Anybody here who works for the Primeone school in Medan?

**Darwish** · 19-05-11, 17:14

I'm a Dutchman with a lot of experience in ESL teaching. Currenly living in Hanoi Vietnam. I don't like it there anymore and I really love to live in Indonesia. Due to the policies about being a native speaker it's quite hard for me to find a teaching job in Indonesia.

I found this job advertisement http://www.tefl.com/jobs/job.html?jo_id=44565 and I applied for the Job. I had a small very impersonal interview over the yahoo messenger and a few weeks later they accepted me or the job.

A few days ago I received the contract and it looked Horrific to me. I must give my passport to them and there are all kinds of possible fines in the contract. One mistake in the Oath of office means a fine of 6 months. leaving or being fired means a huge fine with the amount of the salary of the remaining period of the contract. Also there are all kinds of statements that if I don't pass the probation period I must pay extra fines as well. That in combination of not having my passport is just unacceptable for me.
Firstly I thought that there was some kind of misunderstanding so I asked the main manager some questions. If I could talk to one of the teachers. That was enough for them not to proceed in the contract anymore because my distrust wouldn't be good for the school!! They are completely INSANE!!

I wonder if there is anyone over here working for this Primeone school in Medan? Did you sign such an horrific contract? Did you get screwed by them?

This is their website www.pos.sch.id

**jared1981** · 22-05-11, 17:47

ha, I like the web address, it does sound like a P.o.S. school. Seriously though, haven't heard of them, but I'll pass the word along.

**kingwilly** · 02-06-11, 06:57

Any school/work place that needs to hold your passport is clearly not a good one.

**Puspawarna** · 02-06-11, 08:05

And if he is a citizen of the Netherlands, they cannot legally hire him as an ESL teacher, isn't that correct?

**Darwish** · 05-06-11, 01:14

The school told me that they could arrange an Imta for me because I have to teach several
subjects, not just English. Besides this is Sumatra which doesn't have such strict law
enforcement as in Java.
Poor friend of you travellingchez. Being stuck in such a place for 4 years. But if he had to
sign a simmillar contract as mine he would have been crazy to sign such a paper. A contract
which states that you must pay fines of upto 30.000$ if you get fired and you are not allowed to
leave early and you'll be fined 7000$ if you break one Oath of office. And they keep your
passport as a deposit. I don't know if anyone is crazy enough to sign such an illegal nonsense
contract.

**Donkk** · 05-10-12, 13:57

Anyone have new info on this school..????

**Donkk** · 21-10-12, 20:49

Well this school seem to be one of the not good sounding ones. got this email from them:

Before we process your working visa, we need you to sign a contract and entrust us your original education certificate and when you arrive in Medan to start working with us then you also must entrust your passport to us.

and

If everything you have agreed with the contract and salary, please send to me you name, passport number, your religion, latest education degree for me to fill in the contract.

We will process your working visa once you have signed the contract and send me your original education certificate.

And, some strange pay and fine for late or not good work, that would make anyone's head spin! I really dont get how some place can function at all!!

**Minah** · 23-10-12, 09:36

If you really are a "Professional" teacher, I guess you don't have to worry about signing any form of contract.

And I quote, "Action speaks Louder than Words!"

**Mister Bule** · 26-10-12, 12:44

Darwish wrote:

They are completely INSANE!!

Yes, I work at this school, as does at least one other new member of this forum...

While I admit to having a similar reaction upon receiving and reading the contract,I believe the short answer to the above is... 'They' are not insane... 'they are just Medan Chinese' ...

If I were the person recruiting for teachers, I might (would) word the contract differently... and maybe there is some degree of lack of perspective on how some statements therein appear to foreign or Western teachers especially. But any school or employer has the right to write their contracts as they wish, and nobody can be coerced to sign the contract if they don't like it... just as the OP did not. I think the school is basically trying to protect their interests first and foremost and they have a right to do that.

I have found POS to be actually a pretty good place to work and teach all in all. There are things I really like about it and of course with anything or any job there will be things one does not like. The school has great kids and some great teachers, mostly Indonesian and many Filipinos, several from Mainland China and a few Native English speakers. It is a National Plus school (national and international curriculum) and instruction is in Bahasa Indonesia, Mandarin and English, from PlayGroup to Senior High (I teach in the Elementary department).

As I said above, I did have reservations about coming to work there based on the contract, but although teachers do sometimes get sanctions, none of the more extreme-sounding stuff talked about here has happened to anyone there in the time I have worked there, to my knowledge.