Job Discussion Forums

[Euster]

Hello,

I was wondering if anyone has any up-to-date information about ICEAT, specifically relating to working for King Saud University in Riyadh.

I've found some threads on here re ICEAT from a few years ago but was hoping for some more recent opinion.s

Many thanks!

[Keyboard Kommando]

From what I gather, not much has changed...........

[Mysterious]

What would you like to know?

My husband works with ICEAT at King Saudi Uni. He feels blessed to have the position considering how some job positions end up turning out here. We love it here and can't really complain about ICEAT, to be honest. He will be continuing with their contract for as long as they will have one. I think they had a 5 year contract with the university and they are over 2 and a half years into it at the moment.

I hear the teachers who joined this year a few have already got their iqamas very quickly. Whereas when my husband joined, he had to wait 9 months. This for us, was the only downfall, but once we joined my husband it was well worth it. The pay has been on time every month (give or take a few days.. sometimes earlier, sometimes after by a day or so only). I call this "on time" because you actually hear of companies where people don't get paid two or three months in a row... ! Eek!

[Mysterious]

Obviously you will get those who do moan about ICEAT and can't stand it and have left, so it varies for people. But for us, we are happy at the moment.

[Euster]

Thanks for that reply. It's nice to actually get some info from someone who's there now. What does your husband say the students are like? Is there much motivation there? Also, I understand that the courses are very prescriptive - are the lessons provided engaging and interesting for the students?

Many thanks!

[Mysterious]

I do want to be honest though.. my husband enjoys teaching, as well as being in Saudi for the religious reasons. So he's not one of those people who have chosen to move here for the money, and sadly if that is someone's main reasonings for moving then those sort of people tend to have more to complain about, which is understandable. ICEAT is in NO WAY perfect, by the way. But hubby has a wife and kids, so it's something nice to come home to after work!

He doesn't actually need to interact with ICEAT too often, to be honest. At first, yes, but he only finds himself needing the ICEAT team when he's sick and needs to call in to say he's not going to come in, or if he has to get the iqamas renwed.. things like that.

The actual students are mostly AWFUL! The first year he had okay students. The second year they were completely mad... talking away while the teacher talks, stand around in crowd.. not motivated at all, even though my husband believes in delivering a good lesson, in order to fulfil his job properly. He takes that all really seriously, so it was disheartening to find students who simply didn't care.

Now he has some sciency students, which are far better. He hasn't come home complaining about any students this year. Last year it was almost every day he was complaining about them. So it does depend which department you're teachign and what level they're at as well. And you never really know what you're going to get until they place you. But this it the case with most schools and universities. Discipline and motivation are an issue everywhere. So good teachers who enjoy teaching will always be frustrated by this.

I don't know much about hte course, but I know my husband makes his own lessons, and he tends to focus quite a bit on games these days, because students really love them. They make a noise, 'cause they seem to like competitions, but at least they're working in some form.. ! There was one student who used to walk into the classroom and the first thing he would say every day, before sitting down, was "teacher, game". lol. Just 'cause that's what worked for that particular student.

You get given two classes. He has found that if it's the AM shift, then the first class are always tired, and if it's the PM shift then the second class are always eager to leave and don't care about learning. But regardless of that, every class has their one, two, or three serious students who do want to learn. That's not a lot, unfortunately.

[rollingk]

[veiledsentiments]

It is refreshing to have posters who are able to see that not everyone's motivation for teaching in Saudi is the same... and that can have a major effect on one's experience.

Respecting these differences shouldn't be all that difficult.

VS