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Highs 'n Lows

 
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thursday12



Joined: 10 Nov 2006
Posts: 93

PostPosted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 5:49 pm    Post subject: Highs 'n Lows Reply with quote

Highs

-lotta partyin �n hootin & hollerin this weekend
- small pay rise but jest not enuff to make ends meet fer some people
- more overtime work if ya get on the lucky list
- trio had rethink �bout takin attendance at meetins so canceled the check list (we�re not grade schoolers)
-most new teachers nice types but 1 wacko
- exams pretty smooth tho one level made a mess
- CEA lady thinks we�ve got a real smooth op goin on so we're onto a good thing


Lows

- gotta give 6 mos notice if ya wanta leave - real problem if yer job offer comes late
- still awaitin fer the executioner's list
- trio bein tricky & not lettin people know what�s what wid renewal
- renewal notices really late this time round
- probably waitin on eid holiday next week so not gonna be round for the firin squad victims
-level supervisor check list � gotta check each teach on a good boy/bad boy list (more grade school)
-lotta teachers in real stressville 'bout late notification, some people thinkin 'bout resignin


All in all � not bad but gotta wait till next week when the firin/ welcome back letters come out - real high stress fer people up fer renewal.


hey man gotta party
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redsoxman



Joined: 30 Apr 2007
Posts: 51

PostPosted: Thu Dec 04, 2008 1:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My buddy (we interviewed for QUF together a few years ago and I've visited him in Q at least twice) emailed me - the 2008 hit list is out. It seems that this time there are fewer people getting fired. Maybe old steely eyes has finally twigged that reliable teachers are valuable resources and that they shouldn't be let go for no good reason. (Those eyes gave me the heebie jeebies at my interview in Seattle.) Why get rid of teachers that are doing a good job? It doesn't make sense, especially in these days of economic crunches. I've heard though that QU has an unlimited staffing budget so maybe they don't need to worry about the economic angle.

HCT is also rethinking their firing policies. You need a big budget to keep hiring and firing people. It costs to keep hiring new teachers, pay shipping & cargo and settling in allowances every year and then when teachers go they have to pay a lot out in gratuities. The best and most practical thing is to keep the staff you have. It's too bad that some good teachers have been fired. Why do management people think that firing is a good thing? It terrorizes staff and breeds a culture of fear. My buddy says ever since he got there, the culture of fear of being fired has affected everyone, old and new. The same thing has been going on at HCT but they are finally getting their act together and have realized how valuable teachers are. They aren't as gung ho on firing as much as they used to be. Getting rid of good teachers only gives a place a bad reputation and scares good teachers off. At least this year the annual cull has been smaller than usual.
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thursday12



Joined: 10 Nov 2006
Posts: 93

PostPosted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 6:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Uppers:

-Qatar National Day � new annual holiday
-improved testing system & test organization (this really is gettin better)
-lotta course materials
-overtime for TOEFL etc. invigilatin but ya gotta get on the list early as it's an easy way ta get extra moolah!!!!
-new building on Women's campus almost ready
-new state of the art offices supposed ta be in the new building fer some lucky stiffs
-thinkin 'bout replacing TOEFL level placement with another placement test (real smart move)
-fewer teachers on hit list than last year (that's real good news)


Downers:

-program overload for students & teachers
-too much to cover in 1 semester
-students complainin 'bout course overload
-too many meetins & PDs so no time ta do everythin
-some teachers bin told to resign or else get fired � take yer pick!



Real Big Downer:

-firin squad new system ta get rid 'o teachers

This is how it works:

- the teacher on hit list gets a little talk
- the hit list teacher given the option of resignin instead 'o gettin a goodbye letter (normally a good way ta go & gives ya some dignity)
Outcome: most teachers resigned thinkin they were leavin wid dignity but here's the

CATCH 22:

-They don't tell 'em that if they resign they can't transfer to another gov't institution in Qatar.
-this means they hafta leave the country � new law doesn't allow ya to transfer to another gov't place if ya resign!!!!
-But if ya get a goodbye letter, yer OK to transfer.
-so the poor dudes resigned thinkin they wer bein given some dignity but now they're blocked from goin ta work for another gov't institution so they gotta leave Qatar.

It's bad enuff bein told they don't want ya anymore but ta be deliberately blocked from goin to another place is real mean.
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 3:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Again... this is commonly the situation in the Gulf. Many will give one the option of resigning, and it is almost always problematic transferring to another institution. I can only assume that this is the first university in the Gulf where you have ever worked because your complaints are usually SOP.

Besides... after a contract or two in Qatar, I wouldn't be at all upset to move on to another country with more to offer. Laughing In fact, I would probably be more than ready. From the information here on the board, there isn't a large number of options to move to anyway.

