How do I report a school for harassment and bad behaviour?

[Docno]

Tell them you will sue the person telling the lies for defamation if she has involved other people in the dialogue - you can file a criminal complaint with the police just as long as you stick absolutely to the facts. And people complain about Thai bashing when there is constant scamming lying and deceit against foreigners for the sole purpose of monetary gain - it is disgusting.

"And people complain about Thai bashing when there is constant scamming lying and deceit against foreigners for the sole purpose of monetary gain - it is disgusting."

No - people complain about over-generalisation and hyperbole about Thai people.

If you read his post more carefully, you would see that he has had positive experiences elsewhere in Thailand. But I guess we read what we want to read.

[KevWaters]

Op. Are you working on teaching waivers?

If so that's two used up.. And you only get two. Good luck

I've read reports on other forums of teachers recently getting a 3rd waiver.

And I bet each time they were studying for an education degree, which is accepted.

You can get a 3rd year waiver if you teach at the same school for two years too. It was never my intention to teach for 2 years here, but decided to stay after enjoying my first year. I wouldn't be doing a 3rd year even if I could as it is time to try somewhere new now.

[KevWaters]

The level of insight shown by the OP into the system and culture here, plus his lack of sensitivity with regards to the topics he chooses suggest he would do far better seeking employment as a crash test dummy.

So yeah, best to get out of dodge... entirely.

7000 words of complaint... in English... in Thailand... to an employer.

Classic.

It was never intended that the Head of Department read the entirety of the letter, that was her prerogative. The intention was to record a summary of the meeting together with all my grievances and attach them by email so I had recorded proof that I had taken issue with the teachers behaviour. Also, her lack of response (which I had anticipated) could indicate agreement of my version of events and help to show the truth in my claim to third parties should something arise (such as dismissal) where I need something to rely on in the future.

The tactic did help in yesterdays interview. The teacher tried to deny what she had said and encourage the Head of Department to agree with her. The Head of Department just stayed silent on the matter, which caused the teacher to storm out.

The summary of the meeting was that she would give me a copy of the warning letter but only if she could send it Immigration and every school in the area too. I accepted. After she left the office, the Director and Head of Department said that she is blunt and says crazy things sometimes. They will now write me a good recommendation letter and urged me to let it all go. I have no problem with that now.

[KevWaters]

I have taught a lesson, or at least part of one, on Guy Fawkes for years. There have been no complaints. I am sure it is understood that England is not Thailand, and things are different- Thais aren't actually all a bunch of backwards bumpkins with no ability to see other perspectives, you know. I don't think it should ever be considered bad form to impart knowledge that deviates from a status quo (within reason, of course, for safety's sake), especially global knowledge, or showing how cultures differ / have differed.

I also agree that any subject is ripe for use for teaching English, as long as it is interesting, and the medium of instruction is English and is appropriately graded . Students get enough grammar from their usual or extra classes; as a foreigner, the key thing you can bring to the class is the placing of this grammar in context. Certainly, you can get them to do something more interesting than the usual dry and repetitive drivel that they have been subjected to.

If you want, during the lesson on Fawkes, you can always describe how he eventually ended up, which a.) prevents dangerous speculation about the teacher's leanings and b.) very much engages the boys in the class (in my experience anyway).

That's exactly right.

I did consider the context and decided to go ahead. I don't want to be that guy who is afraid to do many things out of self-created fears like this.

If England was called Thailand, the Thai King was called King James, and the King would have fallen in the end I would have definitely passed on doing it for sure.

The King wins in the end and all the people celebrate their love for the Monarchy every year with fireworks because of it. Lovely!

[KevWaters]

How can people put up with that rubbish…just leave and find a new job.

Money, sadly.

I was given a 12 month contract with holiday pay. Also, the salary was pretty decent. I did consider leaving almost every day but hung in there. Now I have 5 days left of finishing my grades and then I should get two months holiday pay, which will really help as I have a son and wife to help take care of with little savings. If I was with an agency (like I was in my first year) I would have transferred to another school on day 1. No job is worth your mental health, unless your broke and can really fight through a short spell for the good of your family.

Someone here stated that they are surprised I was not dismissed earlier for refusing to change lesson plans. I don't know where you got that information from. I never refused to changed lesson plans and would nod and agree to the comments made by her to keep peace (despite wanting to tell her exactly what I thought).

