( continues...) to do all of the above. However, it seems perfectly clear to me that you do not intend to pay me my full salary. If you did intend to honour the contract you would certainly have signed it, either when I gave it to you last year or when you looked at it recently. Instead you have made it explicit that you consider that you have no contractual obligations to me.

I am a highly qualified professional, with experience in both teaching and commercial environments. I have financial commitments to meet, and following your memo I have no confidence that I shall be able to meet them. I love my class and I hate the idea of placing them or any of my colleagues in a difficult position. However, I am not prepared to have this used against me in this way. I am very sorry to have to leave precipitously, but I cannot afford to work for free. Nor do I wish to work illegally.

It would have been sensible to leave as soon as you told me that we have no binding contract, in order to secure paid work elsewhere for the rest of the Academic year and/or over the summer.

Rather than leave immediately, however, I have stayed at school long enough to level the children’s work and write their reports. I have also written the planning for the rest of this term and for next year. This is not my legal responsibility, since you have been at pains to tell me that I have no contractual obligations to The Evil School, but I feel it is my moral duty. I certainly do not want the children in my care to suffer for your decision any more than they already will.

I wish you good luck with recruiting staff for next year.

Yours sincerely,

FayJay MA (Hons), AIEC

c.c. All parents & staff

Congrats, Betsy!

Sounds like fun - I'll have to figure out whether Im' up for it right now.

Also, I had my teeth cleaned today. I forget who had the gum/teeth horror stories, but thank you because that's what got me to the dentist!

Fay, what benefit does the letter bring you? What harm might it cause you?

If you can't think of a tangible benefit, then I wouldn't send it. If you can think of a tangible benefit, I would still have it vetted by an attorney, if possible. You know if he wants to screw you badly enough, he will do his best to use that letter (and anything else he can think of or make up) against you.

The Evil School has been paying me my salary and rent money as promised, and I have received one of the two return tickets that were promised in the contract.

Fay, I obviously know nothing about British law, but it would seem to me that both parties fulfilling their side of what was listed in the contract (you teaching; them paying), on an ongoing basis, would make the contract binding regardless of whether it was signed.

But, again, I could be full of crap.

Oh, I fully intend to have it checked over by lawyers before handing it to him. I cannot see any harm that it can cause me right now, which is why I'd appreciate a second opinion. Well, 'kay, he's not going to be exactly the Writer of Glowing References - but my new employers are entirely up to speed with the present situation.

I really, really don't want to stay and do all 'my duties' up to the end of term. I really want somebody to finally get egg on his face with the parents. He has fucked over so many of my friends and got away with it again and again and again. This school has terrific potential, but it also has him. He's a laughing stock in this town, but it's his employees who take the brunt of it from him. Everyone covers the boss's ass because they're being professional, regardless of how totally unprofessional he might be. He depends upon us to help him screw us.

...I don't know. On the one hand I feel this pure blind rage at the thought of him getting me to co-operate with being ripped off, and keep on covering up his behaviour from the parents. On the other hand, my kids would be gutted if I fucked off and left them. And I don't want to do that to them. But why the bloody hell should HE benefit from that? It's what he counts on. Bastard.

t /not entirely at home to Mr Calm

Fay, I obviously know nothing about British law, but it would seem to me that both parties fulfilling their side of what was listed in the contract (you teaching; them paying), on an ongoing basis, would make the contract binding regardless of whether it was signed.

That would be my take, too.

Also, I'd be careful to use qualifiers every time you reference the lack of a contract. (You believe you have no obligation to pay me; you claim we have no binding contract, etc.) There are a few places where I know you're just restating their position, rather than your own, but no sense letting yourself get tripped up.

Subsequent to receiving your memo, it appears that you no longer consider that you have any legal obligation to continue paying my salary. Nor do you have any legal obligation to pay the money for the initial two months of my work

Fay, I might change the above, and anything similar to something like, "your position appears to be that you have no legal obligation to continue paying my salary." I wouldn't just conceed the point, even it the lawyer you consulted told you it was probably so.

x-posty with brenda, who said it better

Congrats, Betsy!

Fay, I have no helpful advice. I think that looks like a good letter, and I'm angry that you're stuck in an aggrevating situation.

I've skippity-skipped, but has Jilli seen this?

ooooh, batty tiara. Waaaaant.

I'm having a meh day. I am trying to inform the Body Image Demons that I AM NOT LISTENING TO THEM, LA LA LA LA, and am instead trying to concentrate on the very cool concert I'm going to tonight. This plan is not working as well as I'd like, but I'll take what I can get right now.

Yay, Betsy! Congrats on the new job!

Rather than leave immediately, however, I have stayed at school long enough to level the children’s work and write their reports. I have also written the planning for the rest of this term and for next year.

Fay, you're a lot nicer than I am. I'd just tell them to stuff it if they didn't pay me.