As far as I can see, QU is generous in giving people notice this early to be able to job search. I never worked anywhere that ever managed to give out that info until well into the second semester... or even just before departure for summer leave. And I always worked for the reputed 'best' employers in the Gulf. Everywhere people get concerned about whether they will be renewed or not... a normal part of life. From what I have read, QU's procedure should be listed among its advantages. They give one plenty of time to job search.

VS
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thursday12



Joined: 10 Nov 2006
Posts: 93

PostPosted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 12:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Howdo, VS.

Uppers:

-the end 'o semester comin
-some people ain't gotta do the appraisal

Downers:

Catch 22 #2

-we gotta give 'em 6 months notice so they gotta give us 6 months too, that's the reason for the early notification.
-they're not bein generous, just practical.
-most places do their advertizin in Jan but QU foundation advertizes in Nov. - the same time they do the firin & non-rehirin.
- the 6 months noticen is big a problem if yer job huntin in the Gulf cause most places don'tstart advertizin till Jan
-most Gulf places do their recruitin in Jan, Feb & Mar not Nov like QU
-these other places usually make their offers in Mar or April so ya gotta take a big risk & resign before ya have a job in hand.
- this makes it a big logistics problem fer people who wanna leave, they got no choice but ta resign at the 6 months deadline & take a risk

Catch 22 #3

-unlike the universities at Qatar Foundation, QU foundation don't give ya a letter of intent ta ask ya if ya wanna stay at the end of yer contract.(that's standard in the US)
-they either renew ya or they don't, if ya don't accept the renewal yer forced ta resign instead 'o lettin the contract *beep* ta a natural end.
-so if ya wanna stay in Q but don't wanna stay at QU after the end of yer contract, instead 'o letting the contract finish naturally, ya gotta give em a resignation letter which means yer blocked from another job in Q 'cause ya can't transfer to another gov't institution if ya resign.
-most places ask ya if ya wanna renew first so all ya do is say no & the contract cums to its natural end.

Solution: QU needs ta hand out a letter of intent at end of contract ta ask people if they wanna stay on: if they don't they shudn't be blocked from lookin fer another job in Q
�it's the professional, decent & right thing ta do.
-not professional ta block people from gettin another job, educational institutions gotta share, not block.
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battleshipb_b



Joined: 14 Dec 2006
Posts: 189

PostPosted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 1:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Still into control I see. Same as 20 years ago when we worked together. It's not enough to humiliate people with the lurking and the smirking but to mess up their futures is really disgusting. It wasn't like that in the old days. It seems like Qatar does not value its teachers with a crazy transfer ban like this one.
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Sat Dec 27, 2008 4:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oh Thursday12, sometimes you really do make me laugh out loud. I know that you are pretending to be American and attempting to write in some off variation of a street vernacular that you apparently learned from movies or TV. But really, no one over 15 or even semi-educated talks like this. And no American educator on this board has ever written anything as silly as your posts.

Contract? Notice? Teaching ESL in the US? You must be kidding. None of my friends ever had a contract. Everyone I know has been working semester to semester never knowing number of hours and won't know until the first week of the next semester when the place knows their enrollment if they still have a job at all. (and have no benefits either BTW)

The people - even "non-renewals" - that I know of who left QU received their NOCs and some of them went to other jobs in country. This certainly has nothing to do with QU and unless the government has made new rules it doesn't appear to be true. Please check with the Ministry and inform the board of the new law and when it took effect.

From what I have read, QU is more generous than most universities in the Gulf as far as notice. You seem to think that employers first consideration should be their employees needs and requirements... that has never been and never will be. Employers are looking first off at their needs... just as they do in the US... or wherever it is you are from... the UK? Your expectations are completely unrealistic...

VS
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Never Ceased To Be Amazed



Joined: 22 Oct 2004
Posts: 3500
Location: Shhh...don't talk to me...I'm playin' dead...

PostPosted: Sun Dec 28, 2008 6:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yeah, even a semi-literate 'merican knows that "comin" has an apostrophe followin' it! Laughing

NCTBA
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squareandfair



Joined: 10 Mar 2007
Posts: 43

PostPosted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 9:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The UAE is far more advanced about this. Blocks are rare - only for those who have absconded or done something wrong. Having transferred four times and worked in five institutions in the UAE, (I am again working in a place I used to work for years ago) I wonder why such a blockage system exists in a country which seems to be so progressive in the education sector. I agree, academic institutions should share teachers and knowledge, not block them. If a place lets a teacher go, that teacher should be free to work elsewhere in the same country.
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