advice for personality conflict with director

whynot
Posts: 35
Joined: Wed Nov 06, 2013 5:52 am

Re: advice for personality conflict with director

Post by whynot »

I've been through this as well. It was just my time, the longer you are on the circuit the more likely this is to happen. Everyone thinks this couldn't happen to them, but like other posters I've seen it happen regularly. Most times your strengths and weaknesses will be ok in a school, sometimes they will put you at risk.

Try not to take it too hard. There is life after this, you will be able to carry on and have an international career (if that's what you want).
Spawnboy99
Posts: 138
Joined: Sat Jun 21, 2014 9:14 pm

Re: advice for personality conflict with director

Post by Spawnboy99 »

Understand how you feel. I had a school I worked at was their for close to three years. When I told them I was leaving at the end of my contract they started to act funny, even stopped paying me, this happened a couple of times so I left. The sad thing is the head is still angry and when I have started to apply for jobs now they are still contacting my last two schools and the HOD is saying terrible things. Was thinking about taking it off my CV but then it's a three year gap between jobs.
PsyGuy
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Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

Reply

Post by PsyGuy »

@spawnboy99

Unless the IS or HOS is a known nutter or sociopath you dont have anything to worry about really. Otherwise, change the name and contact details of the school. You did the same things in the same country. When they go to contact the school they wont get anything back and they will have to make whatever decision on the positive references they do have.
Spawnboy99
Posts: 138
Joined: Sat Jun 21, 2014 9:14 pm

Re: advice for personality conflict with director

Post by Spawnboy99 »

@PsyGuy
what do you mean change the name and contact details of the school saying make up something that is lying and could bite someone in the arse ?
PIEGUY
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Feb 09, 2015 12:06 pm

Re: advice for personality conflict with director

Post by PIEGUY »

@spawnboy99:

No-one is suggesting that lies are required. That would be unbecoming of an international, professional educator. What is suggested is that it's sometimes possible to be economical with the available facts. Governments do it all the time. However, explaining a gap of three years would require advanced creativity, not to mention a well established and watertight network to support your alternative theories. The alternative is being forced into a situation where it's necessary to tell the unbridled truth - in this case, that the admin were money grubbing entrapment artists and you (justifiably) fled. If bottoms must be bitten, it may as well be in a good cause: the unequivocal truth.
wrldtrvlr123
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Location: Japan

Re: advice for personality conflict with director

Post by wrldtrvlr123 »

spawnboy99 wrote:
> @PsyGuy
> what do you mean change the name and contact details of the school saying make up
> something that is lying and could bite someone in the arse ?
--------------------------------------
LOL. Yeah, I think that getting no response (or positive confirmation that the person lied about the school etc) would be worse than a bad reference that could possibly explained/rationalized. I guess some people would take that gamble.
Spawnboy99
Posts: 138
Joined: Sat Jun 21, 2014 9:14 pm

Re: advice for personality conflict with director

Post by Spawnboy99 »

Interesting what people think, I know for a fact a didn't get a couple of jobs because of this, was surprised that schools would contact this school. My school I was at for five years had great references from them and was shocked that schools contacted others, so looks like I have to be creative in the cv but changing the name to a real/fake school seems surprising. Just which that the schools I applied for could at least discuss this, shame that it comes too this and getting lawyers involved at a last option to protect your name and creditability so you are not a victim to these scumbags, but hey lying and and making or changing the name on a cv could be easier.
PsyGuy
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Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

Discussion

Post by PsyGuy »

You would have had an opportunity to explain the negative reference during the interview. If the contracting school is going to contact the previous IS then they value that HOSs recommendation and opinion. If they didnt, why bother contacting the previous IS to begin with.

Since their is a negative outcome from the previous IS which results in a negative offer, changing the school name and contact information that leads to nothing results in no negative evaluation, and there is nothing to explain. The applicant doesnt know what happened, maybe the school closed, moved, etc. This leaves the hiring school with nothing but the positive references and experience history. Once you have another positive IS reference to further bury the negative one in your resume you can add the previous authentic IS details, or you can wait until their is a change in the admin at the previous IS.
There is nothing to "find out" you cant prove or disprove a ghost.
coughingfurballs
Posts: 24
Joined: Sun Mar 08, 2015 3:41 am

Re: advice for personality conflict with director

Post by coughingfurballs »

Thank you for all of the replies! I wanted to update and say that the situation is resolved: the director is moving on next year. Apparently some influential parents complained about other issues with her (not to do with me). Hopefully this information will be of use to anyone else who finds themselves in a personality conflict with a director/supervisor: if that supervisor is really not doing a good job, the situation might resolve itself if you can just keep a good attitude and go about your job without making waves.

