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They exploit their students- A year ago I went there and they offered me a subsidized course fee $2500 (for remedial massage) if we did 1400 hours in the student clinic, and said it would take 2-3 years. They made us sign the forms with a 14 day cool-off period, but little did we know that we started clinic AFTER the 14 day cool off which is when they explained a few conditions. We found out that we had to have CLIENTS to count for the hours we spent in the clinic massaging them, and the hours that we were there if we didn't have a client weren't counted. On top of that, there were not enough clients for us to be able to complete the course in 2-3 years...it worked out that we would be there for at least 5 to eight years just trying to get the hours to complete the course! We were actually making them around $22 grand in the meantime, with our time and work! So much for a subsidized course! When we confronted them about this, they tried to keep us quiet, saying that we had to schedule a meeting with the head person.. and we were banned from talking to other students about any of it! Well... I left, and took most of the students with me after they figured out what was happening! We tried to take legal action, and get my money back but it was "after their cool off period"...they are such a big company with many loopholes so I ended up losing $2500. That's a lot for an 18 year old! No one go there... send the ### broke for what they do to their students!
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
IT IS NOT SAFE. I was his latest victim. I was a student for the scholarship for $500. Lucky i didn't pay upfront and left before it got worse. Overworked and underpaid. He wasted my time but I learned from this. Do not trust anything he says. Red flag Central. Some things are too good to be true. I changed into unscored vce for this and started working when I was 17 there since july. Now I have no atar and need to re-evaluate. I have to pick up the pieces and find another pathway to survive.
So interesting reading all these comments. I was a Kung Fu student for 10 years at SDCA in Wheelers Hill. I joined as a kid, 7 years old and left when I was 17. I loved going there when Thomas McKail WASN’T around. When he was, we were forced to call him SiFu, meaning master, so I’ll refer to him as SiFu as that is how I know him. I was just a kid when I went there, but even as I kid I can still remember to this day how SiFu used to make me feel. He was a bully and often made me cry. He deliberately used to pronounced my name wrong, I tried to correct him a couple times, but SiFu ignored me and kept saying it wrong on purpose. I didn’t try to correct him again after that. I was just a kid and he was a grown man bullying me. I hated him, but I loved Kung Fu which is why I stayed so long. I the last couple years of me being there he made me an instructor and I would run the junior classes on my own(even though I was only a teen myself). I was never paid to run the classes, I had to do it. I had no choice and couldn’t say no. I eventually got sick of SiFu’s attitude and bullying and quit which was a shame because I loved KungFu and would have stayed if it were not for Thomas McKail!
What years were you at SDCA?
This is all absolutely correct. I was there and can verify that this is how he operated. He wouldn't pay anyone; he'd claim it was all part of the learning kung fu process. He never took a class himself. His ability to lose his [censored] if anyone questioned him was impressive. His skills in manipulation people, especially children, were equally impressive. These days though it appears his schools have ceased and his businesses are waining. Karma?
100% Run Don't walk.
He never took a class. In fact I know of a number of people who joined the school purely to lean a cool style of kung fu, and within months of them joining (and having never learned a martial art before) they were full instructors and responsible for taking most of the junior and senior classes. New students just assumed the instructors were somehow qualified and experts of the craft. Worth mentioning that they were never paid. They weren't supposed to be paid in anything other than 'special' tuition by this man. Not sure that ever happened though.
I did some so called kung fu under him, he never once took a single class, after training with real masters I can say now this man is a joke, the instructors taking his classes had little to no knowledge of the basics, ie posture alignment and general stance control and energy release, and yet this idiot promoted himself as a master, stay well away from anything to do with this fool
Does anyone know how I can get my student records from one of the schools he used to be the CEO of: East West College? I called is cell phone number that is listed on some government documents for the school and he was super sketchy on the phone and hung up on me. Any advice appreciated - thank you!
If it was during his time at Eastwest, you should be able to access your records through the USI system. He will deny all association with
Eastwest because he was not permitted to run it because MCPT had already been shut down. You will have no luck contacting the owners as they changed all the management when they were investigated to protect the owners of a large chain of Massage stores from prosecution and scrutiny.
USI is the only way you’ll get records.
This man is a life long fraud! He used to have interests in brothels in Sydney, while continuing to reside in Melbourne. All of his so called qualifications a fake. His biggest fear is the ATO.
So Interesting to read this. I attended your wedding back in the late eighties as one of 'sifu's' young naive devoted disciples!
I grew up to realise what a deluded and manipulative person he was.
I stumbled across this site while curious about what he's up to know. Seems he only got worse as the years went on.
Glad to hear you are free from him.
I had a similar experience many years ago. Mckail, the owner, was manipulative, abusive, and all around the worst person that I have ever had the displeasure of knowing. I had to quit because the emotional abuse was too overwhelming.
He was completely exploitative of students -- making them work insane amounts of hours for free, while he made profit, in order to earn their diplomas. I highly doubt that he is even qualified to call himself Dr.
I sincerely hope that someone manages to take legal action against his practice and recoup some of the money that he has stolen from his hopeful students. Well done to whoever had the college shut down. If only it had happened sooner.
I was his student and was promised to give me the certificate when I completed my course. He never did and always extended my practical hours so that I work for free while he charged his patients. I followed up and he kept saying the regulations have changed and I needed to working more hours. He is a liar and exploited students. We could not say anything because we had paid the money up front. He should be deregistered for his practise. I know all of his students have been exploited, especially overseas students who needed the enrollment details to continue with their visas. I can’t believe he still can operate!
I would love more details if this is a current issue. The College was shut down by ASQA several years ago and mr McKail is not permitted to own or operate another RTO without ASQA approval.
MCPT has been practicing like this for years. Mr McKails antics have been long standing and would even go as far as to say his own qualifications are questionable. However the course that is run adheres to the rules and regulations of RTO's and the practical aspect was always substantial with qualified practitioners (osteopaths) and those with cert IV training, teaching.
There should be further investigations into the practice of this training organisation, I only looked up MCPT to see if it was still running - sad to say that when you are young you are far too trusting of people. Mr McKail - aslo prefers to be called 'Dr' I am a medical professional these days and I can certainly say no one around here makes you call them 'Dr'!
Please make contact if this occurred recently. This college has been shut down by ASQA and are not permitted to take students. If this is happening currently, ASQA need to know and appropriate action can be talen
Hi there
I recently emailed ASQA regarding this guy. He recently offered me a "scholarship" for a diploma of massage through a college which doesn't even train in massage. All i had to do was pay $500 and my "scholarship" would be approved and start the following day. Please take further measures against to ensure this criminal no longer preys on unsuspecting victims.
DO NOT and I repeat DO NOT trust "Dr" Thomas McKail any further than you can throw that arrogant bullying weasel. There is nothing good and nothing honest about him. He'll take every opportunity to rip you off, not give your things back and threaten you with the police and his apparent martial arts expertise. He's got his own rules.. for example, he took a cup from a water fountain, filled it up, drunk it and then put the cup straight back where they came from. Smiled at me as if to say it's OK. Damn well NOT OK. I worked in his sleazy clinic in 2004 and am still appalled and disgusted by his aggressive, rude and nasty existence.
I've recently had Mr mckail demand I remove my graduated certificate from public display.
I was bullied out of the school.
There is so much to say about Dr Thomas Mckails bullying behaviour and fraudulent business tactics.
I discovered that it was after he google searched his own name that he found my certificate.
Please be aware of this man