ArtreusI'm a wizardAnd that looks fucked upRegistered Userregular
edited August 2009
Yeah I am guessing a lot of you guys saying he should tough it out and can turn things around in a few weeks don't really know how things work in Japan. Working things out with his boss? Not gonna happen. She is going to be passive aggressive the whole time and he already said she refuses to acknowledge the fact that she hates him.
How is he supposed to "fix things" if he isn't getting any work? Yeah it does sound like he fucked up but it also sounds like this company is not equipped to deal with an American intern. Things were already kind of weird to start off with, then he made a big mistake that made them lose all trust in him and now he can't do anything.
Honestly, if the company was that shitty to me and it had nothing to do with my university, I would much, much rather pay whatever small amount they might end up charging for breaching the contract than losing a plane ticket that was a couple hundred dollars. That is the important thing to me. It isn't "oh no he is losing a vacation!" It is "Oh no, if he stays he loses several hundred dollars."
If he stays, he loses all that money and doesn't get the benefit of leaving early. It is still unclear as to whether or not they are going to be able to charge him over the dispute, so any advice from anyone who isn't directly involved is useless.
And to Spicy rev from way back on page 3. You say you feel guilty about leaving a job without notice? Well this is nothing like that. They made an agreement, with the boss knowing he would purchase a plane ticket home, that the internship would be ending early. That is important, this isn't just him skipping out to be an asshole.
You understand that if your University set up this internship for you, you are making them look bad by cutting out early to go on a trip. Even if legally they can't do anything this can come back to haunt you back at school this fall.
First, this will make more sense if I finally explain the role my university plays with in these internships. There is an advisor who helps students select and apply for internships abroad. Then there is a regional advisor who is supposed to help with any logistical problems that arise. This is a service the university provides; I do not enroll in a university program, I do not sign any internship-specific contracts with my university, my grades and graduation are not at stake.
When I approached the regional advisor, he threatened me with some sort of legal or disciplinary action. I spoke with the head advisor about this conversation and asked him to provide advice and clarify whether I really could face any sort of consequences from the university. His response:
1) No, the university does not have the power to act against me, and
2) Even if we did have the power, a conflict over one week of a summer internship is far too small change to warrant action, and
3) Why would we act against you in the first place? We are supposed to be assisting you.
And so this head advisor (who happens to speak Japanese), spoke with my boss for about five minutes and basically solved everything. My work now ends on the 28th, and my boss isn't mad at me about it. I'd love to know what he said in his phone call that so skillfully disarmed the situation. He honestly couldn't have been more humble and apologetic than I was. Maybe he was firm with her? I'm really curious, actually, and plan on asking him.
So, it seems like everything is resolved. Actually, two (much smaller) issues remain to be cleaned up.
1) The regional advisor is very upset with me for going over his head. I got a phone call from him at work in which he basically tore me apart for 4-5 minutes saying I'm rude and ungrateful. He said I need to write an email to the head advisor saying that this local advisor had been helpful and that I apologize for making him appear ineffective. I'm tempted to complain to the head advisor that this guy is being an asshat, but I'll probably just to write the letter to make all of this go away. He has absolutely no power over me, but I still just want him to leave me alone so I'll write his email for him.
2) I have six work days remaining to try to improve my situation at the company enough to get a letter of recommendation. Today was actually a big step because I was able to thank my boss really, really, really profusely for her understanding. I have bought a small gift I will be giving to her tomorrow (people do this in Japan). Still, I'm not getting work, so I don't know how much I'll be able to do.
But for now I'm pretty happy the most pressing issue got resolved beautifully.
1) The regional advisor is very upset with me for going over his head. I got a phone call from him at work in which he basically tore me apart for 4-5 minutes saying I'm rude and ungrateful. He said I need to write an email to the head advisor saying that this local advisor had been helpful and that I apologize for making him appear ineffective. I'm tempted to complain to the head advisor that this guy is being an asshat, but I'll probably just to write the letter to make all of this go away. He has absolutely no power over me, but I still just want him to leave me alone so I'll write his email for him.
No. Don't write the letter. There are much worse things in the world than someone being upset with you, such as writing a letter to someone's boss telling them that they're the tits when you really think they're an asshat. Somewhere deep down inside you you should know that's wrong. I'm all for not burning bridges in situations like this, but it sounds like that's already been done with this person. If he calls you again and tears you apart for doing or not doing something, stand up for yourself and tell him to blow. If you have a problem with doing that, go over his head again and tell his boss so he gets the point that you won't be treated like a doormat. Some people fail to understand that as a professional, they have the responsibility to treat those they work with, with courtesy and respect. Sounds like this guy missed that day at college.
underdonk on
Back in the day, bucko, we just had an A and a B button... and we liked it.
