Job Discussion Forums

[veiledsentiments]

Hi guys, apologies accepted. Vance in veils is definitely an amusing fantasy. (sorry Vance, if you are out there - nothing personal) You are right Holbrook that I likely do have wayyy too much free time. But, I can't stand watching television.

Through the years I have helped many get jobs around the gulf. Most have been happy - ok, not ecstatic - but I have always tried to give pros and cons. What I have told current applicants to MLI is that it 'used to be' one of the better places, but --- right now things are pretty messy. Fortunately these are men with both Middle East and military experience, so they know the gambles and hassles.

In the last near 20 years that I have been involved in the Gulf, I have noted a definite downturn in the working situation all around there. I was lucky to go there when I did. I taught at both SQU and HCT when they were still relatively new and small. I have many theories, such as the huge increase in number of students to be educated. The expansion in class sizes alone has been awful - from 10 to 15 back then to sometimes classes of 30 in some places.

Come back early just to sign the contracts?? Military bureacracy at its best ---- Are any of the quirks that AMIDEAST may have had starting to look better??

Sad really how good jobs go bad. Do keep the board informed on the latest. It does seem that the major problems are for those of you that are already there, not the newbies. They will just have to deal with disgruntled workmates. (do try to be gentle with them )

VS

[grand fromage]

Guys and Gals, some of these postings are starting to get outright silly, and often laced with so much subjectivity and outdated info, that it is a disservice to people who really rely on us for info. If you have old unresolved issues, there is a place to get them off your chest on this forum once for all (post it in the Job Information Journal, where it stays forever). However, rekindling old and often inaccurate (face it, MLI has moved on since you did!) info. only confuses the uninformed . Additionally, I agree with veiledsentiments that mli_vet is going too far. Get over it-and read your contract so u don't blame others when u get paid 25% of your unused vacation days next time-it's only the worst kept secret at MLI. BTW, if people insist on playing the "guess your identity" game, than people like me will clam up. You must relize that blowing our cover might have consequences for us at MLI! I know this isn't "The Weakest Link", but if it were I have a couple of candidates for "You're the wekaest link; good bye!" Ok, start calling me Martin, Zafar, Lt. Khalid, or maybe I'm the Commander himself.

[mli_vet]

Big Cheese, you're very wise. I've had my say and am outta here. Won't try to look under any more veils (sorry, again VS ) or pontificate on the new MLI contract since all I've got now is just a copy of the old one. Some things just don't seem to get outdated though. Gougery is gougery, plain and simple. Even reducing the amount of gougery, changing the form, it's still gougery! Of course I read my contract, just like you did! You've gotta admit though that it's hard at the beginning to fathom just how it might be interpreted/applied. Now if somebody would go ahead and post a copy of the actual contract, at least the sticking points, that would really put all the cards on the table . . . any takers?

All right, nothing more negative. I know you guys need those new hires to arrive early on this summer so y'all can take your vacations. So get on over there all you new recruits in the pipeline. Pack your bags for an ELT experience you'll never forget, within the sociocultural contexts of the UAE Armed Forces. Begin your tour of duty right away so the veterans can take their well-deserved leaves of absence Get a move on, with MLI ! ! ! Forward, march ! ! ! Yameen . . . yameen . . . yameen . . .

Cheers, MLI Chums . Hang in there! The reinforcements are on their way!

MLI Vet
Over and Out (for good this time . . . I think)
[email protected]

[grand fromage]

I feel sorry for you MLI-VET. I hope my stay here won't leave the same scars. Any way, here's a reply to a message someone sent me asking for info. I think it might be useful to others too.

