Treatment of New Special Ed teachers hired by MCPS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let’s not forget all of the fees as part of this program. The agency charges participants $2,500 for a consultancy fee, a fee to check their credentials, visa fee, international flights to get here, plus thousands of dollars of their personal money to cover living expenses until their first paycheck.

http://www.fcec-inc.com/

Everyone is blaming MCPS but they are contracting out with this agency and its this agency's responsibility to do all this.

I blame MCPS for selecting a cheap ass agency

You need to get out of your bubble. These kind of agencies are typical in 3rd world countries. It isn't MCPS's responsibility to ensure they provide better services. Like the PP said, the conditions in these countries are worse so people go abroad and endure this to give their family better living conditions.

This is not a reason for us to exploit people

How are they being exploited? If they agreed to the agency’s terms and they are providing what they agreed to, they aren’t being exploited.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let’s not forget all of the fees as part of this program. The agency charges participants $2,500 for a consultancy fee, a fee to check their credentials, visa fee, international flights to get here, plus thousands of dollars of their personal money to cover living expenses until their first paycheck.

http://www.fcec-inc.com/

Everyone is blaming MCPS but they are contracting out with this agency and its this agency's responsibility to do all this.

I blame MCPS for selecting a cheap ass agency

You need to get out of your bubble. These kind of agencies are typical in 3rd world countries. It isn't MCPS's responsibility to ensure they provide better services. Like the PP said, the conditions in these countries are worse so people go abroad and endure this to give their family better living conditions.

This is not a reason for us to exploit people

MCPS who contracted with that company is not exploiting them. Mcps paid the company for getting them teachers. The rest is on that company. While I feel they deserve better, I don't think Mcps is to blame. Do all the other teachers get paid during the summer or get paid for their commutes? No, right? So how is it that mcps is exploiting them when they knew they would not be paid till they start work?

If they are starving themselves and trying to save they brought with them, the teachers in this forum who know them could post on nextdoor asking for donations or guide them towards resources.

[Anonymous]

I wasn’t paid for a full month when I taught overseas. The schools tell you this up front. They give you an estimate of how much money you need to bring with you to buy everything. The apartments were either completely empty or minimally furnished. Most schools suggested $3-4k to bring for the first month (this was in the early 2000s).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let’s not forget all of the fees as part of this program. The agency charges participants $2,500 for a consultancy fee, a fee to check their credentials, visa fee, international flights to get here, plus thousands of dollars of their personal money to cover living expenses until their first paycheck.

http://www.fcec-inc.com/

Everyone is blaming MCPS but they are contracting out with this agency and its this agency's responsibility to do all this.

I blame MCPS for selecting a cheap ass agency

You need to get out of your bubble. These kind of agencies are typical in 3rd world countries. It isn't MCPS's responsibility to ensure they provide better services. Like the PP said, the conditions in these countries are worse so people go abroad and endure this to give their family better living conditions.

This is not a reason for us to exploit people

How are they being exploited? If they agreed to the agency’s terms and they are providing what they agreed to, they aren’t being exploited.

NP. Companies like these take advantage of candidates' economic desperation through sometimes illegal but poorly policed means to exploit people who they know will be too scared to fight against maltreatment or to even know it's happening before they're in too deep with "loans," etc. to extricate themselves. I personally know someone from the Philippines who ended up in a trafficking situation this way through a bait-and-switch with a scummy hospitality contracting company, passports locked away for "safekeeping." Hopefully FCEC is more reputable but the whole model is set up around exploitation of desperation to one degree or another. It's gross and it makes my stomach turn that MCPS has resorted to this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wasn’t paid for a full month when I taught overseas. The schools tell you this up front. They give you an estimate of how much money you need to bring with you to buy everything. The apartments were either completely empty or minimally furnished. Most schools suggested $3-4k to bring for the first month (this was in the early 2000s).

Its on the company website of the expectations including pay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let’s not forget all of the fees as part of this program. The agency charges participants $2,500 for a consultancy fee, a fee to check their credentials, visa fee, international flights to get here, plus thousands of dollars of their personal money to cover living expenses until their first paycheck.

http://www.fcec-inc.com/

Everyone is blaming MCPS but they are contracting out with this agency and its this agency's responsibility to do all this.

I blame MCPS for selecting a cheap ass agency

You need to get out of your bubble. These kind of agencies are typical in 3rd world countries. It isn't MCPS's responsibility to ensure they provide better services. Like the PP said, the conditions in these countries are worse so people go abroad and endure this to give their family better living conditions.

This is not a reason for us to exploit people

How are they being exploited? If they agreed to the agency’s terms and they are providing what they agreed to, they aren’t being exploited.

NP. Companies like these take advantage of candidates' economic desperation through sometimes illegal but poorly policed means to exploit people who they know will be too scared to fight against maltreatment or to even know it's happening before they're in too deep with "loans," etc. to extricate themselves. I personally know someone from the Philippines who ended up in a trafficking situation this way through a bait-and-switch with a scummy hospitality contracting company, passports locked away for "safekeeping." Hopefully FCEC is more reputable but the whole model is set up around exploitation of desperation to one degree or another. It's gross and it makes my stomach turn that MCPS has resorted to this.

MCPS is doing it to hide the number of teachers and get out of paying benefits. Its horrid but it is what it is until people hold the BOE accountable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How is this not spam- not found anywhere on the google?

What part of it? MCPS confirmed the hiring of teachers from the Philippines months ago. However, the crowd sourcing of furniture is not someone I've heard.

Please cite the source where MCPS confirmed the hiring of teachers from Philippines.

MCPS has never broadcasted this anywhere amount all of the emails they sent out or issues discussed at the board of ed.

