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Suggestions to the JOB at CNAQ
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kellygreen



Joined: 27 Aug 2010
Posts: 91

PostPosted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 3:14 pm    Post subject: Suggestions to the JOB at CNAQ Reply with quote

Suggestions to the JOB before any new contract with CNAQ is signed:

Reconsider the Canadians only as faculty. There are a lot of well qualified and dedicated instructors out there who can provide a quality and capable "student centered" people out there who can fill the needs at CNAQ.

This especially applies in certain areas where the need for internationally qualified and experienced (at the master's level) is extremely limited by the Canadian requirement. Yes, there are very good Canadian instructors, but not enough to meet the needs of the organization or the country.

College academic and operational responsibility/authority should be at the Qatar level. Newfoundland has proved itself to be inadequate and incapable and in many cases, laughable.

A full financial and security audit of every department should be undertaken by a neutral third party immediately. Suggest one of the big accounting firms. Facilities, Finance, HR, Operations, IT, etc. should be included.
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bulgogiboy



Joined: 23 Feb 2005
Posts: 803

PostPosted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 4:56 pm    Post subject: Re: Suggestions to the JOB at CNAQ Reply with quote

kellygreen wrote:
Suggestions to the JOB before any new contract with CNAQ is signed:

Reconsider the Canadians only as faculty. There are a lot of well qualified and dedicated instructors out there who can provide a quality and capable "student centered" people out there who can fill the needs at CNAQ.

This especially applies in certain areas where the need for internationally qualified and experienced (at the master's level) is extremely limited by the Canadian requirement. Yes, there are very good Canadian instructors, but not enough to meet the needs of the organization or the country.

College academic and operational responsibility/authority should be at the Qatar level. Newfoundland has proved itself to be inadequate and incapable and in many cases, laughable.

A full financial and security audit of every department should be undertaken by a neutral third party immediately. Suggest one of the big accounting firms. Facilities, Finance, HR, Operations, IT, etc. should be included.


Excellent point. Qatari management are renowned by all expats for their efficiency and competence.
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kellygreen



Joined: 27 Aug 2010
Posts: 91

PostPosted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 5:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

As are those in Newfoundland Labrador
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douglas1969



Joined: 21 Sep 2012
Posts: 30
Location: Canada

PostPosted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 10:51 pm    Post subject: Re: Suggestions to the JOB at CNAQ Reply with quote

kellygreen wrote:
Suggestions to the JOB before any new contract with CNAQ is signed:

Reconsider the Canadians only as faculty. There are a lot of well qualified and dedicated instructors out there who can provide a quality and capable "student centered" people out there who can fill the needs at CNAQ.

This especially applies in certain areas where the need for internationally qualified and experienced (at the master's level) is extremely limited by the Canadian requirement. Yes, there are very good Canadian instructors, but not enough to meet the needs of the organization or the country.

College academic and operational responsibility/authority should be at the Qatar level. Newfoundland has proved itself to be inadequate and incapable and in many cases, laughable.

A full financial and security audit of every department should be undertaken by a neutral third party immediately. Suggest one of the big accounting firms. Facilities, Finance, HR, Operations, IT, etc. should be included.


What is "JOB"?

In what respects has Newfoundland proved to you they are incompetent academic administrators? The Canadian requirement is probably because they are getting funding from the Canadian government.

A point to consider, east cost Canad has been battling with the challenges of low employment and a lot of time money and effort has been put into trying to re-educate and get people employable in the east coast region -- after a few decades it seems to be paying off. If anything the East coast academic management are probably very good fit for what Qatar is trying to achieve with respects to educating their populace.
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Thu Jan 10, 2013 12:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You seem to be relatively new here... registration just a year ago. CNAQ has had so many problems since it started that most of my Canadian friends consider it an embarrassment. The first couple years it was a laughingstock.

If you read the history, both here and in the Canadian press about this organization, you will find plenty of evidence of incompetence that has brought threats of lawsuits in Canada as I recall. We don't really need to re-hash it here, but do a search and read all about it.

VS
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kellygreen



Joined: 27 Aug 2010
Posts: 91

PostPosted: Thu Jan 10, 2013 5:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sure, the NL government is funding a college in the richest country in the world, as are Texas A&M, Virginia Commonwealth, Carnegie Mellon, Georgetown University, Weill Cornell etc. in Education City.

Sure, all of these institutions paid for the state of the art facilities that would be the envy of many of their home campuses in North America.

BTW while the NL economy historically has been the poor Canadian cousin - not anymore, with the oil and gas revenues coming in from the offshore projects over the past several years.

JOB stands for the Joint Oversight Board that governs CNA-Q.

The management team in Qatar has no authority and therefore (logically) no responsibility. Decision making comes from NL - and not out of CNAQ but from the provincial government.
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Thu Jan 10, 2013 5:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

kellygreen wrote:
Sure, the NL government is funding a college in the richest country in the world, as are Texas A&M, Virginia Commonwealth, Carnegie Mellon, Georgetown University, Weill Cornell etc. in Education City.

Personally I find it very odd that the NL government would be doing any funding, but that is probably because the US government has NO relationship with any of the US universities involvements overseas.

