Job Discussion Forums

[AMINK]

Within a few days I will have an interview with TQ to teach English for one of there centres in Saudi.
I just wanted to get further information about TQ and see what current or ex-staff think about the company.


Thanks

[auhruh]

Very good indeed. The work's tough- vocational learners at sub-A1 level, but the employer is Pearson, so the experience will have some currency on the CV.

You'll get paid on time, have proper health insurance, have the backing of an excellent expat HR and management team & have access to decent resources.

Highly recommended.

[honorarycheesehead]

AMINK,

I was working at TQ's project in Buraydah between February and this month. The company and I both decided I would do better elsewhere, and so I have been looking for a new job. For what it's worth, I can offer my advice.

The standard complaints you'll read from any user of this forum about Gulf students aside - they cheat, they lie, they're lazy, they often don't show up, they refuse to surrender their mobiles and then blame you for not teaching them even though they've spent most of the time glued to their screens - the most important thing for you to know is that even though you're working for TQ, an otherwise respectable company, TQ is itself a vendor for the Saudi company Colleges of Excellence.

What does that mean? It means that your working environment is susceptible to all manner of managerial nincompoopery you might expect form a less-than-reputable Saudi employer. I could go on and on about the troubles that company has had since opening in September, but I think everything can be summed up with just one story, concerning me in particular.

I was hired several months ago under criteria not so strict regarding teacher qualifications and experience. Apparently, CoE demanded (in the middle of the term) that teachers have at least a level of experience that exceeded mine (and that of other teachers). I was not told this until I had been flown back to my home country where I was awaiting an employment visa after having been teaching in the Kingdom on a business visa. The result was that instead of continuing with TQ, I was sacked from from thousands of kilometers away.

I was told that a negotiation with CoE over teacher experience had been concluded just after I left. They decently paid for a return flight so I could collect my belongings, but I made it clear that I was upset TQ hadn't seen fit to tell me that their client was putting my job in jeopardy.

This was only the latest in a series of frustrating mishaps that have marred the operation of the college since its opening. I can detail those in further postings if you wish.

[AJ88]

honorarycheesehead,

First of all I think it's appalling the way you was treated by TQ And the COE.

I think I and many others would like to know more details about the unpleasant happenings at these colleges.