Cardboard Box 2

We had to say a sad goodbye to Magnus on Saturday. He has been teaching for us for the last 18 months and students thoroughly enjoy his calm, organised and sincere style. We have been very happy with the work he has done for us; reliable, flexible and good at his job. It is extremely unfair that he is losing his classes because we can't afford to pay him, because GEOS went bust & owes us a small fortune. Economic collateral damage 101.

I have a lot of respect for the way Magnus reacted to this bad news; it is an awful feeling to loose a job/livelihood. Understanding my position is one thing, taking it on the chin and still being concerned about his students & fulfilling his remaining responsibilities is the mark of a decent man.

On behalf of Yuki, Tana & Naomi I'd like to say thank you Magnus. Our pre-school kids and Saturday troupe will miss you; I sincerely hope we'll be in a position to ask you to come back sooner rather than later. Some days, I really don't like my job.

GEOS goes bust - it's personal

Thirty-six hours after being told on the phone not to go to work by GEOS corporate division, I still have not heard a word. I am not surprised. Emails have been unanswered, answer machine picks up the phone. Mobile numbers of staff are 'dead'.

The company I teach at has sensibly decided for themselves that all bets are off until they get some information too. I think GEOS is more likely to respond to them than little old me. After all,they have paid for classes which are not now being taught. They can afford a lawyer or twelve. Teachers like me are unlikely to ever be paid for work done in April. Silly Jimmy!

From what I have pieced together from the chatter online, teachers will be expected to sign new contracts tomorrow (Friday 23rd) with the self-same people who have lied repeatedly about the health of GEOS & their ability to honour wage payments.That sounds like an enticing prospect, doesn't it? What would you do?

What about my students? I have invested five years of my life into teaching some of them; suddenly not being there really angers me. Yes, it is a job & I used to get paid for it, but there is a mutual commitment, connection, collaboration with time & trust that is sacrosanct. We have just mapped out the next six months of study, set deadlines for assignments & agreed a code of behaviour (not being there unannounced is one of the bigger no-nos...I think in five years I have failed to make three classes unreasonably late. Today I missed four.)

My problem with GEOS going out of business (apart from significant monies owed) is that I am personally going to be tarnished by association. On a larger scale, my school is going to be tarnished, again, by Eikaiwa-bashing such as we saw in the fall out from NOVA's demise. This is utterly unfair (but inevitable) as Luna International  is an entirely professional outfit. If GEOS & NOVA were the MacDonald's of the EFL industry, we are the great little local restaurant people keep coming back to. Outbreak of E-Coli scares everyone away. On an industry scale, very good people running very good schools up & down the country are going to be similarly looking at a blizzard of abuse in the media feeding frenzy coming. This is like blaming Iceland for having a septic volcano.

I am no expert in the legalities of bankruptcy, companies merely being 'in administration' etc. If a company resurrects itself tomorrow in all but name, minus the obligations to pay debts etc, then that company & its officers are morally bankrupt. In Monopoly terms, "Go back to go"?  No: "Go to jail - do not go past Go & do not collect £200".

And miss three turns - no "Get out of Jail Free" cards please.

Words in the news: bankrupt

Some interesting developments overnight regarding a large chain of English schools in Japan, involving the

word:

bankrupt.

On Yahoo in Japanese
In the Asahi newspaper, also in Japanese
And in English, this guy has been on the money for at least a year.

 If you have been affected by this latest calamity in EFL, our condolences of course. A lot of people are going to be out of pocket and worse, out of work.

Students who no longer have a school to go to may redeem the classes they are owed at Luna International, 2 for 1, with no obligation to join the school until the end of May. Contact Yuki Nagano now by calling 0263-34-4481

GEOS Bankrupt?

Australian newspapers (Melbourne Age, Sydney Morning Herald) are carrying the news on front pages.
2,300 students & 390 staff in Australia found out yesterday (Jan 29th) when they arrived for classes in Melbourne, Adelaide, Sydney, Gold Coast, Cairns, Brisbane: school doors locked with a notice to contact the Administrators Ernst & Young.

Does this affect GEOS Japan? Yes. It is fairly common knowledge that GEOS has been in trouble for ages; wages of local staff has been late/unpaid since at least September 2009 in Japan. Has the company denied this? Yes. GEOS website is silent, and GEOS head office in Tokyo responded tonight "What are you talking about?". Question is, why are they in the office at 9pm on a Saturday night?! Financially, GEOS relies on overseas income (especially from Australia) to pay the bills in Japan.

Does any of this sound familiar to anyone? Very good link with up to date news here. Have a nice weekend!