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.
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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