OK, so you've done the phone interview, been offered the job, and both sides have signed the contract. The months go by and you receive the usual stuff from the school: welcome pack, help with relocation, various logins that you will need when you get there etc, etc.
You think this is a very reputable school, so you hand in your notice to the landlord and book your removals. What else can you do. But it's a well known reputable school, so this is exactly what you should be doing.
Then, about 3 weeks before you are due to move, WHAM! A letter arrives from the school saying they are not going to honour the contract.
Do they give a damn that you have forgone other excellent opportunities and will now be out of work - do they hell.
Learn from my experience, and don't let this school screw you too. For the full details, with signed copies of documents to show I'm telling the truth, have a look at:
http://www.getling.org/html/breach_of_contract.html
Bavarian International School
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David Getling
- Posts: 9
- Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2012 4:21 am
- Location: Enfield, UK
- Contact:
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higgsboson
- Posts: 150
- Joined: Mon Jun 14, 2010 1:13 am
Sorry to hear about your troubles but things like this happen all the time to teachers. But God forbid, a teacher should do a runner on a school, its like he broke one of the 10 commandments.
My position has always been, if I don't like a school or just want to move on, I wait for the end of month salary, pack my bags and get out of Dodge.
My position has always been, if I don't like a school or just want to move on, I wait for the end of month salary, pack my bags and get out of Dodge.
Comment
It sucks and they owe you more then what they offered, but there isn't anything they can do. What probably happened is the teacher you were going to replace decided to stay and under German law, they have to let them keep the job. They can't really pay you a salary and benefits to just sit around, if there isn't a job for you. They really could have been jerks and just terminated you when you arrived under the probationary clause of the contract. Though under German law you'd have been entitled to more separation money, as well as social benefits. You'd have had to file a labor grivience and or sue in civil court. I'd have required 3 months salary to buy out the contract.
It's bad management and leadership on their part, and they OWE you, but they can't give you a job they don't have and they certainly can't pay you for it.
You should definitely complete a review on the ISR forums, and send a letter with copies to Search, and ISS, as well as to the IBO inspectorate (audit and governess). If it were me I would also contact the German ministry of labor, education, and immigration (one letter bunch of addresses).
BUT you need to take down the website if you ever want to work in international education. Schools as a matter of normal procedures do a "google" check of potential candidates, and they are going to take one look at your site, and say "we don't want that kind of potential problem".
That whole your word is your bond line is just that, its a line, and the perpetuation of fear, that allows abusive schools to continue their practices. That said its not a fair system, there is a bigger global teacher pool, then there is IS demand. A school no matter how bad can always get a teacher, its just a matter of increasing the money, or lowering their standards
Life is too short to be unhappy, but you don't have to put this school on your résumé, so warn others, and then move on.
It's bad management and leadership on their part, and they OWE you, but they can't give you a job they don't have and they certainly can't pay you for it.
You should definitely complete a review on the ISR forums, and send a letter with copies to Search, and ISS, as well as to the IBO inspectorate (audit and governess). If it were me I would also contact the German ministry of labor, education, and immigration (one letter bunch of addresses).
BUT you need to take down the website if you ever want to work in international education. Schools as a matter of normal procedures do a "google" check of potential candidates, and they are going to take one look at your site, and say "we don't want that kind of potential problem".
That whole your word is your bond line is just that, its a line, and the perpetuation of fear, that allows abusive schools to continue their practices. That said its not a fair system, there is a bigger global teacher pool, then there is IS demand. A school no matter how bad can always get a teacher, its just a matter of increasing the money, or lowering their standards
Life is too short to be unhappy, but you don't have to put this school on your résumé, so warn others, and then move on.
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David Getling
- Posts: 9
- Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2012 4:21 am
- Location: Enfield, UK
- Contact:
Re: Reply
[quote="kfssbjj"]You should always have a plan B.
