Job Discussion Forums

treacle · Joined: 18 Jun 2007 Posts: 36 Location: the hills

Llama I have no idea how you think a parallel can be drawn to tipping in restaurants.

After all, when you walk into a restaurant do you suddenly become the employer of the wait staff? Is there a law that governs tipping in restaurants? Does the maitre'd walk over to your table an request you pay 300,000 tip?

Another load of bad press for EF this is... and ILP

benbobaggins · Joined: 17 Sep 2007 Posts: 60 Location: Jakarta

wailing_imam · Joined: 31 Mar 2006 Posts: 580 Location: Malaya

More private language school weaselry. Unbelievable.

DO NOT PAY. It is not your responsibility, and further adds to the idea of the benevolent white man, helping his subordinate brown colleagues, when it is clearly not necessary to do so. How are the people in post colonial nations ever to get away from their notions of inferiority when stuff like this goes on?

xsbir · Joined: 09 Oct 2006 Posts: 81 Location: The Big Durian

Thank you everyone for answering my questions regarding this issue. You've all given me ammunition and firmed my resolve not to pay up when it will probably be demanded from me/us tomorrow when classes start up again.

Just to clarify: it is not the school nor the owners who request this from us. It is the principal/DOS himself, and I do believe that he hands the money over to the staff. It is only that I otherwise have so much respect for the man that I've cooperated before.

In previous years I understood that the school was somehow weasling its way out of paying its staff their Idul Fitri bonus, so that's why we were doing it. Now the DOS says no, that's not true, but this is the one time every year when we bule should recognise that this Indonesian support staff exists. Wailing Imam's claim of post-colonialism notions ring true.

To me it's still about principal. If it were an envelope being passed around for anonymous donations I'd be glad to put in money, perhaps even more than Rp300,000. I just don't like being told how much to donate of my own money. Thanks to you all for your support.

Llamalicious · Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 4:44 pm Post subject:

@treacle: You'll notice I didn't say which side of the debate I came down on. Many people (USAnians especially, where this idea seems to be more entrenched) feel that any tip less than 10-15% is an insult.

malu · Joined: 22 Apr 2007 Posts: 1344 Location: Sunny Java

Let's ditch this waiters in restaurants analogy. Not relevant. It's not the chefs who tip the waiters in any restaurant that I have ever been to.