Job Discussion Forums

[Sheikhdown]

It seems like a dream that I actually arrived at the Dubai airport on that hot and humid morning on August 18th at 5:00a.m. A jovial big guy in his pressed white robes was at the front waiting for me to wisk me off to the Hotel Inter-continental in Al-Ain. He was such a pleasant fellow, and had just started working for the new school in Al-Ain and Abu Dhabi.
There seemed to be great excitement in the air as we drove that long distance. When I arrived in Al-Ain, I was put in the most loveliest room that I certainly would have never been able to afford myself. I was told that I could have breakfast which was included as well. Oh, those beautiful breakfasts each morning were just luxurious and its amazing how you can get use to this kind of living.
Slowly the other teachers were arriving, and it seemed all so surreal, and yet
I thought that this was the beginning of friendships and great hope in the new university.
After a couple of days, we all began to meet at this villa which was the offices for both schools. We so enjoyed the lunches which were sent in from the nearby Lebannese restaurant. Boy are the Lebannese great cooks! Really miss their cooking.
After about a week, those of us which were going to work on the campus in Abu Dhabi were wisked away to Abu Dhabi and the huge tall Le Meridien that had the big revolving restaurant at the top. Oh how us teachers enjoyed the breakfasts each morning overlooking the skyline of the city. We discoved the Italian restaurant on the third floor and had some wonderful meals there and friendships were beginning to form.
Those first six, which I was one of, surely can never forget what it was like when we were driven to the campus that first day. They were still working on the inside and outside. It was totally a shock to see the conditions; knowing we were suppose to be teaching there in such a short time. Yet, I wanted to say that if not for those dear teachers, I would have never been able to make it. We really bonded in our own way and stuck together like a family and glue! Even though some of us had different personalities and the like, we knew we had to support each other, or we would never survive this thing.
You know, I think all of us could write a book on this experience, and the way in which we six teachers were treated. One female teacher was fired before we even started by Sami Anwar(I refuse to say Dr.), and the other five teachers stood by her and asked the VP Multhana to please re-consider which he did. We had a meeting in the boardroom of the Le Meridien regarding why us 6 teachers left one afternoon after refusing to continue working that day. Its a long story, but the bottom line is this. Sami Anwar took his fist and slammed it on the desk in front of us all and the leadership and said, "Dammit, I am the Director of this school." We knew then that something was fatally wrong, and unfortunately it has progressed to what you have all been reading previously.
I MUST applaud all those teachers who sacrificed their time, energy, and even personal lives to come to that school and be treated worse than animals by the few in leadership; particularly Sami Anwar and Mr. Multhanah, the VP of the school.
As for me, I was fired for reasons that seem to be so far fetched to be believed. A student in my class wrote a letter and put it under the door of Sami's office. She did not identify herself. She said that I was teaching the ladies (my students were mostly female) things that Muslim women must not even talk about or hear. She went on to say that I talked about women's menstrual cycles(I am a male), invited all the ladies to my apartment for some parties, told them all that they must all have boyfriends, and go to nightclubs and just party party party. I remember that I received a birthday card from a friend of mine in America who has suffered with HIV for years. I told them that morning that I had received the lovely birthday card, and that my friend had HIV. The student wrote that I was talking about people with AIDS and all kinds of sexual matters which they should not be listening too. Well, you all know that I as a professional educator would never do the things listed above. I have been teaching for many years, and very sensitive to cultural situations. I have taught in Saudi Arabia and around the world.
May I say the school paid me three months salary, and flew me back to New Zealand. Yet I never got to say goodbye to the teachers or the students. There were some very very kind students and faculty members there. Also, there were some lovely people in administration and general workers as well.
I believe that the actions of the administration as a whole was criminal in content. Since I was fired (I was the FIRST at ADU), there have been many others fired as well. People from all over the world. Single males,
males married with children, single moms with children and the like. These were all human beings whose lives were shattered and violently attacked by these people in administration. Many were left to their own devices in a foreign country with no moral or psychological counseling whatsoever.
There are so many situations that happened to faculty that you would feel physically ill if I told you them here on this site.
Finally, as I look back on this situation, I hold all those people that encouraged me, had a meal with me, a chat, the students that encouraged me even when they found out that I was fired, very dear to my heart.
I certainly have to take something good from this, and those memories will last a lifetime.
All the best to everyone who has worked at, who was fired at, and all of us who have moved on with our lives at ADU. We have earned a Doctorate degree in HARD KNOCKS and come out still alive and moving forward.
Gary in New Zealand (No Dr. in front of my name thank you very much!)
There's a million of them in the Middle East![/b]

[Bindair Dundat]

[Hector_Lector]

A definite case of the pot calling the kettle black.

