Pay Now, Resign Later: The Dilemma of Private School Teachers Applying in Public Schools

It is but normal that newly licensed teachers seek employment first in private schools before moving on to the public school. This is I think a better move because one might gain professional experiences that cannot be had if one were to apply immediately in public schools. Besides, teaching experience is given a certain point in the recruitment of public school teachers.

Private school teachers who apply in public schools sometimes encounter a problem. For instance, the recruitment process in the public school is long in that one has to wait for months before the result is released. So in the meantime they remain teaching in the private school.

But things get complicated when, in the middle of the school year, the teacher gets appointed to a public school and yet he cannot just leave because the employment contract he signed says he shall pay a certain sum of money once he resigns in the middle of the school year.

Is this allowed under the law? If so, what options do you have when faced with such a situation?

Yes, it is allowed under the law. The obligation arising from that contract is called “obligation with a penal clause” (See Art. 1226, New Civil Code). Its principal purpose is to “ensure the performance of an obligation.” In the case of private school teachers who leave for the public schools, the purpose is to ensure that they remain in the school all throughout the school year.

It is understandable why private schools do this. Private schools, especially those that offer basic education, operate by school year, beginning in June until March. If a teacher leaves in the middle of the school year, it will trigger a series of events that, in the end, will hamper the welfare of the students. The Principal will have to look for a substitute teacher. The substitute teacher will have to be trained anew. She will have to adjust to her new workplace. The students, too, need to adjust to their new teacher.

That’s perfectly right when the Principal can immediately look for a replacement. But worse things happen when she cannot. Students will have to wait for a week or two before their substitute teacher arrives. In the meantime, they must endure a few days of doing seat-works facilitated by someone who knows next to nothing about the subject she’s obligated to take over.

Yet if you feel that you urgently have to leave lest your dream of teaching in the public school will be jeopardized, what you may do?

Of course, the most obvious move is to pay forthright the amount. That is if you have the means, but most often than not you don’t

My proposal is you try to talk to your employer. Your contract is not a petrified document whose terms cannot be changed or eased. Talk to your employer. Tell him the situation. Your employer might refuse to let go of you to avoid the hassle of looking for a substitute teacher. Some employers would even present you with a black-and-white option: either you stay or leave but pay.

Persevere. Negotiate some more. For instance, you can ask your employer that you be given enough time to pay and that you will assist her in looking for a substitute. Trust me. There are employers who prefer to be told frankly about their employee’s plans than to be kept in the dark.

No one has the right to force us to stay in a workplace we don’t want anymore. Employers cannot even prevent their employees from resigning. But let’s remember, “Every person must, in the exercise of his rights and in the performance of his duties, act with justice, give everyone his due, and observe honesty and good faith.”