I am raising all of the issues with the school now because I feel in a much better position to do so. There is only two months left on the contract and they would need to give me one months severance pay to dismiss me. They would not get a great benefit in doing this like they may have received before now. In addition, I can now better tolerate any potential awkwardness with only a week left of office time. Also the Adminstrative Court would not look favourably at all on dismissing an employee a week before holiday leave and the end of the contract.

[KevWaters]

To add, all her critique of my lesson material was made after the lessons were taught so it was not a matter of me refusing to change like I read somewhere above.

She was just a pain the backside, we have a farang teacher coming into school stoned with no lesson plans after regular heavy weekends in Chiang Mai. He would arrive in town at 3am on the bus and in his lessons he would play hangman or ping pong. We also have teachers walk in 20 minutes late without any hassle whatsoever. This teacher would also take the other farang at the school to weddings during school hours. She had absolutely no issues with any of that, but they were on 6 month contracts.

[Squeegee]

The level of insight shown by the OP into the system and culture here, plus his lack of sensitivity with regards to the topics he chooses suggest he would do far better seeking employment as a crash test dummy.

So yeah, best to get out of dodge... entirely.

7000 words of complaint... in English... in Thailand... to an employer.

Classic.

It was never intended that the Head of Department read the entirety of the letter, that was her prerogative. The intention was to record a summary of the meeting together with all my grievances and attach them by email so I had recorded proof that I had taken issue with the teachers behaviour. Also, her lack of response (which I had anticipated) could indicate agreement of my version of events and help to show the truth in my claim to third parties should something arise (such as dismissal) where I need something to rely on in the future.

The tactic did help in yesterdays interview. The teacher tried to deny what she had said and encourage the Head of Department to agree with her. The Head of Department just stayed silent on the matter, which caused the teacher to storm out.

The summary of the meeting was that she would give me a copy of the warning letter but only if she could send it Immigration and every school in the area too. I accepted. After she left the office, the Director and Head of Department said that she is blunt and says crazy things sometimes. They will now write me a good recommendation letter and urged me to let it all go. I have no problem with that now.

Kev, I don't hold back sometimes when posting. I can see how some people will take offense that I didn't pussyfoot around when dealing with their precious feelings, but usually what I say is just a perspective for the person to consider in the light of what they know from their own experience and what I can only try to perceive based on a few lines on a forum.

So your reply to me was top quality. Instead of skimming my post and assuming I was just attacking you personally (I wouldn't blame you for thinking that in my less than subtle ways with words) you actually answered with reason and facts (from your side of the story, of course).

Therefore, respect to you sir, because I originally felt that you didn't take criticism well, but in that response you have shown that you are indeed a reasonable guy and that helps give some weight to some of the things you've said about your treatment at that school.

Aside from that, I would just say that you've seen how radically different life can be just from a change in jobs, so this experience will most likely be a valuable lesson for you as a part of the past, informing a new present where the work-life is so much better. My 2nd school here was an awful experience too after a nice one out in the sticks, but once through it life moved on to a job that has been one of the most enjoyable I've ever had.

Finally, some posters have supported you in your Guy Fawkes topic. It's not that the topic itself is inappropriate to my mind, it's just that I think it's a potential problem if someone misunderstood what you were telling the kids, especially in an environment where nasty little blunt-minded shrews are looking for an opportunity to score some points over whoever is their latest quarry for whatever reason.

I'm not saying to drop one's principles, just to take care not to hand out ammunition or simply be misunderstood.

[casualbiker]

Op. Are you working on teaching waivers?

If so that's two used up.. And you only get two. Good luck

I've read reports on other forums of teachers recently getting a 3rd waiver.

And I bet each time they were studying for an education degree, which is accepted.

You can get a 3rd year waiver if you teach at the same school for two years too. It was never my intention to teach for 2 years here, but decided to stay after enjoying my first year. I wouldn't be doing a 3rd year even if I could as it is time to try somewhere new now.

Kev. Teaching license waivers are for 2 years.

Check here for information on how to find how many.. Not sure how accurate it is. I have two but it only shows one.

http://www.thailandteaching.asia/teacher-licensing-tct-/10572-check-status-your-tct-teacher-license-provisional-teaching-permit-waiver.html

[Scott]

If you decide to go to court, please make sure your complaint is very, very brief and to the point. I get to handle all the complaints from several schools and here's what I have learned.

Complain about things which actually violate the contract and/or Thai labor laws. Make sure you know what laws apply to schools.

Second, make sure your complaint is about you and your situation. Complaining about things which do not affect you will not gain much traction.

