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madrileno
Joined: 19 Aug 2010
Posts: 100
Location: Oman
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 Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2012 9:35 pm Post subject: Re: DO NOT WORK FOR TATI! |
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| aummua wrote: |
The following is my experience with TATI. I found out about them a few years back (2010) on this site, and I have been watching this discussion board since then.
My experience with TATI was very negative, beginning with the airport pick-up. They will tell you that a PRO (aka "driver") will be at the airport to greet you and take you to your hotel. I arrived at 11pm at no one was there at the airport to greet me or to take me to my hotel, so I had to do it on my own (after waiting for two hours and calling the three contact phone numbers I was given and receiving no answer). I later found out that this is a typical method they use in the hopes that you will find (and pay for) your own accommodation.
The next day I am asked to come into the office to sign the contract, even though I already signed one weeks earlier. This new contract includes a 50% reduced bonus and other discrepancies from the original. I inform them of this, and they say I am mistaken. I show them the contract they sent and I signed a month earlier, and they call it a "forgery" (not by me, but rather another, nameless employee who has conveniently "stopped working"). I tell them regardless of this, I will not be signing any contract that differs from the one that brought me to their company initially.
This causes a stir in the office, and eventually a man named Khilan comes out and says he really needs my help in cooperating. I tell him I am not signing a different contract.
He says "Fine, we'll do it your way, Superman. But if you want an advance on pay we need to hold onto your passport."
I tell him I am in no need of an advance on my salary.
"Every teacher gets an advance," he says.
"And I assume every teacher relinquishes their passport?" I ask. This makes him FURIOUS! Here's where red flares go off all over the place. These guys are acting vindictive toward their teachers because of their own mistakes, and they get even more pissed off when they find they can't hold their teachers hostage. I find out that this is a trend with TATI.
I explain that I am jet-lagged and would like to go home to the hotel I am personally paying for, and since I am not being paid until I start working at the college, I ask about the time frame. I am told that I will have my residency card within 5 days and will start working then, but that I need to get my medical done that same day. I wait around the horribly disorganized office for 3 hours before we go to the clinic and discover it is closed. I have a feeling that in as much time that TATI has been doing the recruitment game (5+ years) they know darn well what the hours of operation are for the clinic they use.
I am supposed to have started working at the Shinas College of Technology by September 15th. Delay after delay with TATI pushed my fly-out date all the way to October 7th, with very poor communications in the interim. It is now the 9th of October, and I still don't have my medical or residency established, and they want me to not earn a wage until the 14th, nearly a month after our initial agreement? This is a big problem, but I figure I will give them the 5 days, which are now going to be 6 days.
Wednesday the 10th arrives and I get a phone call from a man with an accent so strong I cannot understand him. And then someone is slamming on my hotel room door. I open it to a drunk man screaming at me to go get a medical examination. It's 11 in the morning and this guy reeks of whiskey. He doesn't identify himself or who he works for. I tell him I am not going anywhere with him because I don't know who he is and also he is very drunk.
I don't hear anything from TATI the rest of Wedensday, over the weekend, or on Saturday. No contact from my employer for 4 days. I go online and read more horror stories about this horrible company, and decide that I should just take my losses and split. How do I know when I will even start working? What will my housing be in Shinas? Will I even get paid on time and will I receive my bonus? Will Khilan continue to be vindictive toward me, or will I receive half my entitled bonus and be told to "deal with it, Superman"?
Don't even give these guys the time of day. They'll keep you on the back burner before and after you arrive, and they will lie to you the whole time too. |
I'm honestly shocked by this account, as thus far I've only heard nice things about TATI on here.
Thanks for sharing your experience, aumma. It's always important for prospective applicants to hear both the good AND the bad when researching employers in these forums. |
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Mr. Kalgukshi
Mod Team
Joined: 18 Jan 2003
Posts: 5727
Location: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBeT4ptY9sY
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| Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 1:17 am Post subject: |
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A member previously posting on this thread has just been permanently banned for using a racist term.
Please do not confuse this board with others that permit such things.
This one does not. |
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lovesand
Joined: 13 Sep 2012
Posts: 24
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| Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 4:32 am Post subject: |
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What happened to Aummua sounds horrible.
Is this how TATI usually works? I might be accepting an offer from them in the next few days and after reading this I have to say they I'm a little worried.
Has anyone else had a horrible experience with them? I'm asking because after reading all the posts regarding TATI, everyone has good things to say. I can't understand how they can do this to one person but treat everyone else differently. |
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aummua
Joined: 02 Jun 2009
Posts: 4
Location: Arizona
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| Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 5:12 am Post subject: |
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I would suggest you work with another recruiter, even if their offer is less. Of course, they could be bad too. Definitely do not go in need of an advance on your pay, and have reserves to fly home on your own if needed.
