Site Search:
 
Get TEFL Certified & Start Your Adventure Today!
Teach English Abroad and Get Paid to see the World!
Job Discussion Forums Forum Index Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!"
 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

Princess Noura University (PNU)
Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3, ... 10, 11, 12  Next
 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Saudi Arabia
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
katienz



Joined: 18 Jun 2012
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Thu Jun 21, 2012 6:51 am    Post subject: Re: working at pnu? Reply with quote

I would say no confidence at all. This gang doesn't have a clue what they are doing... or what they are getting you into... and thus, neither do you.

VS[/quote]

What is your experience with PNU?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Thu Jun 21, 2012 9:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

KatieNZ:

You don't need to work at PNU to see there are issues. Just the fact they use cheesy or clueless contractors to hire and manage the teaching staff and PY program is enough to send a red flag. I have several friends who presently teach at PNU under different crappy recruiting companies/contractors, and the experience hasn't been pleasant. Not surprising, all three are working illegally with business visit visas, complements of their sketchy employers. (This is why a direct hire situation is best.)

Since you're apparently new to this forum, take time to do a search or browse through the threads and you'll see numerous posts from PNU teachers. In fact, if you are contemplating teaching in the Kingdom, you owe it to yourself to check out reviews on the uni and recruiting company/employer.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Thu Jun 21, 2012 12:29 pm    Post subject: Re: working at pnu? Reply with quote

katienz wrote:
Quote:
I would say no confidence at all. This gang doesn't have a clue what they are doing... or what they are getting you into... and thus, neither do you.

VS


What is your experience with PNU?

My experience is reading dozens of threads from dozens and dozens of teachers lamenting that they ever got involved with these clueless contractors/recruiters for these marginal jobs. PNU has been particularly problematic since it started. (use the search mechanism here... and google)

When the people supposedly hiring you can't answer the most basic questions... or you read here that the teachers that they have hired complain that what they were told was completely inaccurate... it is time to think long and hard about whether you are desperate enough for a job to accept this sort of situation. Many people are and dive in... nothing wrong with that... just be informed so that you don't get too many surprises.

VS
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
teechagimme



Joined: 29 Dec 2010
Posts: 56
Location: S. Korea

PostPosted: Thu Jun 21, 2012 11:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

fledex wrote:
teechagimme wrote:
I just got this and I think that it supports what I said earlier today.

Hello, If you have received this email, you are on the list of individuals whom Princess Noura University, after their own performance review, wishes to be assigned elsewhere for teaching next year. Therefore we will have to reassign you in September 2012. Please do not worry. All will be OK. Our successful work this spring and summer on securing new contracts means that we have a number of new sites for placement in the coming year. You will hear about your reassignment as the summer unfolds, but I wanted to alert you to this eventuality with PNU right now so that you are aware. I hope you are having a good summer. Dr Bill


In other words, Edex wants to keep your resume and credentials on file through the summer to help themselves land new contracts. There are no guarantees. Don't expect anything. It's the norm in Saudi and with Edex to keep each other hanging, be sure to search for other options. They will also be looking for other options than you.


I think that it means that they will just move teachers around. The ones that PNU doesn't want will go to KSU and the ones that KSU doesn't want will go to PNU...or something like that. As long as I can go back and collect my belongings before I run away...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Grendal



Joined: 13 Aug 2009
Posts: 861
Location: Lurking in the depths of the Faisaliah Tower underground parking.

PostPosted: Fri Jun 22, 2012 8:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Maybe as a quiet note on the side.......................

Rumblings at KSU and elsewhere in the university scene in KSA have proven to be eventful and unpleasant. As a little foot note I would like to say that it will always continue but one thing for sure it always seems to have improved somehow, in a way that is not quite discernible by the common senses.

Through trial and error some form of education does exist and it seems to be learning by itself. A sort of mass hysteria type thing or the monkeys on two separate islands finally doing the same thing. It's a chaotic event that has an order of its own.

Just a little thought..........

G
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
katienz



Joined: 18 Jun 2012
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Sat Jun 23, 2012 10:32 pm    Post subject: pnu Reply with quote

nice post grendal. does anyone know what the lead teacher roles are like?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
silentgirl88



Joined: 12 May 2012
Posts: 7

PostPosted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 5:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

So, I got my employment offer today. It's signed by the dean of PNU, and it's for USD 47,100 per year. Is that a standard starting salary in the KSA?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
colly64



Joined: 18 Dec 2006
Posts: 12

PostPosted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 11:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Who is the contract with?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
silentgirl88



Joined: 12 May 2012
Posts: 7

PostPosted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 12:23 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

It seems to be with PNU, i.e it's their name on the letter head and the dean's signature at the bottom.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 1:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

silentgirl88 wrote:
So, I got my employment offer today. It's signed by the dean of PNU, and it's for USD 47,100 per year. Is that a standard starting salary in the KSA?

