Job Discussion Forums

[FordPerfect]

I thought I'd put my two cents in on the subject of the CEC and teaching at the Higher Colleges of Technology in Oman.

I have been a teacher in Oman with the CEC since the start of the project, which has only been one and a half years. I live and work in Ibra. This is what I think,

The job is easy and frustrating at the same time. The hours are great, only 17-20/week. In fact in the time I've been here the most I've worked was 21 hours/week, and that was for one semester. Also our HOD (Head of Department) does his best to make sure everyone is finished working by noon on Wednesdays. (The work week is Sarurday-Wednesday)

The frustrating part is that there is very little organization. Now I have a slightly different perspective than others in this regard because I have been here since the first. Compared to September of 2003, the organization at our college now is amazing. We just recently have organized the courses with coordinators, and we now hve someone who's job it is to be in the library at all times. Trust me, these are big things people.

The company, CEC, is the same story as the colleges. It is a little frustrating. Most people who have been brought here since January have been put up in a local hotel for 1-2 months. The hotel is nice (I'd say on par with a Best Western in Canada) but I can see how two months at a hotel can be frustrating. The good side is that the hotel has apool, and you recieve free breakfast and supper with your stay there.

However, there is no comparison between the company this year to last. At least this year, we see our director, and he actually does his work. They have even hired an assistant for him. Things are looking up for us.

Bottom line... the CEC project needs to have a big "Under Construction" sign posted on the contract. This is my recommendation. If you're an adventerous person looking for an easy gig, come here, you'll do well. If you're an enthusiastic "go-getter" also come here. There is lots of work to do and change is always happening and things are getting better. If you're someone who is interested in coming to an already established and running high quality college...then look elsewhere. This is not your scene. Come back in 4-5 years after we've all laid the groundwork.

If you do decide to come the number one rule is... just relax. That's what the Omanis do.

[zaytuni]

deleted by author

[jdl]

Thank you Ford for your no nonsense view on things.....refeshing. Have you read all the hitchhiker books?? Maybe there is a lesson on "getting along" for all of us?

[ESLJ]

no nonsense views??
Purleaaaase

CECN is a phony organisation which preys on "I just bought my TEFL certificate off the net" newbies......it is THEY who have praise for CECN for giving them a job in the first place!

I was with CECN for 2 years- the 2nd felt like a millenium with the new director (see previous threads for more info) who was as mean and tight as a ducks a*** and who just messed every decent Canadian over

[Travelchick]

Okay, so I've been reading all these posts about CEC for months now, with a great deal of amusement and a great amount of agreement & disagreement. Finally decided to put in my 2 cents....

If you want to work for CEC, you should know from the start they are not an organized lot.....the left hand can't even see the right hand, nevermind communicate with it!

Yet having said that, I must say overall I enjoyed working with the students over the last 2 years. However, be prepared to find an advanced class that is actually a lower intermediate level at best!

The CEC teachers are a mixed lot, some of them experienced & professional, some young but professional and others experienced & jaded or just plain lazy.

If you want to work in Oman, CEC is a good possibility IF YOU DO YOUR HOMEWORK FIRST.
Things you should know:

They don't give you the option of choosing which school you will be posted at, and you will have no idea where you will be living until you get there. They ask you to choose a preference list, but it is all just a game.

Your pay may be late, but you will get it.

You will be deducted for days missed (your salary divided by 30)

Sick days on the weekend count as 3 sick days because of the weekend!

If they ask you to pay for your ticket and say they will reimburse you, just tell them a big fat "NO"...they do have some real problems paying back the money they owe you for these things....mostly due to the incompetency of the accountant.

The director of the company in Oman (both of them for the first and second years )really has no idea what he is doing...he doesn't have any experience in the Middle East and tends to act quickly on things before seriously considering the consequences to the project. As a result, numerous people (including myself) have had repeated unpleasant run-ins with the man that have left a bad taste in the mouth. He will tell you what he thinks you want to hear, just to placate you for the moment.

