Job Discussion Forums

[c_dange]

I had in fact suggested that the negative aspects of living in KSA have been overly exaggerated on this board. I'm not really interested in defending PNU or my experience there because I don't directly work for them. Much more crucial to the experience is the reliability of your employer...I've found SBC to be very good and come through on their promises, although sometimes within a timeline that some Westerners find irritating. So patience is a virtue!

There have been frustrating moments during my time at PNU, but I think you'll find that at any job. It helps if you're adaptable and don't work faster or harder than Saudi work ethic dictates. Some sample problems you might encounter:

Scenario #1 - you're asked to fill out paper work and are given 5 days to complete this task. On day 4 the administration decides that they want you to fill it out differently than originally indicated. Some teachers are up in arms at the fact that they are being asked to do this work twice.
Solution: Don't start the task until the 5th day when it's finally been determined how they want you to complete the work. This is only a 20 min task anyways, and the admins have now extended the deadline by 2 more days due to complaints.

Scenario #2 - You're being asked to tally the year's attendance for all of the students in your class. But you've only been teaching for half the year, and when you request the previous attendance records for your class you find out that the administration has lost most of them.
Solution: Use your head! This is Saudi...where 'Absent' in fact means 'Present'. Assume that even your most delinquent students had perfect attendance for the months that you weren't teaching them. The admin will eventually ask you to do this anyways, since all of the students will be automatically passed by the dean at the end of the year.

Scenario #3 - You're expected to report to work for the last three weeks of school, but you are given absolutely NOTHING to do. Nada...not one task!
Solution: Read a book, take a nap in your office, go shopping at the mall across the street, get a pedicure, make a dentist's appointment, go to the bank (that one will actually take you all day long), or grab a taxi and head home early.

Are these really pressing problems that need to be solved? Maybe...but not by you, the 'imported' teacher. Just be inventive with finding ways to keep your head above the fray, and don't let these minor things get to you. It may seem backwards and even ridiculous at times...but that's Saudi. Love it or leave it.

The good thing about working for a contractor (as opposed to direct hire by the university) is that if you don't like the school you can always request a transfer. SBC has contracts with various universities as well as a private language institute where I hear that the students are much more motivated because...uhh...they're paying for their education. PNU is a Saudi outfit with Saudi problems that reflect the general attitudes of the culture there... the admins that you interact with as a teacher may be non-Saudi 'Westerners' and native Eng. speakers, but the higher ups are Saudi and they run the institution accordingly.

As for the Auckland team, they were contracted by PNU in January of this year to determine the curriculum. They basically provide lesson plans and tests for the teachers and take care of academic administration. I like their interactive style of teaching ESL... but they've encountered the same problem that we all have working in KSA, which is often one of cultural misunderstanding and miscommunication.

[johnslat]

Dear c_dange,

"Just be inventive with finding ways to keep your head above the fray, and don't let these minor things get to you. It may seem backwards and even ridiculous at times...but that's Saudi. Love it or leave it."

I like it - get to know how the "system" works, and then, work the system.

Good advice, I'd say. Just a minor quibble:

" . . . go shopping at the mall across the street, get a pedicure, make a dentist's appointment, go to the bank (that one will actually take you all day long), or grab a taxi and head home early. "

Make sure before doing any of the above that your not being available on the premises isn't going to cause any problems. In some workplaces, it could.

Regards,
John

[c_dange]

Good advice, John! Just pointing out that inattentiveness on the part of your employer can sometimes be a good thing ...way too tempting not to try it once or twice on a really slow day.

[bharrell]

"The worst part of the whole waiting period was reading about the horrors of living/working in KSA here on Dave's ESL...much of which was exaggerated and misinformed. "
Gee, what a surprise. Dave's boards are infamous for this. It is too bad because as a source of information, Dave's has become essentially worthless. You never know if the problem was caused by the school or because the teacher was an interminable pain in the backside. I take what I read here with a grain of salt.

[veiledsentiments]

[nomad soul]

[johnslat]

It seems to me that if someone is unable to figure out that one person's experiences (for good or for bad) in Saudi are just that - ONE person's experiences - and instead thinks that those experiences MUST be a valid description of what life/work in the Kingdom is for every EFL teacher there, than that someone is badly in need of a critical reading course.

Then, to make it even MORE laughable, when that someone posts as though his/her different experiences MUST be valid for everyone else, well, it's clear that someone needs a critical writing course, too.

Jeesh - whatever happened to common sense?

Regards,
John

[nomad soul]

[c_dange]

Yes, that was one of the promises from the administration for the new academic year. Since getting back to KSA, I've been holding onto my passport and I'm actually quite eager to trade it in for my iqama...which is a much more valuable document here. If I need to prove my national identity, a photocopy of my passport suffices. Of course, even with my passport in hand I'd need an exit visa to leave the country. The two are usually delivered to the teacher at the same time within a couple days of requesting them. The problem with leaving the country on a business visa is that if the care has not been taken to renew it every 3 months, you'll have a hard time getting back into the country when you return.

[nomad soul]

[johnslat]

Dear nomad soul,

"Although they won't admit it, their intent is to control the teachers' whereabouts---their ability to leave. "

But since an iqama-holder who has his/her passport can't leave without an exit visa (which only the employer can acquire,) how would having your passport (with no exit visa in it) allow you to leave?

Regards,
John

[c_dange]

[quote] Anyway, my comments were in reference to business visit visa holders [/quote]

Hmmm...sucks to be them

[nomad soul]

[gelynch52ph]

[veiledsentiments]