This is through the recruiter that didn't know who your contract will be with... I guess we still don't really know for sure. Might be direct hire... might not be.

Is the 47,000 number the salary or the total package? Do you get 47,000 plus free housing or allowance, etc... or does the 47,000 include housing and benefits?

There is no "standard" starting salary. It depends on the institution and your credentials... and how desperate they are for teachers. Last report here was that needed LOTS of teachers because people were bailing out as fast as they arrived.

VS
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
colly64



Joined: 18 Dec 2006
Posts: 12

PostPosted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 2:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes I agree wit VS there are still a lot of questions to be answered. Is this a teaching position or a lead teaching position & in which program - there are 2 that they are advertising for
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
silentgirl88



Joined: 12 May 2012
Posts: 7

PostPosted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 12:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's for a teacher position.
The figure (47,100) includes a transport allowance but not accommodation, which is free, and not flights which they say they are going to book once I confirm when I can arrive, or visa.
I'm still not sure that KSA is the place for me, but all of your comments and help is much appreciated.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Tue Jun 26, 2012 2:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

silentgirl88 wrote:
It's for a teacher position.
The figure (47,100) includes a transport allowance but not accommodation, which is free, and not flights which they say they are going to book once I confirm when I can arrive, or visa.
I'm still not sure that KSA is the place for me, but all of your comments and help is much appreciated.

Even though the dean signed off on the offer, that doesn't mean PNU is your employer. That's info you still need to get from the recruiter (it will be obvious on the contract). Also, what type of visa would you be getting? A business visit visa (red flag) or a proper employment visa (leads to an iqama/residence permit)? The latter requires you take a battery of medical tests in your home country, get a notarized criminal record report from your local law enforcement, and have your relevant degree attested. You may or may not be reimbursed for the costs of the med tests.

You didn't state what portion of that $47,000 is considered your transportation allotment, but a typical allowance is 500 SAR a month ($133). Yours could be more or less. And since they're providing you with housing, you also may want to confirm that it won't be a shared situation, unless you don't mind having roommates.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
stynkitofu



Joined: 29 Jun 2012
Posts: 2

PostPosted: Sun Jul 08, 2012 5:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi, I'm also new to the forum and have recently been offered a teaching position at PNU.

Can anyone tell me what the experience is like being a single female teacher at PNU (if not PNU, then at the university level in general)?

I read that once I am in KSA, I must surrender my passport to my employer (still unclear as to who that is). Is this true?

Is PNU (or other universities in KSA) known to break contracts, cut salaries, or do really underhanded things like make teachers sign a different contract when they arrive? Although citizens of the USA are not required to pay any taxes, is it true that I would get all the money promised to me in my contract?

Also, have there been any cases of sexual harassment/rape of foreign females? Is this something I should be very concerned about in KSA?

I feel I have a million questions and the people from the recruiting agency do not answer my questions (or rather, they answer selectively).

If anyone here can answer any of my questions, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Sun Jul 08, 2012 12:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

stynkitofu wrote:
Hi, I'm also new to the forum and have recently been offered a teaching position at PNU. Can anyone tell me what the experience is like being a single female teacher at PNU (if not PNU, then at the university level in general)?

PNU is an all-female environment, so I think you mean what it's like being a single female in Saudi Arabia. Plenty about that throughout this forum and via an Internet search.

and wrote:
I read that once I am in KSA, I must surrender my passport to my employer (still unclear as to who that is). Is this true?

Possibly, although it's against the law. Some retain the passports of their expat workers (those foreigners employees who possess an iqama), while other employers do not (mine doesn't). However, if you'll be on a business visit visa, you'll keep your passport with you. But then, a business visit visa comes with its own set of issues.

and wrote:
Is PNU (or other universities in KSA) known to break contracts, cut salaries, or do really underhanded things like make teachers sign a different contract when they arrive? Although citizens of the USA are not required to pay any taxes, is it true that I would get all the money promised to me in my contract?

Can't say because your employer or sponsor is unknown. Plus, no one can predict what they'd do. Ditto for your second question.

and lastly wrote:
Also, have there been any cases of sexual harassment/rape of foreign females? Is this something I should be very concerned about in KSA?

No. This is more likely a problem for Indonesian or Filipina maids working in private homes. Expat women from other parts of the world generally find the Kingdom quite safe compared to their home countries, mostly due to the gender segregation.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> Saudi Arabia All times are GMT
Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3, ... 10, 11, 12  Next
Page 2 of 12

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling.
Contact Dave's ESL Cafe
Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved.

Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group

Teaching Jobs in China
Teaching Jobs in China