The TEFL Workers’ Union is calling on fellow union members, TEFL workers, and every supporter of justice to stand with us against Escape Campus (and their sibling company Verbo Education).
For years, this company has bled its teachers dry — breaking contracts, delaying wages, and forcing staff onto bogus “self-employed” deals. Now, after targeting a working mother returning from maternity leave, Escape / Verbo has gone too far.
📢 Join the rally!
🗓️ November 27th, 12:30pm
📍 Verbo Education, 90 Great Russell St, WC1B 3PS (near the British Museum)
We are demanding:
- Immediate and full back pay for Sheela
- An end to precarious contracts and wage theft at Escape
- Respect for maternity rights and justice for working parents
👉 Join us as we stand shoulder to shoulder with Sheela. Stand against exploitation in TEFL. Stand against wage theft and discrimination.
Our power is in our numbers. Our power is in our solidarity. Our power is in the streets.
And that’s why, simultaneous with the London rally, union friends in Italy will be targeting Escape Campus at their main school in Bari!
Sheela’s fight
Sheela* gave years of her life to Escape. She built the school’s reputation with her skill and dedication. But when she returned from maternity leave, instead of being respected, she was punished.
Her contracted hours were cut. Her payslips excluded her real workload. Wages were paid late — or not at all. To her it felt like a deliberate attempt to push her out, to make her choose between being a mother and being a teacher.
Sheela said it plainly:
“I love my job and I love my students — but after returning from maternity leave, I was given fewer hours, lower pay, and denied the rights I’m legally entitled to.”
That is constructive dismissal. That is discrimination. That is wage theft.
A serial offender
Escape’s crimes against workers are not new. This company hides behind different names — Escape Campus, Verbo Education, English Infinity — but its methods remain the same.
- Tribunal losses for discrimination
- Late and missing wages
- Bogus self-employed contracts
- Broken promises on hours and conditions
Teachers know the truth: Escape is one of the worst employers in London’s TEFL industry. But it’s not just about one school. These practices are rife across the sector. Exploitation is the business model.
As union organiser Tom Liebewitz put it:
“Escape, under its many corporate disguises, has built a reputation as a bad player. This campaign is about showing them — and every other exploitative boss — that TEFL teachers will not sit down and shut up.”
The union responds
Our collective action has already shaken Escape / Verbo. They were dragged to the negotiating table because of us. But when it came time to pay what they owe, management found a reason to renege.
So now we escalate.
“Our previous actions brought Escape bosses to the negotiating table, but the company still refuses to take the steps Sheela demands to make this right. This protest is to let Escape / Verbo know that this isn’t going away. It’s time to pay up in full!”
This is bigger than Sheela
This fight is not only about one teacher. It’s about whether bosses can strip away maternity rights. It’s about whether late pay and broken contracts become “normal” in TEFL. It’s about showing the whole sector that teachers will not be treated like disposable labour.
As Sheela said:
“This isn’t just about me — it’s about how working mothers are treated across the sector. No one should be punished for having a child. I’m speaking out to demand fairness — not just for myself, but for every teacher.”
When one of us is attacked, all of us are attacked. When one of us fights back, all of us must fight back.
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*A pseudonym used to protect the worker’s identity.