Hey all!
There's a Spanish saying I don't use frequently enough to correctly quote in the Original Version but goes something like:
"There is not bad that does not bring on a good."
My story does not have a happy ending, but the current chapter is beginning to satisfy.
I, alone, have a list of complaints that, though not an arm long, did get to at least ten points. Nine of those points were real situations and the tenth was like an overall sensation of injustice, very real to me but perhaps difficult for the opposing party to perceive. And despite feeling very strongly, as has been seen in my earlier posts, I also felt very strongly that those feelings were mine alone and would have very little power for change. So, I spoke with my fellow workers.
We three had a beer last night after work. After briefly reviewing our gripes (L. says she's upset for not getting paid for bank holidays. J. says he's not happy with not being informed. Revel says he's sick and tired of finding things out at the last minute or after the fact, and L agrees with J and revel, though it's the money thing that really gets her personal goat), we had to recognize that, if the boss is treating us like easily manipulated pawns it is because we have been behaving like easily manipulated pawns. We all had left our fingers in the door jamb when the boss slammed that door shut on them. Of course we scream when the fingers are smashed, but then we've had to recognize our part in that pain.
We have decided, as a whole, that individual complaints will only be taken as individual complaints and will receive the same "reasonable" but unsatisfactory explanations that they always have. What the boss might say to each of us will differ depending on who he is trying to pacify. What he says to all of us can be argued better if there are more than one mind. So, though none of us like trade unions, we have indeed unionized within our ranks. Instead of dwelling on the current injustice, we have allowed this injustice to bring us together to seek and achieve our common goals of more accurate contracts, better pay, and above all, a return of loyalty that we have shown as a group these past three years.
The boss says that things are like this or that at this time? OK, things are like this or that at this time. Despite not agreeing with him, our work is not in office politics but rather in the classroom. We can't win by making him problems, he wants a problem free work force and that is what we have always offered him (he's disappeared to Seville, probably saw the Davis cup "Spain slaughters the USA" matches while on his working holiday, secure in the fact that his academy is running smoothly without his supervision). We are totally capable and willing to offer him that work force. We must now insist on some proof of loyalty on his part.
Instead of simply saying hello in the halls and telling one another anecdotes about students we share, we have come to the conclusion that we need to sit down with a beer more often and make sure that as a unit the three of us are pleased with how we are being treated. None of us will air our complaints in an individual fashion but rather will discuss them with the other two minds to see if there is a basis or if it's just the full moon and a week of foggy, gray, cold days at work on our psyches. We will meet with the bosses as a group, reasonably present our proposals for change, give the boss time to consider them and ask for a reply within a reasonable period of time. In short, we will negotiate our contracts and work conditions for the next year instead of simply taking what he offers. He is aware of our contribution to the smooth running of his academy as we are aware of his efforts to keep us working. It can only be of benefit to the two parties.
I am glad I brought this up in this forum. The comments of all of you, as well as the place to write my thoughts, have helped to perspectivize the situation and helped me to be clear when sharing with my coleagues. The good that has come of this unpleasant situation has been a solidarity among us that the boss can not complain about, he wants us to work as a team as teachers, so as a team we will work, not only in the classes we share, the academy we share, but also in the work conditions we share. Does the boss want to be fair to everyone? Naturally, but he doesn't have to be fair to each individual, rather to the group as a whole. That group has now developed a unit that will make it easier for him to be fair without slamming individual fingers in doors.
Thanks so much to all of you for your kind and often helpful words on this subject. I think I've just brought this thread to its natural closing. I'll share further developments in another with a more optimistic title, perhaps something like "Towards mutual job satisfaction"....
peace,
revel.
Quitting my job
Moderators: Dimitris, maneki neko2, Lorikeet, Enrico Palazzo, superpeach, cecil2, Mr. Kalgukshi2
Congratulations to you Revel, for turning an obviously painful situation into one of empowerment. In my work with my teacher union, I have seen what empowerment can do for individuals. The problems with being told one thing and then another, or being told to do something that isn't pedagogically sound to the teacher involved, or being made to have a less than optimum schedule as a perceived punishment, all involve being in a powerless position. People can work much better when they feel appreciated, are treated fairly, and can get support from each other.