[Cheguevara]

Very interesting. Of the good six instructors Sheikhdown is talking about, only one is still around and she might even leave. Three have been fired (a New Zealander, an American and a Portuguese) Two have resigned (A Palestinian and a South African). From Al-Ain campus many others have been fired (A South African and an Indian amongst others). The dean of the Business Administration Dept and the Dean of Arts and |Sciences have also been fired. In the first semester alone, two coordinators in AD and 2 in Al-Ain resigned simply because it is simply impossible to deal with the current administration.

What does this all mean? Chaos mixed with an overdose of dictator ship.

[Bindair Dundat]

[Hector_Lector]

I am amazed that you have the nerve to continue to exhibit your complete ignorance to the world.

Your fantastic sense of humour (I am being sarcastic, f�uckpig, just in case you had not noticed) indicates that you must be American (irony, perhaps, sh�ithead).

From the number of postings bearing your name, it would appear that you have nothing else to do in your miserable, stinking existence than try to be the tough guy... on a website.

What do you do the rest of the time - trawl for pictures of amputees?

You are not witty, you are not funny, you are boring. Dull. Imbecilic.

And now, I am sure, you will start pasting quotes, and then, just to be original, you will call me Hester, and then you will exhibit more of your homoerotic fantasies. Wow, what a guy (again, blockhead, irony).

You should go back through your incessant postings and reflect on them. What do they say about you?

As for criticism of others� writing styles, have look at your own. Not bad for a retard, perhaps, but for someone who pretends to be an English teacher?

So, fire away, scumbag. Insults and putdowns are very welcome - they just further illustrate what a w?anker you are.

[skeptic]

Whoa, hey! Keep the personal rancor out of the public venue, please! My ears are burning.

I believe there are some viewers who are a bit more interested in the goings on at ADU than in obviously very personal baggage--unless you want to fill us in on all the sordid details.

Seriously, the question needs to be raised as to whether unqualified teachers were initially hired under time pressure, or from a lack of experienced interviewers. If so, then a housecleaning might have been in order. No offense to those whose feet do not fit this shoe, but, assuredly, one post seemed to lack the polish one might expect of an experienced language purveyor--however sensitive and lovely that purveyor may have been. And, too, three months severance and a flight home does not speak to either draconian administrative practices, or personal vendettas.

The school, allegedly, has 32 full-time English faculty members between the two locations. Any of you care to join the fray?


Skeptic.

[veiledsentiments]

Considering that there are 3 or 4 threads of nightmare stories on this school with so far not one person coming on to say one good word about anything there - I tend to believe that the problem is management. - or perhaps I should say mis-management.

They have been making changes and may eventually get their act together, but I would certainly advise anyone who asks me to avoid the place for the next year or so.

VS
(and I too wish the children would take their spats to the private message system --- )

[skeptic]

VS, your words have merit. Perhaps it is a case of wishful thinking, but I had hoped to hear some of the silent majority come forth with evidence that things are changing for the better. But maybe there is a unified front. I've read the threads and know that the facilities are allegedly non-existent (a converted warehouse) and the management is a sham. I also noted that the website is very limited, and (tellingly) includes no images of staff happily engaged in enlightening their charges--in clean, well-lighted, ultra modern classrooms. Nor are there images of sparkling new exteriors, with greenery, and fountains splashing behind the ever-so-satisfied group of playful coeds.

Nonetheless, the new director has gotten some praise, and the very existence of a praiseworthy new director is indication that somebody, somewhere has made note of the complaints and taken steps toward a remedy. The key question is how effective have those steps been. I'd like to know from someone who has opted to stay, as well as from one who was forcibly removed.

An autocratic director banging his fist on a table does not frighten me: but is begs the question of why he felt he needed to bang his fist and state the obvious--at least to me it begs.

[Justice_Seeker]

It should be sufficient warning that the university has no senior academic administrators left. All three Deans (highly competent and intelligent individuals) have either resigned or been fired.

It is difficult to describe in words to someone outside the UAE academic community, the amount of unnecessary hardship that employees have had to endure. The ADU threads in this forum paint an accurate picture of the institution and how it is run.

