Dago to Kuningan

I started my first day in Jakarta with TBI Kuningan on January 2nd 2010, having already spent a very happy year working with TBI Dago in Bandung. I had learnt a lot from colleagues and had a great time there, so I was sorry to leave my Bandung ‘family’, (I miss you all!!). I’d always wanted to work in the nation’s capital so when an opportunity arose to work at TBI in Jakarta I jumped at it.

I thought it would be a more demanding and rewarding experience and I soon learnt I wasn’t wrong! The facilities for students and teachers are still excellent, but the classes are different. There’s more variety here. I’m still teaching Global English, Conversation, exam preparation classes, teenagers and children, but in addition to those I’m also teaching two different in-house business classes, and an Academic Writing course; I’ve never been busier!

I’m learning a lot from the teachers here as they both experienced and supportive. The atmosphere in the school is great and everybody here is a pleasure to work with. 

It’s been three months so far and I’m happy to say that I made the correct decision to come here. I can still visit my Bandung ‘family’ whenever I want, and also have a great job in Jakarta. Thank you to all staff and students at TBI Kuningan and TBI Dago for making my teaching experience in Indonesia a very happy one.

Who is this? This is Matthew France, Luke’s main stooge at TBI Kuningan. Matthew France like a lot of Luke’s minions was never more than a mouth for rent. (Matthew’s bestie Colm also fitted this description. He has recently resurfaced on Dave’s ESL Cafe defending and even spruiking TBI, a school which he quit in a rage at the time). In 2010 Matthew was available for rent by Luke to give a glowing testimonial about TBI Kuningan under Cameron and Chris. My how wonderful EVERYTHING and EVERYBODY was!

But then by 2011 Cam’s sales figures were too good and Mariam was starting to praise Cam and had even offered him a promotion for 2012. So Luke started using his mouth-for-rent Matthew France to tell a different story. It might have been a great school and team in 2010 but by 2011, despite no major changes in TBI policies, it was Hell on Earth and the same school he had passionately loved in 2010, he now hated vehemently. He hated it so much that the he had to leave in disgust, but not before demanding TBI pay for his girlfriend’s flights to and from the UK as well as his laundry bills! He was now going to HR regularly to complain about the exact same environment he “loved” a year before! Odd but there was a simple explanation. Basically, Matthew was never more than a puppet of Luke’s who would say anything his boss told him to. If Luke wanted him to praise TBI to the heavens, he was your mouth. If he wanted you to damn it to Hell, Matthew was also available for that service.

One of the saddest part of the story of TBI’s decline is how cheaply some people will sell themselves for. A few hundred bucks in perks for ol’ Matthew and he was willing to mouth whatever script Luke Preece put before him.