Job Discussion Forums

[veiledsentiments]

[ckhl]

SheikhShamal wrote:
Coming back to salary, I have just left the HCT system (thank God!).

Why you say that, is it so awful there. Throughout all post, yes HCT has some disadvs, but also has many positive advantgs. What did bother you specifically.
Also for all other people, I read that HCT is a very stable place..also the hiring process is very organized. !!

I am a 12-year veteran of the HCT. It's been a little over two years since I got out (thank God!). I"ve never looked back. I suffered serious burn out. I could see those colleagues three years behind me who'd accepted, with some misgivings, as had I, a fourth contract right at the time of my departure. I laughed and speculated to them how they'd be once they had reached my "status".

What's the problem? Top heavy, very vertical management style...with any number of spineless, intellectually-challenged supervisors et al. Yes, there are a number of tales to tell. What I found most sickening was the posturing on the part of too many colleagues to get noticed and then the inevitable, invidious comparasons supervisors would then make. It could be rather divisive. I wonder to what extent these colleagues knew that all this posturing was primarily for their supervisors' own self promotion to the layer of management above them.

[one bird]

[ckhl]

It is usually the place you suspect to reply, would not and anther place you do not expect to hear from them, they send you for an interview.


I should be most grateful if you could clarify.

[one bird]

[helloworld2009]

Thanks everyone for the good luck and confidence!

The only problem is - I've been looking since the start of the year for jobs (that I am qualified for, can do, and have done) in the UAE - and this is the only one that has ever come up! (Its pretty much identical to the one I am doing currently in the UK).

So myy concern is, if this application isn't successful it could be a long wait for a similar type role to appear in the UAE again....

I've wanted to work in the UAE for a good number of years now, but only decided that I should seriously look at the opportunities that arise there since January 2009 - I wish I had looked sooner!!!

any hints, tips, ideas, where I should look for similar type jobs in the UAE? Are there any new Universities that are opening soon in the UAE that may require this type of role? Obviously, I appreciate sending speculative CVs to Universities etc is probably not a good thing if there is no job advertised.....

What if this application fails - where, how do I continue my search?

cheers for your help - your a very helpful bunch!

hw2009

[helloworld2009]

Alas no word from HCT about my application.(sent way back in June - the job application expired in the middle of August 2009)..so I'm assuming I have been unsuccessful!

My search continues!

hw2009

[veiledsentiments]

Was this for standard EFL teaching or content?

Normally HCT is good about telling people that they are "not" interested. So, not hearing anything suggests that your application may have slipped through the cracks. Have you emailed and asked them?

You might try applying again... for January.

VS

[D. Merit]

[veiledsentiments]

DM... do you mean lucky and were hired or lucky to get the "no thanks" letter.

One can only speculate on the secret workings of HR, but it is possible that you went into the "pool" and then none of the particular colleges wanted or needed you. It also might depend on the time of the year and how buried they are in applications or current staffing in HR. It seems to be right at the start... before interview... where they send off the most "no thanks" letters. And quite a few get that letter after the interview. That alone puts them way ahead of most of the rest of the employers who never bother to say anything if they are not interested in you. (which includes universities in the US too...) But that still leaves quite a few people in limbo.

VS

[helloworld2009]

Just when I thought I'd lost all hope! I get a confirmation of a video interview!

All I need to do now, is search these forums to find out about these video interviews! Any tips appreciated!

hw2009

[veiledsentiments]

Good News... another step!

There have been some threads on the interviews in the past if you can dredge them up. In general, the advice seems to be to dress professionally and be honest. They tend to ask the usual questions like what have you done and then they might throw out something like... how do you handle discipline problems... what was the most successful class you have ever taught... how would you teach X to level Y. It is very hard to predict because the interviews are done by different people all the time. I would be ready to explain how I would go about preparing to teach something that I hadn't taught before in case they ask you about how to teach something you truly don't know. (after all, most of us haven't taught all levels or all skills or every esoteric grammar point.

One friend ended up with a terrible connection and there were major problems with both sides misunderstanding what had been asked and answered. She was certain that it had been a complete loss, but she got an offer. This was for content not EFL.

Good Luck

VS

[007]

[anaxiforminges]

Or, you may get the stumper: "How do you feel about Arabs?"

[johnslat]

Dear anaxiforminges,

To which the reply might be: Exactly the same way that I feel about generalized questions.

Regards,
John