I understand the negative stereotypes of unions, and I realize things are no doubt different in different countries. In my community college district, collective bargaining was implemented in 1976. In the beginning the District fought the union at every turn. It took a year to have an election, and another one or two to get the first contract. Over the years a respect has built up between the Union and the District. When the downturn in the economy resulted in some lean times fairly recently, our Union and District worked together to ensure that no one would lose a job. We chose to delay pay raises to keep everyone working and the program intact, while other districts laid people off and greatly reduced their offerings. It was a choice the faculty didn't take lightly, but I believe it was the right one. We were able to come to that decision based on a mutual understanding of the situation and a trust that came after decades of working together.
My goodness, I've been teaching a long time. As usual, I hadn't intended to post in this direction, but as long as I have....here it is
.
I understand the negative stereotypes of unions, and I realize things are no doubt different in different countries. In my community college district, collective bargaining was implemented in 1976. In the beginning the District fought the union at every turn. It took a year to have an election, and another one or two to get the first contract. Over the years a respect has built up between the Union and the District. When the downturn in the economy resulted in some lean times fairly recently, our Union and District worked together to ensure that no one would lose a job. We chose to delay pay raises to keep everyone working and the program intact, while other districts laid people off and greatly reduced their offerings. It was a choice the faculty didn't take lightly, but I believe it was the right one. We were able to come to that decision based on a mutual understanding of the situation and a trust that came after decades of working together.
My goodness, I've been teaching a long time. As usual, I hadn't intended to post in this direction, but as long as I have....here it is
.A new twist....
Good morning all!
Well, there has been a new twist in this story. One of the three teachers mentioned above, the one known as "L" has finally quit the academy, having found another job that better suits her outlook on employment.
For two years, we the regular teachers at this academy, have been filling out report cards for free. This is not a heavy job, but a time consuming one, involving thinking about each individual student, filling out a form, being careful to balance any negative comment with at least two positive ones (don't want to peeve the parents, academy attendance is not obligatory you know!). Once the reports have been handed out and the signed portion returned, we have to file them away. In all, this task, for which we are not paid, takes up to five hours to complete each trimester, that is, fifteen hours in a year that we are expected to donate. Two of us, at least, cheat and do the reports during class time, while students are involved in some silent task that does not need direct supervision.
This year a battery of new teachers has been hired to give classes in a private school. We regulars of the academy were also drug into this work. When it came time to write reports for the 160 students, I guess the boss realized that he could not expect these non-academy teachers to donate their time for free to do this paper work, so a special "meeting" was arranged and all teachers, including ourselves, were paid two hours for filling out the forms. We do not have to file them, that the director of studies will take care of, I suppose.
We were, however, asked to give a trimester exam. In my case, that was an additional 24 exams that I had to prepare, give and correct. I have such exams prepared from years of experience, so it was merely making photocopies and then correcting them in class with the students. L has not got that much experience and had nearly fifty exams to give and correct. She corrected them outside of class and noted a half-hour on her bill for the work involved. The boss refused to pay her this half hour for correcting the exams. I won't go into his manner of refusal, which was haughty and unsympathetic, according to L. In any case, L had been leaving her CV about town and was interviewed and was offered a job with a nice monthly wage, a regular hourly schedule, paid vacations, sick days, etc. She phoned me at once to tell me the good news and I could hear in her voice that the bags under her eyes had disappeared, that she would no longer have to do work for free, that her day would not be occupied from nine in the morning until ten at night only earning five hours wages for this full day. How I envied her in that moment.
And yet, the boss does not seem to have learned from this experience. L left behind nearly 30 hours of work a week. I was called and offered 2 of those hours. The rest will go to a new teacher who has just begun working for the academy and who always says yes to everything and does not yet have a basis for complaint. Those of us who are left are all saying the same thing: "If the boss had only taken better care of her, he would not have found himself looking for a new teacher at the last minute."
Oh when will they ever learn, oh when will they....ever learn?
peace,
revel.
Well, there has been a new twist in this story. One of the three teachers mentioned above, the one known as "L" has finally quit the academy, having found another job that better suits her outlook on employment.