Do you have witnesses about the defamatory things that they have said about you? If so, that may be helpful. Stay away from anything related to 'looking down on Thais'. Any cultural issue might be a losing battle on your part.

When the school gives you a warning, it needs to be in writing and you need to sign it. If you didn't sign it then there is no way for them to prove it was given to you. Some employees refuse to sign the letter, in that case, I have 3 witnesses, one of which is usually another Foreign Teacher. The letter is read to them and it is witnessed by the 3 people. It is clearly written on the letter that in signing, the person is acknowledging receipt of the letter -- it does not mean they agree with what is written.

If the school decides to terminate you, I believe that they have to give you one pay cycle before they can let you go. This would generally be about 1 month. If you do something which breaks a law, then the dismissal can be immediate. I am not 100% sure on how the law is written, because we almost always give them either a month's notice or give them a month's pay and ask them to leave.

Be aware that you are being set up. I have seen this happen on numerous occasions. You cannot win this battle (but you might be able to win some money in court). They have decided they don't like you and Guy Fawkes has nothing to do with it. I have seen them interview every student and get a barrage of complaints about teachers. This includes things like "I don't understand him". There is almost always a few students who do not understand English. They will watch you and find fault with your board work, you speak too loud/not loud enough. You write too big/too small, not neat enough. You are too strict/you are not strict enough.

Best of luck.

[Squeegee]

What an informed and informative post there from Scott. His posts are always balanced. He'd be the ubonjoe of the Thai indocrination system if only anyone could possibly measure up to the legendary Mr joe.

[somchaismith]

Personally, rather than reporting pointing them I'd subtract a couple of demerit points and give them a slap on the wrists.

[chonabot]

All those that live in Isaan, you should feel proud that you picked a beautiful place. The people there are gold.

Just because you seem to have been lumbered with a couple of winners in your current role doesn't mean that the 20 odd million other locals are equally <deleted> like

I taught in a government school in Kalasin and most of the staff were pretty cool, must have got lucky

[CharlieH]

Posts where responses are written inside other quotes and the use of colored font have been removed.

Forum Netiquette

1. Please do not post in all capital letters, bold, unusual fonts, sizes or colors. It can be difficult to read.

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[KevWaters]

It seems my 30 minute post has been deleted so I wont go into details again.

Yeah, the warning letter was signed by the Director and HoD yet they now say that it was not an official document. I have just sent an email to the HoD asking her to reassure me that it will not be sent to immigration in an attempt to get me barred from the Country. She wont reply, but it is something recorded to use as evidence.

I was told I would be given a copy if I went to the meeting with them, but now they are refusing to give it to me, hoping I will make do with the Letter of Recommendation perhaps. I was told in the office that the HoD agreed that all other teachers at the school were fond of me and would write me a good recommendation about me effectively managing the classroom etc. I have just received this letter of recommendation and it is three sentences long and says to direct all inquires to the teacher who has been causing problems at the school. Of course I can't use this recommendation.

There was a further problem today.

I have now finished all grading and there is nothing left for me to do at the school but to browse the internet. All students will be on summer leave once exams finish this Friday.

Previously, I was told that I will be free no later than 15th March. Taking this into consideration I booked a flight to see my family at the end of March when it was being offered for an affordable amount (10k baht / £200 less than it would be to book now). There was no problem with this previously. Now they are saying that they want me to do an English Camp for a week late March going into early April and say that unless I attend they will dock my wage for all the period that I am not at the school. My contract states that I must do one English Camp per Academic Year and I have already done it so it is not mandatory that I do this one but they are using my wage as bribery none the less.

I have asked for an invitation in writing with more information on also including the date at which I am available to take annual leave. I have asked for the latter because I am thinking that I will forfeit the cash at the point of which they agree that I can commence annual leave. I can't see that it will be more than a weeks worth of wages.

The Head of Department is starting to get frustrated with me saying "we only found out today about it", "it's only 4 days" and I am "contracted until 31st April" (it's actually 5th May on the contract but they are trying to dodge a weeks pay). I know I am contracted until then, but surely we can expect a minimum of a months holiday as a teacher (especially when I am not returning the following semester). The Thai teachers here get a months holiday and they have lots more administrative work to prepare for the next year, and they want to give me less than them with absolutely NOTHING to do during that time but to watch You Tube Videos and chat with the fine folk on this forum.

Let's see how it develops.

[KevWaters]

If you decide to go to court, please make sure your complaint is very, very brief and to the point. I get to handle all the complaints from several schools and here's what I have learned.

