Job Discussion Forums

moscowtime · Joined: 05 Dec 2007 Posts: 4 Location: Medan, Indonesia

This one is located in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. I came there in July 2007, after my posting on "seriousteachers.com" was answered by the school owner.
Since that time I have been writing notes about the school, its management and its philosophy. It seems that now it's the right time to make these Notes public.
< http://geocities.com/moscowtime >
then you find in this page a link to "Some Notes about SUB". The reading will be rather long, equivalent to 10-12 typed pages, but could be entertaining and kind of funny.
If you will have some comments about the Notes, post them here as replies.
Permission to reproduce, to quote and to link to the Notes is granted - Notes are in Public Domain.

With best wishes to all aspiring teachers
Boris N. Kazak, Ph.D. in Engineering

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

I read most of your notes, though I skipped the computing bit. That school is a very shabby operation - indeed one of the worst that I have heard of in Indonesia.

However... what on Earth were you thinking of when you accepted a job offering USD650 per month? Nobody works at a NatPlus or international school for that.

Secondly, didn't the alarm bells ring for you when you read the bit about 'or 1000USD excluding paperwork'?

I sympathise deeply with you and the other staff at that awful school, but there is no way I would have walked into that one. The warning signs were very obvious indeed.

meteor · Joined: 05 Dec 2007 Posts: 4

Professor Kazak, sorry to hear that. Come to Jakarta, plenty of schools are desperately seeking teachers. But not EF though!

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

Terrific read.

Pack your bags and head off elsewhere, no fannying around. That woman sounds like a c""t. Indonesia has FAR better to offer.

..she and I into the night la la la...

renzobenzo1 · Joined: 22 Oct 2007 Posts: 85

sounds heavy dude....sorry to hear....
umm go easy on the ink next time yeh Laughing

moscowtime · Joined: 05 Dec 2007 Posts: 4 Location: Medan, Indonesia

for all aspiring teachers and job seekers. I understand now that simple preventive steps would have blocked this "adventure" by just not allowing it to happen.
1. I should request the working visa to be issued to the Indonesian Consulate in MY country, rather than going there as visitor.
2. The airline ticket from my country to Indonesia should be purchased by the school, them mailed or E-mailed to me.
3. Unfortunately, Indonesia has nothing like Better Business Bureau, but in any case it is sometimes possible to collect independent information about the employer.

As the situation is now, I am leaving the school and the country.
Wish you all happy contracts, I'll take a break for several months...then perhaps try China. The climate there is better and governmental controls seem to be more efficient.