Job Discussion Forums

Roses189 · Joined: 09 Jun 2015 Posts: 21

Those figures I quoted earlier were in an attached offer we had to sign and email back. I did question if the 75omr per month for gratuity and airfare were paid over 12 months (including while on annual leave) and they did confirm by email that it would be. I can't get my head around why they would say 30 days annual leave in another email unless it's a typo as 60 is the norm. As far as I know the colleges have always closed for two months at the end of Spring semester. When I started with Hawthorne it was 6 weeks before we started the process to get our resident cards etc. Medicals etc were done during non-teaching hours over the course of a week and it wasn't a big deal. Hopefully Al Nawa follow suit!

Whatever will be · Joined: 05 Feb 2014 Posts: 303

If 30 days of annual leave is offered, it will be in the contract.
If you signed it, you accepted it.

Again, it has become the norm that teachers trade a week's salary for a week's holiday (e.g. commonly in April during semester break). Shortening the annual leave will ensure that some /most/all teachers will salary sacrifice to get a decent break. The money will be flowing back to Al Nawa.

Al Nawa has an established procedure (medical check, biometrics, residency card). Once completed, teachers start work and get paid. Why should they change their routine?

Hawthorn lost the contract. It makes no sense for Al Nawa to follow suit and risk loosing their contract.

1st Sgt Welsh · Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 5:47 am Post subject:

Personally, if I couldn't get generous holidays then, I, for one, wouldn't have ever considered living in the Gulf. However, that's just my take on it and others, of course, will have different POVs.

Besides, given the ridiculous amount of 'desk-warming' that goes on at the CAS Colleges, for the life of me, I don't see why they would be tampering with the old 60 days' leave entitlement. If they were to add more teaching weeks to the schedule then that would be a different matter, because, at least then, you would actually be serving a purpose. As things stand, they could easily add/have added another three to four weeks leave and, as I've said before elsewhere, all it would do is improve recruitment, morale, staff retention rates and, arguably, the quality of teaching. What benefit is derived by having teachers twiddling their thumbs at their desks for weeks on end is beyond me, but, anyway.....

danshengou · Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 9:00 am Post subject:

1st Sgt Welsh · Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 10:09 am Post subject:

danshengou · Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 11:44 am Post subject:

Do they allow unpaid leave during the non-teaching weeks? This would equate to the same thing more or less.

1st Sgt Welsh · Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2016 1:39 pm Post subject:

Whatever will be · Joined: 05 Feb 2014 Posts: 303

Al Nawa allows unpaid leave during July/August.
Previously, the norm was 60 calendar days paid annual leave.
Currently, the norm is 30 calendar days paid leave.
Ergo, teachers can "buy" another 30 calendar days to get 60 days in total. So, you will loose one month's salary. If you earn 1000 Rials per month, you will salary sacrifice 1000 Rials to cover the 30 days annual leave, which used to be a paid entitlement.
Having 1000 Rials less when going on holidays might be an additional hardship, as it will be difficult anyway to save money in order to travel.
So, it's really only 11 months salary per year.

Tazz · Joined: 26 Sep 2013 Posts: 512 Location: Jakarta

Given that many of these College positions are 'interior' postings-in towns with little or nothing to do, this new 30 days paid vacation sounds like absolute BS to me. At least the MOM agency hires got a much needed paid break at end December for 9-10 days. I've seen the CAS guys literally at each others throats both outside and inside the College in Ibri partly induced I think by the endless grind of working in an increasingly toxic working environment with little recreational opportunities outside the work place. ant to sign up for this? Confused

Whatever will be · Joined: 05 Feb 2014 Posts: 303

I suspect that the new 30 days annual leave was created to force teachers into salary sacrifice for time off.
Inbetween semesters, there is nothing to do. So, teachers either show up every day to sign in and get their salary or take unpaid leave. Anybody able to go without a break for 11 months will be able to save enough for travel during the month off. Anybody taking unpaid leave won't have enough Rials to travel outside Oman.
Meanwhile, the agency will rake in the money from those teachers who give up their salary for some free time. Calculate 30 unpaid days of annual leave/ 1000 Rials per teacher per year for the 20 teachers who got sacked in Ibri and are replaced with these new contracts, you'll easily see why Al Nawa is pushing for that arrangement.

Roses189 · Joined: 09 Jun 2015 Posts: 21

As far as I know all the ex-Hawthorne staff have received the same contract from Al Nawa giving 60 days annual leave. Last year Hawthorne allowed some staff to take unpaid leave in January but unpaid meant giving up salary + travel allowance + rent + utilities for the time you took off which made it far too expensive.

Siobhan 22 · Joined: 13 Jul 2016 Posts: 170

Ouch.

Anyone know if the same holiday entitlements now apply at the Technology Colleges - under TATI?

Having said TATI, Al Nawa also sent an emai trying to recruit candidates for Al Musanna and Ibra CT's in early July.

Tazz · Joined: 26 Sep 2013 Posts: 512 Location: Jakarta

One similarity between the MOM [Colleges of Technology] and MOHE [Colleges of Applied Sciences] gigs was that neither received any contract extensions prior to the break at beginning of July.....make of that what you will-but the teachers departed anytime after 4th July in the firm belief that they'd be getting the same deal for the next academic year. Everybody put TATI and the other's failure to show up with the contracts [which they normally do 2-3 weeks prior to end semester] down to the timing of Ramadan this year, but who knows if upon return at the end of August there won't be some.....changes!

Whatever will be · Joined: 05 Feb 2014 Posts: 303

The oil crisis is hidding hard. Oman has run up massive debt in the last couple of years. Savings must be made and the salaries of teachers at the various colleges are a big ticket. Most are expats who can be easily disposed off, if they rebell against worsening conditions.

Any teacher returning from annual leave and having to sign up for a new contract would be very naive in assuming that pay and benefits stay the same. It will be a case of 10-15% less and a "take it or leave it" situation.

Teachers who are direct hire with the MOM (Ministry of Madness) have already gone through it earlier in the year and the agencies are now following suit.

Roses189 · Joined: 09 Jun 2015 Posts: 21

We knew we should expect a drop in salary but never thought we'd lose half our annual leave entitlement. I'll be signing the contract because I'm already settled and have to go back regardless. But I'll be finding a new position and resigning asap. Such a shame. I really did like working there and felt we were working towards improving the program for the students.