Teacher nightmares part two
What happens when teaching in Thailand all goes horribly wrong
February 2011 - This is a case of a seemingly well-established school cutting corners and trying to 'nickel and dime' its foreign teaching staff.
I have worked in Thailand as both an English teacher and a teacher of specialized academic subjects for almost twenty years. Last week my school tried to get all the teachers to sign new contracts for next year. Nobody signed. In this new contract are steep cuts in medical benefits, an increase in taxes for teachers with work permits, and a cut in our housing stipend of 2,000 baht per month. It all adds up. Note also that our school has been operating on an oral contract for the past six years since I have been with them and signed the original contract. My questions are as follows - are we obligated to sign these contracts even if we don't agree with the terms? And are there any options for us as foreign expats in Thailand to pursue some sort of legal channel? One of the other schools in the group has given teaching staff until the end of the week to sign or else they will lose their jobs. Surely this can't be legal under Thai law?
One of our teaching staff is actually a qualified lawyer with many years of experience. He is telling all the teachers to stand their ground. He believes that if the school want to cancel our contracts, they will have to 'buy us out' so for example if a teacher has been employed at the school for over five years, he or she is entitled to a severance pay totalling at least six months salary. If a teacher has been at the school for three years, they are entitled to three months pay. But understandably a lot of teachers are getting very nervous.
This 'nickel and diming' of teachers (cutting benefits, etc) seems to be becoming a disturbing trend as we approach the time when teachers are looking to sign new contracts. I spoke to one teacher last week whose school has already cut the housing allowance and are also reducing the number of paid sick days. In addition, the school is starting new teachers on a salary that's 5,000 baht lower than the starting salary in previous years. Another teacher said that salaries are being cut at their school from mid-40K to below 40K a month. That's a hell of a drop for someone who has got used to living on a mid-40K income. This teacher also went on to say that in another attempt to claw back money, the teachers have all found their number of teaching hours increased. Firstly, does anyone have any suggestions on how the teacher in the situation above should proceed and does he have any legal recourse? Secondly, are you a teacher falling victim to these cutbacks or is it business as usual? Let us know your thoughts.
For more 'teacher nightmare' stories from 2011, check out our first teacher nightmares page.
Comments
Most people don’t put their names after a comment at least not their full real names. Who knows what some weirdo might do with my name?
By anonymous, bangkok on 2012-05-13
Why on earth are people like ‘anonymous Bangkok’ here in Thailand if they take such a negative view of it? And why not have the balls to put a name to a comment?
By Keith James, Thailand on 2012-05-12
I’m surprised they didn’t tell you “This is not England, If you weren’t in Thailand this wouldn’t happen”. In fact if you do want any justice you will have to find some place else to teach. There are countries out there where there really are laws. If you are working at a private school keep in mind that the school is nothing more than a business adventure for the owner. They will do anything to make money off of you and there is nowhere you can go to nor is there anybody who is Thai that will give a damn about your predicament. You are nothing but a resource here. That’s the way it is in Thailand.
By anonymous, Bangkok on 2012-05-12
Hi
I wish to remind you my initial comment in regards to teachers fair pay and entitlements working in Thailand and also suggested to check it out for yourselves by going to the labor office in your area and questioning it, just like my friend took the initiative to do so and now is waiting to hear back the result hopefully this month.
Instead…. the response I’m getting is the same old same old winging… we know sometimes things aren’t quite right the way we want them to be! The question is what can be done about it…. and do it! And if the result isn’t what we expected to be…. then it’s best moving on!
I’m looking forward to hear if anyone has gone to the Labor Office and to what they had to say about it.
So…. let’s try and stick to the point! Shall we?
By Anonymous, South Thailand on 2012-05-05
“Perhaps if teachers were paid like professionals and treated like professionals…“
Er, hang on… are you suggesting that they are not?
Native English Speakers are at the top of the ladder when it comes to pay and ‘allowed excuses’ for poor performance.
Sorry, but when minimum wage for a native English speaker is $10 (US) an hour I can’t garner up too much sympathy for those who feel a bit like crying when they aren’t flavor of the month all of a sudden!
By khunkrumark.com, Thailand on 2012-05-04