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I was staff at Plymouth (UK) org

anon_kat

Patron
I was there from September 2003 to October 2004 and it was the worst year of my life. And I thought my life had been harsh before that, well little did I know.
As most of you know, scientologists will squeeze more stuff into your day than any real employer so my year there was the equivalent to about 5 years. It feels like more.
It all started when I left school at 18 and went to Plymouth so study Psychology. When I got to Plymouth somebody very close to me introduced me to Scientology with the best intentions (she was new to it, you know, in the honeymoon period where they just show you good stuff).
Anyway, so I went to the org and the ED (excecutive director- Dick Jones) showed me around the place and convinced me to join staff there instead of studying Psychology. Scientology is better and if I'm a staff member my courses are free. Well, this well-dressed guy was creepy and that Orientation film was terrifying but I was a teenager fresh out of school. I had found an "easy" alternative to trying to get a degree. Of course I said yes.
The first couple of days were ok, I was given a warm greeting by everybody (who by the way were really loving) except the Senior C/S or whatever her title was. I was put through the Basic Study Manual Course and given an important-sounding job title. Just 18 and I was a Secretary! That week's pay was less than 3 pounds sterling. My working days started getting longer and the study time was already getting shorter. Suddenly I was working 9am-11pm Mon-Fri and 9am-6pm on Sundays.
Those working hours lasted a few months during which time they brainwashed me with DVDs on how great it is to be a scientologist. When I became a real scientologist (when I actually believed the bs) my days were much longer and I didn't get saturday off anywmore.
OK, this is getting really long so I will just highlight the worst stuff that I can remember.
I was used as a lure to get young men into the org. The Senior C/S (yeah susie) actually told me to flutter my eyelashes at the men (the others just hinted that I should use my feminine wiles).
I was introduced to Assists (the weird massage that's supposed to heal anything). One of the first Assists I got was from a repuslive man called dudley who actually touched me all over, literally. I was so unconfortable with a man touching me in a place nobody had ever run their hands and my chest too. I told the course supervisor afterwards but it was not "handled" and he got away with it. I later found out that Assist was not a normal one but the harm was done.
The Basic Course Supervisor was a pervert who loved to flirt with me (and my mum, and the 10-18 year old students, basically all the pretty young women, not his wife). He would not speak to a lady, he would speak to her chest.
The ED took a real liking to me and used to take me into the film room (alone) for friendly chats and we would speak about my happiness (where I would tell him I wasn't happy and he would convince me that I am therefore not really experiencing Scn because Scn is happy and I must do this course or write up my overts or anything). Then he would ask me about my personal life and I would tell him everything (nothing much at the time). Afterwards he would give me a prolonged cuddle and kiss me on the forehead. Eventually the forehead was swapped for the cheek. Then for that bit of cheek right next to the lips. I was still naive enough to believe this was not sexual. Until one day during one of our chats I told him "you're so understanding, I wish my own Dad was more like you" and his face turned to thunder and he sent me out of the room. Things were never the same again. If you think that means they improved, they didn't. I went from being the boss's imaginary mistress to his imaginary maid. He would give me all sorts of chores and I was a servant. Whether it was to photocopy some random piece of paper or make some random person a cup of tea. Ok so PA's do this all the time but LRH said to take orders from your direct senior only, not random staff members. My direct senior was somebody else.
