Job Discussion Forums

[ickle_moose]

Hello again all,

Everything's going really slowly on the visa front due to Ramadan and I'm trying to remain calm about it. *enjoys a cocktail while she still can*

I'm supposedly going to start teaching at a Uni over there come the start of September, and even more hilariously am supposed to get there a week early, end of August. What with all the delays, this seems to be a teeny tiny bit optimistic :-/

So is it totally normal to arrive weeks after classes start? I assume if that is the case, then you're just dumped head-first into classes? How likely is it that I'll be told I'm supposed to make up X-amount of weeks worth of class?

Any replies appreciated.

[Grendal]

You will be given a syllabus and probably asked to try and catch up to page so and so by an unset amount of time.

Grendal

[lcanupp1964]

Yes.

P.S. Read past postings. If one spends about one hour reading, they will find a lot of good information all over this forum. Maybe afterwards teachers will not keep asking the same questions over and over again.

[ickle_moose]

Thanks for the reassurances.

I have been reading these boards, but didn't find the exact answer to my questions. Possibly I was just looking for some personal interaction instead of merely relying on another poster's experiences. I was hesitant to ask any questions, because the thing I have seen happen most often here is the established posters telling the new posters to 'go read past posts and stop bothering us.' Not that that's what you said, but that was the gist, no?

This is very off-putting to new people, as perhaps you may remember from when you were new. Most of us are just looking for someone to tell us that we are normal for being worried over a convoluted, expensive and frustrating process. I have been the 'oldie' on other internet forums in the past so I understand your frustration if it seems to you that new people are wasting everyone's time. I would just like to remind you that new people are mainly just nervous.

Anyway, as I said, thanks for the reassurances. Hopefully the slice of curriculum I am expected to catch up will not be too monumental. When I worked in China they had other teachers sub for late arrivals, and I wonder if the same is done in KSA. I won't ask you about that though until I've put in my dedicated hour of reading time

[lcanupp1964]

Nope, that was not my intent. I was trying to be lighthearted and give very general advice. That why I used the smiley face.

You can PM me anytime if you need any help.

A very thick skin is best if coming to work/live in KSA.
There's that darn smiley face again.

[ickle_moose]

Then thank you

I just got told to 'do a search' by another member, after I had spent a couple days waiting for the site search engine to work. Sigh.

I will pack my extra skin!

[veiledsentiments]

While I agree that we should be patient with newbies, all too often we have people post a question that is three threads down on the page they just posted on... and often 3 or 4 times on each page.

Thus, we regulars sometimes lose our patience. Especially with the most common questions.

You would also be surprised at how many people had never even considered a search. One of the keys to getting the darn search engine here to work better is to use the second option "search for all terms." It is a temperamental system, but you can even use google... and often get threads from here.

Another piece of advice that I give to newbies is to spend a few days just reading and reading. Subject lines that look boring often take off in interesting directions. There is a lot to be learned here if one takes the time.

VS

[Gulezar]

The first weeks of a semester are always rocky. I've come in late for two positions due to visa problems. The staff on hand is usually asked to pick up the slack. I've been on the other side, too, waiting for visas to clear for incoming staff. Everyone picks up the TBA classes for a couple of weeks, but the students are also drifting in and jockeying their schedules ... add/drop and so on.

[fledex]

[KME0050]

Two years ago, I was supposed to arrive at my university the 1st of September but, due to visa issues, didn't arrive until the 18th. Although I was anxious about the weeks I missed, upon my arrival learned that I had missed NOTHING. No real instruction had even begun. We are about to start the third week of class and drops and adds were still occurring. No one had taken over my classes and my students were told to just stand by. I learned that teachers use the first few weeks of class for review because they don't want to introduce any new material until there are no new students adding the class.

I suspect you will be absolutely fine and likely have nothing to worry about . . .

[now in ksa]

[shebab]

I'm supposed to start in Saudi on the 31st...hahaha...right! I have given everything to a visa agent and am giving myself a two week vacation in the Pacific Northwest...I will worry about the job when I return on the 28th! That is the only way to do it!

[scot47]

It is normal to arrive late. Be aware that if you arrive late, your academic yhear may not be counted in full when working out your end-of-contract benefits.

[teechagimme]

This is good to hear because evidently, the woman at the U.S. consulate rejects everything at least two or three times. Don't send her any documents that are wrinkled or have spills on them even if they are complete and accurate and even then she will reject them for reasons known only to herself.

Today, I was told that my visa application was rejected. because I was vaccinated for hepatitis and therefore tested positive for the antibodies. My doctor clearly wrote "vaccine" next to the place where he checked off + for hepatitis antibodies. The lady from Travel Documents express seems to think that my doctor will write a letter saying that I am negative for hepatitis antibodies. It won't say that, it will say that I have been vaccinated.

[nomad soul]