-For the tl;dr crowd, consider this: The turnover rate for teachers is likely around 25% every year. Three years working at Thales is considered a wily veteran. Both teachers and staff at HQ have resigned in the middle of the year. This is not an accident.
For those of you who like more in depth reasons, keep reading.
- You are treated like a number. The school doesn't care about you. The administration doesn't care about you. Ultimately, the only thing that matters at Thales is the bottom line.
- Likewise, students, especially those with the richest parents, can get away with anything they want without repercussions. Some teachers give out automatic As to such students to avoid problems. And it's probably a wise decision if you value your job.
- The student body makeup is about the same as a city school (not inner city - think outer edges of city). Fights, bullying, cussing out a teacher, sleeping in class, scheming to get teachers fired (and being successful in some cases), steal things from teachers, taunt and throw objects at tour guides, it all happens on a regular basis. Nothing is done because Thales wants the money (see above point). The biggest difference is that the students at Thales are extremely entitled. For example, students regularly throw their wrappers on the floor after they are finished eating (even when looking directly at you). They remark "that's the maid's job" and leave it there.
- The administration and other staff is clueless. You will have many conversations with administration, and encounter many bizarre ideas, where you will wonder if these people have ever been in a classroom. You can't hang anything anywhere except a small bulletin board you have in your room. Nothing on walls, doors, lockers, or anywhere else. If you report that a group of students continually shout racist slurs in your classroom, you'll likely be met with either disbelief of your report (surely you're exaggerating) or a disbelief that Thales students would ever act improperly (that doesn't sound like a Thales student).
The lack of understanding, knowledge, experience, and ability of the administration and higher staff is one of the biggest reasons for my score.
- Draconic review system in which you are penalized for every tiny misstep. You get graded on a rubric. The trick is that the rubric is designed for you to fail. Administration logs everything you do wrong and uses it to downgrade you on the rubric. See point above why this becomes a problem quickly. I've had points taken off because some students were whispering to their elbow partner while I was giving a lecture. See point below why this is an issue.
- Your yearly pay increase is tied to your review. You have a system that is designed to subtract points from you and your salary is tied to the outcome of that system. You can expect an average of a 1% increase in salary yearly, at most. Many teachers receive substantially less.
- Grade inflation through the roof means you have two options: Give almost all students easy As, or face the consequences. Although open book tests are "not allowed", it's not uncommon to see them (albeit disguised to varying degrees) because it allows students to get an A. As long as students have As everyone is happy. It's better to break the "rules" and give As than follow rules and risk Bs. See above for why this isn't discouraged.
- Class sizes. From the principle's mouth itself: "Class size doesn't matter". Your average class size will be 30+ students. The classrooms are designed to hold about 26 students. Expect class sizes to rise until they cap out around 36-38.
- 5 sick days a year. No bank, no carryover, no gifting days. If you take more than 5 days (maybe you have a kid), then you have to pay Thales every day over that amount. You get paid out at the end of the year for leftover days, but why not give the option of carrying them over or placing them into a bank like a public school? Again, the system is designed to punish you and it's run like the most cutthroat of businesses - the bottom line of money.
- The overall system reminds me a lot of the recent college scandals. Many parents enroll their students at Thales lured by the bright lights and high ideals espoused on their home page and their marketing schemes. These parents want their students to receive a quality education built upon what they've heard Thales values. A number of parents, however, want their students to get the silver spoon treatment. They've paid a lot of money (though not as much as they could have at another school), and have connections to someone, somewhere in the company, and expect their students to be gifted As, never reprimanded, and always rewarded. The first set of parents haven't figured out yet that the school only cares about the second set of parents and operates on that value system (some have because it almost seems students are bailing as quickly as the teachers).
- Overall, there's no real reason to work at Thales. Everything they offer can be had from 80% of public schools. The difference is you will receive better pay, better benefits, more time off, and more protection - even in NC. You will also not be boarding a sinking ship with high turnover, significant personnel issues, and red flags of a looming collapse.