For two years, we the regular teachers at this academy, have been filling out report cards for free. This is not a heavy job, but a time consuming one, involving thinking about each individual student, filling out a form, being careful to balance any negative comment with at least two positive ones (don't want to peeve the parents, academy attendance is not obligatory you know!). Once the reports have been handed out and the signed portion returned, we have to file them away. In all, this task, for which we are not paid, takes up to five hours to complete each trimester, that is, fifteen hours in a year that we are expected to donate. Two of us, at least, cheat and do the reports during class time, while students are involved in some silent task that does not need direct supervision.
This year a battery of new teachers has been hired to give classes in a private school. We regulars of the academy were also drug into this work. When it came time to write reports for the 160 students, I guess the boss realized that he could not expect these non-academy teachers to donate their time for free to do this paper work, so a special "meeting" was arranged and all teachers, including ourselves, were paid two hours for filling out the forms. We do not have to file them, that the director of studies will take care of, I suppose.
We were, however, asked to give a trimester exam. In my case, that was an additional 24 exams that I had to prepare, give and correct. I have such exams prepared from years of experience, so it was merely making photocopies and then correcting them in class with the students. L has not got that much experience and had nearly fifty exams to give and correct. She corrected them outside of class and noted a half-hour on her bill for the work involved. The boss refused to pay her this half hour for correcting the exams. I won't go into his manner of refusal, which was haughty and unsympathetic, according to L. In any case, L had been leaving her CV about town and was interviewed and was offered a job with a nice monthly wage, a regular hourly schedule, paid vacations, sick days, etc. She phoned me at once to tell me the good news and I could hear in her voice that the bags under her eyes had disappeared, that she would no longer have to do work for free, that her day would not be occupied from nine in the morning until ten at night only earning five hours wages for this full day. How I envied her in that moment.
And yet, the boss does not seem to have learned from this experience. L left behind nearly 30 hours of work a week. I was called and offered 2 of those hours. The rest will go to a new teacher who has just begun working for the academy and who always says yes to everything and does not yet have a basis for complaint. Those of us who are left are all saying the same thing: "If the boss had only taken better care of her, he would not have found himself looking for a new teacher at the last minute."
Oh when will they ever learn, oh when will they....ever learn?
peace,
revel.
on the training then....
Revel mentioned that he hadn't been to a Trinity training workshop, and then went on to mix in quite a few things connected to his boss and tax breaks and rubbish training, and Trinity 'trying' to muscle in on Cambridge in the 'lucrative "testing" market' among others.
I would be most interested to know which event he is referring to as:
a) having been in the EFL profession since 1976, and as National Administrator for Trinity in Spain for the last 10 years, to my knowledge our trainers have never arrived an hour late - nor only done a 1-hour session when 3 hours was planned and published. If this is indeed what happened I would obviously be the first to want to know as I am the one who pays them! I will be checking on this you may be assured, and if true, the trainer involved will not work for Trinity again.
b) The ONLY workshop that I have not attended personally this academic year was in Huesca - and the only gripe from the majority of participants was that the trainer did NOT talk about Trinity, though one centre did email me that the training was not what they had expected. If you think you can do better, I'd be delighted to talk to you as it is always difficult to find trainers to run the training - we do not try to sell Trinity at these events at all - especially as part of an educational charity we are not exactly over-funded.....
c) Trinity workshops are one of the ways we try to put something back into the profession (do any other exam boards?), and so are COMPLETELY FREE (but ,of course, NOT obligatory) to all and any teachers of English, be they connected to Trinity or not - and for this reason the sessions are not based on Trinity at all. One of the strengths of Trinity is precisely this - there is virtually no exam technique required so everything we do in the workshops is relevant to teachers from different backgrounds. I am sorry that the teacher who attended from your centre did not find it very relevant, but this year we have had many more participants than in previous years so there are obviously many teachers who DO appreciate the input and are returning. I do not mean to imply that they could not be better, but that they are fulfilling a need, at their level AND in places where other training events are few or nil.
d) Revel impliess that it was all decided at the last minute. All of the workshops were planned AND published in October via our annual mailout to Trinity centres. If your centre is NOT a Trinity centre, then obviously you may have heard of it later.
e) Trinity has been active in Spain for nearly 40 years - so suggesting we are new boys on the block is a bit over the top. Trinity offered its first English exam for speakers of other languages in 1938 and celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2002. We have some 1200 Registered Examination Centres in Spain - with centres in every single province of Spain including Ceuta and Melilla!