2) I have six work days remaining to try to improve my situation at the company enough to get a letter of recommendation. Today was actually a big step because I was able to thank my boss really, really, really profusely for her understanding. I have bought a small gift I will be giving to her tomorrow (people do this in Japan). Still, I'm not getting work, so I don't know how much I'll be able to do.
But for now I'm pretty happy the most pressing issue got resolved beautifully.
Not to sound like a dick, but now that things are going your way, you want work at leaving a good impression and get a letter of recommendation? o_O
1) The regional advisor is very upset with me for going over his head. I got a phone call from him at work in which he basically tore me apart for 4-5 minutes saying I'm rude and ungrateful. He said I need to write an email to the head advisor saying that this local advisor had been helpful and that I apologize for making him appear ineffective. I'm tempted to complain to the head advisor that this guy is being an asshat, but I'll probably just to write the letter to make all of this go away. He has absolutely no power over me, but I still just want him to leave me alone so I'll write his email for him.
No. Don't write the letter. There are much worse things in the world than someone being upset with you, such as writing a letter to someone's boss telling them that they're the tits when you really think they're an asshat. Somewhere deep down inside you you should know that's wrong. I'm all for not burning bridges in situations like this, but it sounds like that's already been done with this person. If he calls you again and tears you apart for doing or not doing something, stand up for yourself and tell him to blow. If you have a problem with doing that, go over his head again and tell his boss so he gets the point that you won't be treated like a doormat. Some people fail to understand that as a professional, they have the responsibility to treat those they work with, with courtesy and respect. Sounds like this guy missed that day at college.
Not completely comparing apple to apples here but...
If you get crappy service at a resturant do you tip?
If you get a bad hair cut do you tip?
If the little shoe shine boy scuffs your shoes do you tip?
I think you can see what I am hinting at.
In my opinion you don't owe this guy a god damn thing... do not help him cover his ass by writing a letter that goes against how he actually did or did not help you.
Don't write the letter. You don't owe this guy shit.
Long(er) Answer:
Of course you went over his head; he didn't help you when you needed it so you did what anyone would do if they were in a similar situation: you went to his manager. Now, it doesn't sound like you complained about him to the lead adviser guy, so it's all on the lead adviser if he decided to have a conversation with the regional adviser.
The regional manager crossed the line when he chewed you out and threatened disciplinary and legal action. He has no authority over you and, from the way you describe it, has no stake in your internship at all. Politely tell him to shove off if he calls you again.
Oh, and you don't owe him shit, so don't write the letter.
write it about how he interrupted you while you were at work to yell at you about how he couldn't do his job. write about how he yelled at you to get you to write a good letter for him
write it about how he interrupted you while you were at work to yell at you about how he couldn't do his job. write about how he yelled at you to get you to write a good letter for him
This isn't professional. Don't do this.
underdonk on
Back in the day, bucko, we just had an A and a B button... and we liked it.
write it about how he interrupted you while you were at work to yell at you about how he couldn't do his job. write about how he yelled at you to get you to write a good letter for him
1) The regional advisor is very upset with me for going over his head. I got a phone call from him at work in which he basically tore me apart for 4-5 minutes saying I'm rude and ungrateful. He said I need to write an email to the head advisor saying that this local advisor had been helpful and that I apologize for making him appear ineffective. I'm tempted to complain to the head advisor that this guy is being an asshat, but I'll probably just to write the letter to make all of this go away. He has absolutely no power over me, but I still just want him to leave me alone so I'll write his email for him.
No. Don't write the letter. There are much worse things in the world than someone being upset with you, such as writing a letter to someone's boss telling them that they're the tits when you really think they're an asshat. Somewhere deep down inside you you should know that's wrong. I'm all for not burning bridges in situations like this, but it sounds like that's already been done with this person. If he calls you again and tears you apart for doing or not doing something, stand up for yourself and tell him to blow. If you have a problem with doing that, go over his head again and tell his boss so he gets the point that you won't be treated like a doormat. Some people fail to understand that as a professional, they have the responsibility to treat those they work with, with courtesy and respect. Sounds like this guy missed that day at college.