At least they were going to give you some money. With all of your crying it sounds as if they made the right decision. They will probably be better off without you.[/quote]
Well, kfssbjj, what do you do when your not posting here? Sit under bridges, waiting to eat travellers.
Plan B? I had a legally binding contract with what I thought was a reputable school. What kind of plan should I have had? Sign a contract with several schools and then break all but one of them.
So, the school made the right decision because I bring injustices, and their perpetrators, to light? Unfortunately, many schools' ideal candidate is a brown noser who lets them kick sand in their face. But, what kids and their parents want is a teacher who is good at delivering their subject - they don't care what he posts on line.
Yes, what I've done will put a lot of schools off, but someone [stupid enough] has to start breaking the culture of fear that stops anybody speaking out.
At least they were going to give you some money. With all of your crying it sounds as if they made the right decision. They will probably be better off without you.[/quote]
Well, kfssbjj, what do you do when your not posting here? Sit under bridges, waiting to eat travellers.
Plan B? I had a legally binding contract with what I thought was a reputable school. What kind of plan should I have had? Sign a contract with several schools and then break all but one of them.
So, the school made the right decision because I bring injustices, and their perpetrators, to light? Unfortunately, many schools' ideal candidate is a brown noser who lets them kick sand in their face. But, what kids and their parents want is a teacher who is good at delivering their subject - they don't care what he posts on line.
Yes, what I've done will put a lot of schools off, but someone [stupid enough] has to start breaking the culture of fear that stops anybody speaking out.
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higgsboson
- Posts: 150
- Joined: Mon Jun 14, 2010 1:13 am
[quote] Plan B? I had a legally binding contract with what I thought was a reputable school. What kind of plan should I have had? Sign a contract with several schools and then break all but one of them. [/quote]
Believe it or not, that's exactly what you should do, and why not? You see the reactions from psyguy and kfssbjj are: tough luck is more or less what they are saying.
Schools screw over teachers all the time and I think the point is, if you need to screw over a school because its in your best interest then do so without a second thought. Never let a school guilt you into honoring a contract because as you have found out, schools will do whatever to meet that bottom line.
Believe it or not, that's exactly what you should do, and why not? You see the reactions from psyguy and kfssbjj are: tough luck is more or less what they are saying.
Schools screw over teachers all the time and I think the point is, if you need to screw over a school because its in your best interest then do so without a second thought. Never let a school guilt you into honoring a contract because as you have found out, schools will do whatever to meet that bottom line.
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antitravolta
- Posts: 88
- Joined: Sun Jul 22, 2012 10:35 am
- Location: United States
Re: Reply
[quote="kfssbjj"]You should always have a plan B.
At least they were going to give you some money. With all of your crying it sounds as if they made the right decision. They will probably be better off without you.[/quote]
In all my time on the Internet, this has to be the most trolltastic post I've ever seen. If I tore up my life to make a move to another country passing up tons of jobs, I'd be pretty upset too as would you. Get some basic human decency. Jeez.
At least they were going to give you some money. With all of your crying it sounds as if they made the right decision. They will probably be better off without you.[/quote]
In all my time on the Internet, this has to be the most trolltastic post I've ever seen. If I tore up my life to make a move to another country passing up tons of jobs, I'd be pretty upset too as would you. Get some basic human decency. Jeez.
Trolltastic indeed. Maybe Violentacrez decided to reappear here.
I would be incredibly pissed off if a school did this to me, and I think there is nothing wrong with having that webpage up. I doubt that many schools would bother to look for something like that, nor would it raise a red flag either.
Good luck on finding the next job. And don't let the bastards wear you down.
I would be incredibly pissed off if a school did this to me, and I think there is nothing wrong with having that webpage up. I doubt that many schools would bother to look for something like that, nor would it raise a red flag either.
Good luck on finding the next job. And don't let the bastards wear you down.
Yeah, I'm not really sure that they are really screwing you either. Screwing you would have been you moving there, renting a place, buying a car and then they terminated your contract. You got amble warning and I'm sorry, but the letter does seem sincere and you were offered compensation.
