Problem With School In Chiangrai

[northernthailand]

The school is part of a so called EDUCATION HUB , an as such will have a ENGLISH PROGRAM. The Thai Education depertment appointed a total of 10 project managers to start this project at ten schools throughout Thailand. At this perticular school, the project manager is exceptionally highly skilled and to her dismay, very soon had the DEPUTY DIRECTOR and his cronies doing everything in their power to remove her from the project ... It seems that they do not want a skilled person. Even after a surprise inspection from the head of the education department the situation did only get worse and subsequently led to the resignation of the manager..

The Farang teachers were next on the list ... our signed contracts valid for 3 years, officialy stamped etc were now suddenly no longer valid ... reason stated : depertment of labour does not approve contracts with foreigners for longer than one year at a time ...

Absolute B.S. but then T.I.T. ....

Being forced to sign new contracts ... being able to be evaluated by teaching assistants, where one negative evaluation will cost you your job... (The assistants are all real teachers, good teachers at that, really, but they do not speak English at all )

Basically guys, what I am trying to say is this ... if you consider joining this school. be very very carefull! If they can turn around and declare contracts void one week into the first term of the year... what security do anyone have of receiving their right pay or even of any just treatment ...?

The school has a very very fair and just Director, but he is due to retire in 5 months time ... thus leaving the door wide open for greedy Deputy Directors and other corrupt teachers to seize power and do things in a way to suit themselves

More information available on request

[SomTumTiger]

Find a new job.

[Scott]

I wouldn't give up the ship just yet, unless, of course, you can with no or little hardship to yourself. These types of political games are not uncommon.

1. If the terms and conditions of the new contract, with the exception of the time frame, are the same or reasonably close, then that is an issue of simply complying with Thai Law.

2. During the probationary period keep a close eye on what other teachers are doing and try to emulate those seen in a favorable light. Each school has certain idiosyncrasies that they see as being a hallmark of a 'good' teacher. These things can include or exclude teachers who play games, teach songs, make sure notebooks are checked neatly, make worksheets etc.

3. Stay on good terms with the Thai teachers. They can make or break you.

4. Keep your head low, be seen as being cooperative and basically 'stay off the radar screen.'

5. Best of luck and keep us posted. New programs often have more than there fair share of bumps in the road. I sincerely hope you aren't one.

[Ijustwannateach]

The change of contract was clearly illegal. I and many other employees I know have contracts longer than one year. Not that you would have wanted to stay there, but if you had resisted (with legal help) they couldn't have done a thing except break the contract with whatever legal repercussions that would have meant for them, or honor it.

The best thing for you to do is quit and find a new job. These people have already demonstrated incompetence, criminality, and dishonesty. Don't continue to associate with them. There are plenty enough established programs which have already rid themselves of this kind of incompetent 'management'; give them the benefit of your services.

There doesn't seem to be a school in Thailand that won't shoot itself in the foot, given the chance.

[dindong]

The department of labour in Chiang Rai do accept contracts for 2 years and will issue you with a work permit for 2 years.

I got one at the end of last March.

If you still have the 3 year contract , why not sue them .

can you p.m me the name of the school.

Thanks

[Scott]

I know of schools that in the past offered two year contracts, but the work permit was still only valid for one year, along with the non-immigrant B visa. How long is your non-immigrant visa good for.

I am sure it is possible for them to do it. I interviewed a guy once to has a valid work permit that is many, many years old and it's open ended. I think it was something like # 15 or something like that. It was weird to find a work permit that isn't tied to an employer.

[Ijustwannateach]

Yes, but the work permit is not the contractual agreement. The contract is legally binding before the work permit is even applied. That is why you have to take the completed contract to the relevant offices to get the intitial non-imm. B, the work permit, visa extension, etc. The imminent expiration of a work permit does not change the legal properties of the contract at all, or those that I know with 2, 3, 4, and 5 year contracts (and longer) would lose their contract every year (and they don't). Many work permits are many years old- you don't have to get a new one every year, if it is based on the same job.

[Scott]

Not to hi-jack the thread, but the person in question had an open-ended worker permit. It was not tied to a place. I don't think they do that anymore. Now, I think, the work permit is renewed annually.

Most contracts are written with a provision that the employee must be eligible for or able to get the relevant approval.

[SomTumTiger]

Find a new job. lol

[Ijustwannateach]

That's true; for most workers the WP is renewed annually. However, in most cases, the original non-imm B visa is extended annually on the same basis. All of it with the same original contract, or with contracts updated as agreed by both worker and employer- including, for example, a 5 year contract (which does not need to be re-agreed every year). The failure of the employer to do the due diligence to provide the WP, for example, would not be an acceptable contract-breaking reason for not being ELIGIBLE for the WP.

I agree with Dindong that if the OP still has the original 3 year contract he could sue, but it would have been better to do that (or threaten to do that) before he had signed the new contract. Now he also has to prove he did so under illegal threat of being fired, and that will be much harder (finding witnesses, etc.). At this point, the uphill battle is probably not worth the effort, and I still think he needs to quit, sadder and wiser.

[Mario2008]

With the adjusted alien labour act (2008), labour can now issue work permits for up to 2 years.