I was constantly on loan to the PES (public excecutive secretary) to "body route" (get people into the org from the street) and sell books.
I was given impossible targets of booksales (1000 a week) and if I didn't meet the targets I had to work overtime. I couldn't even sell 1 book a week most of the time.
I spent many hours sobbing at the injustice of it. The 2 bosses (ED + Senior C/S) always went home at dinner time for much longer than the allocated 45 minutes. Sometimes they didn't even bother coming back after dinner at all! Nobody said a word because they were too scared. Yet it was up to me to get everybody in on time and do roll-call. I could not enforce the rules the ED and his wife wouldn't abide by. Only the students came back on time after dinner. Others would be late by 15mins and I had to write this down and show it to the ED the next day. Who would get the telling off? Me!
As I was never paid for all my hard work I was evicted from the shelter I lived in for not paying my rent and went to a council house with a bunch of other staff members. Life got more and more harsh. I could not afford luxuries like fruit or cereal. My meals were tiny items I could buy in the nearby Spar shop. A lovely friend at the org usually bought me a chocolate bar which would supplement the pepperami's I ate for breakfast lunch and dinner. My mother gave me what she could the few times I found a chance to see her. Those were the times I would eat well albeit quickly.
I eventually struck gold in one of the recruitment projects. I was used as bait for a particularly interesting young man and we fell for each other. Our relationship advanced very quickly as we were put on the Purif together (detox program). Well, after facing the irrational wrath of the (supposedly Clear) ED when he found out, we were accepted as a couple and moved in together.
We had our own flat because he had a real job, a full-time job in the real world and he just aboout managed to pay our bills. We never got to see each other though. We shared a bed for about 3 hours every night but were so exhausted we had no time to carry on getting to know each other. His paid job was 7am-3:30pm and the rest of the time he worked at the org but the ED made a point of keeping us apart. We were both unhappy but were not allowed to discuss scientology to each other, only to the Ethics Officer. Things got bad between us but deep down we knew it was not the other's fault and we stuck together.
The longer we stayed at the org, the worse we were treated. Suddenly the punishment for not selling books was not just a slap on the wrist. We were declined days off, then declined nights off. Yes, we were forced to stay behind doing written work and/or manual work (decorating) well into the early hours of the morning.
Eventually I was treated like scum by the senior members of staff, because of my poor stats and my unhappiness I was relieved of my usual duties. I was working for the Ethics department just cleaning and building. Yes, building. I was taught to mix cement, demolish bad walls, and build saunas. I stopped having the strength to wake up in the mornings and was literally dragged in most days if they couldn't wake me with phonecalls. When I arrived late (everyday) the senior c/s and D/ED rolled their eyes, muttered horrible things and then refused to address me directly because I was poisonous.
One day my senior was sent to collect me from home as usual but I refused to open the door. She would not give up and came back with reinforcements. I did not give in. She sent me threats of declaring me a Suppressive Person but I said yes please. This went on and on until they stopped patrolling my front door. My boyfriend stayed by my side and also refused to go into the org.
That was practically the end of my ordeal. I had to go back a few times to keep the peace so they would not disconnect me from the rest of my family. They gave me "word clearing" because they believed misunderstood words were the reason I became unhappy. Misunderstood words! Just random words in the little coursework I had done.
Thank goodness my whole family is out of there now. As soon as my boyfriend and I disconnected ourselves from Scn our relationship was back on track.

