Complex legal issue advice please?
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18-06-2023 1:28pm#1
Hi, this is a long post but its a complex situation & im looking for advice, if anyone can offer some id really appreciate it.
I started a 2 year masters and it was going well, I was passing all of my assignments and getting decent marks. Problems arose when it was time to begin placement, everyone in my group had started placement in schools but the lecturers told me I was not allowed to do my placement in a school because I work in schools already and they wanted me to get experience else where, despite other students who worked in schools being allowed to complete their placements in schools and use their connections, the lecturers had a different rule for me. because of this it took me a very long time to start work experience, I didnt get started until the end of 1st year. Because I was so far behind the lecturers where putting pressure on me to get loads of placement hours done & telling me to do 7 days a week despite knowing I was working a part time job 3 days on top of college & placements. Nothing was good enough for the lecturers they were never happy with the amount of work id done or the hours id completed.
I then started 1 more placement that was split in two different towns, both in very high pressure areas & working in an area ive no experience in whatsoever with vulnerable people who have sever mental illness. Before starting placements we're supposed to have a meeting with the placement supervisors & my lecturer to discuss what my role will be and the requirements of the supervisors but this didnt take place so neither of my lecturers had every met or spoken to my supervisors.
Despite all this I thrived with the clients I was working with and built fantastic relationships with them, I got on well with other staff and visitors too. Problems arose with my 3 supervisors in this placement. They were constantly criticising me, belittling me, putting down my ideas, telling me to do things that wearnt inline with my role and would have gone against me in college, sometimes they would set me up to fail or try to damage my relationship with clients, shout at me infront of clients, shout orders at me & put me in really difficult situations that I shouldnt have been in. I tried to talk to my lecturers about this but was dismissed every time, one of them told me that I was just confused and I needed to go away and reflect on what I was saying. I couldnt leave the placement because I was so far behind on my hours and found it really difficult to get a placement somewhere else. I ended up missing 2 weeks of one of these placements as my stomach was in knots knowing i had to go in and face these people who I felt were crossing over into bullying behaviour towards me. Throughout this time id had no feedback whats so ever from any of these supervisors.
Then one day out of the blue I got an email from my lecturer telling me she'd arranged a meeting with me and the head of the college to discuss my place on the course, she said she'd had a very concerning phone call from one of my supervisors about my behaviour in placement.
I went into college for the meeting, I was sat down in an office and told everything I had done 'wrong' on placement. Everything she said where things that were twisted, taken out of context or straight out lies, somethings they had told me to do in placement & that I did where used against me & she said that one of the supervisors was concerned about how much I was working outside of college and said I would need to quit my job and priorities the course. I was so shocked and upset I just cried and explained my side of things and what had been going on. The head of department was on my side and said I showed great integrity and honesty. I was then brought to student wellbeing as I was so upset, I explained to them what happened and they told me to contact students union.
After this I spoke to my other lecturer who told me he is taking the placement supervisors word over mine and is failing me on placement as a result. He said I wont be allowed to repeat my placement and I was forced into taking a year out of college. I was in 2 other placements and my feedback from both of these was very good, in total contrast to the complaints of the 3 supervisors but this didnt make any difference.
I was then called to a meeting with my lecturer and supervisor, at this point id been talking to students union and the head of the college union said he would join the meeting via webcam. Once I got students union involved the lecturers became extremely defensive, angry & started gaslighting me they said that this shows everything that the supervisors said about me was true, told me that im not a victim and this is all my fault. They were completely onside with the supervisors and totally against me.
During the meeting my lecturer read out a document written by the other lecturer infront of everyone saying that im immature, accused me of mentally 'splitting' in my placement and believing the practice educators were bad. He straight out lied about things he did & said and everything was put on me. The other lecturer used my words against me, taking things out of context that were said in the meeting between herself and the head of the college. Accusing me of being whiney and immature, unable to make a basic decision for myself. The lecturers just went along with whatever the supervisors wanted, turned against me completely & it seemed like they were just trying to protect their own reputations.
I then had to go off with one of these supervisors to complete my last placement day & she was horrible to me, kept asking me why the students union rep didnt come down to meet us (it would have been a 3 hour journey for him) like insinuating he didnt come down because he's probably not really on my side, her attitude was awful.
So I was forced out of second year and told I had to take a year out and I could come back in September but was basically given conditions like I couldnt work while on the course so I didnt renew my contract on a job that I love and worked so hard to get & I didnt look for another job for September, I also had to pay 1000 euro to the college to cover the first semester.
As its coming up closer to the start of college im trying to get some placements organised & ive contacted the lecturers to ask them when the start date is & if we can organise a meeting with my new placements. Ive been informed by one of the lecturers that theyve decided not to let me back onto the course. Im heart broken. I was bullied in a placement, gave up my job and ended up in financial debt & have no job lined up for September. I also found out that they employed on the supervisors on the course.
