy in international schools. I know only one large UK educational company that has a system of staff mentoring and advising that is separate and parallel to senior management. I would probably find things easier to cope with if there was someone within the school or company I could formally talk to confidentially, rather than joining the mass whingeing that seems to go on in the staffroom, or people having only one solution which is to walk. Most of my colleagues are some of the best teachers I have worked with who are professionals devoted to the kids they teach and yet we seem to have only one solution to problems here which is to resign. Its not good for individual career stability and certainly is not good for the school to have such high turnover. The other issue is how to deal effectively with intimidation by management, admin or the clique of classroom teachers who dominate school life. This an issue not unique to this school, but somehow being in a foreign country with no family or friends outside the school, leaves you very vulnerable. Some teachers seem to have made a support network through the parents of children they teach but that is quite compromising professionally.
|
-
|
Leaudevie, put it down to experience, cut your losses and bail out asap. If you're worried about continuity, progression on your CV, don't mention it - you took a year out to travel. NA?
|
-
5
Posted by:
shadocg 13/05/2007 at
04:02
If this is your first job internationally, you have learned a good lesson. Myself, I prefer not to teach for international chain schools - they are mainly for profit and that drives the bottom line more than working at a non-profit does. Secondly - research, research, research. Knowing about the school you might be going to is so important. Thirdly, many teachers do two years at a school and then move on. It is not rare. The exception is to have people who go overseas and stay with one school for their career. I think the average stay in a ME school for foreigh hire staff has to be about 3 to 4 years, with some doing a runner within 3 months and others, as I mentioned on another thread, staying for close to 20 years.
Look at your options. Especially if you are in a shortage area, such as maths, physics, chemisry or biology, thare are still a ton of job postings out there. You still have many choices. And spend a bit of dosh and sign up for something like TIEonline, which covers the american system pretty good and only charges a yearly fee. That way you broaden your options.
Good luck with your job hunt!
|
-
6
Posted by:
kemevez 13/05/2007 at
04:40
|
Just get the hell out. The owners of the school like it like this. Either see the funny side (I couldn't but there are "old timers" on the international scene who do) or get the hell out. The school management's attitude seems to be "give as little as we can get away with" rather than "give as much as we can" and will only change if the head honcho has a head spin (which does happen - but rarely). Dont' worry about getting a reference - ANY good head on the international scene will read between the lines and UK heads will probably think your some kind of nutter anyway for going abroad. C'est la vie.
|
-
7
Posted by:
cba321 13/05/2007 at
05:18
|
Is this UK company based outside Manchester?
|
-
8
Posted by:
theedge 13/05/2007 at
10:45
I have had similar problems . Under new law apparently if the company is based in Uk they can not hide behind overseas companies and any law suit is with the parent company.The problem i seem to have is the orignal contract was not a legal document in the first place.
My first foray and probably last into the international job scene.
|
-
That's interesting to know about the change in the law. The company is NOT based outside Manchester- don't want to say more as people who have previously posted about this school and this company more openly have had posts removed. I am more interested in what, if any, support there is equivalent to that we would receive from teaching unions back home, for teachers in international for-profit schools- our local state schools have strong teachers unions but we have no apparent mechanism for redress or advocacy within our school or company.
|
-
10
Posted by:
theedge 14/05/2007 at
10:58
Support is zero found even fellow teachers seem afraid to do much and woild rather work out the contract for fear of bad references. I think heads/principals rely on this . I found when worked abroad without contracts was treated much better.
|
Back to top