Yeah definitely do not write any letter for him. You were perfectly justified in going over his head.
You don't have to deal with him again, he shouldn't be asking you to write a letter that's a fucking lie in the first place.
I mean, don't TELL him outright that you're not going to do it, that might result in him fucking you over further at this point.
Do NOT write the letter he asked you to write. Christ, you just got out of being bullied by your boss, now you're going to let this asshat (who has no authority over you) bully you from thousands of miles away?
If he calls again, explain to him that you're sorry, but his boss was very helpful in resolving the situation, and you refuse to repay that by being dishonest. You could also remind him that instead of exhibiting the helpful behavior he'd like you to describe in your letter, he chewed you out over the phone for four hours (four fucking hours) while you were stuck, alone, in a foreign country in a hostile work environment. He made a bad situation feel even worse.
edit- Also, congrats on getting all that sorted out. I am glad this thread had a happy ending. Asshat's boss is a fucking jedi, and at the conclusion of the internship you should consider writing him a professional thank-you-for-saving-my-ass letter. If his intervention allowed you to take anything useful out of your last couple of weeks there, be sure to include that in the letter.
I wonder if you could get some assignment at work to keep you busy for the remaining time there by framing it like that, since you seem to have patched things up somewhat with your boss, and since she seems to have some amount of respect for awesome guy. You could humbly explain how you do not want to squander the opportunity you've been given and would be willing to take on any task, even something menial, and that it would mean a lot if you could tell him how he made a difference in your experience there, rather than just getting you out early. I don't know, and I'm not familiar with the work environment, or with the details of your situation. You certainly don't want to accidentally offend someone and put things back to where they were, and you may just be better off keeping your head down.
Yeah, don't write that letter. You went over his head because HE DIDN'T HELP YOU. Then, he somehow decided the way to get out of it was by calling you to scream and threaten some more. lolwut.
And so this head advisor (who happens to speak Japanese), spoke with my boss for about five minutes and basically solved everything. My work now ends on the 28th, and my boss isn't mad at me about it. I'd love to know what he said in his phone call that so skillfully disarmed the situation. He honestly couldn't have been more humble and apologetic than I was. Maybe he was firm with her? I'm really curious, actually, and plan on asking him.
But congrats on this part, OP! I'm really glad things worked out for you.
LadyM on
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KetarCome on upstairswe're having a partyRegistered Userregular
edited August 2009
Congrats on getting everything worked out so well. And let me just add to the numerous posters advising you not to write that letter. That adviser screwed up. Badly. He did absolutely nothing to help you and instead was making the situation worse for you with threats of legal action. Someone like that frankly has no business advising college students in any capacity, and his issue now may be that his boss is realizing that. A letter sent on his behalf now can only hurt future students if it helps him stay in a position he doesn't belong in.
2) I have six work days remaining to try to improve my situation at the company enough to get a letter of recommendation. Today was actually a big step because I was able to thank my boss really, really, really profusely for her understanding. I have bought a small gift I will be giving to her tomorrow (people do this in Japan). Still, I'm not getting work, so I don't know how much I'll be able to do.
But for now I'm pretty happy the most pressing issue got resolved beautifully.
Not to sound like a dick, but now that things are going your way, you want work at leaving a good impression and get a letter of recommendation? o_O
I've been trying to get work from day one and I've been actively trying to improve my standing at the firm ever since I realized it was beginning to fall. I was just noting here that the problem of the hostile work atmosphere remains largely unresolved--I didn't mean to sound like only now will I start to try mending fences. I'm just pessimistic because there are six days left and I'm largely out of ideas on how to improve my situation, given that I'm still spending all day searching and asking for work to do and not being given any.
I received a followup email from my senior advisor stating that he looked into my company and noted that all prior interns had been students who were approaching graduation from law school, and as such he felt he should apologize for the university having recommended an internship provider that turned out to be a fairly unworkable mismatch. I can't state how unbelievably appreciative I am of this guy. Trust me, I know I've fucked up quite a bit, but I've really been feeling god awful depressed and alone these past few months and it's just incredibly uplifting to have someone looking out for me like this.
Maybe not that crazy, but you should probably pick something up for them. Nothing too personal, just some token of your appreciation.
$150 for hotdogs?!
More lips than anus perhaps.
Anyways, I don't think you really need to worry about that letter. Buddies boss seems to be well aware of the situation there and helping him keep a position that it doesn't sound like he even likes really helps noone in the long run.
