Dear Readers,

This is in response to the post made by the user Birdie (Mary Ann Davis) on April 8, 2011. Mary Ann Davis was a part-time instructor at the American Language Center (ALC) in Kathmandu, Nepal. The ALC hired Ms. Davis to teach a writing course to a group of employees of an organization. Prior to the commencement of the course Ms. Davis had agreed to teach three groups of students for a week each. However, after completion of the first week of classes Ms. Davis sent an unprofessional text message to the director of the ALC. The contents of this message are provided below:

when do you plan to pay me? You owe me 7.5 x 5 at 400nc an hour. Next, please note that the [organization]s objections eg lack of sanitary Cnditions esp. In the toilet. Please know that I will not work for nothing, you may not speak to me like a slave and if you force me i have plenty of contacts who will ensure you pay me for a week as before agreed. I wasnt sick until the week old tea alc dishes out. Please reply now. I am sick and i resign. Books returned upon payment in full. Mary Ann Davis.

The message above is an exact copy of that sent to the director of the ALC except for the name of the organization. We would like to clarify that at no point did anyone mention to Ms. Davis that she would not be paid for her work. Also, in her post Ms. Davis claims that the ALC treated her like a slave, and that we served her tea that was a week old. These statements are untrue. The ALC treated Ms. Davis in the same polite and professional manner that it has treated all of its employees in the past. In fact Ms. Davis misinformed us about her teaching abilities. She told us that she was a published writer and that the course would not be challenging for her to teach. This was not true. Throughout the course she faced many difficulties and the ALC did its best to help her with these problems. We also did not serve Ms. Davis tea that was a week old and nor were the sanitation conditions at the center unacceptable.

After receiving her text the director of the ALC asked Ms. Davis to provide an explanation for her unprofessional behavior. However, Ms. Davis refused to respond. Then, Ms. Davis sent more slanderous text messages to other staff members of the ALC. The director once again asked Ms. Davis to explain her unprofessional conduct, but she refused. Finally, the ALC decided that it was futile to expect any explanation from Ms. Davis and paid her the full amount that was due. We have a document on file signed by Ms. Davis acknowledging that she received the money.

As a result of Ms. Daviss actions the organization canceled the remaining two weeks of classes. It is unfortunate that the ALC had to deal with an individual such as Ms. Davis and we strongly advise future employers not to hire her.

If you have any further questions on this matter please do not hesitate to contact us.

The American Language Center
P.O. Box 8131
Phone: 977-1-4247317/ 4223149
Email: alc@wlink.com.np
Kathmandu
Nepal