Do Thai School Administration Generally Respond Well To Blackmail?

[garro]

Just curious. I know that every school is different and all cases are unique, but do Thai schools generally respond well to blackmail (i.e. if you don't increase my salary next year I won't be coming back). What ya all think?

[Xangsamhua]

Just curious. I know that every school is different and all cases are unique, but do Thai schools generally respond well to blackmail (i.e. if you don't increase my salary next year I won't be coming back). What ya all think?

Not where I am. An employee is welcome to indicate what he or she would like in the new contract, but to give an ultimatum would not be received well. I think it would be counter-productive.

[mc2]

Just curious. I know that every school is different and all cases are unique, but do Thai schools generally respond well to blackmail (i.e. if you don't increase my salary next year I won't be coming back). What ya all think?

keep it subtle garro, you will have more chance of pulling it off.

Good luck with the payrise.

As they say, pay them peanuts and you will get monkeys.

[PeaceBlondie]

No, I doubt that would work. Thais have this funny idea that they are in charge, and they are. Employees are not empowered. I had a director who told my boss he could replace me in one day. He did not, but he thought he could. And he was just demanding I work longer than my contracted hours (overlooking the fact he had never signed my contract). No garro, you have to figure out how the Thai method works at your school, and blackmail them the Thai way. Like, maybe catch the director with his mia noi, or with her boyfriend.

[Ijustwannateach]

As I've had to point out unfortunately frequently, at many schools the position is the important thing (along with the white face) and the possibility of your actually having any kind of teaching ability or being good for the school (compared to another white face) is waaaaaay down the priority list. If your school is of this type (which if they don't give raises routinely it most likely is), then your demand for more money or you will leave will most likely be met with a certain bovine stupefaction, if not incomprehension: "why would he think that we would pay him more money when we can pick up someone from ABC agency if we really have to?" You notice that caring for the kids is not necessarily part of the equation.

[Scott]

Nope. Had a number of teacher's try it and they all were sent packing (well, actually they took what was offered). Some years back, our director fell for it and then found everyone was on the doorstep asking for money!!

[mizzi39]

Would not work at my school, although proper (polite) negotiating is acceptable. Our average increase (if contract is resigned) is between 5-7%. My director wants consistent employees, so she is pushing for a 10% increase for all of us EP teachers for next year. We will see what happens. Will keep y'all posted.

[toptuan]

Don't like the term "blackmail." After all, we're not supposed to post anything on TV that would smack of illegality, right? I prefer the term "Pressure Points."

One "pressure point" that works for me:

Drop a subtle hint that you'll go over their head to the Top Dog.

Especially effective if....

...it's an infrequent issue that needs resolution. Otherwise you might be misconstrued as hollering "Wolf!" too often.

...if you've been there a few years and have established credibility with everyone

...the Big Kahuna is 2-3 levels above your sniveling boss

...they know you can really get an audience with the Top Man.

...the Middle Suck-Up Managers are playing games the Top Man doesn't know about

...you don't care about destroying any productive relationship with your immediate boss (if he's caught playing games, you might get his job anyway...)

Of course all this rationale would fit in nicely with the ethics and underhanded office politics appropriate to "The Devil Wears Prada" movie. Sometimes you gotta do whatcha gotta do. In my case, a two-month delay in salary was cleared up same day as the subtle hint was dropped. Should've started playing my game sooner.

Edited November 23, 2008 by toptuan

[garro]

I suppose the situation I'm in is that while I'm happy enough working at the school it's not working out financially;as the money is being spent as soon as it's earned. I have a baby who will be starting school in a year or so, and this will increase my outgoings even further as I'm determined that he get a good education. My wife was good enough to move half-way across the country and away from friends and family so that I could take this job, and she hasn't complained even though we are not saving a penny. This new job did promise a pay rise three months ago, but have not given it and now when the subject is brought up again they evade it. I do have income from some writing I do, but don't want to touch that money as I need to keep something for emergencies, and it is not yet a reliable source of income. I don't think that I will have much trouble picking up better paying work as I have a PGCE, but don't really want to go through all the hassle of moving again.

Edited November 23, 2008 by garro

[orpheus454]

Just curious. I know that every school is different and all cases are unique, but do Thai schools generally respond well to blackmail (i.e. if you don't increase my salary next year I won't be coming back). What ya all think?

I'm curious why you'd term it "blackmail".

Isn't that just a free labour market at work: an employee takes the best option available, and if a better option shows up then they move and go with that as appropriate (eg at the end of a contract).

The market for foreign English teachers certainly seems quite free and open to me: both schools and teachers are quite free to take their best perceived options. I'd say the market for local teachers at private schools is similar, and is moving in that direction in the government sector as formal appointments decrease and casual appointments increase.

In deciding on the "best option" surely any teacher would consider salary level as a quite important factor among many.

Similarly, a school will consider many factors in deciding whether you're worth what you ask. Why would they refuse if you were?

[garro]

I used the word 'blackmail' in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way, perhaps it was a bad choice of words.

[henryalleman]

maybe you can tell him that you like to work in this school very much but that another school offered you a job with an substantial higher salary. And because you respect him you would like to ask his advise on what to do. Emphasize that you know that its maybe difficult for him to give the same salary but maybe he can meet you somewhere in the middle, because emphasize again that you like the atmosphere in his school due to his leadership, and in you fact don't like to go, but that you have to consider that their as a baby on the way and this will have an impact on your spending.

In this way both of you don't loose face, what is one of the most important things in LOS.

[Slip]

I don't know Garro- how many of the teachers in Thailand have your level of qualification? You should certainly expect to be in one of the plumbest jobs not one where you feel you have to 'blackmail' the management into getting your dues.

You don't say what you get paid -maybe it's a lot already. You could be working in an international school on 100k ++ and for sure they're giving a lot of extra benefits (Probably not in Lopburi admittedly). At the very least your school should be giving you annual incremental rises. I don't think it's really blackmail for you to point out how lucky they are to have you. If they won't look after you bite the bullet and move on one last time, but move on to a place you can stay at for 5 years or more with an increase after the end of each year. My school gives 10% year on year. I'm now in my 7th year and this has made a big difference to my lifestyle- I couldn't imagine going back to a 30k salary again even with free accommodation.

Anyway I hope you can bring them round to your way of thinking. Whether you can apply the pressure or not is probably dependant on your boss' attitude but you can be sure he won't like you going over his head. Seems to me that you would be better to have a good offer in your hand when you approach them, but then will you really want to stay at a place where you had to force their hand or rather go to a good new job who were willing to offer what you were worth from the get-go?

[PeaceBlondie]

garro, in your rush to get qualified, you may have overqualified yourself. Can you earn money on privates, whilst you network for a really choice job?

....aah, whilst and amongst...I am beginning to say those unpronounceable Brit words...