Job Discussion Forums

[BM]

You are right, I have never heard of such things as teachers signing in or out. It is only for factory workers and treating professionals as slaves is not acceptable. I sometimes stay at work until 5 or 6 in order to finish what I have to finish, sometimes i work weekends, it never bothered me because I know I must stay in order to finish but being forced to stay, comon, how do you teachers accept such conditions?

[Stephen Jones]

I've only ever worked in one educational establishment where you had to sign in and that had 90% turnover at the end of the year.

There is a tendency in the Gulf for managers thinking they are getting value for money by having people hang around the premises doing nothing, though in practise this merely pisses people off, causes them to work less, and makes them spend their office hours posting complaints about the institution on the internet.

word_to_the_wise is making somewhat bizarre statements. Whilst teachers can be terminated in the 3 month probationary period without comeback everywhere I've worked that has been decided at Managing Director level or higher. After that period terminating somebody mid-contract becomes very difficult. To terminate a teacher in a private school in Kuwait the management would need the OK of the education ministry, and whilst other places make it somewhat easier it is still a major decision.

Perhaps word_to_the_wise could tell us where he works. Sounds like a place, and a person, to steer well clear of.

[BM]

[hi
I worked with you at Jubail college in KSA, I heard you are at KFPUM?? how are things over there? are they better?

[Stephen Jones]

BM, PM me and let me know who you are.

[Madman]

Here at my school in Qatar staff have to 'clock' in and out of work with a time card which is a bit 'factory'. I may have to buy some blue overalls before I leave here. For fellow Brits it makes me think of 'Chigley' (UK 70's TV puppet show). I keep wondering when the afterschool compulsory dancing begins.

In Abu Dhabi, staff at my last school had to clock in and out with an electronic ID card. Whilst I was at that school if you wanted to go into the Admin building you had to sign in and out and if you went to the Personnel Dept you had to sign in again and state what you were there for! (This overkill was because the school was a diabolical shambles and most of the admin staff needed a damn good beating).

[BM]

I think it's our fault, teachers, we should all refuse to work under those conditions. Teachers in gernaral are not rich but all we have is our dignity, take it away from us, we are left with nothing, we become "nothing"...

[word_to_the_wise]

There's nothing wrong in signing in and out - it's neither unprofessional nor slavish.And that's the final word.

[veiledsentiments]

[word_to_the_wise]

Outnumbered yes, but by teachers.Maybe management should have their own forum.

[Stephen Jones]

[veiledsentiments]

It's easy to start you own forum. This one has always been for teachers.

VS

[007]

[thursday12]

It's gettin real expensive ta live here, everythin's goin up, up, up, up
- gas gonna go up soon, some food prices doubled or tripled in the last 6 months so it's real hard fer some people
-lotta people not makin ends meet, if ya don't get housin, yer in real trouble so make sure ya get a job wid accomodation or else big time problem
-traffic big time problem too, lotta jerks on the road.
-accident scene real bad - lotta fatalities
-gotta be a defensive driver or else!!!

[thursday12]

Where I work, at QU, ya gotta sign in fer meetins - yer in big trouble if ya skip, ya get a nasty email, lotta people resent bein treated like children,
all the data goes in yer file so ya gotta be careful.

no punch card but some people checkin ta see if yer in yer class
the campus is huge and ya jest can't always get ta class on time - roadworks and parkin problems and classes far away from parkin lots so real problem gettin round. need ta get some golf carts - wud make life easier.

too bad education turnin corporate

[Stephen Jones]

Everywhere I've worked you sign a piece of paper for meetings. The question is how many: more than two a week is abusive; one a semester is Shangri-La.

Checking you make class is normal, though the usual check is that the students report you if you're late (so that they get a relief teacher). If there is insufficient time to get from one class to another then raise it with the appropriate authority so they change the timetable to accommodate the problem (or at least are aware of the problem).