So I never wrote the letter to my head advisor that the local advisor wanted me to.
Now the local advisor has sent out an email to all Japan interns saying he is resigning his position.
I really didn't think (or want) this to end with somebody losing their job. I mean, the guy sucked pretty horribly, but I'm not normally in the business of trying to get people fired, asshat or not. Kind of shocked. I don't think I did anything wrong in going over his head, especially since it got the situation resolved. But I do feel guilty if I played a role in seeing a man lose a position he's held for like twenty years. I know I shouldn't feel guilty, especially since I don't even know if I'm directly responsible for this or if the guy had it coming for awhile. I guess I just feel blindsided that it happened, I suppose.
Not saying I'm going to be losing hours of sleep over it, but I really never thought for a second so much shit would go down from this.
You didn't get the guy fired. He got himself fired for being bad at his job and treating people like like shit. Don't feel guilty about this. It's just business.
underdonk on
Back in the day, bucko, we just had an A and a B button... and we liked it.
You didn't get the guy fired. He got himself fired for being bad at his job and treating people like like shit. Don't feel guilty about this. It's just business.
What I'm curious about is which work culture is who from? Like obviously your boss is part of the Japanese work environment. But what about the university advisers?
This just seems like a huge clash between the cultures and I think one of the things I really want to know is how the senior adviser managed to diffuse everything in a phone call.
EDIT: And about the local adviser: he really did cock things up on his own. It'd be a totally different story if you did go above him and got the exact same answers but he was dead wrong! He lied to you, purposely or not. He was absolutely incorrect this time and if he wants to fall on his sword like this, it's his prerogative.
Just throwing in another voice of assent for "don't feel guilty."
Look at it this way: you going to his supervisor after going to him is not going to by itself make the supervisor say "okay, this guy is incompetent, let's can his ass". If your (completely justifiable, logical, and understandable) actions were even part of the equation, they were just that: part of the equation that he's been building up with his own shitty work.
So I never wrote the letter to my head advisor that the local advisor wanted me to.
Now the local advisor has sent out an email to all Japan interns saying he is resigning his position.
I really didn't think (or want) this to end with somebody losing their job. I mean, the guy sucked pretty horribly, but I'm not normally in the business of trying to get people fired, asshat or not. Kind of shocked. I don't think I did anything wrong in going over his head, especially since it got the situation resolved. But I do feel guilty if I played a role in seeing a man lose a position he's held for like twenty years. I know I shouldn't feel guilty, especially since I don't even know if I'm directly responsible for this or if the guy had it coming for awhile. I guess I just feel blindsided that it happened, I suppose.
Not saying I'm going to be losing hours of sleep over it, but I really never thought for a second so much shit would go down from this.
What was the timeline from him asking you for a letter to him resigning? It seems like there really wasn't much time for such a letter to make any impact.
Don't think for a second that your situation was the only blemish on his record. And that's assuming he didn't resign because of something else entirely or because this situation just made him realize how much he hated his job.
Not sure if anyone else see's it this way, but the local advisor seems the sort of person who got his job by threatening/taking advantage of interns that really didn't know any better.
I have a little of the same problem. I intern at an architectural firm along with an another girl from the same school as I. My boss gives her a lot more attention than he gives me. Its been 2 weeks since he asked me to get any job done. I didn't screw it up, or take any wrong step. He has been acting completely indifferent towards me. I feel like shit, 'cause he wont talk to me, and if I go and try to talk, He snubs me. BAM! that's it! I wouldn;t care about this usually, but This is a 4 month internship and my boss gives my school a monthly report on me. So, It kind of affects my internal grades. I dont know what to do. Its just 3 more months but I can't feel like this especially when I know that I didnt do anything wrong. Can ANYONE PLEASE HELP?
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How is he supposed to "fix things" if he isn't getting any work? Yeah it does sound like he fucked up but it also sounds like this company is not equipped to deal with an American intern. Things were already kind of weird to start off with, then he made a big mistake that made them lose all trust in him and now he can't do anything.
Honestly, if the company was that shitty to me and it had nothing to do with my university, I would much, much rather pay whatever small amount they might end up charging for breaching the contract than losing a plane ticket that was a couple hundred dollars. That is the important thing to me. It isn't "oh no he is losing a vacation!" It is "Oh no, if he stays he loses several hundred dollars."
