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BreadHead
Joined: 06 Jul 2017 Posts: 5 Location: North America
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Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2018 2:03 am Post subject: UAEU and ZU Foundation Programs |
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What's the latest word on these? I hear the ZU program is almost done but UAEU's future is less clear. Looking for a job in the region and UAE is my top choice, Qatar second (?), KSA (???). |
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PC Parrot
Joined: 11 Dec 2009 Posts: 459 Location: Moral Police Station
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Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2018 5:51 am Post subject: |
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Funny that you should ask. UAEU is in the process of haemorrhaging staff both from faculty and from UFP.
UAEU has just introduced finger print clocking-in, upped the contact hours by 25 to 50%, and extended the academic year by 8 weeks, all for no extra pay with ever-eroding benefits - especially school fees.
Rumour has it that when contract renewal takes place in UFP, an intermediary body will take over, forcing staff to take a pay cut of around 20%. New hires, if any are recruited at all, will be on significantly less than current staff.
At the meeting last February, when the changes were announced, the Vice Chancellor declared somewhat bizarrely that the world was queuing up to work at his institution. The exodus that is taking place would suggest his current staff don’t share his high opinion of the place.
The wheels have long been coming off the gravy train, and the slowest train crash in history has finally played itself out.
Having said that, EFL teachers in the UAE were always over-paid. At UAEU, they get the same, if not more than some PhD holders in faculty. 20 years ago, they benefited from being the only western expats at an institution. Not so now.
However, for most TEFLers around the world, the package will still be a good deal, even with the cuts: 5 weeks summer holiday, $4,250/4,500 + housing + health + flights.
For a single person, or childless teaching couple who are willing to put their shoulder to the grindstone to shore-up their financial position, there is still great opportunity for a few years of savings.
Not like in the past, but where else in the world are TEFLers going to save some meaningful cash? |
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Londonlover
Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 90 Location: London
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Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2018 1:14 pm Post subject: |
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Where in the world? China. some opportunities there to earn loads of money. |
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Londonlover
Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 90 Location: London
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Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2018 1:22 pm Post subject: |
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PC Parrot wrote: |
However, for most TEFLers around the world, the package will still be a good deal, even with the cuts: 5 weeks summer holiday, $4,250/4,500 + housing + health + flights.
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Yes, doubtless many people coming to research jobs in the Gulf for the first time and knowing no different, would consider what you describe here as a really good package. Gulf veterans who experienced the good old days in pay and conditions would likely consider this new package as pretty poor. It is all relative. |
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PC Parrot
Joined: 11 Dec 2009 Posts: 459 Location: Moral Police Station
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Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2018 1:58 pm Post subject: |
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I’m confused. Which part of my post suggested that the new deal would be deemed attractive by Gulf veterans?
I even talked of an exodus. |
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Londonlover
Joined: 09 Mar 2006 Posts: 90 Location: London
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Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2018 4:55 pm Post subject: |
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I am agreeing with the general points you make. For newbies coming to the Gulf this would still be a good deal - and they may not know that terms and conditions used to be so much better than this.
I wasn't implying your post suggested that Gulf veterans would find the latest deals attractive. My post was implying that they probably wouldn't. |
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PC Parrot
Joined: 11 Dec 2009 Posts: 459 Location: Moral Police Station
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Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2018 7:16 pm Post subject: |
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Returning to the OP, I hear that the fingerprint machines have temporarily disappeared for the WASC accreditation committee visit this October.
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BreadHead
Joined: 06 Jul 2017 Posts: 5 Location: North America
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Posted: Thu Oct 11, 2018 4:22 am Post subject: |
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PC and Londonlover thank you for your detailed response. I've always heard good things about UAEU. Sorry to hear the good times are coming to a close. The pay and benefits you mentioned sound good at first but considering the effort to move there and having to live in that extreme climate (meteorologically and politically), I don't know. Not sure it's worth my while. But then again I'm not sure how many choices I'll have in this ever-shrinking field. |
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dragonpiwo
Joined: 04 Mar 2013 Posts: 1650 Location: Berlin
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Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2018 2:59 am Post subject: hmm |
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The cost of living is very high now. |
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