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Posted

Hello,

I am a new English teacher from the UK and I am teaching in Surat thani in southern Thailand. I have been at my school for three months. Now the school wants to cancel my contract because the head of the English Program is known to be skimming money from the school. I found out about it and he wants me gone. What can I do? He does not wish to pay me for the this month. I am very afraid since I do not have sufficient money to return to the UK, and he promised me a work permit but never delivered. I really need some advice before I go nuts...

Thank you,

Brian.

Posted (edited)
Hello,

I am a new English teacher from the UK and I am teaching in Surat thani in southern Thailand. I have been at my school for three months. Now the school wants to cancel my contract because the head of the English Program is known to be skimming money from the school. I found out about it and he wants me gone. What can I do? He does not wish to pay me for the this month. I am very afraid since I do not have sufficient money to return to the UK, and he promised me a work permit but never delivered. I really need some advice before I go nuts...

Thank you,

Brian.

I'm the board's cynic for these type of posts so please forgive me for not taking this on face value, but how would a farang teacher discover the Director is skimming money.

3 months! sounds like another probationer not making the grade but refusing to accept it.

Edited by Loaded
Posted
Hello,

I am a new English teacher from the UK and I am teaching in Surat thani in southern Thailand. I have been at my school for three months. Now the school wants to cancel my contract because the head of the English Program is known to be skimming money from the school. I found out about it and he wants me gone. What can I do? He does not wish to pay me for the this month. I am very afraid since I do not have sufficient money to return to the UK, and he promised me a work permit but never delivered. I really need some advice before I go nuts...

Thank you,

Brian.

I'm the board's cynic for these type of posts so please forgive me for not taking this on face value, but how would a farang teacher discover the Director is skimming money.

3 months! sounds like another probationer not making the grade but refusing to accept it.

Yeah, that's why it's bizarre. I am not on probation and I have made the grade just fine as the school has not received any more complaints from parents since my tenure here. Prior to this, (did you read my post?) five teachers have quit. Three of them passed on this information along to me in my introduction to the school. When I saw the EP director counting funds directed for the student's English seminar in Surat over the last few days, I asked what all the money was for. He replied that the money was going to go for the students and when I questioned him, he became very uncomfortable and asked if anyone has spoken to me about this subject. I asked my classes how much they pay for the trip. they replied 300 baht per student. I have had no squabbles with him up till now and I have had a perfect attendance record and teaching record here. I find this behaviour quite interesting and wonder if anyone has any idea of what to do about it.

Cheers.

Posted
Find another program. The end.

And just give the school my salary for this month and then go to Kao Son Road in Bangkok or Samuii and beg for money to leave this corrupt country?

Posted

Hello Bennings,

Don't worry, you're a native speaker, if you have a TEFL + a Bachelor Degree it shouldn't be a problem to find a new teaching position in Thailand. Check www.ajarn.com, now is the perfect time, a lot of schools (especially in BKK) are hiring for the next term, plenty of opportunities for you.

:o

Posted
Hello Bennings,

Don't worry, you're a native speaker, if you have a TEFL + a Bachelor Degree it shouldn't be a problem to find a new teaching position in Thailand. Check www.ajarn.com, now is the perfect time, a lot of schools (especially in BKK) are hiring for the next term, plenty of opportunities for you.

:o

Thanks but the problem at hand is getting my money from the finances department so I have money to go home. I do wish to stay in Thailand any longer, I've had enough. Thais are really nice, but when they don't want to help you get to work legally I feel I am cheating the system. But I am figuring out that there is really no system to be cheating. So all who wants to teach here at this school, (which is quite elite) you are more than welcome. They really need teachers here, I'm the only one left. Ps, I have a degree and I have experience in education as well.

Posted

Bennings, I don't understand why you came to Thailand without at least some savings from the UK as a buffer, in case something wrong happens :o , well...

Don't let one bad experience undermine your confidence in the Thai schools. My first job here was a real nightmare, but I eventually found another place where I'm now perfectly happy; good students, nice colleagues, etc...