It was in the August 8 “Things to Know” newsletter. I received that via email.

https://ww2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/publicinfo/community/school-year-2024-2025/Community-Update-20240807.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let’s not forget all of the fees as part of this program. The agency charges participants $2,500 for a consultancy fee, a fee to check their credentials, visa fee, international flights to get here, plus thousands of dollars of their personal money to cover living expenses until their first paycheck.

http://www.fcec-inc.com/

Everyone is blaming MCPS but they are contracting out with this agency and its this agency's responsibility to do all this.

I blame MCPS for selecting a cheap ass agency

You need to get out of your bubble. These kind of agencies are typical in 3rd world countries. It isn't MCPS's responsibility to ensure they provide better services. Like the PP said, the conditions in these countries are worse so people go abroad and endure this to give their family better living conditions.

This is not a reason for us to exploit people

How are they being exploited? If they agreed to the agency’s terms and they are providing what they agreed to, they aren’t being exploited.

So are you the kind of person who reads every single end user license agreement and contract?? I am sure that the agency said that they would pay for moving costs and provide furniture and there wasn't really fine print to say they would only provide a bed or a table.

I remember a lot of people who committed to in-person learning in the spring of 2021 and were surprised to find out that even though the fine print said it would probably be in person virtual, they were surprised to find out that was, in fact the case

[Anonymous]

Dont forget to document everything and report admin if they want you to do any funny business like grqde inflation, overtime, and covering up violence. Go to tje news statiokms and dcum and speak freely. No admin should ever coerce teachers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let’s not forget all of the fees as part of this program. The agency charges participants $2,500 for a consultancy fee, a fee to check their credentials, visa fee, international flights to get here, plus thousands of dollars of their personal money to cover living expenses until their first paycheck.

http://www.fcec-inc.com/

Everyone is blaming MCPS but they are contracting out with this agency and its this agency's responsibility to do all this.

I blame MCPS for selecting a cheap ass agency

You need to get out of your bubble. These kind of agencies are typical in 3rd world countries. It isn't MCPS's responsibility to ensure they provide better services. Like the PP said, the conditions in these countries are worse so people go abroad and endure this to give their family better living conditions.

This is not a reason for us to exploit people

How are they being exploited? If they agreed to the agency’s terms and they are providing what they agreed to, they aren’t being exploited.

So are you the kind of person who reads every single end user license agreement and contract?? I am sure that the agency said that they would pay for moving costs and provide furniture and there wasn't really fine print to say they would only provide a bed or a table.

I remember a lot of people who committed to in-person learning in the spring of 2021 and were surprised to find out that even though the fine print said it would probably be in person virtual, they were surprised to find out that was, in fact the case

They did provide furniture. What else do you need for a bedroom besides a bed? That's all I have in my bedroom. Look up photos of living conditions in the Philippines. I'm sure a solid home with a good roof and proper heating/cooling is a big step up for them. You are looking at this from your UMC perspective. They are here to make money and send it home.

[Anonymous]

And we are here to use them to di the jobs that americans wInt do anymore. It would help everyone if the profession wasnt so notoriously abusive and unstable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm an administrator who was assigned one of these teachers to work at my elementary school this year as a SPED teacher. I finally met them this past week and it took them two hours to get to our school from their apartment in Silver Spring. While the teacher is experienced in the Philipines, they don't have much experience with technology which is now a huge component of the job. On a personal note, I'm appalled that MCPS has four grown adults sharing one bedroom apartments with no concrete plans for transportation. These individuals are expected to utilize public transportation to travel all over the county? It's utterly ridiculous. We provided our teacher with Giant gift cards after we were told they had been relying on canned food donations since their arrival.
This is going to be next disaster MCPS has to clear up.

Thank you for your honesty
- an mcps employee

I totally understand this, but there are so many everyday people in Moco who travel all over the county by bus, many paraeducators included. Lots of low income and newcomer families also primarily have to eat canned food. While it's unfortunate, this often happens when you move to a new country until you get on your feet. How do I know? My parents both came to Moco from other countries and had these experiences. While they are annoying, it happens. These teachers have jobs and are getting paid. Why are we handholding and crying about this? They will be fine.

I also don't believe the info of four grown adults sharing a one-bedroom apartment. That's actually illegal in terms of Moco dwelling rules.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm an administrator who was assigned one of these teachers to work at my elementary school this year as a SPED teacher. I finally met them this past week and it took them two hours to get to our school from their apartment in Silver Spring. While the teacher is experienced in the Philipines, they don't have much experience with technology which is now a huge component of the job. On a personal note, I'm appalled that MCPS has four grown adults sharing one bedroom apartments with no concrete plans for transportation. These individuals are expected to utilize public transportation to travel all over the county? It's utterly ridiculous. We provided our teacher with Giant gift cards after we were told they had been relying on canned food donations since their arrival.
This is going to be next disaster MCPS has to clear up.

Thank you for your honesty
- an mcps employee

I totally understand this, but there are so many everyday people in Moco who travel all over the county by bus, many paraeducators included. Lots of low income and newcomer families also primarily have to eat canned food. While it's unfortunate, this often happens when you move to a new country until you get on your feet. How do I know? My parents both came to Moco from other countries and had these experiences. While they are annoying, it happens. These teachers have jobs and are getting paid. Why are we handholding and crying about this? They will be fine.

I also don't believe the info of four grown adults sharing a one-bedroom apartment. That's actually illegal in terms of Moco dwelling rules.

Its fine for them to share an apartment. Question is who is paying for all that if they are getting regular MCPS salaries. The company website who they have the contract with clearly says you need to bring a few thousand to pay for living and other expeneses before you get a paycheck. These people knew what they were getting into.