Job Discussion Forums

[voltaire]

Another ESL �school� to avoid is Dimensions on Lowland Road in the Hougang/Kovan district.

One story I heard was from an erstwhile employee of the notorious I Can Read literacy centers who went there thinking he had a full-time job, sponsorship and a year�s contract but was hung out to dry after three weeks.

The DOS, a childless eunuch originally from New England, who lives the Singaporean good life thanks to his well-salaried corporate executive wife said he was very impressed with this man�s long teaching experience, and that the students all seemed to love him (as all the other teachers were virtual ESL rookies who didn�t know the present perfect tense from a hole in the ground). All this was very likely true. What the eunuch didn�t tell him was that he was merely hired because a regular teacher had to take a leave of absence since his father had just died, and he (the eunuch) was due for his two-weeks annual holiday, during which time no doubt, he had to find a man to service his wife.

So our man, the ex-ICR guy, was conscientiously teaching six to eight hours a day, and had been promised an evening IELTS class, soon to start up. Then the fun began. The assistant DOS was soon calling him in for private conferences after work in which he claimed this teacher�s Indonesian wife had been terrorizing the school, making threatening phone calls to the receptionist, claiming they were his new lovers. Of course, this was not true.

Next the meetings were about how the Singapore Ministry of Manpower was refusing to approve our man�s visa. The ass-DOS couldn�t say why. So our guy went down there himself one Saturday (at which time these offices conveniently remain open) and found out there was no problem at all. However, the kind and helpful bureaucrat discovered that Dimensions had neglected (deliberately?) to submit the key document needed to initiate the process. He had a copy of the signed contract, but not the sponsorship letter.

Still not suspecting a thing, he met the gay Chinese guy who ran Dimensions who also seemed to be mystified as how this could have happened.

The very next Monday, after another long�s day�s work, the ass-DOS called him in for another meeting.

Now Mr. Gay had decided they did not care to sponsor him after all. No reason was given. So our man went to see Mr. G, who calmly said according to Singapore law, an employer could fire a worker who had been with a company less than three months without giving a reason. So he said, �C�mon Mr. G. I�m right here; you�re right there. Man-to-man, please tell me what the problem is. Mr. G hemmed and hawed and finally mentioned the alleged phone terror incidents, and the labor Department�s reluctance to approve him. �But none of that is actually true!� Our man countered. SO Mr. G called the ass-DOS in and asked him to explain. This poor guy was obviously very uncomfortable as he had never been anything more than another ESL teacher until a week and a half before. He came up with how the girls in the supply room found our man �caustic� and �pushy�. Mt G latched right onto this and agreed that it was so. Our man said he was sure he had never been anything besides polite to them on the two occasion he came to ask for white-board markers. Even if he had been rude, it would hardly be reason enough for dismissal, would it?
So this teacher was summarily cashiered right on the spot, as the eunuch was due back the next day anyway, and that was the end of that.
When later the eunuch was contacted on the phone, e whined that he wasn�t allowed to talk about any of this.

Dimensions is a phony English as a Second Language School that exists merely so that young East Asian, primarily mainland Chinese, workers can claim a legitimate reason for being in Singapore. Once they have a student visa, and have listlessly attended classes for a week or so, the vast majority of them disappear into the cheap labor force. No doubt the owners of Dimensions and even Mr. G. earn a substantial kickback from this. How else is it possible e comes to work in a silver Mercedes everyday?

[wailing_imam]

So it was you that was sacked presumably.

Can you tell us when?

[Janiny]

Gahhh! Aren't you rather missing the point? Who or when are hardly the issue. You think you're being perceptive, but in fact you are merely being tactless.

[wailing_imam]

I think the key thing here is the school's claim that the man's Indonesian wife was phoning the school.

Why would the receptionists make this up? It is a bit random. If this did happen, no boss in Singapore would continue his relationship with the employee. They do not tolerate such things.

Agreed that the 3 month thing is crap.

[Krakatoa]

Why would this person's Indonesian wife phone the school?

Was it to talk to her husband?

Why did the office staff make their allegation of his 'blustering' way?

Some office workers in Singapore can be not too pleasant.

However, there is one point here which, I believe, should not be overlooked:

Some years ago many Chinese left Indonesia after they were attacked and chased out of Indonesia by the natives who were apparently used as slave labourers.

In the process, they took many millions of dollars with them out of Indonesia and deposited the money in Singapore's banks. Reports reveal that there has been bad blood between Indonesia and Singapore and Singapore may have signalled to Indonesia that such money will be returned. Whether or not the money has indeed been returned to Indonesia is not clear.

The moral here is? The head Mr. Gay is Chinese. I can only assume, right or wrong, the DOS person is American (I'm not bucketing Americans in general). However, I would like to know his name.

To me it seems that corruption, in the forms of collusion and cronyism, is rampant at this school. It may be proven in the future that language schools in Singapore are a very poor choice of employment opportunities, . . . excepting one or two maximum.

Let the reader judge what they want on this school and decide if they will risk spending money to work in Singapore or not and remembering that Singapore's labour laws allow an employer to dismiss an employee in the first three months without giving a reason.

CAVEAT EMPTOR.

[wailing_imam]

Krakatoa,

The Indonesians were not used as slave labourers by their ethnic Chinese employers. The disgcraceful killings and rapes of etnic Chinese in Indonesia were a result of constant ethnic tensions which simmer darkly in Indonesia. The Chinese work hard, work as a community and control lots of the country's wealth. The Javanese etc aren't so inclined to work hard and as a community (like many other tropical folk around the world) and in the past, have often resented the Chinese for their success. It should not be forgotten that ethnic groups in Indonesia often go on killing rampages, and the country has many dark, violent areas.

Yes, many Chinese Indonesians fled Indonesia to Singapore with their millions. The Singaporeans gladly welcomed them and gave them PR status. Please provide a link that says that the Singaporean govt would like them to take their money out of the country. This would be a very strange action, and quite irrational.

Krakatoa, where and when were you burned in Singapore? Are you still here? Are you one of those who is here because of their wives?

[Krakatoa]

Wailing-Iman,

You wrote a good part about the Chinese in Indonesia and the ethnic turmoil a few years ago. However, it can not be understated that the Chinese did in fact use the Indonesians as what I and the International community then called slave labourers (read sweat shops).

Let it be known, I do not hold with rape and murder. However, when members of an ethnic group native to a country (or archepeligo of islands) are used to make others rich and are paid peanuts while their lords and masters live in unashamed luxury , trouble will ensue!

Do I still live in Singapore? No!

Is my wife from Indonesia? No!

The link which reported the fact the Singaporean Government has stated that the money deposited into Singapore's banks is somewhere in my stack of taken down items from a service which I subscribe to.

I do not hold with being asked to show the URL unless I desire to. Originally, I was going to look for the URL and topic but I decided against it. Why? Because it also may incur the wrath of the encumbent Singaporean Government and unless it is off shore it also could be sued for slander etc.

Enough said?

However, Chinese have protected Chinese and the Indonesians were in fact treated shabily. I defy any one to prove to me any thing different.

Please remember this, on this post the head honcho is Chinese and the complainants wife is Indonesian. The DOS seems to be an American. I have already stated that I am not bucketing all Americans. However, it seems like corruption in the form of collusion and cronyism. Others can disagree!

Caveat Emptor!