The contract is made to protect CEC NOT YOU THE TEACHER....so keep some cash stashed if you need to leave, because they certainly won't help you in this regard and they will tell many lies to get you there and keep you there....and as many of us know....they will terminate a contract without a moment's notice leaving you scrambling to protect yourself, your family and your assets.

The lack of organization in the company is consistent, I'll give them that much...as they are no better here in Canada.

Having given you a negative run down, I'll give you the positives...

I agree with Ford Perfect....the hours are generally great....
but don't let the HOD find out you are good at a particular skill....he will ask you to do too much if you get caught being an awesome teacher!
Sounds ridiculous, but the way it works is they will just pile on the work unless you say no from the beginning....
soooooo knowing this, do your job, work your hours, see your students (make appointments, otherwise it's a free for all, the entire day and no marking & prep gets done) and basically
STAY OUT OF TROUBLE! Don't do anything extra...

The pay is a decent salary for the area and you can manage to save about 400 Omani Rials per month, if you budget, and still manage to do a little travelling and the like. If you are really frugal you can live off 150 rials and save more.

Cars are mostly necessary, but if you are the patient sort, you can get by without one. If you are a woman, you need more patience, as you will have to ward off some of the Omani taxi drivers with words frequently, as sticks are not allowed!

A word of warning...if you do get very sick....do not hesitate to leave the country....the health care system is not the best and the lab testing is not very accurate. I know from med professional friends that things are not as sanitary, timely or accurate as they are in Western Hospitals. Important samples may be left in the sweltering sun in the back seat of a car, rendering them useless. Furthermore, there's a deductible on your insurance so it can add up fast.

I know a few people who contracted some sort of parasite from the water that no doctors could find, and they spent a lot of money in Oman trying to get back to health, when the best option would have been to fly straight home. Once home, they had no problem getting treatment.

Warning number 2 is the water....Muscat is generally safe but full of chemicals.....the interior is not safe at all, and I don't even recommend eating in the interior restaurants....if you can afford it, bring a good quality water filter with you when you come, or plan to rely on bottled water from MASAFI.....be careful of bottled water delivered to your home, as one CEC teacher caught the water guy refilling & sealing 18l water bottles behind the house with household water which is full of bacteria and other junk!

When I started for this company, I did a lot of research.
Mostly on the company, partly on Oman.
I knew what I was getting into, but I knew I wanted to get some place quiet for a few years, and Oman gave me that.
The company turned out to be a little worse than I expected, but really not unbearable....it's just a matter of having A LOT of patience... and remembering...YOU WILL GET PAID

Oman itself is great, most amenities are available, except good health supplements (bring your vitamins & herbs people).
If you like alternative medicine, you'll be happy to find many options in the capital (Muscat) at reasonable rates. You can get a great Ayurvedic treatment in Muscat for less than it will cost you in Kerala, India!

I will be the first to admit I have a great deal of bitterness towards CEC for how they've treated their employees....it seems you are merely a warm body fulfilling a number on a contract so they can get paid....but if you know what you are getting into you can get by, save some cash and enjoy Oman.

I apologize for the diatribe...didn't realize I had so much to say!!

TC

[veiledsentiments]

Thanks TC... that was refreshingly balanced and honest. You managed to point out all the negatives without targeting particular individuals, which was what mainly got the other threads pulled.

Even though you managed to find a few positive things to say, it would seem that one would be better off trying to get hired by another employer to be able to enjoy what Oman and Omani students have to offer.

VS

[ESLJ]

OK, so TC sees things quite differently from the rest of us. BUT she sums it up Oman is beautiful, students are great BUT stay WELL CLEAR of CECN

[zaytuni]

deleted by MOD as requested

[Sea Sea Rider]

Help me to understand what all this Cain raising is about.

Does the contract mention the salary and do the teachers receive the salary agreed upon in the contract? Are the number of locations mentioned in the interview and does one arrive in country aware they could be placed in anyone of those several locations? Do the contractees bother to research the locations before signing? Are the contracted contact hours pretty much the same as those assigned? Or do many contractees sign on because they are desperate for a pay check and once they settle into the culture of work, are they culture shocked having gone from a culture of being un-, or under-employed to employed?

