Job Discussion Forums

[Escape Artist]

I'm thinking of applying to HCT and was wondering if anyone out there could provide information on the following:

1) What is the health coverage like?

2) My husband and I plan to start a family over the next couple of years. Does HCT (or any school in the UAE for that matter) provide maternity leave? Is there any support if a female instructor decides to get pregnant?

3) How many hours a day/per week should a full-time instructor plan to spend at school?

4) Would you say that HCT values its instructors? Do instructors feel that they have job security?

5) What is the accommodation generally like for a married couple? Is it close to the school? Could you request a stipend in lieu of housing?

6) Does HCT help with moving expenses? I understand they offer a furniture allowance, but what if we wanted to ship our belongings from the States to the UAE? Would they cover this as if it were part of the furniture allowance?

7) How long do people generally spend at the HCT? Are people generally satisfied?

9) Is there an on-going teacher training program? How often does HCT offer the CELTA? (I am a certified CELTA trainer and would be interested in teaching and training.)

These are just a few of my questions. Any information would be appreciated.

[dogzB]

I'm thinking of applying to HCT and was wondering if anyone out there could provide information on the following:

1) What is the health coverage like?
From my experience here it is very good.

2) My husband and I plan to start a family over the next couple of years. Does HCT (or any school in the UAE for that matter) provide maternity leave? Is there any support if a female instructor decides to get pregnant? You should bring this up at interview and inform yourself of UAE work laws before you come. Go the HCT web site and research there, or contact the Central Services by e-mail.

3) How many hours a day/per week should a full-time instructor plan to spend at school?
Contractually I believe it is 9 hours/day, 5 days/week

4) Would you say that HCT values its instructors? Do instructors feel that they have job security? HCT colleges vary in their approach and culture. It depends where you get assigned.

5) What is the accommodation generally like for a married couple? Is it close to the school? Could you request a stipend in lieu of housing?
Again, it depends where you are. You should ask for photos of where you will be resident to be sent and perhaps ask for the names of some teachers who you can contact for references.

6) Does HCT help with moving expenses? I understand they offer a furniture allowance, but what if we wanted to ship our belongings from the States to the UAE? Would they cover this as if it were part of the furniture allowance?
As far as I know, no. Your furniture allowance and shipping allowance are fixed. I made the mistake of shipping stuff only to find that most of what I brought is already here and can be cheaper in some cases.

7) How long do people generally spend at the HCT? Are people generally satisfied?
Read the forum entries - it varies.

9) Is there an on-going teacher training program? How often does HCT offer the CELTA? (I am a certified CELTA trainer and would be interested in teaching and training.)
Depends on the college. Some offer CELTA for non-EFL staff.

[Tuttifruitti]

Hi Escape Artist,

Yes, health cover is good. You contribute some of the money towards your cover, and the HCT makes up the rest. Maternity and dental are not included in the cover.

Maternity leave is 60 days, and this is counted from the day the baby is born. I'm not sure what you mean by "support" for instructors who are pregnant, but the maternity leave is paid.

It's a five-day, Saturday to Wednesday week. Your contract is for a 40 hour week, and some colleges will add an hour for a lunch break, thus expecting you to put in a 9-hour day. Others will not - it depends on the individual college. If you get a job with the HCT though, you will find that you often tend to stay longer than the 8 or 9 hours expected, as there is always plenty of work to do!

How instructors feel about being valued, and job security depends on the college assigned. People have a variety of experiences - check other threads here.

Regarding accommodation, the HCT policy is to pay the landlord directly for your appartment/villa. The accommodation is generally of a good standard, but allowances and size depends on the emirate. People are generally happy with their housing.

The furniture allowance is separate from the shipping allowance. When you sign your contract, you will receive a shipping allowance of about $1300-$1400.

As mentioned by dogzb, satisfaction and length of stay depends on the individual and the college assigned. Staff in some colleges have been here since the HCT opened.

Professional development is actively encouraged in the HCT. The courses on offer depend on the college, and only a few are currently running the CELTA and the DELTA.

Good luck!

[veiledsentiments]

Just a couple of added comments since most of the questions have been answered.

