n case they had done so in my case and would not then take the responsibility for it and compensate me appropriately for all my troubles that may be caused as a result of this, I would feel tempted to beat the hell out of them!!!!
These idiots must learn that they can't do such a thing and that they will be held accountable for every problem to cause to a foreign teacher!

Agreed. Losing a passport is a nightmare, and requires normally the issuance of an emergency passport.

The cost and hassle involved to an FT is hellish!