Complain about things which actually violate the contract and/or Thai labor laws. Make sure you know what laws apply to schools.

Second, make sure your complaint is about you and your situation. Complaining about things which do not affect you will not gain much traction.

Do you have witnesses about the defamatory things that they have said about you? If so, that may be helpful. Stay away from anything related to 'looking down on Thais'. Any cultural issue might be a losing battle on your part.

When the school gives you a warning, it needs to be in writing and you need to sign it. If you didn't sign it then there is no way for them to prove it was given to you. Some employees refuse to sign the letter, in that case, I have 3 witnesses, one of which is usually another Foreign Teacher. The letter is read to them and it is witnessed by the 3 people. It is clearly written on the letter that in signing, the person is acknowledging receipt of the letter -- it does not mean they agree with what is written.

If the school decides to terminate you, I believe that they have to give you one pay cycle before they can let you go. This would generally be about 1 month. If you do something which breaks a law, then the dismissal can be immediate. I am not 100% sure on how the law is written, because we almost always give them either a month's notice or give them a month's pay and ask them to leave.

Be aware that you are being set up. I have seen this happen on numerous occasions. You cannot win this battle (but you might be able to win some money in court). They have decided they don't like you and Guy Fawkes has nothing to do with it. I have seen them interview every student and get a barrage of complaints about teachers. This includes things like "I don't understand him". There is almost always a few students who do not understand English. They will watch you and find fault with your board work, you speak too loud/not loud enough. You write too big/too small, not neat enough. You are too strict/you are not strict enough.

Best of luck.

Thanks for the sound advice.

It is a hussle for sure. The school are trying to save as much money as possible at the expensive of me and my small family. That is even clearer today after them bribing me with an English Camp they know I can't attend in order to further reduce my salary amount.

If my contract is to end in May, do they need to give me a written letter to tell me that they are not renewing it? If so, how much notice is required for this letter? In the absence of it, what are the remedies available (i.e. severance pay etc)?

[otherstuff1957]

Scott was right when he said that you were being set up. 2 months paid vacation from a Thai school? That statement would set off warning bells right away. I don't know of any school in Thailand, except for some of the International Schools, that would give that much paid time off to a teacher.

I rather expect that the school interprets 2 months off as two months of signing in every day, doing some redundant paperwork, teaching a few students and playing a lot of solitaire in the staffroom.

[KevWaters]

I believed it because last year they used the agency I used to work for and had been using them for many years. I know that the teachers would finish at the end of February despite the school having a 12 month contract with the agency. That is standard and is how the agencies make megabucks pocketing the two months summer payments without paying anything out to the teachers during that period (plus the one month Half term payment too of course).

I figured that since the school are paying me half of what they were paying the agency they would at least give me not two, but one full months holiday. I don't mind sitting around playing online Poker or watching Lord of the Rings (still haven't seen them) for 4 weeks as I will probably do this month but it would be weird pulling it off for longer than that. The new teachers will arrive late April and I will probably still be sat there watching videos of my family holidaying in Phuket whilst I earn my wage.

If I they give me a letter to say that I can take holiday after summer camp ends on 4th April then I will just tell them I will miss it but forfeit my wage 27th March until 4th April (or set it off against the wage for 31st April til 5th May, which they don't want to pay. It's odd that they sign a letter from a teacher who was complaining about my lesson but are desperately trying to bribe me into teaching at the 4 day gifted student Summer Camp to earn them some more bucks. Which is it? Shit or not?

[KevWaters]

P.S We have never signed in at the school, I don't think we will need to do that. Also, very unlikely that there will be any paperwork to do. The school are FAR too unorganised to orchestrate anything like that.

[ldiablo]

In the amount of time it took you to write your rant you probably could have quit your job and already been teaching at another school.

[siampolee]

Kevin,get on the plane and go, forget the money and shake the dust of the place off of your feet.

When you return I am sure you can find a more suitable position commensurate with your talents and abilities.

The recent and indeed current scenario (fiasco) that you describe is is all part of ''Life's rich tapestry.''

Sadly though it seem' as if the moths have attacked the current tapestry according to your accounts and you need to move on as I suggested and find a new tapestry that is undamaged and thus will hopefully remain undamaged due to your efforts and a good working partnership with your new fellow teachers Thai, Filipino,Chinese, English or those from the colonies too.

Enjoy the clip below I feel it epitomizes the feelings you have or in fact should have regarding your current employer..

Edited March 4, 2015 by siampolee

[KevWaters]

That is exactly what they want now all work has been completed. Me to walk so they can keep summer pay for themselves. Schools re-open in May here.

