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Unfortunately this is not unusual. This perverted type of contract also made me pay 500 Euros at the "renowned" FU BEST under Dirk Verheyen in 2010 when I wanted to leave early, even though they found another teacher right away to replace me.. Languahe reachers in general are treated like slaves in Germany, I suggest you don't send them in any language schhol anymore. Kai Artur DiersLondon+447506017714 -------- Original message -------- From: Wiebke Brockhaus-Grand <[log in to unmask]> Date: 15/03/2016 18:03 (GMT+00:00) To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Work placements in Germany: concerns about Sprachcenter Mouroum Dear all, This email is for those list members who are involved in arranging work placements for students in Germany. One of our students recently had a very negative experience working for Sprachcenter Mouroum in Berlin and it appears that this was not an isolated case, as there are other negative (as well as some positive) reviews at https://www.glassdoor.co.uk/Reviews/Sprachcenter-Mouroum-Reviews-E1080701.htm . This one reflects our own student's experience quite closely: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 30 Sep 2015 Sprachcenter Mouroum Logo "Poor treatment of staff" <https://www.glassdoor.co.uk/Reviews/Employee-Review-Sprachcenter-Mouroum-RVW8129668.htm> Former Contractor - Anonymous Contractor in Berlin (Germany) Doesn't Recommend Neutral Outlook I worked at Sprachcenter Mouroum as a contractor Pros Quite easy to get as first job in Berlin Cons Treat staff that are struggling very badly. There is a clause in your contract which means if you wish to leave the job before the date stated in the contact then they can fine you 500 Euros - which is just ridiculous. They use this as a threat and care little for their employees well being. It is not about education for them but a business and they are ruthless in this regard -------------------------------------------------------------- Our DAAD-Lektorin happens to have a contact working for a German trade union, who kindly looked at the employment contract that our student had signed with Sprachcenter Mouroum and came to the conclusion that the student was being ausgebeutet, identifying several problems with the terms and conditions, including the disproportionate nature of the "fine" mentioned in the comment cited above. We will no longer be approving work placements with this employer, so I wanted to share the information with colleagues at other institutions. Best wishes from Manchester, Wiebke Dr Wiebke Brockhaus-Grand | Senior Lecturer in German Linguistics | Department of German Studies | School of Arts, Languages and Cultures | University of Manchester | Manchester, M13 9PL, UK | Tel +44 (0)161 275 3180 | mobile +44 (0)7973 709 099 | http://staffprofiles.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/Profile.aspx?Id=wiebke.brockhaus-grand If you need to contact me urgently, please phone me on one of the numbers given above.