I understand that you're upset, I would be too. The way you are handling this though is just wrong and shows that you're a bit of a loose cannon when things don't go as planned. This sort of thing does happen a lot and that is the risk that you take with wanting to teach on the international circuit.
I'm not saying that you should have had a plan B, again you have a right to be upset, but you've gone and blown up a bridge to a good school. You've shown a side of your character and crisis management ability that will be a turnoff for others. I would have kept this matter private, negotiated a higher compensation fee with the school, kept it civil and professional and looked for employment elsewhere. I would not have made this public.
Good luck to you.
I understand that you're upset, I would be too. The way you are handling this though is just wrong and shows that you're a bit of a loose cannon when things don't go as planned. This sort of thing does happen a lot and that is the risk that you take with wanting to teach on the international circuit.
I'm not saying that you should have had a plan B, again you have a right to be upset, but you've gone and blown up a bridge to a good school. You've shown a side of your character and crisis management ability that will be a turnoff for others. I would have kept this matter private, negotiated a higher compensation fee with the school, kept it civil and professional and looked for employment elsewhere. I would not have made this public.
Good luck to you.
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David Getling
- Posts: 9
- Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2012 4:21 am
- Location: Enfield, UK
- Contact:
[quote="WeDoDude"]I would have kept this matter private, negotiated a higher compensation fee with the school, kept it civil and professional and looked for employment elsewhere.[/quote]
Before creating this page, I did indeed try to negotiate higher compensation. After first trying personally, and being ignored, I then had my lawyer send the school a letter, which was also ignored. Finally I told them exactly the kind of web page I was going to produce, and was still ignored.
So, as you can see, I gave these arrogant people numerous opportunities to settle this in a civil and private manner. But it didn't work. So should I have let them just get away with it - and thus encourage them to do the same thing to someone else?
If I'd got the warning I'm now giving others there's an excellent chance that I would now be back teaching at a school where I really liked both my colleagues and the kids. That's part of what Bavarian International School has cost me.
Before creating this page, I did indeed try to negotiate higher compensation. After first trying personally, and being ignored, I then had my lawyer send the school a letter, which was also ignored. Finally I told them exactly the kind of web page I was going to produce, and was still ignored.
So, as you can see, I gave these arrogant people numerous opportunities to settle this in a civil and private manner. But it didn't work. So should I have let them just get away with it - and thus encourage them to do the same thing to someone else?
If I'd got the warning I'm now giving others there's an excellent chance that I would now be back teaching at a school where I really liked both my colleagues and the kids. That's part of what Bavarian International School has cost me.
Don't feed the troll. David Getling is a known poster over at the TES forums and he pulls stuff like this with schools all the time. He hasn't yet completed a contract.
Also, David Getling, whatever point you're trying to make it totally lost with your childish looking website. Who is going to take something like that seriously and NOT believe you're a loose cannon? You've lost sympathy over at the TES forums, so you're bringing your drama over here.
Taken from your website: "Notice the slight smugness in it and the derisory compensation offered, considering I had foregone other employment opportunities."
I don't even have the patience to look at the rest of this amateurish drivel. The school was well rid of you. Perhaps they caught wind of all the other drama and nonsense you've caused at other schools.
Also, David Getling, whatever point you're trying to make it totally lost with your childish looking website. Who is going to take something like that seriously and NOT believe you're a loose cannon? You've lost sympathy over at the TES forums, so you're bringing your drama over here.
Taken from your website: "Notice the slight smugness in it and the derisory compensation offered, considering I had foregone other employment opportunities."
I don't even have the patience to look at the rest of this amateurish drivel. The school was well rid of you. Perhaps they caught wind of all the other drama and nonsense you've caused at other schools.
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David Getling
- Posts: 9
- Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2012 4:21 am
- Location: Enfield, UK
- Contact:
[quote="sevarem"]Don't feed the troll. David Getling is a known poster over at the TES forums and he pulls stuff like this with schools all the time. He hasn't yet completed a contract.[/quote]
That time of the month again is it?