Let me reinforce what was said above as far as shipping things in. I think it would be a huge waste of money to ship your things from the states. You get a large furniture allowance - and there is almost nothing that you can't buy in the Emirates and sell when you leave. Your American appliances will not work because the power is not 110 like the US. Things like TVs and DVD players will not work as they use different systems around the world. It is really putting yourself through needless and expensive aggravation on both ends of this move. Either store what you absolutely want to keep in the US and sell the rest. Yes, it is almost worthless as used furniture, but why pay big bucks to ship it.

The housing is normally very nice, and HCT handles all the landlord aggravation. I've never heard of anyone getting pictures of their housing beforehand. I know of a few people who got stipends, but never new teachers. Long time people who knew the language and system and such got stipends. I think it would be a huge mistake for a new expatriate. Also as I understand it, landlords require a huge up-front payment - often 100% of the rent plus deposit.

The flats are located all over the city... some will be near, some will be far. But, this is not a problem - only Dubai has a major traffic problem - most places are pretty small. Taxis are plentiful, and everyone buys a car anyway.

As to how long people stay, a large proportion renew their contracts and I know teachers who have been there for more than 14-15 years. I would guess that the average is 2 contracts - which would be 6 years now.

VS

[Escape Artist]

I appreciate those of you who have responded to my posting. Could I ask some follow-up questions?

1) When I spoke about "support" for a pregnancy, what I meant was if HCT is generally willing to work with women who are planning to have children or if this is viewed as an inconvenience. One of you suggested asking about maternity leave during my interview, but wouldn't that possibly be a strike against me?

2) Will HCT ask which school I would prefer to work at, and if so, which would you recommend? My husband and I think we would like to be in Dubai, but since we've never been to the UAE, we can't be sure of that.

3) How many actual teaching hours is typical for a contract? How many preps? At the community college where I'm currently employed, I teach 4 classes per term (12 hours per week), and I usually have a maximum of 2 preps.

4) Someone said that maternity and dental are not covered. Would I expect to pay quite handsomely for these services then, or are the costs pretty reasonable in comparison to the U.S.?

5) Which school runs the CELTA? I am a CELTA trainer, so I am looking to be a trainer, not be trained up myself.

6) How much vacation time is there? What happens during Ramadan?

7) Finally, my husband is Moroccan but holds U.S. citizenship. He has extensive experience in hotel management. What is the likelihood that he could find a good-paying job in the hotel industry? Would it be better for him to try to find something from here or wait until he gets there? Would I be able to sponsor him, and if I sponsor him, could he then be sponsored by the hotel once he finds a job?

Your responses are invaluable. Thanks so much. By the way, is there anyone who currently works at HCT (and enjoys his/her school and situation) who would be willing to correspond more with me on a one-to-one basis?

[veiledsentiments]

Hi Escapeartist,

Let me go through your list:

1. Personally I wouldn't mention that you are planning a pregnancy. What employer would want to hire the inconvenience if he could avoid it. I don't know anything about the insurance thing. All I know is that a few teachers had babies while I was there - 2 of them had major problems - and I felt that they were given outstanding support. Certainly 10 times what you would get from a US employer. (which is about nothing actually) I have never heard of dental coverage over there. Actually I have never had dental insurance in my life and that includes 15 years working in offices in the US.

2. You will have no input as to what branch you want. You are sent according to their needs, not yours. You may later be able to change colleges, but again as per their needs. So, any recommendations would be moot.

3. Contact hours when I was there ranged from 15-20 depending on what courses you got (they tried to arranged it so that you had 15 one semester and 20 the next). I had a minimum of 2 preps, but usually 4. Contact hours have been moving up over the years. Nowadays, you will find anywhere from 15-25 in the Gulf.

4. Medical services and medications (no prescriptions needed) are dirt cheap in comparison to the US. The larger cities have some very good doctors too. Medical care will likely be the least of your worries.

5. I have no idea if they even offer the CELTA. Check out the website.

6. Tons of vacation time. There are two months in the summer - 4-10 days each for the two Eids. A two week semester break. A few days off for the National Day in early December. A couple other Islamic holidays...

7. It would be very difficult for you to arrange getting jobs in the same city if you both apply - since you would have no choice of HCT branch you would get. He should be able to find a job, but it will have nowhere near the pay or benefits that you will get. Thus, you need to know if you have an offer and where - then he could start applying. You are aware that he would get almost none of the vacation days that you get. ??

There are few if any posters here who currently work at HCT. They are way too busy to play on this board. But, maybe someone will send you a Private Message.

