Read my lips…. a famous sentence by former president Bush… NOW read my lines…..
STAY AWAY don’t even consider going there, unless you want to get cheated and betrayed.
The school is a private owned one. By a Dr. *******, her sister and her brother. The mother of the three goes around and shows the family’s wealth – which they have gained doing many years – by having a lot of gold everywhere, two Mercedes cars and electric golf car to bring her easily around the school complex in Lat Phrao. At the same time books and materials to teach with are missing. Pay all your own cost to get a work permit even if you have to apply more than one time, no towels in the toilet, missing cleaning of the teachers lounge, no soap, missing backup and service to the teachers. Pay yourself for the photocopies to be used in the classroom unless you have submitted the material three weeks before. **names removed** are still walking around the place – god most wonder why.
The school has around 4200 students, of which 400 are attending the bilingual program. Therefore the school needs many foreign teachers. And believe me there are many at the school, but the human flow trough the school in one term/semester is huge. The poor kids see many farang faces doing a calendar year. Too many in one school year counted by all those foreign teachers going in and out all of the time.
The school was the first to enter The Hall of Shame….. And after some time there I and fellow new teachers DID UNDERSTAND WHY. This statement is a common one – made by many teachers that choose to stop at the same time after midterm break because of the schools many promises that were never kept. Before we left the flow of new teachers applying for the many vacant positions at the third floor of the so-called academic office was like an ice-cream shop on a sunny beach. Many went in and surely never returned. These teachers were the clever ones. Before the school went on a term break in October all new teachers where told of the schools policy of 3 weeks of paid vacation starting on either the 4th of October or the 6th. Add three weeks to the given date and one would know when to return to the teacher’s lounge for another break until the kids where back in the beginning of November. And by new teachers we mean employed teachers that started 4 or 5 month before midterm break shortly after the first term started.
When a new teacher joins the academic office to participate in an interview, the head of the department **name removed**, promises all new employees three weeks of paid vacation in the midterm break. Not one single word is mentioned about the issue…… SUMMER CAMP. The school expects all new teachers to join this, but only gives the teachers less than an few days warning before the camps opens up and no time for preparations. Not one single word is mentioned before everyone is ready to go one vacation. Of course no information was provided on what was going to happen on the summer camp or what lessons should be taught there, even that they run this kind of activity once a year. As most foreign staff already had order airplane tickets for a return home, planed other activities in there holiday or a round trip in SE Asia or just planning for some relaxing holidays with family and friends at there home or elsewhere. So Udomsuksa School thinks they can breach Thai labour law by forgetting to pay double salary on the vacation days that the new teachers are loosing for attending the summer camp. The Thai Labour act is very specific on that point.
At the same time the school doesn’t shoulder the expensive of there officers mistakes and faults, in this case a new teacher where told to go on a Saturday/Sunday weekend trip to Laos to visit the local Thai embassy to request for a non B stamp in his passport. The teacher asked several times if they where sure he should go on a Saturday as he thought no embassy would be opened in a weekend. The officer – a Pilipino lady answered “YES YOU SHALL GO”. That was of course not correct and the cost the poor chap had on that trip was a small fortune for him and a three days trip wasted on northing than waiting for the return flight because of Udomsuksa mistake.
Another teacher was told to get all the paperwork from his home done by original transcripts ect. Therefor his non b expired doing the apply process – so please return home to the native country and get another non b. The teacher did so – of course no shoulder of expense from the school and at the return with little money left in the pocket. But payday was ahead and the school had promised full payment……sooooo and that was needed after paying for a new non b and a flight ticket back home.
After the holiday the foreign teachers returns to do nothing until the kids are back - just clock in and clock out. At the return the school continued its policy to promise and do otherwise later – after the holiday the salary wasn’t into the account on time…. Even when the pay lady - the sister of the director once again promised that full salary would be paid in the month of October – vacation period or not. But payout is delayed for all foreign teachers because a Thai government pay rise for the thaistaff was one excuse. Later in the day they used another excuse, and so forth. So the next day it was another and another and another excuse not to pay salary. The following day, which was one day after the due date to pay salary for October, there where still no money in the account. Some few teachers had got there money in there account but could not withdraw them. Other teachers had kids to take care off or a mortgaged to be paid in the bank on time, but the school didn’t want to pay on time as they change policy for there new teachers regarding the issue of full paid holiday. Suddenly a new teacher shouldn’t have any payment at all for the month of October. Later in the day the salary arrived into the account but of course not as promised – an full payment – and as stated in the contract and promised at the hire. Deducted but no explanation did follow. In a sms from **name removed**, one teacher where told to come by the office and discuss the matter and gets his payment by cash… ohh “by the way we have hired another teacher to take over from you, so bye bye” he where told and send away with some pocket money.
Thai labor law states that if an employer needs to “release” an employee from the vacation promised he or she needs to pay double of a normal salary for a working day and have the acceptance of the employer to do that. Udomsuksa School didn’t even bother to ask if we wanted to do a summer camp without getting paid extra as we stand to loose our promised holidays.
Now the school has been reported for MOE, MOL, Immigration police, and a case has been send for the labor court. All the former teachers want is there full salary as promised by the school.
The school did even try to hire some of the former teachers back after forgetting to pay the full salary. Wow for a place. Now we understand the meaning when a school enters the hall of shame.
STAY AWAY
Topic: Udomsuksa School Ladprao (Read 10027 times)