Job Discussion Forums

wantok · Joined: 05 Jul 2012 Posts: 168

Truly bizarre!

http://www.shabakatraining.com/

I once heard about Saudi women who placed a permanent slip of masking tape over their laptop's webcam.

I guess http://www.ebay.com/itm/webcam-cover-accessory-laptop-notebook-netbook-/120709287832 sell well in the Kingdom!

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Quite often I prefer that my webcam isn't on... Laughing

VS

Barbaros · Joined: 18 Aug 2012 Posts: 58 Location: North of France

AbeCross · Joined: 21 Jun 2012 Posts: 191

Last year, foreign women who taught at Shabaka were informed that they had to sign a contract promising they would not get pregnant. They signed or their contracts were not renewed.

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

The big question is what they will do if you do get pregnant. As long as you are legally married... Do you not then come under Saudi employment law where they have to cover you?

VS

Barbaros · Joined: 18 Aug 2012 Posts: 58 Location: North of France

wantok · Joined: 05 Jul 2012 Posts: 168

Clever strategy is to get pregnant between the medical exam and arrival.

A few years ago apparently a husband and wife arrived, the wife to teach, the husband to take a "management" position. Both were on Shabaka-sponsored illegal visas, which means no medical required.

She was rewarded with quite a few months off to emit the infant and nurture it, the former compliments of illegal health insurance.

Pregnancy and visa by convenience!

I guess they were chuffed!

AbeCross · Joined: 21 Jun 2012 Posts: 191

nickelgoat · Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 3:18 am Post subject:

.....

wantok · Joined: 05 Jul 2012 Posts: 168

nickel, rumor has it that chthon's career may have devolved into lucrative membership with the Prevention of Vice and Preservation of Virtue squad.

He rehearsed well amongst these threads.

His self-righteous spins nevertheless continue, but now, I suspect, with hand$omer regard and reward.

vashdown2 · Joined: 14 Feb 2007 Posts: 124 Location: Paris, France

I am FEMALE teacher currently employed by Shabaka Training to teach at King Faisal University this year (2012-2013) and I can say that this no-pregnancy clause is totally FALSE.

wantok · Joined: 05 Jul 2012 Posts: 168

Present tense.

AbeCross · Joined: 21 Jun 2012 Posts: 191

feverpitch · Joined: 01 Feb 2011 Posts: 32

Ask another female teacher who was there last year for the sordid details of the no-pregnancy clause. However, you may not be able to find any female teachers who stayed on-other than the wife of the assistant academic director. Teacher turnover at Shabaka is extremely high-even by Saudi EFL standards, and that high turnover rate is due to the company's inept and unprofessional management. If you do a little research, you'll also learn about Shabaka's myriad other unsavory practices such as the notorious Rehiring Committee.[/quote]

I was part of this committee and I have to agree with Abecross. Despite all our best efforts to ensure that the rehiring was dealt with in as professional manner as possible once we had made our decisions it was agreed that we would not tell any teacher their "fate" until a week or two before the end of the contract to avoid any possible problems.

The director, however, always wanted to win the popularity contest, so two days later he told all the people that we wanted to keep that their jobs were safe, but failed to realise the implications for the not so fortunate (if you can call it that).

If you are thinking of working there, take the "Buyer Beware" section of their contract seriously.