Job Discussion Forums

[Dave99]

[Fly_Fisher]

I too had a job with AETG.
I can only write about the male teaching side.

I was also recruited by Alison (MOD edit for name) in UK (I came across a number of other teachers from both US and UK who had been recruited through her). She is happy to sing their praises, naturally, but quite frankly doesn't have much of a clue about the nuts and bolts of AETG.

As a company, you have to realize they are essentially both a language school (they have an academy in Riyadh) and a teacher placement company. They have some students who pay to attend their academy, but a lot of the students are there because of contracts with government or military departments. They currently have a contract teaching air force officers - some are taught at the academy, some at the air bases. If you teach on one of these jobs, the hours tend to be good, working from 7.00 to 3.00 with anything from 2 to 5 contact teaching hours. However, if you get pulled off that gig (which can happen at zero notice and for a wide variety of reasons - being too firm with students who need disciplining, foolishly talking politics or religion etc), then you can end up teaching split shifts, which is a nightmare - 8 to 12 and 4 to 9pm.

The company employs some 400 teachers, some of whom are women, and as far as I could tell, that means they must have at least 300 placed in universities and schools around the country.

Yes, they pay on time. But, they definitely have a tendency to move you from one job to another, and to other locations in KSA, with no notice at all.

I found the single guy accommodation in shared apartments in Al Hamra, in Riyadh, to be OK, and the other guys who got sent to Dammam certainly had nice apartments.

I don't know how much you are expecting to be paid, and certainly the general level of teacher pay is not what it was a few years ago in KSA. $30-35k is the norm for AETG depending upon qualifications and country.
This may draw shouts of horror from old KSA hands, but the reality is that global recession is being felt everywhere, and the number of people who have decided, after lay-off problems at home, to retrain as TEFL teachers has had a depressing effect on the pay market.

Personally, I had no problems with AETG, and there are teachers there who have been with the company for 3 years and more who are treated fine. Some from both US and UK have had good experiences, but of course there are those with bad ones.

A note about Letters of No Objection - if you get a job with AETG, try and make sure you are hired on a business or work-visit visa for the first 3 if not 6 months. This will mean you have to go to Bahrain each 30 days to get a stamp in your passport to show you have left the country once a month, and it will be at the weekend and take all day if you are in Riyadh, taken by the company mini-bus. There are draw-backs, as without an Iqama (for which you need a full work visa) you can't open a bank account or hire or buy a car - mind you, I would not want to drive in Riyadh!! Sending money back home can therefore be a potential problem (you have to find a buddy with a bank account and trust him with your cash). But at least you are master of your own destiny and can leave at any time without having to get an exit letter from your employer. In addition, if you find a better job, you can simply say to your new employer that you have not worked in KSA before (technically true, as a business visa means you are there to attend meetings etc., not actually work). This means you won't need a letter of no objection from AETG or whoever you work for, which simply will not be forthcoming.
Bill[/b]

[It's Scary!]

A very reasonable and objective post, Bill.

It's a rarity!

[Brand-Nubian]

To be honest I agree with Fisher 100%. Everything he said has been true. The management has been very accommodating to my needs and pay on time also. Trying to look for a second job though since there is so much time on my hands. Does anyone know anywhere that offers part-time positions?

[Captain Willard]

[zakrulesn70]

Hi guys!

This is my first post on this forum. I've recently completed a CELTa and would like to go to riyadh. I have some experience though it was prior to undertaking the CELTA.

I recieved a phonecall from Alison today who said I needed to provide some references for a job with AETG. Is there anyone on here that is working for them currently??

Im hoping to find infomration about the working side of stuff, the social life etc in saudi isn't a problem for me which for many is a problem and thus sometimes taints their whole experience of working in Saudi arabia.Playing football and going to the shopping malls is enough for me lol

[cleverclogs]

Hi there,
I worked for AETG for over a year, and they are the worst employer in Saudi. Stay well away from them.
For starters, they are the lowest paying amongst all agencies. They have recently had a new guy as executive vice president who has brought in a lot of even more negative changes. They are all compulsive liars.
I will advise everyone to ask for a contract copy before signing anything, this is a standard procedure amongst other agencies, but AETG will never send you one.
They operate on a split-shift basis, you will be working 8-12 and 5-9pm there is no choice.
They have recently lost all the contracts with good universities of Saudi, and only have one or two contracts in the furthest corners of the country and they will send you there or threaten to sack you if you don't want to go.
They also refuse to pay people any housing allowances and will try to force you to live in their accommodation.
The first guy to watch out for is Salem, he is a recruitment manager, and will tell you what you want to hear. When you go to him for whatever he promised he will simply say, the company policy has now changed and there is nothing he can do to help. A friend of mine was personally told by the VP, called Ramzi, that don’t listen to anyone else they don’t know anything about company policies.
When I worked for them they broke every promise they ever made, the managers are called Salem, Suleman, Eesa, and the accountant is called Rifaat. He is actually the worst of them all. They will all tell you different lies and then refute each other.
Things to note in the contract: there will be a clause that if you leave in the middle of the contract, you will pay them one month’s wage, which is not normal practice. Also, you will not be paid housing allowance, they will make you live in their housing which at the moment is in a secluded place out of the city. They will also dock three days pay of you are absent for a day without reason (they will choose to accept or not to accept the reason you give them).
They will also keep two months pay if you want to leave the country for whatever reason other than your annual holiday, no other company will do this. I can go on forever. These are just the highlights to be honest. My advice is to just avoid them, ask around especially people who know anything about ESL in Saudi, and definitely don't sign on anything until you get a copy of the contract.
I had heard bad things, but went ahead thinking it’s just internet negativity, but they turned out to be worse than I heard.



