South African teachers working abroad believe that our government should play a more active role when it comes to assisting them in times of trouble.
However, the Department of International Relations say it’s the prerogative of locals to inform their offices when going to work overseas.
The topic of the treatment of teachers came under the spotlight recently when a video of Nolusindiso Hleko trended on social platforms.
Hleko, who was employed as an English teacher in China, in the video claimed that her HR manager assaulted her following a disagreement. She was angry that the manager was allegedly not charged for the offence. Hleko has since been assisted by the South Africa embassy and has moved to Germany.
But not all who work in foreign countries get help easily.
Nosipho Mkhize from Durban said that when she decided to teach abroad, she specifically avoided going to China because of the unpleasant experiences some of her colleagues have experienced.
Mkhize taught in Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia before returning home.
“You never know where you will end up in these countries, you could have a good contract and great colleagues but the employer sometimes do not treat you well. You are often treated according to your beauty. If you are light in complexion and you are beautiful and you wear weaves, lash extensions and manicured nails, you will get love. There is a lot of work that has to go into your image so that you are treated well or favoured by your employer,” said Mkhize.
She said initially she was happy and felt welcomed by the community, with some even calling her “madam”, but things changed.
“An unpleasant experience was when I was walking to work one morning in my uniform and a local man greeted me and made gestures that I interpreted as him wanting to have sex with me. As soon as I got to work I told my colleague who explained that the street I was walking on is frequented by prostitutes, some who are Africans,” Mkhize said.
She now taught English online.
Bonolo Napo from Vosloorus said that she chose to teach in China because of the country’s expertise in digital technologies. Napo said she saw it as an opportunity to learn and experience their world of teaching using these technologies before embarking on her academic research.
“I’ve had a fair experience so far. The challenges I’ve encountered here are mostly language barriers and racism from a few individuals. An example would be when I take the bus. Some locals would rather stand the whole trip squashed together than sit next to me,” she said.
Napo said she was aware of stories about bosses refusing to release foreign English teachers or firing them a month after being hired because they preferred teachers from the United States of America over South Africa.
“I also once got admitted to a hospital and some patients would refuse to stay in the same ward as me because of my skin colour. The staff though gave me the best treatment,” she said.
Napo said that the government should be more involved.
“The treatment our teachers get in some schools is really bad which puts one’s mental state in danger, leading to cases like death by suicide and even in such cases of death, you would find that we report the death of a fellow citizen here in China, and the embassy tells us that there’s nothing they can do. Families back home are left helpless and having to circulate messages for donations from expat groups. So maybe if the government was involved, they could ensure that schools provide expats with good health insurance which includes things like emergency repatriation,” she said.
Zoe Leago from North West said that although she had two qualifications, she was unemployed for a long time. When she found a job, she was underpaid. She then moved to China and worked as a teacher to pay for her debts.
She said that she hoped that the government would create employment for graduates so that they would not have to travel abroad.
“I think that government can help keep us home. I am a qualified engineer but I'm now working as a teacher in China, something completely different to my dream,” she said.
Mahlatse Mabogoane from Kempton Park said while she was happy working abroad, she doubted getting any assistance from our government if she found herself in trouble.
“Well, as it stands, our government can't even provide us with jobs so I don't know if there's much they can do, but if anything, maybe if we could have a WhatsApp number to communicate with them when such situations arise. The fact that something (video of Hleko) has to go viral before the government intervened is the biggest misfortune,” she said.
Clayson Monyela, spokesperson for Dirco, said that contacting the government prior and after leaving shouldn't be an afterthought.
He said it was unfortunate that most people who teach abroad do not inform or consult with the government before moving or the embassy in the country, until there was a problem.
“When there is a problem that is when they reach out for help. What we advise as a matter of principle is before picking up a job offer or studying overseas, or leisure to visit the South African embassy to let them know of your plans and they would share the dos and don'ts of that country,” Monyela said.
He said that if one encountered abuse or exploitation, or anything that is in the realm of criminal activity, they should report it to the police in that country.
“The law is for all that live in that country including foreigners just like how it is in South Africa. If you encounter any behaviour that is against the law, you allow the police to investigate so that you get recourse. What the embassy cannot do is investigate crimes. Diplomats do not have authority to investigate crimes,” said Monyela.
He said that they offered advice, support and help to contact families, if they wanted to return home.
Monyela advised travellers to have an insurance on flights and accommodation in case of emergencies.
“Travel insurance is useful for unfortunate instances of death and the family doesn't have money to bring back their mortal remains or pay for the burial. There is no government in the world that has money to do all these things for such costs. That is the responsibility of the families and they don't always have money because such incidents are not planned for,” he said.
He said that the consular assistance from government is non-financial and that if you are arrested they would only contact your family but won't pay for your legal representation.
“The most important thing is to do research on the country from its labour laws to your potential employer. There are a lot of scams such as unsolicited job offers on social media platforms or emails. If it looks too good to be true it is,” he said.
Monyela said some countries have laws that would not allow people to leave until the contract expires."Saudi Arabia for example has a sponsored visa that pays for travel and accommodation that you pay back while you are working there,“ he said.
The Independent on Saturday