If he stays, he loses all that money and doesn't get the benefit of leaving early. It is still unclear as to whether or not they are going to be able to charge him over the dispute, so any advice from anyone who isn't directly involved is useless.
And to Spicy rev from way back on page 3. You say you feel guilty about leaving a job without notice? Well this is nothing like that. They made an agreement, with the boss knowing he would purchase a plane ticket home, that the internship would be ending early. That is important, this isn't just him skipping out to be an asshole.
First, this will make more sense if I finally explain the role my university plays with in these internships. There is an advisor who helps students select and apply for internships abroad. Then there is a regional advisor who is supposed to help with any logistical problems that arise. This is a service the university provides; I do not enroll in a university program, I do not sign any internship-specific contracts with my university, my grades and graduation are not at stake.
When I approached the regional advisor, he threatened me with some sort of legal or disciplinary action. I spoke with the head advisor about this conversation and asked him to provide advice and clarify whether I really could face any sort of consequences from the university. His response:
1) No, the university does not have the power to act against me, and
2) Even if we did have the power, a conflict over one week of a summer internship is far too small change to warrant action, and
3) Why would we act against you in the first place? We are supposed to be assisting you.
And so this head advisor (who happens to speak Japanese), spoke with my boss for about five minutes and basically solved everything. My work now ends on the 28th, and my boss isn't mad at me about it. I'd love to know what he said in his phone call that so skillfully disarmed the situation. He honestly couldn't have been more humble and apologetic than I was. Maybe he was firm with her? I'm really curious, actually, and plan on asking him.
So, it seems like everything is resolved. Actually, two (much smaller) issues remain to be cleaned up.
1) The regional advisor is very upset with me for going over his head. I got a phone call from him at work in which he basically tore me apart for 4-5 minutes saying I'm rude and ungrateful. He said I need to write an email to the head advisor saying that this local advisor had been helpful and that I apologize for making him appear ineffective. I'm tempted to complain to the head advisor that this guy is being an asshat, but I'll probably just to write the letter to make all of this go away. He has absolutely no power over me, but I still just want him to leave me alone so I'll write his email for him.
2) I have six work days remaining to try to improve my situation at the company enough to get a letter of recommendation. Today was actually a big step because I was able to thank my boss really, really, really profusely for her understanding. I have bought a small gift I will be giving to her tomorrow (people do this in Japan). Still, I'm not getting work, so I don't know how much I'll be able to do.
But for now I'm pretty happy the most pressing issue got resolved beautifully.
No. Don't write the letter. There are much worse things in the world than someone being upset with you, such as writing a letter to someone's boss telling them that they're the tits when you really think they're an asshat. Somewhere deep down inside you you should know that's wrong. I'm all for not burning bridges in situations like this, but it sounds like that's already been done with this person. If he calls you again and tears you apart for doing or not doing something, stand up for yourself and tell him to blow. If you have a problem with doing that, go over his head again and tell his boss so he gets the point that you won't be treated like a doormat. Some people fail to understand that as a professional, they have the responsibility to treat those they work with, with courtesy and respect. Sounds like this guy missed that day at college.
Not to sound like a dick, but now that things are going your way, you want work at leaving a good impression and get a letter of recommendation? o_O
Not completely comparing apple to apples here but...
If you get crappy service at a resturant do you tip?
If you get a bad hair cut do you tip?
If the little shoe shine boy scuffs your shoes do you tip?
I think you can see what I am hinting at.
In my opinion you don't owe this guy a god damn thing... do not help him cover his ass by writing a letter that goes against how he actually did or did not help you.
Don't write the letter. You don't owe this guy shit.
Long(er) Answer:
Of course you went over his head; he didn't help you when you needed it so you did what anyone would do if they were in a similar situation: you went to his manager. Now, it doesn't sound like you complained about him to the lead adviser guy, so it's all on the lead adviser if he decided to have a conversation with the regional adviser.
The regional manager crossed the line when he chewed you out and threatened disciplinary and legal action. He has no authority over you and, from the way you describe it, has no stake in your internship at all. Politely tell him to shove off if he calls you again.
Oh, and you don't owe him shit, so don't write the letter.
write it about how he interrupted you while you were at work to yell at you about how he couldn't do his job. write about how he yelled at you to get you to write a good letter for him
This isn't professional. Don't do this.
Lime'd for great truth.
Yeah definitely do not write any letter for him. You were perfectly justified in going over his head.