[siampolee]

This is a game you are not going to win,listen to the advice given,this is not the U.K and I assure you that in all my years of being involved in education here I have heard your story more times than I care to remember..

The arena of strife you find yourself in is indeed a well used and well known one here

All you might do and I stress might do is win a battle, but believe me you are not going to win the war.

I leave you with a quote from Sun Tzu which if you look at it you may come to understand your situation.In my view the latter situation

• Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.

[lostinisaan]

This is a game you are not going to win,listen to the advice given,this is not the U.K and I assure you that in all my years of being involved in education here I have heard your story more times than I care to remember..

The arena of strife you find yourself in is indeed a well used and well known one here

All you might do and I stress might do is win a battle, but believe me you are not going to win the war.

I leave you with a quote from Sun Tzu which if you look at it you may come to understand your situation.In my view the latter situation

• Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.

Okay, I have scheduled a meeting with the Director of my current school for 3 hours time.

Basically, I would like to know as much as possible that I can mention to them to get them worried about being reported.

In a nutshell, they (1 person but her voice reigns supreme) have harassed me from my first day at the school. They tell me that my lesson plan (such as teaching about Guy Fawkes Night on 5th November) is not interesting, not popular and not relevant. They tell me that I think I am a superhero and look down on Thai people (despite having a Thai wife and Son). They hassle my students asking for information about my lessons to the extent that they come to me asking what is wrong. Also, they sent out a warning letter to me that was completely inaccurate stating they could cancel my contract with immediate effect if things did not improve. I presume all this was because they wanted to cut my 12 month contract short and not pay me for the holiday period. I pointed out the inaccuracies in warning letter and now they wont let me have a copy because I only complained to the Director now at the end of the term, and not at the time. In my defence, I was given the letter during a meeting with the Head of Department and made my feelings very clear at the time. Also, did not want to cause more of a stir midterm, I was just taking the abuse on the chin back then (with the exception of a 7,000 word complaint sent to the Head of Department about this persons behaviour).

Dear OP,

You were given excellent advice already in various posts. Please read the first part of your own post again and you might see the answers to your questions.

"You've scheduled a meeting with the director for three hours time?" You received a warning letter, for whatever reason and you stated that somebody "harassed" you from day one.

You do not seem to understand that it's their right to let you know when you go completely off topic with "Guy Fawkes." You should have said yes and started something that's more suitable for your students.

There're too many signs in my understanding to look for another job before midterm, but you did continue working there. A 7,000 word complain wouldn't be read by anybody, not even thinking about translating it into Thai.......

Why don't you take it as a man, accept that you won't get paid for the "summer holidays", because they just don't want to continue with you?

As quite a few others have pointed out, it's really time to move on, forget the money for the whole April and May, try to learn through your mistakes and see it as it is.

Life's really too short to waste time for something you won't have a chance to win. Why didn't you walk away after receiving your warning letter?

Whatever you'll decide, I wish you best of luck for your future, without having Guy Fawkes's adventures in mind.

[casualbiker]

Scott was right when he said that you were being set up. 2 months paid vacation from a Thai school? That statement would set off warning bells right away. I don't know of any school in Thailand, except for some of the International Schools, that would give that much paid time off to a teacher.

I rather expect that the school interprets 2 months off as two months of signing in every day, doing some redundant paperwork, teaching a few students and playing a lot of solitaire in the staffroom.

At my school about 5 years ago we used to get 12 month contracts with no need to do summer schools.

Now we need to do a 15 day summer program. Mid march to mid April. The rest of the time is holiday, no sign in etc. October is holiday!

If we don't do the summer course then it's 11months paid.

[quandow]

<snip> "I disagree with what you say about Guy Fawkes not being relevant to any school other than an International School." <snip>

This statement alone shows you really don't get Thai schools. A fellow teacher at my current school has on numerous occasions asked his Social Studies students to draw maps of the world. They draw Thailand. This myopic, xenophobic country doesn't CARE about other countries' accomplishments or embarrassments. You are obviously a bad fit at that school. Just seek life elsewhere and learn from your experiences there. Best of luck to you!

[tingtongtourist]

recom273

Posted Today, 14:29

Is this your first or second gig ?

I just want to say as someone who has been through it before, successful teachers aren't necessarily good teachers, teachers who smile and can play the system are usually successful.

I think you need to find a balance that suits you.

I would say that a successful teacher in Thailand is someone who perseveres every day to actually teach and discipline his students without letting the system discourage or stop him from teaching.