If you're wondering, the Purif did not work. I had to pretend it did, just so I could end the sauna + vitamin torture. During the e-meter test I got a floating needle by thinking of happy things like getting away.
 
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Lovesnightsky

Silver Meritorious Patron
Kat,
I am so glad that you have chosen to tell your story here. I am so sorry that I introduced you to Scientology and the only consolation I have is that you met that fantastic husband of yours while on staff.

I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:heartflower: :smoochy: :heartbeat: :rose: :handinhand: :love8: :bighug: :kiss: :love2:
 

anon_kat

Patron
Kat,
I am so glad that you have chosen to tell your story he. reI am so sorry that I introduced you to Scientology and the only consolation I have is that you met that fantastic husband of yours while on staff.


Don't be sorry! I am happier than I could ever imagine now because of all of this. I would never have met him if I didn't have to go through that. Besides, you introduced me but I was the one to stay for so long. I could've left as soon as I met him (within 2 months). Instead I gave scn the benefit of the doubt every day. I learnt a lot though. I now can stand up to bullies without a problem.
 

Zinjifar

Silver Meritorious Sponsor
Kat,
I am so glad that you have chosen to tell your story he. reI am so sorry that I introduced you to Scientology and the only consolation I have is that you met that fantastic husband of yours while on staff.


Don't be sorry! I am happier than I could ever imagine now because of all of this. I would never have met him if I didn't have to go through that. Besides, you introduced me but I was the one to stay for so long. I could've left as soon as I met him (within 2 months). Instead I gave scn the benefit of the doubt every day. I learnt a lot though. I now can stand up to bullies without a problem.

Heh. You sillies. I *never* joined Scientology, but, without Scientology, I would not now even know my wife.

It's not as if Scientology never did anything good

It's that Scientology never *intended* to do anything good, and, whatever good happened, happened *despite* Scientology.

Zinj
 

Lovesnightsky

Silver Meritorious Patron
Heh. You sillies. I *never* joined Scientology, but, without Scientology, I would not now even know my wife.

It's not as if Scientology never did anything good

It's that Scientology never *intended* to do anything good, and, whatever good happened, happened *despite* Scientology.

Zinj

Very true Zinj,
I did get a lot of good stuff out of being a Scientologist. Even meeting you all here in this board would not have happened had I not joined that church.
Plus it also made me see group mentality and how it works, something I still had to learn.
 

Terril park

Sponsor
Kat,
I am so glad that you have chosen to tell your story he. reI am so sorry that I introduced you to Scientology and the only consolation I have is that you met that fantastic husband of yours while on staff.


Don't be sorry! I am happier than I could ever imagine now because of all of this. I would never have met him if I didn't have to go through that. Besides, you introduced me but I was the one to stay for so long. I could've left as soon as I met him (within 2 months). Instead I gave scn the benefit of the doubt every day. I learnt a lot though. I now can stand up to bullies without a problem.

Hey girls,
When the Ethics specialist course came out in around 1979, I
was sent to Folo, then in Brighton, for ethics handling. Had this georgeous blonde from Plymouth do false data stripping on the dynamics.

Can't recall her name. Know who she is and what became of her?
 

Lovesnightsky

Silver Meritorious Patron
Hey girls,
When the Ethics specialist course came out in around 1979, I
was sent to Folo, then in Brighton, for ethics handling. Had this georgeous blonde from Plymouth do false data stripping on the dynamics.

Can't recall her name. Know who she is and what became of her?

That was before our time. But it is a strange thing that most female staff members at Plymouth org were/are totally gorgeous.
 

Terril park

Sponsor
That was before our time. But it is a strange thing that most female staff members at Plymouth org were/are totally gorgeous.

I think this was written about Plymouth. Lost of hills to walk up and down.
So peeps got good legs.

Been to Plymouth many times for holidays. Don't recall it being that hilly.
Maybe I misremembered the town.

Knew a long time on the net Cathy Tyler, a black girl. Apparently georgeous but missed her pic on ACT. From Plymouth org originally.

Sadly she is probably dead now. Some horrible auto immune disease.
 

Free to shine

Shiny & Free
Welcome Kat! :)
We need to hear these stories, thanks for yours. It reminds me of what I went through too. Our youthful enthusiasm just turned into a nightmare.
 

Cat's Squirrel

Gold Meritorious Patron
Wow, you really went through it. I had a lucky escape because the Ethics officer at the time (1985), a nasty piece of work whom I won't name, more or less ordered me to join staff one time. I told her if she ever said that again they'd never see me again, so she and they never mentioned it again.

Pity, I met some good people there.
 

Mick Wenlock

Admin Emeritus (retired)
HI anonkat - when you at Plymouth Org did you ever hear of Violet and John Good?

They were public - the only public with any money, at PLymouth in the late seventies and early eighties.
 

DartSmohen

Silver Meritorious Patron
HI anonkat - when you at Plymouth Org did you ever hear of Violet and John Good?