Good Luck

VS

[Klem]

Dear Escape Artist,

You won't need to be an escape artist if you end up at Sharjah Colleges HCT.

The Director there will have you sacked for looking sideways at him or the students, or perhaps simply to amuse him.

Yes, no need to have any escape skills there as you're feet won't even touch the ground he is that helpful in getting rid of you.

[DiverNK]

Dear Escape Artist
I came with my spouse to Fujairah Women's college and have found it really difficult to get work....if your husband must work, perhaps Abu Dhabi or Dubai would be better.
DiverNK

[dogzB]

There are many hotels in Dubai - look in the classifieds at www.gulfnews.com or try www.bayt.com. Do a search on the net for recruitment agencies here or try going through the Dubai government web site. It's probably something like dubai.gov.ae - I'm not sure.

[Tuttifruitti]

Some more comments.

I would agree that there's no need to mention pregnancy. They won't ask you, so don't tell them. I knew one person who mentioned it because she was pregnant at the time of the interview, and the college she works in had no problem with that, but it could depend on the college.

As VS said, you will not have any input into the college. They often ask if you have a preference, but that does not indicate where you will be. If you are interested in teaching on the CELTA course though, you could make that a priority in your interview. As far as I know, they only do the CELTA in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, so you could limit your options that way. As DiverNK says, it would be easier for your husband to get a job in one of those cities.

The number of teaching hours (20 x 55 mins) and preps depends on the college too. At the moment, 20 teaching hours is the norm. I would also say you should expect a minimum of 2 preps, but again, depending on the college, supervisor and number of students, it can vary.

During Ramadan, work hours are reduced to 6 hours per day. Annual leave is 61 days. (January and summer) Eid holidays are extra, and there's a holy day every now and then.

Medical cover is good, especially as you are covered with health insurance. Maternity expenses will depend on whether you want to go to a private hospital or the government hospital.

I agree with other posters here. It's better for you to secure a job first, then your husband can start looking. The added advantage of being able to sponsor him (because you are a teacher - only certain jobs can do this) means that it might not be extremely urgent for him to be 'set up' with a job before he gets here. In addition, if he waits until he comes, he will be able to go to the hotels etc in person. And of course, there's always the added advantage of having him at home waiting for the furniture deliveries etc while you are at work in the first couple of weeks!! Don't underestimate that one!

[hlth3]

Seeing as many of these posts are from several years ago, does anyone know if the same director that was at Sharjah in 2004 is there now?

[helenl]

Yes, Dr F is still in control of both the Men's & Women's campuses. He (like H at Dubai Women's) are now "senior directors" or as some refer to them, "super duper" directors.

[ckhl]

Tutti Frutti said:


If you get a job with the HCT though, you will find that you often tend to stay longer than the 8 or 9 hours expected, as there is always plenty of work to do!


Again, that depends on you and the strategies you employ to beat the system. I managed to do very little beyond my contact hours, and I survived for twelve years. I realized that all of the extra blather is mostly for the supervisors' own self promotion for the next level of management above them. Moreover, it was redolent of a junior high school or secondary school mentality, which I did not at all anticipate when I started working there. How did I "get away" with it? My student evaluations were consistently positive and I more or less had garnered early on the reputation of a competent teacher. "Get away with" is the key phrase--the management often seems preoccupied with the fear that if they don't micromanage, their staff will be....getting away with something. I found sickening the paranoid posturing among staff to get noticed by management. "Look what I"m doing!! Look what I'm invovled in!! My contract renewal shouldn't thus be in doubt!!" The art of passive resistance will serve you well.

[Sheikh N Bake]

hear hear, chkl is right on and has captured the essence of teaching at HCT...certainly Dubai Women's where I worked for five years. They love Powerpoint presentations at staff meetings to "prove" they're performing every Best Practice that's ever been thought up in the world. I'll never forget some Arab staff lady (not faculty), and I don't even remember what office she headed, but her Powerpoint presentation showed so many bullet points of achievements that it was ludicrous and preposterous--as if she had converted entire textbooks in student-affairs management, or whatever the hell it was, into bullet points. If you bring a finely calibrated BS-ometer with you to HCT, chuck it. You'll need a roughly-built one with high tolerances that go off the scale of normal ones.

[ckhl]

...they are now "senior directors" or as some refer to them, "super duper" directors.

Risible.