Lying, unstable directors...
Posted: Thu Apr 02, 2015 12:03 pm
Hello All,
My husband and I are in our third year of international teaching (and teaching, period). Thus far we have had a real string of bad luck, and I am looking for advice as to how we move forward.
First, as new teachers we don't have a long list of former supervisors to put on job applications. We have held exactly two positions. Our second position, which was originally to have been through the end of the 2016 school year, ended when we and three other teachers new to our school had to leave the country due to changes in visa laws. We have great references from the Director of this school.
It is with our first school the problem exists. The Director under whom worked is currently being pushed out on a year's leave of absence. Her incompetence was completely destroying the school. Enough parents and embassies (this school serves the children of staff members from several different embassies) complained with such vigor that the school's parent-organization forced the director to leave. The behaviors that necessitated this leave made our tenure under this director challenging and this, combined with the director’s impeding leave, preclude our using her as a reference.
It gets worse. Newly arrived at this school during our last year was an elementary-teacher moving into the role of Director of Instruction. This person was well-known at her former school to be controlling, threatened by anyone who voiced an opinion alternate to her own, vindictive, petty, and especially sensitive to perceived slights. After having been passed over for promotion at her old school (within the same organization as our school), she came to our school bound and determined to move up the corporate ladder. We gained her ire by voicing aloud concerns and by pushing to address some of the crumbling elements of the school, and committing the ultimate sin - occasionally disagreeing with her.
We left the school at the end of our two year tenure. As part of our current job search we applied for candidacy with Search Associates. Numerous positive references were submitted on our behalf, including one from our most recent supervisor. However, Search denied our candidacy on the basis of what this former Director of Instruction reported. She lied outright and egregiously. She said that we were highly problematic AND has been let go early from our contract due to unprofessional conduct. This was a complete fabrication, as in she 100% lied through her teeth.
So what do we do? We can't allow potential employers to contact either of our supervisors from our longest-held teaching positions. However, employers aren't going to want us if they can't gain a reference from this employers. It is a Catch-22 situation.
What do you suggest?
Thanks in advance for your sage advice!
My husband and I are in our third year of international teaching (and teaching, period). Thus far we have had a real string of bad luck, and I am looking for advice as to how we move forward.
First, as new teachers we don't have a long list of former supervisors to put on job applications. We have held exactly two positions. Our second position, which was originally to have been through the end of the 2016 school year, ended when we and three other teachers new to our school had to leave the country due to changes in visa laws. We have great references from the Director of this school.
It is with our first school the problem exists. The Director under whom worked is currently being pushed out on a year's leave of absence. Her incompetence was completely destroying the school. Enough parents and embassies (this school serves the children of staff members from several different embassies) complained with such vigor that the school's parent-organization forced the director to leave. The behaviors that necessitated this leave made our tenure under this director challenging and this, combined with the director’s impeding leave, preclude our using her as a reference.
It gets worse. Newly arrived at this school during our last year was an elementary-teacher moving into the role of Director of Instruction. This person was well-known at her former school to be controlling, threatened by anyone who voiced an opinion alternate to her own, vindictive, petty, and especially sensitive to perceived slights. After having been passed over for promotion at her old school (within the same organization as our school), she came to our school bound and determined to move up the corporate ladder. We gained her ire by voicing aloud concerns and by pushing to address some of the crumbling elements of the school, and committing the ultimate sin - occasionally disagreeing with her.
We left the school at the end of our two year tenure. As part of our current job search we applied for candidacy with Search Associates. Numerous positive references were submitted on our behalf, including one from our most recent supervisor. However, Search denied our candidacy on the basis of what this former Director of Instruction reported. She lied outright and egregiously. She said that we were highly problematic AND has been let go early from our contract due to unprofessional conduct. This was a complete fabrication, as in she 100% lied through her teeth.
So what do we do? We can't allow potential employers to contact either of our supervisors from our longest-held teaching positions. However, employers aren't going to want us if they can't gain a reference from this employers. It is a Catch-22 situation.
What do you suggest?
Thanks in advance for your sage advice!