Ive never been in a situation like this ever! I have an undergrad, a post grad, have successfully completed many placements over the years, have fantastic references from every job ive worked in, I good relationships and the way the lecturers & supervisors are trying to paint me out to be some nut case isnt a reflection of me whatsoever. Despite this theyve caused all of this damage.
Is there anything I can do here legally?
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Comments
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We can't give legal advice here. The college may have free legal aid services via the union or otherwise try to book an appointment via flac.
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Well if not legal advice, any sort of advice, im overwhelmed with this and feel like its totally unfair. I dont find the college that helpful, theyre a business after all and it seems their priorities lie with their own interest, not the students.
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To me, it reads more as a victim's statement rather than a timeline of events. I kinda got tired reading about how everyone was lying about you or how you were done wrong by if you had more of a list of actual events, with less emotion, I think it would be easier for someone to advise you on what to do next.
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Thanks for this, I am emotional about it. Not everyone is lying about me just these 3 supervisors in this one placement and the lecturers backing them up.
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But that's where it becomes difficult to think that you are giving us all the facts. There is (or should be) no reason for them to lie about you so I'm currently assuming you are omitting details. This is why an emotion-free chronological list of details is required.
But it is also how you phrase stuff...
So I was forced out of second year and told I had to take a year out and I could come back in September but was basically given conditions like I couldnt work while on the course so I didnt renew my contract on a job that I love and worked so hard to get & I didnt look for another job for September, I also had to pay 1000 euro to the college to cover the first semester.
...again, I'm just reading a load of stuff where you look to be portraying yourself as a victim but I'm wondering how exactly were you forced out, hy did you have to take a year out, having to give up the job - is that in the college's rules, the fees - are you saying how you had to pay the standard fees? Im just seeing loads of unanswered questions from what you allege are unfairnesses
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im just telling you what happened, ive no reason to leave out details here or lie as it wouldnt achieve anything. Everything ive said from start to finish is factual. The lecturers are known for being extremely difficult people and have tried to push people out of the course for different reasons, none of which having anything to do with the students ability to successfully complete assignments or placements.
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How’s everybody else getting along on the programme?
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Its mixed. One student failed an essay because she was sick and didnt get it handed in on time, she gave them a doctors note and it was the only assignment she'd failed. They attempted to push her out of the course over it instead of letting her just resubmit the essay. She was also brought for a meeting with the head of the college to discuss her place on the course and had to get students union involved. Thankfully for her, it was eventually decided that she would be allowed to redo the essay and would not have to take a year out from the course but she had to fight for it and she was asking me for advice after what id been through. The lecturers lied about her too to support their own case against this student but thankfully she had emails proving that they weant being truthful.
Another student had a similar issue but she hadnt failed anything, she has children and they where sick over winter with flus and colds so she'd missed a few days over a couple of weeks. They had a talk with her & told her she's not prioritising the course and that they felt she should take a year out. She fought her case and thankfully for her she was allowed to remain & finish out the year but again it was a struggle.
A student was having similar problems to me in her placement where the staff she was working with where constantly undermining her & enforcing their job role onto her. She tried to communicate with the lecturers but they didnt want to know. She went to another lecturer who listened to her but when the other two main lecturers discovered this, they gave out to her for talking about it to other lecturers.
One student had a very difficult year, she has MS that causes her allot of fatigue & a family member died by suicide. She requested to take a year out but they refused to let her and instead tried to force her to drop out of the course. When she refused they made her jump through hoops to stay on the course, working her to the bone & signing her up for extra hours & placements that she didnt have time to do but felt if she didnt do what they wanted, they would find a way to fail her. She eventually managed to get her leave from the course but it took her a year and a half of constant struggles with the lecturers.
One student was bullied quite severely by a different lecturer on the course, she had to change groups as she couldnt cope any longer.
A lecturer left the course because she felt bullied by the other lecturers and said they were difficult to work with.
A student who has dyslexia was finding it very tough to do all the readings & essays on time so she requested extra time, they refused her extra time and tried to make her leave the course. She went to student support and found out that she is entitled to extra time on readings and assignments & shes also entitled to learning support. The lecturers discriminated against her and failed her on work because it wasnt submitted on time even though she had confirmation from the college that she is entitled to more time due to having a learning disability. She said the lecturers made her feel stupid.
I could go on about negative experiences students have had with the staff on this course but ill leave it there but just for comparison, another student gave her phone number to a client and arranged to meet up for coffee because she felt like they connected.. (a big breach of boundaries) but they just calmly explained to her why she shouldnt have done that, told her she's a student and learning and its ok to make a mistake and pretended like it never happened.
Theres no rhyme or reason to who they choose to give chances to and who they choose to try and push out of the course.
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