I want to think about moving to the next run in the IS ladder in a year or so anyway, but I do love my current school and have enjoyed my time here, and I am so relieved that things will go back to normal here soon. I am very relieved that I will have the luxury of looking for my next school from the safety of a place I truly enjoy, without having to scramble to just take the first thing that comes up. There is justice in the (IS) world!
eion_padraig
Posts: 408
Joined: Sat Dec 11, 2010 8:18 pm

Re: advice for personality conflict with director

Post by eion_padraig »

Good to hear it's looking like it will all work out. Although on the other hand, it's a bit concerning parents can do that if they're not on the Board.
PsyGuy
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Location: Northern Europe

Inquiry

Post by PsyGuy »

@coughingfurballs

It would appear your IS is in need of an administrator next year, and given the lateness of the hiring term, you may consider approaching influential members of ownership and parents and consider what opportunities would be available in your current location.
Bij Bam
Posts: 27
Joined: Thu Mar 20, 2014 9:08 am

Re: advice for personality conflict with director

Post by Bij Bam »

I've had this experience, too, this year. Kids and parents loved me, yet it seemed I couldn't do anything right in the eyes of the director. Tried to keep an open mind and adapt my teaching to her wishes as far as I could while still adhering to PYP and my own standards, but whatever I did, she considered it below standard. Even subjected myself to ludicrous measures to 'help' me improve my teaching, but at a certain point I just had enough. I quit. It's a decision that was not easily made, but I haven't regretted it for a second yet. Financially it's going to be a bit tight to bridge the gap till the next school year, but I'll manage.

Now I'm left to try and explain to the schools that are interested in me for next year how come I quit in the middle of the year. And always having gone by the motto that you don't say anything negative about your previous employers, I'm not sure what to tell them. And what guarantee can I give them that I won't quit mid-year again? It's a legitimate worry that has been voiced a few times already in interviews. Maybe the answer to that should be, "My first concern is my students' well-being, and as long as I'm not subjected to this type of continuous bullying, it will always remain that way." :-)

Any tips on how to handle these questions in interviews?

In itself it was a useful experience though. I can now say that I've experienced serious bullying first-hand, and now I'm more convinced than ever that no one - be it students or teachers or anyone - should have to put up with this.

Plus it taught me that being a good teacher is - up to a point - a matter of subjective opinion. The way to succeed is actually to find a school that matches your personality and your preferred teaching style. And I get the impression that's mostly a matter of trial and error...
PsyGuy
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Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:51 am
Location: Northern Europe

Reply

Post by PsyGuy »

@Bij Bam

THE GOOD:

Build a supporting collection of references and testimonials from co teachers, other administrators, and parents. Then continue what your doing and presenting the one negative references as an outlier. Minimize the time you spend on your past experience, focus on what you learned and what you accomplished and what your value is to the new IS.

THE BAD:

Ghost the experience, take it off your resume, and you were working on something else or on yourself for that period of time. Now you have nothing to explain. Once youve worked at another IS or two you can add the experience back to your resume buried under the more recent ISs

THE UGLY:

Modify your resume with a different IS name and use an associate to give you a positive reference, or use contact information that goes nowhere. With nothing to confirm or deny, the IS will have to make an offer decision on what they do have available, which likely will be positive. The result is they have a handful of references that are positive and one they couldnt get a hold of, and there are plenty of reasons why that may be.
JiminyCricket
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Oct 30, 2015 5:14 am

Re: advice for personality conflict with director

Post by JiminyCricket »

This is a very common occurrence in international schools. The network of international schools lacks accountability and promotes mediocre individuals into the In-Club, where they swirl around urinating in each other's pockets. What needs to be pointed out - in whatever forum you think is most appropriate - is the fact that promoted individuals are not necessarily more competent or able than unpromoted folk. Some of these mediocre "leaders" approach every decision from that faulty standpoint and enjoy wielding the power over the underlings who are fearful of their favour when it comes time to obtain a reference. Some of these seatwarmers need to be brought down. Good luck with that.
The best advice seems to be to move on to another position but to do your homework first. It's a shame that no-one has the gumption to break the circuit by sacking these also-rans running the schools, laughing at each other's mediocrity. This is why the turnover in international schools is so high and why so many of these institutions are sterile, uncreative places where any question or observation is perceived as dissent.
I'm in favour of standing up to them and calling their bluff, especially if you are the competent one.
Overhere
Posts: 497
Joined: Wed Dec 05, 2007 3:29 am

Re: advice for personality conflict with director

Post by Overhere »

"where they swirl around urinating in each other's pockets"-great visual which oh so describes my school
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