CASTRIES, St Lucia (CMC) — President of the St Lucia Teachers Union Julian Monrose has advised teachers from the sub-regional grouping, the OECS, against rushing to take up teaching opportunities in the United States and Canada, before thoroughly researching those jobs.

His advice came as St Lucian and other OECS educators in New York join hundreds of Caribbean teachers to protest what they say is the unfair treatment meted out to them by the New York Department of Education (DOE).

The teachers contend that the DOE attached them to city schools with false promises of green cards and financial aid, but the departments lack of support has resulted in a ten year battle to get on the right path to permanent residency.

Monrose said that this development has lessons for every teacher considering offers to work overseas.

“In dealing with agencies teachers must ensure that they are credible and they must be careful with the kind of contracts that they sign.

“If you are going to migrate or take up employment in a country you have some responsibility to yourself to ensure that the conditions that you are going into are right,” Monrose said.

A report released on March 27th by the Black Institute claims that the Caribbean teachers were first lured to New York by promises of continued educational opportunities, housing assistance, and a path to permanent residency in the United States.

The report, Broken Promises, the story of Caribbean International Teachers in New York City’s Public Schools, said that the teachers were uprooted from their families in the hope of finding a better future.

The teachers are demanding a meeting with the schools Chancellor Cathy Black and legal assistance from the Education Department.