You don't have to deal with him again, he shouldn't be asking you to write a letter that's a fucking lie in the first place.
I mean, don't TELL him outright that you're not going to do it, that might result in him fucking you over further at this point.
If he calls again, explain to him that you're sorry, but his boss was very helpful in resolving the situation, and you refuse to repay that by being dishonest. You could also remind him that instead of exhibiting the helpful behavior he'd like you to describe in your letter, he chewed you out over the phone for four hours (four fucking hours) while you were stuck, alone, in a foreign country in a hostile work environment. He made a bad situation feel even worse.
edit- Also, congrats on getting all that sorted out. I am glad this thread had a happy ending. Asshat's boss is a fucking jedi, and at the conclusion of the internship you should consider writing him a professional thank-you-for-saving-my-ass letter. If his intervention allowed you to take anything useful out of your last couple of weeks there, be sure to include that in the letter.
I wonder if you could get some assignment at work to keep you busy for the remaining time there by framing it like that, since you seem to have patched things up somewhat with your boss, and since she seems to have some amount of respect for awesome guy. You could humbly explain how you do not want to squander the opportunity you've been given and would be willing to take on any task, even something menial, and that it would mean a lot if you could tell him how he made a difference in your experience there, rather than just getting you out early. I don't know, and I'm not familiar with the work environment, or with the details of your situation. You certainly don't want to accidentally offend someone and put things back to where they were, and you may just be better off keeping your head down.
But congrats on this part, OP! I'm really glad things worked out for you.
I've been trying to get work from day one and I've been actively trying to improve my standing at the firm ever since I realized it was beginning to fall. I was just noting here that the problem of the hostile work atmosphere remains largely unresolved--I didn't mean to sound like only now will I start to try mending fences. I'm just pessimistic because there are six days left and I'm largely out of ideas on how to improve my situation, given that I'm still spending all day searching and asking for work to do and not being given any.
I received a followup email from my senior advisor stating that he looked into my company and noted that all prior interns had been students who were approaching graduation from law school, and as such he felt he should apologize for the university having recommended an internship provider that turned out to be a fairly unworkable mismatch. I can't state how unbelievably appreciative I am of this guy. Trust me, I know I've fucked up quite a bit, but I've really been feeling god awful depressed and alone these past few months and it's just incredibly uplifting to have someone looking out for me like this.
It is good to hear that things are working out.
I recommend a Vienna Beef Gift Basket for that senior adviser.
Maybe not that crazy, but you should probably pick something up for them. Nothing too personal, just some token of your appreciation.
$150 for hotdogs?!
More lips than anus perhaps.
Anyways, I don't think you really need to worry about that letter. Buddies boss seems to be well aware of the situation there and helping him keep a position that it doesn't sound like he even likes really helps noone in the long run.
Now the local advisor has sent out an email to all Japan interns saying he is resigning his position.
I really didn't think (or want) this to end with somebody losing their job. I mean, the guy sucked pretty horribly, but I'm not normally in the business of trying to get people fired, asshat or not. Kind of shocked. I don't think I did anything wrong in going over his head, especially since it got the situation resolved. But I do feel guilty if I played a role in seeing a man lose a position he's held for like twenty years. I know I shouldn't feel guilty, especially since I don't even know if I'm directly responsible for this or if the guy had it coming for awhile. I guess I just feel blindsided that it happened, I suppose.
Not saying I'm going to be losing hours of sleep over it, but I really never thought for a second so much shit would go down from this.
This just seems like a huge clash between the cultures and I think one of the things I really want to know is how the senior adviser managed to diffuse everything in a phone call.
EDIT: And about the local adviser: he really did cock things up on his own. It'd be a totally different story if you did go above him and got the exact same answers but he was dead wrong! He lied to you, purposely or not. He was absolutely incorrect this time and if he wants to fall on his sword like this, it's his prerogative.
Look at it this way: you going to his supervisor after going to him is not going to by itself make the supervisor say "okay, this guy is incompetent, let's can his ass". If your (completely justifiable, logical, and understandable) actions were even part of the equation, they were just that: part of the equation that he's been building up with his own shitty work.
What was the timeline from him asking you for a letter to him resigning? It seems like there really wasn't much time for such a letter to make any impact.
Not getting work to do is the shittiest feeling in the world. You just feel like guilty, useless dead weight.
At least you accomplished something over the course of your internship.
PS4:MrZoompants