Good luck

Posted
When I saw the EP director counting funds directed for the student's English seminar in Surat over the last few days, I asked what all the money was for. He replied that the money was going to go for the students and when I questioned him, he became very uncomfortable and asked if anyone has spoken to me about this subject. I asked my classes how much they pay for the trip. they replied 300 baht per student. I have had no squabbles with him up till now and I have had a perfect attendance record and teaching record here. I find this behaviour quite interesting and wonder if anyone has any idea of what to do about it.

Cheers.

Do you think the EP director counting money is strange? The cleaner, or a farang teacher, counting school funds is strange.

Did you see him pocket any cash?

Do you know any expenses he must cover?

OK, Sherlock so you multiplied 300 by the number of students and came up with a sum. Do you think anyone else within the school can make the same calculation? If he's skimming, it seems a strange and stupid way to go about it.

From my experience, it's highly unlikely a farang teacher would question any school director about funds and be listened to. Maybe you have acted very inappropriately acting this way and the school want to get rid of you because of this.

Posted (edited)
Find another program. The end.

And just give the school my salary for this month and then go to Kao Son Road in Bangkok or Samuii and beg for money to leave this corrupt country?

Please excuse my sarcasm OP. take the advice from others here. It sounds like you have already burned your bridge with this job, so look for greener pastures. You're a native speaker, therefore you will have no problem finding employment even if it is just temporary.

I don't mean to preach, but where is your back up plan? Don't you have family that could help you get back to the UK? Living hand to mouth in a developing country is never a good idea. Good luck OP. followup: I see that this issue has already been addressed.

Edited by mizzi39
Posted
Find another program. The end.

And just give the school my salary for this month and then go to Kao Son Road in Bangkok or Samuii and beg for money to leave this corrupt country?

Please excuse my sarcasm OP. take the advice from others here. It sounds like you have already burned your bridge with this job, so look for greener pastures. You're a native speaker, therefore you will have no problem finding employment even if it is just temporary.

I don't mean to preach, but where is your back up plan? Don't you have family that could help you get back to the UK? Living hand to mouth in a developing country is never a good idea. Good luck OP. followup: I see that this issue has already been addressed.

Well today is a different story. Most of you that responded have sensible coherency; others haven't a clue. Yeah, I lost my credit card over the last month and I've been trying to get one from HSBC and it's been taking a while. So, I've just been living off of my salary and planned to purchase a ticket back with those monies. But other than this glitch, I haven't many worries.

Good news today for me.... Another instructor from the Maths dept. greeted me for coffee in the morning today. She advised me to discuss my issues with the 'Pah Yai' or director of the school. Luckily after speaking with her, I met finally met him as he never is present and always out. So I told him my condition, and afterward to make a long story short he demoted the director of the EP and scolded the entire department for not taking care of the school's foreign teachers right in front of me. I will be receiving my salary and the director has asked me to stay on because I have high reviews from my students who have progressed nicely. But I declined and he asked the reason for my decision. I just said the school won't change with the current EP staff-and this saddened him. So I comforted him by saying that if new teachers come here, he needs to step in and look after their conditions. He agreed. It turns out that not everyone in your school is corrupt. Just the English Program. They make huge sums of money for my school and each teacher WAS skimming from the students because the director checked the finances even before I spoke with him. I can live with that.

Posted
Good news today for me.... Another instructor from the Maths dept. greeted me for coffee in the morning today. She advised me to discuss my issues with the 'Pah Yai' or director of the school. Luckily after speaking with her, I met finally met him as he never is present and always out. So I told him my condition, and afterward to make a long story short he demoted the director of the EP and scolded the entire department for not taking care of the school's foreign teachers right in front of me. I will be receiving my salary and the director has asked me to stay on because I have high reviews from my students who have progressed nicely. But I declined and he asked the reason for my decision. I just said the school won't change with the current EP staff-and this saddened him. So I comforted him by saying that if new teachers come here, he needs to step in and look after their conditions. He agreed. It turns out that not everyone in your school is corrupt. Just the English Program. They make huge sums of money for my school and each teacher WAS skimming from the students because the director checked the finances even before I spoke with him. I can live with that.

Just so many things in your story that run against the grain of living in Thailand. I hope your story is true but I find it hard to believe.

Posted
Find another program. The end.

And just give the school my salary for this month and then go to Kao Son Road in Bangkok or Samuii and beg for money to leave this corrupt country?