Not to go on, let me just say that in my opinion hearsay and rumour is not the professional way to improve things. Speaking face to face, and making contructive criticism is a much better way. We at Trinity are well-known for being open, attentive and responsive listeners working for an open, attentive and responsive organisation - try us. And may I add that if I were so unhappy as Revel with the situation at work, I'd have voted with my feet a long time ago.
I would be most interested to know which event he is referring to as:
a) having been in the EFL profession since 1976, and as National Administrator for Trinity in Spain for the last 10 years, to my knowledge our trainers have never arrived an hour late - nor only done a 1-hour session when 3 hours was planned and published. If this is indeed what happened I would obviously be the first to want to know as I am the one who pays them! I will be checking on this you may be assured, and if true, the trainer involved will not work for Trinity again.
b) The ONLY workshop that I have not attended personally this academic year was in Huesca - and the only gripe from the majority of participants was that the trainer did NOT talk about Trinity, though one centre did email me that the training was not what they had expected. If you think you can do better, I'd be delighted to talk to you as it is always difficult to find trainers to run the training - we do not try to sell Trinity at these events at all - especially as part of an educational charity we are not exactly over-funded.....
c) Trinity workshops are one of the ways we try to put something back into the profession (do any other exam boards?), and so are COMPLETELY FREE (but ,of course, NOT obligatory) to all and any teachers of English, be they connected to Trinity or not - and for this reason the sessions are not based on Trinity at all. One of the strengths of Trinity is precisely this - there is virtually no exam technique required so everything we do in the workshops is relevant to teachers from different backgrounds. I am sorry that the teacher who attended from your centre did not find it very relevant, but this year we have had many more participants than in previous years so there are obviously many teachers who DO appreciate the input and are returning. I do not mean to imply that they could not be better, but that they are fulfilling a need, at their level AND in places where other training events are few or nil.
d) Revel impliess that it was all decided at the last minute. All of the workshops were planned AND published in October via our annual mailout to Trinity centres. If your centre is NOT a Trinity centre, then obviously you may have heard of it later.
e) Trinity has been active in Spain for nearly 40 years - so suggesting we are new boys on the block is a bit over the top. Trinity offered its first English exam for speakers of other languages in 1938 and celebrated its 125th anniversary in 2002. We have some 1200 Registered Examination Centres in Spain - with centres in every single province of Spain including Ceuta and Melilla!
Not to go on, let me just say that in my opinion hearsay and rumour is not the professional way to improve things. Speaking face to face, and making contructive criticism is a much better way. We at Trinity are well-known for being open, attentive and responsive listeners working for an open, attentive and responsive organisation - try us. And may I add that if I were so unhappy as Revel with the situation at work, I'd have voted with my feet a long time ago.
A rapid reply...
Hey all, especially barryl.
I include here what I had said about Trinity so as to better reply to barryl's comments:
"I was told by a colleague who has been teaching ESL and French for 17 years that the latest training session had been a waste of time. We were obliged to go on a Saturday morning (I did not go since I was not going to be paid for losing my Saturday morning to such) for three hours to be trained in the "Trinity" exam. The trainer showed up about an hour late, spoke for an hour, handed out some photocopies and that was that. Trinity, it seems, is trying to get a corner on some of the lucrative "testing" market that is basically controlled by Cambridge and this "training" session was basically a sales pitch to convince teachers of the value of Trinity over Cambridge. Since teachers don't make decisions over which exam is offered to students to consolidate and certify their studies in academies, I see even less reason to put teachers through such a loss of three hours of a Saturday morning. So, proof of fluffy's attitude towards training, which I share totally."
