
Issue No 92		20 April 2001

LaborNET	Ask Neale	Tool of the Week

Letters to the Editor

English Teacher Ripped Off

Dear Sir,

In response to the article "English Teachers Ripped Off", I would like to inform you that I was one of the teachers working for Astral College and I would like to divulge further details regarding the utter disregard and dishonesty of the owners of Astral College.

Apart from myself and the rest of the staff that were totally ripped off, that is the school closing down suddenly with no severance payments, no holiday pay owing, no superannuation, no pay for the last two weeks of work, gross underpayment of one of the senior teacher for many months, the firm also owes the landlord of the rented school premises over $50,000 and the ATO over $300,000.

Many of the students of the IT and BM department face deportation as they were told that as long that they paid a "surcharge" they would not have to attend lessons. While many of these students took advantage of this "deal" I'm sure that quite a number of them were duped through ignorance and lack of English language skills.

To add insult to injury Ms Kim Kying Soon is at the moment enjoying a three week holiday in Darwin with her family, and as far as I know these people have no intention of declaring bankruptcy because as stated verbatim "if I declare bankruptcy I cannot do business in Australia", on the contrary, they are thinking about opening another school in Strathfield.

Through their dishonest operation they also managed to involve a totally innocent man who was hired only a couple of months ago as an "acting principle" who is currently copping the blame and is trying to aid the many students who are facing deportation.

This is truly a sorry state of affairs, and surely sorely tests my faith in humankind, but also makes me think about the inadequate supervision by government bodies such as NIAS, VITAB, ELICOS and a few others I can't remember at the moment, which are supposed to be the watch dogs of the international student adult education industry.

There are too many cowboys firms allowed to operate in this city and the whole scenario is ruining our reputation of adult education providers overseas, which as you know, coupled with the university lack lustre performance, only adds to worsen the already shonky situation.

I must add that while Astral College may have had the reputation of a "visa factory" that myself and my ESL colleagues have always scrupulously adhered to NIAS guidelines and have always acted in a serious, professional and dedicated fashion, always above and beyond the call of duty. If I ever met true professionals those were my colleagues at Astral College.

Please feel free to divulge these details to whomever is interested... i think it makes for fairly interesting reading....

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Issue 92 contents

Interview: Beyond the Accord
Simon Crean cut his teeth in the trade union movement, now he's gearing up to run the economy.

Politics: In Defence of Della�s List
The proposition that trade unions should ask members of the ALP for a commitment that they uphold Party policy should hardly be controversial.

Corporate: The Real Rorters
The unspoken sore of the WorkCover Scheme is non-compliance by employers. None more so that in the construction industry, as this CFMEU paper details.

Legal: In the Real World
Lawyer Ross Goodridge exposes the defficincies in the new medical assessment guidelines for workers compensation by looking at real case studies.

International: The Docklands and Global Labour
Ma Wei Pin and Jasper Goss recount how the struggle of a group of Indonesian hotel workers effected a lucrative Melbourne contract.

History: Sweatshops in America
Since the dawning of the Industrial Revolution, many generations of Americans have toiled in sweatshops.

Unions: Losers Never Start
At the end of her six week vigil, Grenadier delegate Michelle Booth gave her heartfelt thanks to the trade union movement.

Review: Working Classes: Global Realities
The Socialist Register 2001 looks at class realities and the lives of workers in the new century.

Satire: Democrats Change Leader
The Democrats have a new leader after belatedly discovering that Meg Lees had become the second Democrats leader in a row to defect to another party.

» Costa To Join Della�s List

» Compo Campaign Gathers Steam

» Della�s List: Dissident MPs Targeted

» Day of Mourning to be Compo Focus

» Small Steps in Negotiations � But Hard Yards Still to Come

» Important First Step for E-Mail Privacy

» Outraged Cleaners Continue AXA Axings Protests

» Grenadier Picket Ends � But Legacy Lives On

» Entitlement Dramas in Health and Printing

» Nurses Still Waiting on Olympics Bonus

» IRC Delays Hit Eight Month Barrier

» Claims of Dirty Tricks Conspiracy at Mobil

» Sydney Water Workers On Strike

» MUA Rides Anti-pollution Wave

» Governments Urged On Child Slavery

» Time To Act on Pay Discrimination

» Construction Union Supports Folk Festival

» Activists Notebook