I've no plans to sign on with any institution in Oman. However, I am beginning a new job in another country and at the outset there are already curious visa issues. I like to have a few balls in the air just in case. . .So, I'm just curious about the complaints and their legitimacy.

[Down Home]

The answer to all of your questions is "Yes." The bottom line is, CECN fulfills its contractural agreements.
Some people in this and other threads seem to have an axe to grind---probably those teachers who had been fired for showing up drunk to work. Then there are those who have never worked for CECN and don't know what they're talking about. To those I would advise: There is a life out there. Go get it.

[veiledsentiments]

Down Home,

As someone who has been around this board and the Gulf for many years, to quote an old platitude... where there is smoke there is fire. We all know that it is likely that some of the negative posters were fired for incompetance or whatever. But, it becomes a matter of numbers... and how the criticisms are stated.

Many of these new colleges around the hinterlands of Oman are hiring people with little or no credentials or experience... and one could say that it is the new teachers' own faults if they didn't check the situation out and know what they are getting into.

Merely complying with a contract is not THE great positive factor in choosing an employer. If that is all a place has to offer an employee, who wants it? What most people want is support, respect, and an organized professional administration. Unfortunately that is not covered in the contract, is it.

It sounds as if there are individuals there who are honestly trying to improve things, but so far it remains a job only for those with no other options. It is a place where you can get something to put on your CV if your experience is lacking, but then you will have to leave Oman for your next job. You will get your paycheck... and get to enjoy the country and the people of Oman.

Just don't go with high professional expectations and do expect many frustrations. A go-with-the-flow kind of job...

VS

[Sea Sea Rider]

The gyst of a PM from an ex-employee axe grinder whose granted permission to add this: it's probably in one's best interest to not give notice if another offer comes along only if you're a short timer.

But isn't that generally the case unless one has a sweet indeminity package built up over the years?

I've read with some interest the postings and responses, and so far as I can tell, this CECN gig beats teaching in some Mom Pop shop institute somewhere south of the 38th parallel.

[veiledsentiments]

SeaSea

So, in your previous message you were pushing for employer compliance with contract, but now you are suggesting that employees need not? ...bit of a double standard there... Not exactly the professional way to handle a departure, and the best choice is to avoid the employers whose policies seem to cause many employees to abscond.

By Omani law, even a short timer (ie less than a couple years) would have some gratuity built up (not all that big). Not to mention if you actually have any assets to speak of - car, boxes, whatever - getting them out in secret is not simple.

So, if you have low credentials and no experience to offer a decent employer, it may very well be better than a bad employer in another country. Remember to also look at the difference in lifestyle.

VS

[Netminder]

"The answer to all of your questions is "Yes." The bottom line is, CECN fulfills its contractural agreements. Some people in this and other threads seem to have an axe to grind---probably those teachers who had been fired for showing up drunk to work. Then there are those who have never worked for CECN and don't know what they're talking about. To those I would advise: There is a life out there. Go get it."

Allow me the dignity of sharing personal experience without the rash dismissive generalization; I neither showed up to work drunk, nor was I fired or have any axe to grind otehr than the bitter aftertaste of being screwed by employers and yes-men.

The bottom line is: CECN shafted people who'd fulfilled their contracts by not giving them a letter of release to work in better schools, and the ELC director of the Muscat college could not be asked to shift a hip to break wind on behalf of the staff. The CECN director will not help staff until compelled to do so, and a few well-placed teachers will not hesitate to act as miscomprehending informants.

Luckily it was a very brief engagement of 4 months, and I've moved on to much better things. CECN does not honour its obligations, full stop. STAY AWAY.
You have been warned.

Oh, yeah- thanks for the Omani resident card; my retention of said card means one less poor *beep* will be made to suffer, and it makes a swell desk decoration.

[veiledsentiments]