Job Discussion Forums

[NuestroJuan]

Dear All,


I was perusing the job board and came across a posting for teaching university students in Hofuf, at King Faisal University. It was posted by Shabaka Training.

I Googled Shabaka and found multiple bad reviews, mostly from a few years ago, or more. There's even a grave YouTube video about them from 2013.

It's possible conditions there have improved in more recent years, but it seems the leadership at Shabaka Training hasn't changed in ten years.

Does anyone have any insight on this company and the working conditions -
namely, how they are now? I would appreciate any info.

Thank you!

[djstorm1987]

I`m also interested in hearing about this as I`m being invited for an interview. Judging from their website, they seem to do a goob job on giving you the 411 on the expectations that they expect from you as well as what you are to expect from them prior to arrival. Has things changed? Anyone still teaching here?

[cyclistlongdistancerunner]

I taught for Shabaka - King Faisal, six years ago. It is a very good first gig in Saudi. Lots of paid breaks. A swimming pool. A good gym. Work isn't onerous. Good place to start in the KSA. Best Moonboots.

[AbeCross]

I was there about six years ago. It was a real cowboy operation. The key problem was the inept former hockey coach who was running the program. He is extremely unprofessional and favoritism was rampant. His right-hand men were his brother and a small group of benighted sycophants. Hockey players were favored over others: there was a weekly hockey game and it was important to fill out the roster! If the nescient coach is still in charge of Shabaka, do not waste your time.
There was a re-hiring committee! And one guy on the re-hiring committee was a first-year teacher. Who ever heard of a re-hiring committee? As it was, the coach peremptorily rejected a number of the so-called committee's decisions.
For was some strange reason, tests were given on a weekly basis. The arrangement was convenient for management as the end-of-week test enabled them to hurry off to Bahrain every weekend. (At my interview, I was told that all teachers were welcome to accompany a group to Bahrain; this promise was not kept.)
Peer observations were hastily planned, but many teachers just skipped them and filled in each other's observation papers before returning them.
The program was amateurish in almost all respects.

[BajaLaJaula]

Abe,
I am not coming to their defence...however....keep in mind that what you have described is typical of the "better" gigs in KSA.

At a minimum...
1. Did they pay on time?
2. Did they provide you with housing?
3. Were you given a work visa?
4. Did they have some sort of curriculum that they used (ugh, even ALC would do).
5. Did the management, no matter how inept, have some say as to what, when and how the curriculum was taught?

If the answer is yes, then guess what? This is a decent first-time gig for KSA.
There was no mention of pay...so I have no idea about the salary. Personally, I would not take less than 6,000 USD a month. But then, it looks like the bottom has fallen out as far as pay as a TEFLr in KSA.
I got tired of being treated like a TCN (third country national). I prefer to live in "the land of the free" even if it means paying taxes.

[scot47]

US$6.000 is SAR22,500

You might get half of that

[cyclistlongdistancerunner]

As stated, previously, I worked for Shabaka in 2011 - 2012. I enjoyed my time there.

I am the one who ran on my Kangoo Jumpboots to work each morning [for the benefit of Shabaka people who see this].

Shabaka is a branch of a series of businesses owned by the Sadoon Brothers. I like the Sadoons very much. They are a very good crew. And kind and gracious beyond belief.

They own a trucking business, a travel agency that I used for my trips out of KSA [near the Villa where we lived].

Pay is on time. Always. You get a paid break every two or three months. You can travel during those times. You get a bonus at the end of the year. Pay is $3000 a month as memory serves.

Lots of overtime in the summer and also night school to teach kids during the year if you want it. Start at 7:30 you are home by 3:30. Start at 9, you are home at 6 pm.

Compound is pretty decent. Swimming pool. Fully equipped gym. Lounge for movie nights and parties. shopping trips on the weekend to Dammam.

As stated before, it is a very good first gig for Saudi.

I had no complaints at all. Still friends with the boss.

Best Moonboots

[nomad soul]

[cyclistlongdistancerunner]

[desertdawg]

Good to hear from someone with experience of the place. Thanks for your input.

[Makkah]

[In the heat of the moment]

I'm certainly not a health-obsessed sycophant and I don't find that type of people very often in Saudi either. It's not unheard of that a TEFL operation would favour crawling brown-nosers over good teachers, but to add 'sporty' to the ever decreasing pool of applicants sounds downright farcical. Apart from being the laziest nation I've lived in, sports outside are hazardous to your health for more months of the year than not. For the majority of the year either you're breathing in a lungful of toxic dust, your retinas are in danger of being permanently burnt, or the heat results in your outdoors 'experience' being solely transferring from one air-conditioned place to another.

[cyclistlongdistancerunner]

What utterly pathetic comments. The boss liked the fact that I was disciplined enough to get up extremely early in the morning, and run on Kangoo jumpboots with a fully loaded backpack, from our Compound to the University. About an 80 minute run. 5 days a week. Horray for me. Kind of beats being an overweight fat slob riding the bus to work each morning. New friends among the locals. Invitations to stop for tea. A good image for the program. Diplomacy and all that. Capiche?