They were public - the only public with any money, at PLymouth in the late seventies and early eighties.
Back in 1971/72 I was on tour down in Plymouth with Colin Green (RIP).
John had a house out on Dartmoor and a relation of his had moved down, very suddenly from London, to escape the long arm of the law.:no: :nervous:

John took Colin and myself out to see them. He had told us about his relation, so Colin and I "hammed" it up.Colin and I wore pale blue shirts and black ties, navy trousers. We got out of the car and saw the curtains twitching. In we went. :omg: :omg:

You could cut the atmosphere with a knife. The poor fellow was so agitated. His wife was in the kitched trying to cook something in a saucepan, her hand was shaking so much that the pan was banging on the stove. Colin sat opposite the guty and asked "What brings you down here"? "Don't we know you from somewhere"? By this time John was in hysterics. He finally had to tell his relation we were friends, not police. The relief was something to behold. The guy had to sit down, his legs had given way. We laughed about it all the way back to Plymouth.:hysterical: :hysterical:

BTW, the real wealthy ones down there were Jerry Hazlewood and his family.
Jerry was having an affair with Dee North. John North (her husband) was having an affair with Toni Hazlewood (Jerry's wife). Dee North died in the middle of amorous copulation with Jerry. The whole place was in turmoil. GO, the lot all over it, trying to cover things up. Ah... those were the days. :whistling:
 

Free to shine

Shiny & Free
Jerry was having an affair with Dee North. John North (her husband) was having an affair with Toni Hazlewood (Jerry's wife). Dee North died in the middle of amorous copulation with Jerry. The whole place was in turmoil. GO, the lot all over it, trying to cover things up. Ah... those were the days. :whistling:

OMG Dart! :dieslaughing:
 

anon_kat

Patron
HI anonkat - when you at Plymouth Org did you ever hear of Violet and John Good?

They were public - the only public with any money, at PLymouth in the late seventies and early eighties.

Yeah I heard of them, and Violet Good's contact details were in the PES's address-book but there was never any point in contacting her when I was doing call-in because she wouldn't come in.
I think she's Helen Goddard's mother though? Helen is a full-timer at the org.
 

Cat's Squirrel

Gold Meritorious Patron
The names I kept hearing my stepdad mentioned at Plymouth Org before I was there were Debbie Layton (or Graham, I believe she got married) and Rob Petrie, who left to teach in Ottery St Mary. He spoke highly of both.
 

DartSmohen

Silver Meritorious Patron
The last time i was in Plymouth Org was when Alex Sibersky went there. I had been called from St Hill to Manchester to have a meeting with Sibersky. All he wanted was to have dinner !!:yes:

He wanted Terry Whiteman and me to drive down to Plymouth as Terry had come from there.:eyeroll:

Plymouth org was a dingy end of terrace hole in the wall. Alex conducted his usual rant at the staff anf demanded they all stood at attention while he went out with Terry and me and to remain at attention until we returned.:ohmy:

Where did we go? ... A local chinese restaurant. :duh: :melodramatic:

We stayed in suites at the Drake hotel, running up quite a hefty bar tab (all paid for by FBO) :omg: :ohmy:
 

Cat's Squirrel

Gold Meritorious Patron
The last time i was in Plymouth Org was when Alex Sibersky went there. I had been called from St Hill to Manchester to have a meeting with Sibersky. All he wanted was to have dinner !!:yes:

He wanted Terry Whiteman and me to drive down to Plymouth as Terry had come from there.:eyeroll:

Plymouth org was a dingy end of terrace hole in the wall. Alex conducted his usual rant at the staff and demanded they all stood at attention while he went out with Terry and me and to remain at attention until we returned.:ohmy:

Where did we go? ... A local chinese restaurant. :duh: :melodramatic:

We stayed in suites at the Drake hotel, running up quite a hefty bar tab (all paid for by FBO) :omg: :ohmy:

All just names to me I'm afraid. When was this? The standing to attention bit sounds typical though.
 
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