Job Discussion Forums

[johnslat]

I've heard from a Saudi friend of mine (who's well-placed to know) that the present indications are strong that the so-called "Prep Year" of English as Saudi universities is going to be discontinued.

Anyone else hear anything?

Regards,
John

[It's Scary!]

I hain't heard no thing...could PY be going the way of "Saudization"?

Think about it...beating a dead horse is fun for only so long...after that your arm starts to hurt!

It's time to get rid of the tribal mindset and starting to "get real" if the Saudis are actually serious about bettering their position in the world rather than being the laughing stock!

[veiledsentiments]

Qatar University is switching many of the majors to Arabic so that the majority of students will not longer require the "prep courses."

Perhaps everyone will follow suit if it works for QU.

VS

[mesenjah]

Having been in the Magical Kingdom for around five years... and seeing the way the teaching profession has taken an even bigger nose dive, I personally do think and have said this for about a year now that the PY program in the Kingdom is for sure on its way out. Also a couple of months ago the scrapping of the py program was being discussed by the King and his advisers. The problem is the PY isn't working. Too many un or under qualified teachers who should be cleaning the halls and running baqala's rather than teaching. The recruitment companies are to blame in my opinion. Cutting corners in the recruitment process with a call centre esqe approach of bums on seats to fill their quota. I have seen people with no degree and the lowest level of English in many Universities in the Kingdom. Saudi like most of the Gulf is a very class based society, class is based on ethnicity the whiter you are the higher up you are on the scale. The majority of teachers are now non-European and the Europeans that are in the Kingdom are in some form social misfits (Alcoholics, or some other form of deviant) and this is seen by the Saudi student who in this world is lord. They hold too much power for their own good. Teaching is not being done. Teachers are here to make a quick buck and thats that. These are the sentiments going around. Again I can only say what I have observed. Also as VS has mentioned Qatar is leaning towards going back to Arabic as the medium of teaching, it won't be long till Saudi will catch on as the Gulf is very much a follow fashion kind of region just look at the way the political upheavals of recent months/years has gone. So lets watch this space. If the PY is to continue direct hire and proper credentials is the way forward. Where else in the world could you get a job in a University teaching with out proper qualifications?

[cmp45]

mesenjah,
Unless you have valid statistical sources to back up your sweeping claims, it is still just opinionated hearsay...

In my humble opinion...Saudi Arabia has two national languages...Arabic and ENGLISH which means there is an invested interest to ensure Saudis can utilize both languages in the work place. I do not forsee the demise of PYP any time soon ...if they do decide to make any changes, it may just be reinvented -packaged to look like something else, but still basically the same old, same old....... I also read 'somewhere' they were planning to implement English at elementary level...but hey...it's just what I read 'somewhere'... That's really where they need to focus...

[posh]

PY is a complete waste of time - 35 students packed into small classrooms, ridiculous choice of course book and poorly qualified teachers brought in to teach them. I spent one month with Edex and that was long enough to see through the farce.

One good result, if they do get rid of PY, is that the contractors will go too. Or, rather, have to find a different industry to ravage.

[johnslat]

According to what I've heard, one reason the PY program mat be on the way out is that the "contractors" and "recruiters" are filling the teaching slots with a lot of people who are really not very well qualified (which is putting it in as nice a way as I can.)

e.g. I was told about one such teacher who, until a year or so ago, had been a used car salesman, had only a BA in an unrelated field, and had no experience teaching when he was "recruited."

Regards,
John

[cmp45]

Whether or not pyp is on its way out is anybody's guess...however, institutions that rely on recruiters and contractors to do the hiring are only dragging their 'reputations' further down. Seems to me the places that have inhouse personnel to recruit are more than likely to have stronger a pyp. Only because they are more likely to have qualified teachers that perhaps know a thing or two about ....teaching. Also with inhouse recruitment there is a stronger vested interest or incentive in running a quality program. Okay. I admit, it sounds good in theory...

Get rid of the recruiter and contractors! It might help?

[veiledsentiments]