My research on TATI was about 50/50 positive/negative before I went over. I am sure they have acted professionally at least a few times. Just be prepared to be extremely patient and deal with ridiculous disorganization. |
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lovesand
Joined: 13 Sep 2012
Posts: 24
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| Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 5:14 am Post subject: |
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| Hey Aummua, I have sent you a PM. |
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robinbanks
Joined: 28 Apr 2009
Posts: 41
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| Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 6:20 am Post subject: |
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| What is really annoying,as I have heard from young Irish teachers-and others,that this conniving people pretty much know there's not much out there so it's a "take it or leave it situation".have they ever come to London or Dublin for interview? |
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bertonneau
Joined: 26 May 2009
Posts: 21
Location: Colorado
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| Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2012 2:04 pm Post subject: More thoughts on TATI Oman |
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| I was cruising through this site and noticed a continuation of TATI stuff. I got a position with them several years ago. My experince was actually far less a disaster than I just read, but I did voice my goods/bads experience and concerns for others to read. I did end my contract early (after 2 months) as my father was diagnosed with cancer and I decided to return home rather than stay in Oman given his condition. I have since seen TATI aggressively recruiting for what I would guess are unfilled vacancies that they are desperate to fill since the school year has started. Despite having expressed some dissatifation with them, I also gave them compliments where I thought due. I have applied several times for these positions they have advertised and have received no response. I assume that someone in TATI read my post and wasn't impressed. Fair enough, I didn't paint an entirely rosey picture of them, since they didn't deserve it. I have received absolutely no response in anyway to my applications. A simple, we arent interested would have been satisfactory, since tehy actually had hired me earlier. I find Oman a country in development (2nd world), but definitely not highly advanced and definitely not professional as a whole. Hopefully, enough compliants about poor recruiting and maybe one of the other 5 recruiters will start getting some of their business if they can't handle the responsibility of honestly recruiting people. Keep up the posts of TATI if you have had good or bad experiences. It serves all of us out in the TEFL world. |
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Middle East Beast
Joined: 05 Mar 2008
Posts: 836
Location: Up a tree
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| Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2012 4:20 am Post subject: |
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I'm sorry to hear about your experience, aummua. I'm glad you stuck to your guns. Seems that you shocked the hell out of 'em. It may be the first time it's happened to them. We need a lot more of that if there's to be any hope of change for the better in TEFL employment in the ME. Are you STILL there or have you returned home safely?
If TATI can treat one person like that, they can treat anyone like that. Are you ready to roll the dice, lovesand? Whatever you decide, good luck.
TATI sounds like a crummy employer in a list of crummy Middle East employers that is growing exponentially. Recruiter or not, it's the TATI name. In my experience the character of the recruiter and the employer are reflective.
NUTS to TATI.
MEB  |
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bertonneau
Joined: 26 May 2009
Posts: 21
Location: Colorado
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| Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2012 4:30 am Post subject: more thoughts on TATI |
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| I had a post a few years back about this titled my experience with TATI. They werent all bad and actually did some cool things like give me a large pay advance that I asked for, but had a few issues as well. As I sai din my original post KEEP YOUR GUARD UP, the first few weeks. Dont assume that TATI will do the right an dresponsible thing. They might or they might not based on my experience. But whoever goes over there please post your positives or negatives. There are 5 recruiters as I remember that place teachers in the colleges of technology and I feel that the best and most responsible should be getting teh most business. TATI is simply one of them and if they arent doing responsible work, than work with on eof the other places. Check the search engoine for the list of them. |
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Turbster
Joined: 09 May 2009
Posts: 67
Location: UK
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| Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 11:55 am Post subject: Re: more thoughts on TATI |
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| bertonneau wrote: |
| I had a post a few years back about this titled my experience with TATI. They werent all bad and actually did some cool things like give me a large pay advance that I asked for, but had a few issues as well. As I sai din my original post KEEP YOUR GUARD UP, the first few weeks. Dont assume that TATI will do the right an dresponsible thing. They might or they might not based on my experience. But whoever goes over there please post your positives or negatives. There are 5 recruiters as I remember that place teachers in the colleges of technology and I feel that the best and most responsible should be getting teh most business. TATI is simply one of them and if they arent doing responsible work, than work with on eof the other places. Check the search engoine for the list of them. |
Hey Bert  I don't know if it was after a few beers  or what, but more typos in there than your average teacher's posting  |
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bertonneau
Joined: 26 May 2009
Posts: 21
Location: Colorado
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| Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 12:30 pm Post subject: my typos |
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| No, no beer, just a keyboard that spits out words backwards sometimes and I dont care enough to correct them. If whoever reads this can understand, than good enough. For professional things, I have to show someone other than folks on this website I am far more thorough. Spell check, grammar checcks and all that fancy stuff, but for this site no I dont bother worrying about my typos. |
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Turbster
Joined: 09 May 2009
Posts: 67
Location: UK
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| Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 2:52 am Post subject: |
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| Good enuff! |
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