I believe that accepting a position with this university is a huge financial and professional mistake at this time. This institution is certainly not the place for "newbies" to the UAE or the Gulf. However - for those of you still seriously considering an offer from ADU, you owe it to yourself to do the following:

1) INSIST on receiving a signed copy of both the contract of employment with ADU and a copy of the contract to be filed with the labour office (yes � they are different). DO NOT accept a pre-contract agreement before arriving. Examine both contracts for discrepancies and inconsistencies and have these addressed BEFORE arrival.
2) Ensure that you receive a copy of your employment visa before departure. Under UAE immigration law, you cannot change your status from visitor to worker without leaving the country. If you have a family you CANNOT bring them with you on a tourist visa and expect to have their status regularized without them first leaving the country
3) Ask for a preliminary teaching schedule. If one is not forthcoming it�s a good indication that administrative problems still exist (perhaps because the administrators have all been sacked)
4) DO NOT buy your own ticket and expect to get it reimbursed. Insist on a pre-paid ticket from ADU
5) Call the HR manager and ask for the contact details of other western faculty in the university. If none are forthcoming what does this say? If you are provided with some names then contact these people (by phone) and ask some hard questions. (eg, how long have you worked there, is it true that most westerners have left etc).
6) Finally � explore other employment options in the UAE, particularly the UAEU. You may be pleasantly surprised at just how easy it is to find a decent employer.

[Bindair Dundat]

[Cheguevara]

Let me just try to address Skeptic�s points again.

When the academic year 2003/2004 started, there were 7 teachers from different backgrounds. 4 have been fired at will and with no apparent reason. 2 Have resiged. Both campuses have had three coordinators each. Two deans have been fired and one Dr. from Abu Dhabi campus has resigned.

Now I want to continue what I have started in this thread.

There have been repeated intrusions into the privacy of all faculty at the university. The IT Department has entered faculty offices more than once without informing faculty of the purpose of such entry, nor requesting permission to do so. Currently, all faculty are merely users of the computers in their own offices: the IT department are primary users of the computers in every faculty members� office and have remote access to instructor� computers. This means that the IT department is able to read all emails, and access all files without teachers� knowledge- including examination papers that have not yet been given to students.

. The university does not have a clear and humane orientation policy and process for new faculty in its employ nor does it have a process to finalize the release of departing faculty. Hence faculty endure innumerable humiliations and conflicting messages from the Human Resource department both on arrival in the UAE and prior to departure. Furthermore, as the university has continued to hire new faculty, still at the beginning of the 2nd Semester the HR department continued to make the same mistakes that they had made earlier..

. Various faculty members and their families have not been informed of the visa requirements nor have they had their visas processed in time and in accordance with UAE Law. This has resulted in at least 5 and maybe even 10 members of faculty and their family members, including children, being fined for violation of the country�s immigration law.

[Bindair Dundat]

[Bindair Dundat]

I'm going to go through Che's post just to try to make a couple of points of my own about this type of information-gathering.

[Cheguevara]

For those who have applied for the advertised posts in the Dept. of English, you need to realize that the head of Dept. is the infamous Sami Anwar. The Dept. has advertised for the posts of Associate Professor(s) in Translation, Linguistics and TEFL. You need to be aware of the fact that no such courses have opened yet. You will simply be teaching ESL for students who can barely understand the language. In the interview Anwar would lie to you about your responsibilities and your load. You will surely be asked to commute between Al-Ain and Abu Dhabi. The Dept has only two PhD holders whose field is literature. They spent the whole year teaching in the ELI and some service courses offered to the university students. If you complain that the deal you had with Anwar was not like that, he would simply deny that he told you anything else. If you refer to the offer and your communication with HR, the HR manager would claim that he has lost all of your emails. If you confront them with the emails you have had sent them, they would simply ignore you.

It would be interesting to find out why Anwar was demoted and given the Dept. of English to run!! His inefficiency, incompetence and dictatorial attitude, not to mention his lies, have made it impossible for instructors to deal with him. His experience as the director of the ELI shows how unethical and unacademic his attitude was.

He had teachers, with MAs and PhDs, count chairs in pairs, had them sitting around looking into the text book Cutting Edge (one copy of each level which they all had to share over a couple of hours on campus) and then he declared to the President and others - all this in public - that the teaching staff were working on the curriculum. Instructors were unable to work at all at this stage as they did not have desks, offices or computers, let alone a printer or photocopier.

He had no respect whatsoever for qualified people. At the beginning of the academic year, he shouted at all staff members for going to the bank to open bank accounts, as had been organized with HR. He then yelled again in the presence of Muthanna Abdul Razaq at a meeting they had with teachers at Abu Dhabi Grand Hotel. This meeting had been called by all the teachers in response to an official letter sent to one teacher saying that she had been fired. This letter was pushed under her hotel room door late on a Wednesday evening and without discussing any grievance. It later transpired that she was being fired for �being an instigator who encouraged all the teachers to refuse to work on Thursdays without overtime pay!!�

The man enjoys uprooting families, destroying lives and sucking to power!