BEWARE - THEY DON'T HAVE ANY CONTRACTS WITH PNU
THEY DON'T PAY WOMEN HOUSING ALLOWANCE, EVER
THEY LIE ABOUT EVERYTHING
THEY WILL NEVER BRING YOUR FAMILY OVER
THEY CAN LITERALLY GET AWAY WITH ANYTHING
THEY TREAT PEOPLE LIKE THEY OWN THEM
THEY AREN’T PROFESSIONAL
DON'T EVEN GET YOURSELF INTO THIS UNSTABLE/DODGY COMPANY TO TEST THE WATERS

[nomad soul]

[CANDLES]

They didn't used to be! On the contrary the manager at AETG was a very nice professional man (who by the way hated the women managers at PNU) for their incompetence and ineptitude.

His door was always open to the teachers and he sorted out a lot of nonsense. He left and things fell apart

[strangerthanparadise]

I worked for aetg as well, some time ago, and they're ok. I suspect that clever clogs had some personal issues with the management. the definition of a clever clogs says it all, doesn't it: someone who thinks s/he is always right and more intelligent than others...

[Rena58]

What cl everclogs have said is all true and then some.

I worked for them back in 2009, never again. The only decent Managers (Saudi ladies) left as well as the admin support at the old PNU in the centre of the city.

The will not give a rat .... if you live or die, beware

[CANDLES]

Saudi Ladies Managers were good! You talking about the same company or were you the ones' that they 'took to' ????

Please give me a break. I was there the same time as you and the inefficiency was legendary. Yeah! I wanted to sit drinking coffee and eating dates all day as well & get paid. Mind you 'daddy', or 'husbands' provided the money, so no care in the world.

[Beaker]

Like all companies back in the west are/were such amiable employers!

Saudi cultural issues and business practises. (You chose to come to KSA!)
Cheap accommodation in disrepair. (that's what the reporting procedures are for.)
You could be working in the academy on split shift, or sent round the Kingdom. (They're a projects company.)
Don't like certain admin people. (Maybe it's mutual.)
Some people arrive and the driver isn't there. (You did bring numbers with you?)
They don't hand you a contract. (Did you request one politely and firmly?)
They're losing projects. (To the masses of other companies that have appeared, of which many reports of dire accommodation and lack of salary payments abound)
They fine you if you don't return on time from holiday. (SRSLY?)
They don't pay women housing allowance. (Erm, can women even sign tenancy in Saudi?)
Restaurants closed during Ramadan (This is AETG's fault?)
Living in KSA means losing your human rights. (AETG's fault again?)
Suggestions Iqama pathway worse than Temp Work Visa pathway? (ORLY? )
Got to be desperate to work for them? (It's a job. Turn up and teach, go home. Earn salary.)
New accommodation in the middle of nowhere? (The city is over 20kms across. Where do you want to be? Batha for the bustle and smells? I certainly wouldn't want to traverse Olaya during rush hour every day.)


Might it better to think glass half full?

You're employed. Looks good on your resume.
They pay on time. (Well, the odd day or two over isn't anything to speak of.)
You're not overworked.
There's a chain of command that is reasonably approachable.
You can get housing allowance if you ask nicely. Otherwise be guided to their accommodation and sit on the shiny bus to work and back.
Decent holiday allowance.
No problematic business visas.
You're employed!

[Rena58]

You are obviously part of the management or have been paid to write it. In all my years I didn't see anyone writing so eloquently in English (not even one member of the staff, let alone Saudis).

You only look at one side of the coin and say real porky pies about more than one thing... approachable management, no problematic business visas

We know better. We went there with no preconceived ideas and tried our best. The few that didn't cheat, lie, and put an honest hard's day job were treated like idiots. We saw some of our married with small children colleagues separated from their families due to visa, accommodation problems, other shown a plane ticket in less than 24 hrs due to papers mishaps. Your central admin couldn't careless about anyone. Saudi HR Manager & 2 assistants left after a year, the whole dpt. fell apart.

You might remember the first American did a runner not even after a week we were there? You acted like you owned people or had the divine power of God over people's lives. Sad..........

[Beaker]