Job Discussion Forums

[In the heat of the moment]

Just a general question: What's the shortest time you or an ex-colleague has been in the employ of a school before they've been given their marching orders?

I've been thinking back and the shortest was about 2 weeks, at which point it was made clear the 'teacher' had been admitted to the wrong institution. He was unfortunately suffering from a case of paranoid schizophrenia, which might not be sufficient cause for sending home but carrying a large kitchen knife around didn't help matters

[Knedliki]

At my first job in China a young Scottish man of Indian heritage started work. He had a strong Scottish accent that was difficult for native speakers to follow clearly.

On his second day he turned up hungover and fell asleep in the office, he laid down on the couch put a magazine over his face and started happily snoring away.

After a few classes some parents complained that they didn't like him. He was gone before the first week was up.

[plumpy nut]

When I was in Thailand, the private school was overrun with nasty British. Some were absolute jerks, some friendly. One old teacher, usually friendly to me, would yell out shut up to the students when they got noisy, he didn't last but a few weeks. Some of the British were worthy of something I cant go into any further. Unfortunately some of these same ones were there at the same school for many years. One teacher named Mickey with the qualities of a football hooligan, was a magician and would simply not show up to school if he had a magician gig somewhere, never fired. Nobody liked him. One day he met up with a Thai hooker online, they met in an apartment and he went to take a shower only to come out and see her on the back of a motorcycle with his computer and maybe some other belongings. This guy really was not liked by anybody. The women at the school some from South Africa, some from Britain were worse, again some of them had lasted for years at this school.

[scot47]

So, lots of really seedy characters and one fine upstanding specimen of humanity - Plumpy in person !

[2buckets]

A fellow showed up in Saudi Arabia, decided he didn't want to be there. Refused to go to work, refused to pay his return ticket, finally kicked out after a meeting with administration, he started taking his false teeth out and putting them on the table. Less than a week.

[scot47]

There was the infamous "Dongola John" in Saudi Arabia. There was another character whose name I have forgotten. He had already decided after being collected at the airport that Jeddah was not for him. He was most perplexed when he was told that he had to be "processed in" before arrangements could be made for him to leave.

Can someone remind me of the antics of Dongola John ?