Now, in case you didn't know, a troll is some who [almost always anonymously] makes posts like yours :lol:
And as for the comment about completing contracts, it couldn't be more wrong. If you had the patience (and decency) to check, you would see that I just completed one - and have completed many, many more. But, you're the kind of person who ignores facts when they contradict your own cherished views.
By the way, I haven't seen this alias on the TES forums. Don't you think using more than one alias is a little paranoid?
That time of the month again is it?
Now, in case you didn't know, a troll is some who [almost always anonymously] makes posts like yours :lol:
And as for the comment about completing contracts, it couldn't be more wrong. If you had the patience (and decency) to check, you would see that I just completed one - and have completed many, many more. But, you're the kind of person who ignores facts when they contradict your own cherished views.
By the way, I haven't seen this alias on the TES forums. Don't you think using more than one alias is a little paranoid?
Sorry
I can tell your really hurting about this, and you threatened them and now have made good on that threat, but vengeance doesnt impress people. You certainly should let people know (thats why this website exists), but stamping your name all over it in a big F-U to the school is not helping you and thats what it should really be about now, is helping you.
I think you were wronged, I think they owe you a lot more, and they should be ashamed of themselves, life isnt fair though.
I think you were wronged, I think they owe you a lot more, and they should be ashamed of themselves, life isnt fair though.
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David Getling
- Posts: 9
- Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2012 4:21 am
- Location: Enfield, UK
- Contact:
Re: Sorry
[quote="PsyGuy"]IYou certainly should let people know (thats why this website exists), but stamping your name all over it in a big F-U to the school is not helping you.[/quote]
You are right about this, but I'm one of those people who believe that if you've got something to say then you should have the courage to put your name to it - I guess I'm real lucky I don't live under a totalitarian regime, otherwise I'd have disappeared long ago.
Also, I included all the documentation, so that there could be no doubt that I am telling the truth: and it has my name on it, anyway.
If by big F-U you mean the artwork, this was very carefully thought out and deliberate. I wanted to create a dark atmosphere, to match the nature of the deed. The faces are Judas Iscariot, from the last supper, and the sides are Borsch.
You are right about this, but I'm one of those people who believe that if you've got something to say then you should have the courage to put your name to it - I guess I'm real lucky I don't live under a totalitarian regime, otherwise I'd have disappeared long ago.
Also, I included all the documentation, so that there could be no doubt that I am telling the truth: and it has my name on it, anyway.
If by big F-U you mean the artwork, this was very carefully thought out and deliberate. I wanted to create a dark atmosphere, to match the nature of the deed. The faces are Judas Iscariot, from the last supper, and the sides are Borsch.
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higgsboson
- Posts: 150
- Joined: Mon Jun 14, 2010 1:13 am
I'm at a lovely and reputable school that has treated me well, kept every promise they made, invested in my smooth relocation; the students are great, the technology is great - everything is great.
Except that I see a better opportunity elsewhere and so I'm about to do a runner and the only notification the school will get is a 2 word text message - "I quit" - after I get my end of month salary.
Its experiences like David's that justify teachers doing runners for whatever reason they want. I see a better opportunity so I'm going to take because I know this lovely and reputable school would do me over in an instant just like BIS did over David and the only consolation I could expect from my colleagues would be "get over it."
So thank you David for sharing your experience and in the future, just be sure to do them before they do you.
Except that I see a better opportunity elsewhere and so I'm about to do a runner and the only notification the school will get is a 2 word text message - "I quit" - after I get my end of month salary.
Its experiences like David's that justify teachers doing runners for whatever reason they want. I see a better opportunity so I'm going to take because I know this lovely and reputable school would do me over in an instant just like BIS did over David and the only consolation I could expect from my colleagues would be "get over it."
So thank you David for sharing your experience and in the future, just be sure to do them before they do you.