The New Guy - Terminator Mark 2 is BACK!!

Sunday 25th October 2009
Well, the good thing today is that my lessons are actually for ONCE going pretty well. More of that later. Now for the “antics” of our newest colleague.

His premeditated task, it seems, is to do whatever he can get away with and annoy as many people as he can possible manage. And THAT includes teacher colleagues, Head of Department AND the management upstairs if rumours are true.

Yeah, this guy is a truly a Mark II Version of the guy who took his “early leave” last semester and never returned. In case I haven't mentioned already then YES that guy did not, as expected, return here and the last heard of HIM was an email saying his doctor had recommended he DIDN'T do so because the heat would affect his high blood pressure more.

It's a bit like the Terminator trilogy of films (although now, of course, that is a quadrilogy). The first guy was mean and bad-looking and took some stopping. This second guy we have now is the “mercury man” version of the Terminator and will be a lot harder to shift as he can morph himself out of most situations. And the third? Ah well – THAT Terminator, as you may know, was a female Terminator …. We shall see!

Ahh …. as always I digress HUGELY and should be getting back to what I started which was the “new kid on the block”. Well, he's hardly a kid as he's another one in his sixties (so he fits in quite nicely!). The story is that his CV was filled with impressive-sounding things that he had done in his life. For that you can read, “CV fillers supreme”, because that is what it all sounds like without going into details. Anyway, it got him past the scrutiny of the management upstairs who decided he was worth taking on with a view to him becoming the new Head of Department when our current one goes at end January.

When I came back after the summer holiday, I expected to have to vacate my desk because this new guy was due to be sitting there. Not so – was told by the HoD that I could stay there since this new guy had been a complete PAIN all summer long. I think I mentioned that before. So that was fine by me. Well, I don't want my name on an office door and staying anonymous is JUST FINE by me!

Anyway I've just read back and I see his early days I have done already. So let's bring you more up to date with him.

He is being a complete pain in the ass ….. STILL! No, not to me personally. I hardly ever talk to him or see him. He is rarely around in the office at college and, apparently comes in extra early to get his things before our Hod comes in. This is so he can avoid him. So no chance of the training which he is supposed to receive for the eventual takeover. The HoD is not going to chase after him either. And why should he? And anyway, he doesn't really care since he is going from here soon himself.

So he is here now as a teacher like all the rest of us. Ahh, now THIS is where the fun starts. Remember what I said before about us all having to about 27 hours a week teaching? Well, that DOES include him as he IS a teacher after all.

But he has said that he WILL NOT DO more than 21 hours a week!

Yes, you ARE right. There is no basis in the contract for saying this. The contract for ALL teachers says that we do something like 24 hours a week teaching. Also, as many teaching contracts say, there may be more than this which we might have to take on and we cannot refuse such extra hours so long as they are not “unreasonable”. Lawyers: interpret THAT! Well, it means of course that so long as they don't overdo it, an employer can give us more than the 24 hours if it is required.

Says so on ALL teachers contracts. HE is here as a teacher as I understand it. Therefore he has the same written in HIS contract as do ALL of us. So WHY THE HELL does HE think he is better or different to the REST of us?? What RIGHT does HE have to DEMAND to be given no more than 21 hours?

Nobody knows. OK, but this is not the end of it. He has also, on MORE than one occasion, let his class go early OR has simply NOT TURNED UP to teach them on some post-lunch lesson occasions. Yes!! Actually had the damn CHEEK to literally NOT TURN UP for class leaving his students without a teacher.

Now, I don't know about you, but I reckon THAT is “sailing close” to the Gross Misconduct “wind” which, as anyone knows, can lead to instant dismissal and an early exit. If I or ANY OTHER teacher did such a thing then the FULL WEIGHT of employment contract law would come down HARD on a guy who is taking the piss.

The question is WHY is he being allowed to get away with this?

Yesterday, apparently, he was telephoned by the secretary to the Dean of the College that they wanted to see him to talk about this. When she phoned him, he wanted to know why the Dean himself had not phoned him. Well, the secretary (female) told him, it is normal procedure that she should do this. Well, he got very stroppy about this and said that IF the Dean wanted to summon him there then he should telephone him PERSONALLY. He then put the phone down rudely! About ten minutes later he phoned again to ask what it was they wanted to see him for and was told that was a matter for him to discuss with the Dean. Phone down again. Apparently he DID then come in some time later for this discussion. The result of that talk is not yet known. But what IS known is that, once inside the office there was a lot of angry SHOUTING and raised voices from …. well, guess who!!
Yup, from the man himself!

There are many theories being bandied around about what this guy is up to. He HAS been in the Middle East before and claims to know people out here. He has, apparently, been some kind of tutor to some Saudi Royal Family members which may well have brought him some useful contacts. And also may his previous teaching and course management experience out here.

One wild theory is that if or when he gets into the HoD position, everyone here will NOT want to work for him and many will leave. Well, he will know nothing about the job or the procedures here since he is never around. So he might just have all his own cronies which he will then install in the vacant teachers' jobs and he will have got his way.

One thing's for sure: this story will run and run …. WATCH THIS SPACE!