Job Discussion Forums

[Mwalimu]

http://www.eslcafe.com/joblist/index.cgi?read=26892

Anybody thinking about applying for one these HCT jobs at Khalifa Air College is seriously advised to think again.

The long and the short of it is that the department has been in an increasing state of disarray ever since a certain MOD EDIT took over as Supervisor of the HCT Military Languages Programme in Aug 2011. Within a few weeks of her appointment, she had totally antagonised her whole teaching team - an antagonism which from the word go was intense, instantaneous and uniform across the whole teaching team. As the year progressed, the feeling went from bad to worse: she brooked no opposition, and by the end of the year (June 2012) she terminated the contracts of SIX long standing teachers with good track records at HCT (i.e. half the teaching team).

The department has been short staffed for the last six months, with the result that classes get doubled up, or just don't get taught, and two teachers have been absent for substantial periods over the past term, undergoing treatment for clinical depression. Most of those who have been recruited on casual contracts are getting out as fast as they can go, and those who are there on regular HCT contracts are mostly trying to get transfers to other HCT departments.

The chances of any improvement in the situation are pretty slim as student numbers are set to rise again in March, but they haven't even got enough teachers to cover the existing classes.

[veiledsentiments]

Let's just say that like most tales like this, the opinions of the OP are not shared by everyone. The way I hear the story is that the new Supervisor was brought in because the program had turned into a complete disaster, and while some teachers weren't happy to see her, others were thrilled to see someone come in to fix the existing issues. While Mwalimu speaks for his or her self, not "all teachers" agree with his/her opinions here. There are teachers who think the new supervisor is doing a good job trying to fix a terrible mess that wasn't caused by her.

Yes, there are a couple teachers suffering from clinical depression, but it is hard to say whether they brought these problems with them or were caused by the job. IMHO the Gulf, and in particular HCT, is not the place for someone who is borderline depressive. Too much pressure... As I understand, they are getting help and/or moving on...

There is a version of the tale that the teachers terminated were those with serious issues of NOT teaching their courses... doing nothing but show videos and allow the students to cheat blatantly. Naturally allowing the students to run the show meant that the results were not what HCT wanted to see.

Anyone applying should understand that they are going into a department with serious issues that is in the process of re-organization. Yup... it is a mess and will likely take a year or so before it improves. So, only accept a job there if you want to be part of the solution, not part of the problem. Like all HCT jobs, it is good pay and benefits, but any applicant must decide whether to take a risk to get the rewards.

VS

[republocrat]

Wow, fast-tracked out the place for showing a few videos!? That would dislodge most ESL teachers in the Gulf, if not all of us!!

And as VS has stated, people with mental problems don't go looking to work in the Gulf. In other words, it's clearly a result of the situation at work in this case.

Meanwhile, the following piece of info has also appeared on a certain blog.

One could go on for ever about this woman. One big complaint was the disgraceful way in which she conducted the PEP evaluations last academic year, walking into classrooms unannounced for maybe 10 mins at a time, with neither pre-observation nor post-observation discussion, then writing up a series of half-truths and subjective value judgements at the end of it all.

One teacher even got assessed on the basis of a class that he had been asked to take at less than 1 hrs notice, substituting for an absent teacher, and using the material that the absent teacher had asked him to teach. Would you believe, he signed his agreement at the end of the report - and got to keep his job.

Any who didn't sign had their contracts terminated - and 5 of them out of 6 were males. That's important, as she is clearly a male-hater. In her personal blog she proudly announces herself as a 'single mom', and it's easy to imagine why.

The staff who are still there are scared stiff to say or do anything for fear that they too might lose their jobs. Clearly it's a place to avoid, and no decent teacher would want to work under such a self-deluding tyrant.

Don't say we didn't warn you!

[veiledsentiments]

[melt]

[veiledsentiments]