Toxic School: Humiliated by Director and cheated out of ₹40k
I’m a 23F teacher in Lucknow. I recently resigned from a well-known private school (LPS) after a traumatic experience, and now I’m being financially harassed.
I was a Mother Teacher for Grade 1. A parent complained because they weren't happy with their child’s handwriting formation.
The Director called me into a meeting with the parents. She sat there and flipped through all of the child’s notebooks right in front of them. At places where I had corrected the child's work with my red pen, she turned to me and asked, "Why did you correct this with your pen? What were you doing in the classroom when the child was making this mistake in the first place?"
She called me "not vigilant enough" and irresponsible. I was so blindsided by the logic—that correcting a mistake was somehow proof I had failed, she kept yelling at me till the point I started to cry. Instead of stopping, she mocked me, saying I had "no control over my emotions" and was "creating drama." The parent actually smirked at me.
After I left the room, my colleagues told me this is a regular pattern at this school and that I'll "get used to it." I realized then that I couldn't stay in a place that treats professionals this way.
I resigned, and the Director verbally waived my 30-day notice period so they could replace me immediately. I worked until May 18th. It has been nearly a month, and I have around ₹40,000 stuck with them (May salary + security deposit installments).
My contract says the security is refundable, but the accounts department is stalling. They acknowledged my file on Monday but have gone silent since.
My Dad says the system is corrupt and I should just "learn a lesson" and give up.
- Is it worth filing an IGRS (Jansunwai) complaint for 40k?
- Can they legally use the "notice period" excuse if the Director was the one who pushed for the waiver?
- How do I move past this trauma while starting my new job in June?