As I understand these US relationships is that the vast majority - nearly all - of the funding is coming from the Qatar government.

VS
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douglas1969



Joined: 21 Sep 2012
Posts: 30
Location: Canada

PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 3:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

kellygreen wrote:

BTW while the NL economy historically has been the poor Canadian cousin - not anymore, with the oil and gas revenues coming in from the offshore projects over the past several years.


Yes, well, I wouldn't believe everything I read on the Internet. The only provinces which have seen any sort of real economic change from O&G are AB and SK. NS and NL have a very long long ways to go. They are not rich or well off by a long shot.
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douglas1969



Joined: 21 Sep 2012
Posts: 30
Location: Canada

PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 3:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

veiledsentiments wrote:
You seem to be relatively new here... registration just a year ago. CNAQ has had so many problems since it started that most of my Canadian friends consider it an embarrassment. The first couple years it was a laughingstock.

If you read the history, both here and in the Canadian press about this organization, you will find plenty of evidence of incompetence that has brought threats of lawsuits in Canada as I recall. We don't really need to re-hash it here, but do a search and read all about it.

VS


Yes you are right, I am new here. From where I am, I have heard pretty good things about CNAQ. What are the specific complaints? That there is no transparency and no fairness? We can go into a very long discusion on that one. Let me just say, if you can direct me to a place where I am guaranteed to find transparency, fairness and equality -- I will be first in line and I will even take a pay cut just to get a job there.
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 4:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Go up to the search button near the log in button and type in CNAQ... choose Qatar in the drop-down and you will be linked to 71 threads going back to 2006/2007... and get the whole story.

They arrived with a mostly clueless gang who had never left Canada before, knew nothing about the Gulf, and even less about what they needed to do with the local students... and that they couldn't just use the same texts and syllabus from the ESL classes for immigrants back home... etc etc... (of course, they are not the first to make this mistake... sadly common)

It has been a roller coaster with some good years in the middle... but they have made too many hiring mistakes is how it sounds from out here in the peanut gallery. Cool

All that said, if it lasts, it is still a decent gig for a Canadian. Good money.

VS
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douglas1969



Joined: 21 Sep 2012
Posts: 30
Location: Canada

PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 5:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

veiledsentiments wrote:

All that said, if it lasts, it is still a decent gig for a Canadian. Good money.


You really think so? I was a little surprised at how low the average is as reported in the Telegraph article. I would have expected it to be at least double considering you have to put up living in a place like that.
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douglas1969



Joined: 21 Sep 2012
Posts: 30
Location: Canada

PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 5:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

veiledsentiments wrote:

It has been a roller coaster with some good years in the middle... but they have made too many hiring mistakes is how it sounds from out here in the peanut gallery. Cool


Higher ed. institution with toxic work environments, unapproachable management, people responsible with managing who have never managed e..t.c.. I found none of that odd. Its just odd that they are getting so much press coverage over it. (I am purposely ignoring the dispute about the extra severance pay as I fail to understand it)
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 5:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

douglas1969 wrote:
You really think so? I was a little surprised at how low the average is as reported in the Telegraph article. I would have expected it to be at least double considering you have to put up living in a place like that.

I have no idea what the telegraph said... or if it was accurate. But it has been reported here that it is one of the higher pays in the Gulf.

"living in a place like that"?? Do you know anything about Qatar? Westerners head to the Gulf and stay for many years because they are able to have a lifestyle that they could never had at home. Maids... nannies... long holidays... free housing... Cool

VS
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douglas1969



Joined: 21 Sep 2012
Posts: 30
Location: Canada

PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 12:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

veiledsentiments wrote:

"living in a place like that"?? Do you know anything about Qatar? Westerners head to the Gulf and stay for many years because they are able to have a lifestyle that they could never had at home. Maids... nannies... long holidays... free housing... Cool

VS


No, but I grew up in an Arab country (expat kid) and I have kids of my own and I would not want them to have to grow up in an Arab country. Nothing against the culture or people or religion and its not like anything that bad happened -- it just wasn't what I would call a great childhood. A lot of things taken for granted in the West did not exist (movies, outdoor activities, community centers e.t.c.). There was a lot of stay in and visiting other people in their houses. Not to mention being in constant alert about being harassed and/or felt up in public.
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Fri Jan 11, 2013 4:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I assume that you didn't live in a Gulf country or perhaps it was Saudi, but I have to say that I have dozens of friends who raised their kids in the Gulf. The kids had schools that were mostly better than the US in so many ways in a country that was quite kid oriented... where they could safely play outside and ride bikes (on campus gigs) and enjoy other facilities. (swimming pools and other sports facilities - and beaches). Their parents were able to enrich their lives with world travel each year on their way back to their home countries to visit relatives.

The kids that I knew in the Gulf in the 80s/90s are now quite an impressive group of well-rounded individuals who all got degrees and are living around the world... some married now... some are working on their PhDs... at least one is now teaching at a Gulf university. Cool They are very different... in a good way... from the kids in the US that seem to be unaware that there is a world beyond the US shores.

As far as harassment on the streets... in my life there has been more of that in the US than in the Gulf. (Now Egypt took a bit more skill to avoid the street pervs Laughing)

VS
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