Job Discussion Forums

[gaijinalways]

One topic I haven't seen on this board is about teachers who seem to disappear. I have a few interesting stories to share.

The first is a case where we heard that immigration ws involved. Still not sure of all the details, but this teacher just disappeared and the most we could get out of someone who came later was that the police showed up at the building where both of them were living ( in separate apartments) and took him away for an immigration violation. It was rumored that his university diploma was a fake.

Another one was an instructor who went on vacation and never came back. She left with her husband to take a vacation in Canada, never came back and we never heard from her again.

Anyone have any weird stories about teachers who seemed to disappear?

[halif]

A few years ago one of my colleagues told me in confidence that she was going to leave in one week without telling anyone. It was awful. As her day of escape got closer I realised just how much of a logistical nightmare her sudden absence was going to cause but I kept my mouth shut.

I wished she hadn't told me she was going to leave because it put me in a tricky position. She said she "just wanted to tell me so she could say 'goodbye'".

I ended up saying nothing but I felt pretty terrible when the 'day of disappearance' rolled around and I had to feign surprise with other members of staff when she didn't show up. I'm a horrible actor and I was worried that someone would see through my pathetic performance (I think I slapped my hands to my face in the manner of Macaulay Culkin in 'Home Alone' and screamed - and then ran away before they could ask me to cover her classes!).

I did end up offering to cover one of her classes because I felt guilty for keeping her 'dirty secret'. It turned out to be a hideous class - maybe that's why she left...

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

JETs who go home for a vacation during Christmas, or summer, or spring and just do not return are not uncommon.

A surprising number of JETs (based on the reputation of the programme) are actually about half a step away from quitting a big chunk of the time. Other JETs either talk them out of it (very, very common), or occasionally talk them into it.

[sigmoid]

Let's face it folks living overseas is not easy.

Then throw in the fact that not everybody is cut out for teaching.

Plus any other potential hassles depending on the country/situation such as the students, the administration, your fellow teachers [a bunch of nutters undoubtedly], low pay, lack of benefits, general insanity, etc.

...and it's no wonder that many people just simply disappear.

Also, there are other factors like immigration problems as you mentioned and the fact that teachers can choose from an increasingly large number of countries and jobs. I like to keep the rumor of my imminent departure floating around so if I disappear myself no one will be too shocked.

I think in most cases schools have no one but themselves to blame, either for hiring the obviously wrong people or for not taking care of their good teachers.

[merlin]

I believe the original question was more concerened with people who just dissapear rather than those who "pull a runner".

I mean there are lots of threads in this forum about people just packing their bags and leaving on a friday afternoon. But what if they didn't pack their bags? What if they not so much leave as just don't return home?

A few times i've got home from a trip with just a few coins in my pocket and had a few lean weeks until payday. Of course I had a reserve if I was desperate but what if I hadn't and my cash had run out a little sooner?

Then there's the party that lasts a little too long and you wake up god knows where and spend the whole morning figuring out which bus/train to take to get back to the city you live in. What if I had done that on my first weekend in-country? Would I have found my way home?

Then there are always little green men.

[Boy Wonder]

There was a teacher X in Alexandropoulis, Greece in the late 90's......(are you reading this?).....He hated the school owner so much and felt so disrespected that he told his teenage students midway through one afternoon class that he was just going to photocopy a couple a few worksheets on the school photocopier and could they quietly get on with their work!!!

20 minutes later and one of the students found the school owner to ask where teacher X was......!!
They searched the school in every classroom, office, bathroom and cubbyhole looking for teacher X.
Finally after calling his school accommodation without reply they( school owner and admin staff went to his flat to find it empty..bereft of all his belongings!!

Teacher X had done it in consumate style.....royally giving the finger to those who had made his worklife hell.
He'd left mid-class for the bus and then the airport and a flight to the UK...

No letter of resignation or working out his notice for that man....!!

[wix]

A case of a teacher that disappeared was that of Fred Frontier in Taiwan. He was last seen in Taroko Gorge in June 2003. His body was never found. Although the predictable conspiracy theories floated around it was most likely that he had an accident while out hiking. If you have a look at Taiwan Ho or Forumosa you will find plenty of information (and speculation) about it.

[guangho]

Not teaching but I once worked for a psychotic law firm associate who had a new paralegal every three months for obvious reasons. We formed a support group that met in Brooklyn and cursed the U.S. economy every couple of weeks.

Anyhoo.... her boss, the firm owner, regularly bounced paychecks so I got to the point of insisting on cash. One glorious spring Friday I picked up the pittance, went to luch and never came back.

[Justin Trullinger]

The stories about teachers going on vacation and not returning...is that weird? Really? Regrettably, it seems to happen all the time where I am. From what I get talking to other institutes in Quito, going home "for a few weeks" and not returning is somewhat more common than actually giving a leaving date and working up to it.

It hasn't happened to me yet, but I haven't been in charge for that long...I'm sure it's only a matter of time.

We had an associate go mountain climbing and not come back for a rather long time a few years ago...but he was found. ALive, too. Just a little lost and cold.

And during the riots that frequently plague Quito, communication is occasionally down, so I may have had a few teachers who I couldn't locate for a few hours...but they always turn up safe and sound by the end of the class day.


Justin

[dmb]

I used to work at a place that paid on the last day of the month at 6pm. One day the pay wasn't there(traffic- the secretary was held up) so teachers had to start lessons at 6pm and were told they would be paid at 6.50 in the first break. 2 teachers had already decided they were leaving/doing a runner after they were paid. so they did and left 30 students wondering where their teachers were. I was especially pissed off as I had my own class(intermediate) and had to cover their classes-advanced and elementary- at the same time.