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MuscatGary
Joined: 03 Jun 2013
Posts: 1364
Location: Flying around the ME...
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 Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2014 1:34 pm Post subject: |
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[quote="Chuma"]
| MuscatGary wrote: |
But I really don't see people starting threads about how idyllic life in Oman is.
Omanoman is certainly trying his best to give that impression.
What I do see is a handful of people posting threads about how horrible life in Oman is, and then a few others saying that it's not really that bad, and then they get called names like "ostriches and apologists". |
Troll, exaggerated, spiteful, smear are just a few of the words used to try to discredit my account, not by you but by another, quite isolated voice.
The real sadness is that newbies may turn up believing all is easy. In particular I am concerned that some may not bring sufficient funds to wait it out until payday arrives after 5 months if they buy the propaganda. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2014 3:16 pm Post subject: |
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| MuscatGary wrote: |
| The real sadness is that newbies may turn up believing all is easy. In particular I am concerned that some may not bring sufficient funds to wait it out until payday arrives after 5 months if they buy the propaganda. |
It has been awhile since newbies have any excuse for not knowing the negatives. This board has been filled with negative posts and threads ever since the two Ministries started using recruiters a few years back. I believe that I have attempted to warn teachers that conditions vary greatly at these colleges and that some were and are quite ghastly - and that they tend to take turns for who gets to be at the bottom. That said, I'd take any of them before any job in Saudi (speaking as a single female).  I've always thought of them as entry level to the Gulf to get a year or two of that "relevant experience" with Arabic speakers required by better jobs... and plenty of free time to perhaps start on an MA. Oman still has beautiful scenery, plenty of beaches, wadis and dunes to bash, and many lovely Omanis who share MG's chagrin at the direction of change in the country.
And it has been years - if ever - that anyone has claimed that Oman is "idyllic." Not even Omanoman has done that. All he has done is point out the reality that not everyone has the same experience... either at one's employers or with the cashiers at Lulu or Al-Fair.
I have a dozen friends working in Oman, some since the mid-80s. While all of them would be on Omanoman's side of this debate, they would also agree with the other side that things have changed over the last few years... mostly towards the negative.
Both sides should stop calling each other silly names.
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MuscatGary
Joined: 03 Jun 2013
Posts: 1364
Location: Flying around the ME...
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| Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2014 4:23 pm Post subject: |
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| veiledsentiments wrote: |
| MuscatGary wrote: |
| The real sadness is that newbies may turn up believing all is easy. In particular I am concerned that some may not bring sufficient funds to wait it out until payday arrives after 5 months if they buy the propaganda. |
It has been awhile since newbies have any excuse for not knowing the negatives. Yes, but newbies don't always know how to navigate this site. It is quite vast! This board has been filled with negative posts and threads ever since the two Ministries started using recruiters a few years back. I believe that I have attempted to warn teachers that conditions vary greatly at these colleges and that some were and are quite ghastly - and that they tend to take turns for who gets to be at the bottom. That said, I'd take any of them before any job in Saudi (speaking as a single female). Me too, even now and even as a male! I've always thought of them as entry level to the Gulf to get a year or two of that "relevant experience" with Arabic speakers required by better jobs... and plenty of free time to perhaps start on an MA. Oman still has beautiful scenery, plenty of beaches, wadis and dunes to bash, and many lovely Omanis who share MG's chagrin at the direction of change in the country.
And it has been years - if ever - that anyone has claimed that Oman is "idyllic." Not even Omanoman has done that. All he has done is point out the reality that not everyone has the same experience... either at one's employers or with the cashiers at Lulu or Al-Fair. Mainly at Carrefour to be fair, the others aren't as bad.
I have a dozen friends working in Oman, some since the mid-80s. While all of them would be on Omanoman's side of this debate, they would also agree with the other side that things have changed over the last few years... mostly towards the negative. Are most of them at SQU? It is better there.
Both sides should stop calling each other silly names. Yes ma'am....
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2014 11:45 pm Post subject: |
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I don't really think that Dave's is so vast that any literate person can't figure out how to do a search and find out about the institution/business that is hiring them. Even the dimmest should be able to figure out how to start a new thread and ask for help on how to do that. After all, presumably they will be English teachers with a university education. If one doesn't have the curiosity to spend a few days reading about the profession in a foreign country that they have probably never visited... they can't really blame us. How many times have we warned new job searchers here about employer X, but they take the job anyway and are back on the site the next year (or semester) asking about some other even shadier employer Y.
We're all grown-ups and some of us probably even learn from our mistakes. Even the worst job I ever had in the Gulf was a learning experience and even it wasn't all bad.
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Sleepwalker
Joined: 02 Feb 2007
Posts: 454
Location: Reading the screen
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| Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2014 10:57 am Post subject: |
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| The scary thing about this thread is that several names popped into my mind when I saw the title. |
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MuscatGary
Joined: 03 Jun 2013
Posts: 1364
Location: Flying around the ME...
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omanoman
Joined: 11 Jun 2014
Posts: 140
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| Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2014 3:56 pm Post subject: |
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My understanding of the use of the word "troll" in referring to Internet forums is that it is a name for someone who intentionally seeks to stir up responses from other users.
By posting a thread about what seems to me to be a largely fictitious account of a radio host relating the exact details of a job interview in order to criticize Omanis is a trolling thread - non- teaching related after all.
So, rather than an insult, it is just a statement of fact. |
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MuscatGary
Joined: 03 Jun 2013
Posts: 1364
Location: Flying around the ME...
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| Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2014 4:30 pm Post subject: |
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| omanoman wrote: |
By posting a thread about what seems to me to be a largely fictitious account of a radio host relating the exact details of a job interview in order to criticize Omanis is a trolling thread - non- teaching related after all.
I heard it so maybe I'm hallucinating.
So, rather than an insult, it is just a statement of fact. |
Maybe your version of 'facts' which don't seem to match with the experience of the vast majority of other posters.
'There are none so blind as those who will not see. The most deluded people are those who choose to ignore what they already know’ |
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SirAristede
Joined: 26 May 2014
Posts: 83
Location: Salmiya, Al 'Āşimah, Kuwait
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| Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2014 7:07 pm Post subject: |
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I think a variety of views on living and teaching in Oman have been expressed and noted by posters. I aver that continued hostility isn't beneficial; rather, posters stand to benefit from the collective knowledge, advice, and opinions of all contributors.  |
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omanoman
Joined: 11 Jun 2014
Posts: 140
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| Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2014 7:48 pm Post subject: |
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Everyone's experience is different and they all have a right to use this forum, under the moderators regulations.
A non teaching thread written solely for the purpose of maligning Omani people is against the rules. Give it a rest MG. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2014 1:14 am Post subject: |
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Interesting poll questions and answers. But I do wish that someone would tell the person who wrote it up that the plural form of Omani is Omanis. NOT Omani's... 
Just makes an English teacher want to slash her wrists...
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