As I was not there, I can only repeat that my colleague had told me of the trainer arriving an hour late and only doing an hour's worth of information sharing. I have seen the photocopies, and they were not very impressive. As far as Trinity muscling in on Cambridge, well, maybe I shouldn't have included that comment, again, as barryl points out, it was the interpretation of the situation of another teacher who had gone to this session. I couldn't say if it were a regularly scheduled training session, I really didn't pay much attention to it as I wasn't intending on going in any case. The obligation to go was not from Trinity, but rather from the center in which I work. Though I don't see that I inferred such, I can imagine that such a confusion might arise, I was writing rapidly and angrily, but my complaint was with the boss, not with Trinity (though I agree with barryl, if it were to be an official training session under the auspices of Trinity, he should check it out....) I certainly don't see in that fragment where I infer that Trinity is new to the exam circuit, but then again, I do not control the way in which readers interpret my writing, perhaps barryl can find a quote that led him to believe that he needed to defend the history of the institution he works for.
I don't mean to belittle Trinity, and had I not named specifically the exam (something I will be careful not to do in the future) perhaps my real point would have been clearer to barryl. I beg his pardon and will leave Trinity at peace.
peace,
revel.
I include here what I had said about Trinity so as to better reply to barryl's comments:
"I was told by a colleague who has been teaching ESL and French for 17 years that the latest training session had been a waste of time. We were obliged to go on a Saturday morning (I did not go since I was not going to be paid for losing my Saturday morning to such) for three hours to be trained in the "Trinity" exam. The trainer showed up about an hour late, spoke for an hour, handed out some photocopies and that was that. Trinity, it seems, is trying to get a corner on some of the lucrative "testing" market that is basically controlled by Cambridge and this "training" session was basically a sales pitch to convince teachers of the value of Trinity over Cambridge. Since teachers don't make decisions over which exam is offered to students to consolidate and certify their studies in academies, I see even less reason to put teachers through such a loss of three hours of a Saturday morning. So, proof of fluffy's attitude towards training, which I share totally."
As I was not there, I can only repeat that my colleague had told me of the trainer arriving an hour late and only doing an hour's worth of information sharing. I have seen the photocopies, and they were not very impressive. As far as Trinity muscling in on Cambridge, well, maybe I shouldn't have included that comment, again, as barryl points out, it was the interpretation of the situation of another teacher who had gone to this session. I couldn't say if it were a regularly scheduled training session, I really didn't pay much attention to it as I wasn't intending on going in any case. The obligation to go was not from Trinity, but rather from the center in which I work. Though I don't see that I inferred such, I can imagine that such a confusion might arise, I was writing rapidly and angrily, but my complaint was with the boss, not with Trinity (though I agree with barryl, if it were to be an official training session under the auspices of Trinity, he should check it out....) I certainly don't see in that fragment where I infer that Trinity is new to the exam circuit, but then again, I do not control the way in which readers interpret my writing, perhaps barryl can find a quote that led him to believe that he needed to defend the history of the institution he works for.
I don't mean to belittle Trinity, and had I not named specifically the exam (something I will be careful not to do in the future) perhaps my real point would have been clearer to barryl. I beg his pardon and will leave Trinity at peace.
peace,
revel.
-
woodcutter
- Posts: 1303
- Joined: Sat Jun 19, 2004 6:14 am
- Location: London
Trinity are responsible for creating me......
I always tell people that Cambridge and Trinity are exactly the same. I already have to deal with having attended a Cambridge based university which runs three year degrees, the UK norm, and foolishly decided to keep the word "polytechnic" in its name when it turned into a university, so don't add to my problems by dissing the Trinity gang please!
I always tell people that Cambridge and Trinity are exactly the same. I already have to deal with having attended a Cambridge based university which runs three year degrees, the UK norm, and foolishly decided to keep the word "polytechnic" in its name when it turned into a university, so don't add to my problems by dissing the Trinity gang please!
My first TEFL qualification was the Trinity Cert in TESOL rather than the better known RSA Cert in TEFL. 12 years on I still get asked why I chose to do that course instead. The answer? Because the place that offered it was round the corner from my house; obviously I can't say that in a job interview as it makes me look like a layabout who can't stand getting up in the morning
The question I want to ask is: 12 years of practical teaching experience, one RSA Dip and one PCGE later, does it really matter which course I did back in 1993?
The question I want to ask is: 12 years of practical teaching experience, one RSA Dip and one PCGE later, does it really matter which course I did back in 1993?