Please excuse my sarcasm OP. take the advice from others here. It sounds like you have already burned your bridge with this job, so look for greener pastures. You're a native speaker, therefore you will have no problem finding employment even if it is just temporary.

I don't mean to preach, but where is your back up plan? Don't you have family that could help you get back to the UK? Living hand to mouth in a developing country is never a good idea. Good luck OP. followup: I see that this issue has already been addressed.

Well today is a different story. Most of you that responded have sensible coherency; others haven't a clue. Yeah, I lost my credit card over the last month and I've been trying to get one from HSBC and it's been taking a while. So, I've just been living off of my salary and planned to purchase a ticket back with those monies. But other than this glitch, I haven't many worries.

Good news today for me.... Another instructor from the Maths dept. greeted me for coffee in the morning today. She advised me to discuss my issues with the 'Pah Yai' or director of the school. Luckily after speaking with her, I met finally met him as he never is present and always out. So I told him my condition, and afterward to make a long story short he demoted the director of the EP and scolded the entire department for not taking care of the school's foreign teachers right in front of me. I will be receiving my salary and the director has asked me to stay on because I have high reviews from my students who have progressed nicely. But I declined and he asked the reason for my decision. I just said the school won't change with the current EP staff-and this saddened him. So I comforted him by saying that if new teachers come here, he needs to step in and look after their conditions. He agreed. It turns out that not everyone in your school is corrupt. Just the English Program. They make huge sums of money for my school and each teacher WAS skimming from the students because the director checked the finances even before I spoke with him. I can live with that.

Hi Bennings.

Ill give you the money for a plane ticket if you just shut the hel_l up! Hows that.

Posted
Find another program. The end.

And just give the school my salary for this month and then go to Kao Son Road in Bangkok or Samuii and beg for money to leave this corrupt country?

Please excuse my sarcasm OP. take the advice from others here. It sounds like you have already burned your bridge with this job, so look for greener pastures. You're a native speaker, therefore you will have no problem finding employment even if it is just temporary.

I don't mean to preach, but where is your back up plan? Don't you have family that could help you get back to the UK? Living hand to mouth in a developing country is never a good idea. Good luck OP. followup: I see that this issue has already been addressed.

Well today is a different story. Most of you that responded have sensible coherency; others haven't a clue. Yeah, I lost my credit card over the last month and I've been trying to get one from HSBC and it's been taking a while. So, I've just been living off of my salary and planned to purchase a ticket back with those monies. But other than this glitch, I haven't many worries.

Good news today for me.... Another instructor from the Maths dept. greeted me for coffee in the morning today. She advised me to discuss my issues with the 'Pah Yai' or director of the school. Luckily after speaking with her, I met finally met him as he never is present and always out. So I told him my condition, and afterward to make a long story short he demoted the director of the EP and scolded the entire department for not taking care of the school's foreign teachers right in front of me. I will be receiving my salary and the director has asked me to stay on because I have high reviews from my students who have progressed nicely. But I declined and he asked the reason for my decision. I just said the school won't change with the current EP staff-and this saddened him. So I comforted him by saying that if new teachers come here, he needs to step in and look after their conditions. He agreed. It turns out that not everyone in your school is corrupt. Just the English Program. They make huge sums of money for my school and each teacher WAS skimming from the students because the director checked the finances even before I spoke with him. I can live with that.

Hi Bennings.

Ill give you the money for a plane ticket if you just shut the hel_l up! Hows that.

Wow, with all the problems that I've encountered at this school and with most replies from ex pats that have lived here for quite some time, it is no wonder of the state of pedagogical progress in this country.

I've tried to adjust to my environment and I'm always polite, but I haven't got a clue as for the negativity here in Thailand. A friend in Chiang Mai who I met when I was taking my TEFL called a week ago and told me that the PAD wants to close Thailand to foreigners. This is the political party who are protesting against the former prime minister. I'm sorry I even came here. :o:D

Posted
Wow, with all the problems that I've encountered at this school and with most replies from ex pats that have lived here for quite some time, it is no wonder of the state of pedagogical progress in this country.

You hit the nail on the head!

Posted

I gotta say if you have the School director on your side then i would stay, but as the others are implying. I think that you didn't do enough homework before you came here otherwise you would have understood Thailand a little better.

How many times have you been to Thailand in the past?

Allan

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