Job Discussion Forums

[gado_gado]

I arrived in Jakarta two months ago from Canada and started a contract with EF but I've been offered a much better teaching post elsewhere with an International School.

I tried to do the right thing and explained my situation to the school Director and she said it was fine I could go, she asked for my passport so she could take a copy for her files now she refuses to give it back.

What should I do? She is witholding my pay from September too.

I really need some advice.

[amewburn]

All you have to do is to contact the Canadian Embassy, the passport does not belong to you, it belongs to Canada and it is strictly against international law for them to hold it against your wishes. It will frighten shit out of them when the Embassy contacts them.

[beefer]

how long has she been refusing to give it back to you and what was the reason for the refusal to return it?...making a copy of it for her records shouldn't take too long.
as far as not paying you for september-- i am almost certain that in your contract there is a penalty for not finishing it, and seeing as you have only been there for 2 months i am assuming that the penalty will be a large one. obviously i haven't seen your contract, but most ( if not all) ef contracts contain such a clause.
the previous posts' comments about contacting the embassy are valid but complicated and could be troublesome, as i am sure the embassy will begin with a lenghty game of phone-tag with your school before anything gets resolved. i truely believe that if you have( with your director) a serious conversation about where each of you stand, that the situation would resolve itself out quicker.
i am sure that many people are going to use your posting as an excuse to spill horror stories of their own here ( where are you papillon?) about the type of situation that you are in, but i believe this will work itself out soon.
ofcourse, that all depends on the answers to the original questions of how long has she had the passport and what is her reasoning for holding it for this amount of time.

on the other hand, congratulations-- 2 months in jakarta and you have moved from ef to an international school already....well done.


ps-- seriously, where are you paps?? you vanished so quickly and haven't posted for a long time. this forum has become very boring without your rants and stories and i personally believe that you could shed alot of light on this topic with stories of your own. please come back. your friend, beefer.

[xsbir]

Beefer's advice is good-try to resolve it yourself first with your director. They can't keep you against your will, but the issue will be money. Your school has paid for your KITAS-about rp6m all in, and the DPKK tax-US$1200 up front, and expected to get 12 months service out of you. You might owe them up to two months salary!

Echoing Beefer, good on ya for getting a job at an international school after only two months here!

[gugelhupf]

The passport will be required to get an exit permit (EPO) from imigrasi in order to cancel your KITAS - assuming you do have a KITAS. Process takes about a week so don't worry yet. This would be an entirely innocent situation.

If you don't have a KITAS and have been working on any other type of visa then DO WORRY if the employer tries to retain your passport for more than a couple of days. If that is the case make sure you name the school and director on this forum as a warning to others. You have precious few employment rights as a foreigner in this country but you do have some leverage in that you could bring them a lot of bad publicity if they screw you around.

[Winmarr]

Surely he only would have needed to surrender the passport if it had a KITAS in it?

[happy_me]

if i were you i would post your conterct as well as the name and address of the school and the name of the DOS, thats what i did and keep a copy so you can re post when it is taken down as well as post on the genarl foremand china too.

makes me sooo. angery that crap

[gado_gado]

Thanks for your help guys. I ended up having to report my passport stolen to the Canadian embassy because the director wouldn't return it unless I paid her 20 million Rupiah.

I got the replacement passport and went to Singapore, signed my new contract and re-entered.

Now I'm back in a much better position. All my negotiations failed with the EF school so I had to resort to such drastic measures as this!

I have to ask why EF are allowed to operate in such a fashion? Are they not governed by any corporate ruling to protect their staff?

I would recommend avoiding EF in Indonesia at all costs.

[xsbir]

I'm happy for you it worked out. I can't say enough good things about the Canadian Embassy in Jakarta. Their level of service is top-notch, n'est-ce pas?

I'm not surprised by the demand for Rp20m (see my earlier post).

I think schools should do a more thorough job of screening people about their desire to fulfill a one-year contract. On the other side, anyone who signs a one-year contract should see it through to the end, unless the conditions of work are such that the terms of the contract have been rendered meaningless. Just getting a better offer somewhere else is not good enough a reason when you're on a one-year contract, in my opinion. Think about it from the school's side, and the costs they've incurred to hire and sponsor you.

I'm not condoning that EF director's action in confiscating your passport. That was a criminal action. You are right: anyone thinking of signing a contract with EF or any other school should be wary, and ask a lot of questions. After that if you sign a contract, see it through.

[laughing_magpie06]

good that things worked out-can you tell us which school this is so we can be warned in advance?

[Omen]

Thought Rp20m was pocket money for International School teachers.

Poor EF...

[Omen]

In all seriousness though. What you did to EF was a bit unfair.

I'm assuming they had paid out for your KITAS and had refunded half of your air ticket - (that's what the EF school did where I started my career) so they did deserve some compensation for you walking out on them.

Due to EF being disliked on here (and for a lot of good reasons) I'm sure people will over look the fact that EF have every right to ask for money back from you.

[gugelhupf]

My heart bleeds for the poor little EF franchisees who have spent their lives in selfless philanthropy. Perhaps you might organise a collection?

[guruengerish]

I'm not condoning that EF director's action in confiscating your passport. That was a criminal action. You are right: anyone thinking of signing a contract with EF or any other school should be wary, and ask a lot of questions. After that if you sign a contract, see it through.

Have to agree with this comment. As someone pointed out, it cost EF a lot to get you to the school, and a good few hidden costs no doubt.

It is made quite clear at the time of appointment that it takes 12 months to work off the debt, and by cheating on EF and telling porkies to the Canadian Embassy is a bit risky, IMHO.

I've no axe to grind for or against EF, and I also had to pay a hefty 'fine' for leaving 6 weeks early, before a two year contract was completed, but there are standards to maintain.

Many schools hold passports for just this reason, even if it is somewhat illegal.

I'm amazed that Immigrasi have not been to visit you.

[xsbir]

I'm amazed that Immigrasi have not been to visit you.[/quote]

It's probably only a matter of time and they will, especially if your former school determines your whereabouts. I've never heard of anyone getting away with contractual obligations that easily, while remaining in the country.