Teachers who give up and only play the system in my mind have completely failed themselves and their students. I don't know how anyone could live with themselves when they have no purpose at work other than self survival in the so-called system, especially when they work in education because it's the students who suffer.

To the OP, you may want to seek professional counseling sooner than later...

What has he done that makes you think he needs to see a shrink? I hear so many pompous posters on here say this many times when they do not know the person or his real situation.

It sucks to be victimised when all your doing is trying to do the best for the students and are the victim of petty jealousy.

yes, a 7000 word letter to a Thai in charge is a bit of a nonsensical strategy, but i guess the guy is still thinking in western mode.

Get a life and stop trying to knock others down. It is painfully obvious you and others like you use the "professional help" cards to try and distract from your own incompetencies and insecurities

[KevWaters]

hey kev u post:

"I booked a flight to see my family at the end of March"

then you admit,

" I am "contracted until 31st April" (it's actually 5th May on the contract but they are trying to dodge a weeks pay). I know I am contracted until then,"

my question is:

?were you required to work until end of april/5th of may? or does your contract say you can take a holiday before your contract terminates?

Well, it is a 12 month contract so it ends on the new term start date. It doesn't specify particular holiday dates but these contracts never do. The teacher must get some before the new term starts. It is usually 1 month for a Thai, 2 month for a Farang. They led me to believe I would get around 6 weeks when I told them about my holiday plans. Like most other Thai schools they can't get anything organised until the last minute so they never know what to tell the teachers. If I were to ask them now when I could take annual leave they wouldn't be able to give me an answer.

[KevWaters]

recom273

Posted Today, 14:29

Is this your first or second gig ?

I just want to say as someone who has been through it before, successful teachers aren't necessarily good teachers, teachers who smile and can play the system are usually successful.

I think you need to find a balance that suits you.

I would say that a successful teacher in Thailand is someone who perseveres every day to actually teach and discipline his students without letting the system discourage or stop him from teaching.

Teachers who give up and only play the system in my mind have completely failed themselves and their students. I don't know how anyone could live with themselves when they have no purpose at work other than self survival in the so-called system, especially when they work in education because it's the students who suffer.

To the OP, you may want to seek professional counseling sooner than later...

What has he done that makes you think he needs to see a shrink? I hear so many pompous posters on here say this many times when they do not know the person or his real situation.

It sucks to be victimised when all your doing is trying to do the best for the students and are the victim of petty jealousy.

yes, a 7000 word letter to a Thai in charge is a bit of a nonsensical strategy, but i guess the guy is still thinking in western mode.

Get a life and stop trying to knock others down. It is painfully obvious you and others like you use the "professional help" cards to try and distract from your own incompetencies and insecurities

The 7,000 word letter was a summary of everything that had happened to date sent by email to the Head of Department. It was not intended to be read by a Thai person but could be relied upon in the future should the matter go to the court. It would be my only real solid peace of evidence as the Thai teachers will no doubt stick together and deny everything.

I agree, it can be frustrating when people talk about shrinks when you are obviously experiencing a crisis at work. I too have seen it many times here so wont take it personally. It is just a way of someone trying to stick the knife in because they are unhappy with the way things are going for themselves. If you see my posts you can see I don't want to be "surviving" at this school forever. I'm battling through until the end of the contract trying to get what is rightfully mine and fully deserve after putting up with so much crap from them over the last year.

I don't feel like I should "be a man" as one poster says and walk away leaving all the two month salary behind. Meanwhile, I would be struggling to bring up my son in a different Country after paying housing deposits and other settling costs. I think to fight for every baht would be more ideal if it will help us.

[cgphuket]

Sounds like you know what you need to do. Things will not getter better once they start to go bad.

[puchooay]

Scott was right when he said that you were being set up. 2 months paid vacation from a Thai school? That statement would set off warning bells right away. I don't know of any school in Thailand, except for some of the International Schools, that would give that much paid time off to a teacher.

I rather expect that the school interprets 2 months off as two months of signing in every day, doing some redundant paperwork, teaching a few students and playing a lot of solitaire in the staffroom.

My last teaching job did just that. A private school in Issan. I received 12 full months salary. My break in summer usually started around 19th March. After that I was free until about 5th May. I used to get most of October off too. I also received a full months salary as a new year bonus.

I walked away a year ago. Couldn't take the BS and particularly the two teachers who felt their pronunciation was better than mine.

Great contract but some things just aren't worth the hassle.