Job Discussion Forums

[staryfacet]

I'm old fashioned in that I always honour a contract I sign. If I don't like the deal I don't sign, I negotiate, a simple principle which has stood me in good stead. As you can probably guess I expect people to stand by their word. When does being honourable become a handicap in EFL / ESL~?
Can you justify breaking an agreement you have made?

Thoughts please

[Glenski]

Justifying breaking a contract is easy.

1. Employer lies or does things unscrupulous to warrant you leaving.

2. Emergency back home forces you to leave early.

3. A better opportunity comes along (in which case the honorable person tries his best to negotiate an early release).

When does being honourable become a handicap in EFL / ESL~?
When the employer is not honorable, too.

[staryfacet]

If they break the contract first are you still accountable? I don't think so!
They broke the contract not you.
If they lie the contracy is null and void - assuming their lies include the terms of the contract in the case of an genuine emergency then there should be a right of release.
A better opportunity comes along? Surely that's why there are contracts!

If the employer is not honourable you have a case but can you justify going into negotiations expectinjg to break an agreement?

[naturegirl321]

The first one I broke, the Chinese owner was stealing from the company, using our salaries to buy desks and I was only working three hours a week., which didn't even cover my rent. Oh, did I mention that I was illegally working for 5 out of the six months?

The second I broke because I didn't have a contract, so I don't konw if that counts. I was working without a contract.

ALso, if you give notice it should be ok, especially if you have a better offer, they only come once in a blue moon.

[denise]

I agree that it's not an honorable thing to do, but there are justifications. What exactly constitutes breaking a contract, though? Many (most?) contracts will have some sort of escape clause--you need to give X amount of time as notice, maybe you forfeit your gratuity, etc., but since it's written into the contract, I don't consider it to be breaking a contract. Or maybe I think it's OK because I did it once. (Actually gave more notice than was required.)

I associate breaking contracts with pulling runners, which, sure, the people who do it will obviously have reasons for, but it is still unethical. It just creates a worse environment for the teachers who stick around and for those who are hired as immediate replacements. It just hurts the professionalism of the field as a whole--and there are already plenty of people who scoff at the idea of this job being a profession!

d

[denise]

[spiral78]

I think the worst abusers from the teacher side are people who sign contracts they really aren't satisfied with, then keep looking - and break the original when they find something they like better.

If you intend to keep looking after signing a contract - probably you shouldn't sign it!

[naturegirl321]