No problem ******; glad to be of help. Regarding apartments/living conditions, everything is up in the air as all new teachers should get 70000 AED for housing. While this sounds like a lot, it's not enough for anything too big in Abu Dhabi. However, if you're willing to live a bit away from downtown, you might even be able to rent a small villa. Since no one has used the option of getting their own housing before, how it will be implemented is unclear. It is also a potential nightmare situation depending on how they house you while you're looking for your place. Normally, other institutions house their new employees in hotels for a week or two while the apartment situation's being sorted out. On the bright side, you will get to choose your own housing, contrary to all of us who were brought to filthy, often roach-infested, but furnished (with hand-me-downs from the previous teacher) apartments. Someone made a posting about this,and it brought back bad memeories You will also get a voucher for 30000AED (not cash as most other places) to spend on furniture, but this sounds like another nightmare in the making as nothing in the army that requires paperwork runs smoothly. The first month is always frustrating as you are in limbo till you get your residence visa. If you have a spouse waiting to join you, expect it to take at least 2 months, despite what Martin will tell you! Till you get the visa, you can't do much (get driver's license, buy a car, open a bank account, get loans, etc.). After you get to MLI, you will not be paid till you pass your medical test which takes about a week. You will also get an orientation session that is really useless unless you know nothing about computers. Work normally starts within a month. You will be teamed with 2 other teachers (try to look for compatible partners asap) and probably be given 2 groups (one enlisted and one officers) to teach. The work hours are between 7-2 (7:30-2:30 in the winter months), and there is a night shift, but it's hard to get on that one if you're new. The curriculum is really lame, but a no-brainer and unless you get involved in other things on your own, you will start going brain dead slowly Fortunately, you have a lot of free time on your hands, and a pc on your desk that has fast internet connected to it. How you spend your time is usually up to you, and as long as you don't mess up your teaching, you will be left alone. Well, hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions. Good luck.

[tefllifer]

Thanks Big Cheese for some sage comments!
Seems like it's only the discontents who post here - when you realise there are maybe 70 teachers or so in the MLI system, it's obvious that the majority can live with the MLI or rationalise what is going on.
My 'name' is tefllifer - maybe it should be middleeastlifer - this stuff about round trip air tickets is just plain/plane crazy - everywhere (and I mean, everywhere in the ME - tefllifer has been around the block in lotsa ME countries) you get a ticket on entry, a ticket on exit and roundtrips for the middle years.
In the UAE it is standard practice (maybe even law) for people to sponsor their own families. Sometimes family can be a hinderance at the beginning of a contract. This is all explained in interview - and if you are so naive as to believe the timeframe given without question - well, this really says something about YOU.
As for paperwork, well that's a fact of the Middle East. Letters are needed for the tel company, elect. company, a driving license, etc., that's the system, wherever you work.
At other places, you arrive, are put in a hotel for a week, assigned an unfurnished appt., given money to go and furnish it - is that better - when you don't know the city, shops, have a family to worry about and can't find again the appt you have been assigned?
I'm hearing that the MLI contract has improved in a lot of ways - salary (not brilliant, but better), flexibility with housing - so please ignore comments about wives being propositioned - BTW, you need to remember in the UAE that it depends WHo you are, and WHAT you are, and how YOU behave as to whether or not you pass in a crowd - increased school fees (but still totally inadequate in Abu Dhabi).
There was no stampede at the infamous meeting, so it looks like most people are going to try and work around it - people have till end Dec to use up hols and sign the new contract. Yes, 25% is paid for days not used - yes it is pathetic, but it is in the contract - so be it. Guess you can't have your cake and eat it - so what's new about that?
The 10% deduction is history. Good news about an end of service grauitity, but if it's only paid on completion of a 2 year contract - then bad news for some. But again, if you know about it, you can work around it. Rumour has it all places in the UAE are going to change to 2 weeks per year.
Flexibility with leave which MLI offers is great - you can take leave when you want - more or less and the odd couple of days whenever - but, as I understand it, sick leave is tricky to get and there are procedures, but this IS the mili and the mili everywhere has its own way of doing things.
As for the students - well, are UAE male students in other places comparitively wonderful? At least at the mli there is some way of enforcing discipline and reporting students, etc. - other places do not have that facility.
Go on, guys, focus your hatred on the PD Coordinator, all I can say is 'the devil you know...' There are folk who get on with him - a lot of his bad press is heresay and hype - or maybe YOU just can't stand any criticism and are let skin color blind YOUR objectivity?
What about the real new guy who has the top post? Good guy or bad guy? Effective or Useless? On YOUR side or his own? Do you respect HIM? How do you think he views YOU?
Where is this ideal world where the complainers worked before? How come they are EFL teachers who can't read a contract and ask pertinent questions? How come MLI employes are so naive? What are their values - morally, ethically and professionally?
If I were a prospective employe with MLI, the thing that would worry me would be my colleagues from reading this board - what kind of negative, incompetents and ignoramouses they were - not the administration or contract.
Everyone has their own agenda and their own reasons for wanting a Middle East contract - don't make things worse for your ex-colleagues who are locked into mli for whatever reason by scaring off potentially decent colleagues!

[grand fromage]

well-said Tefllifer! I'll only disagree with you on the tpic of PD Coordiator. I resent any one judging him based on his background, and I am aware it was done on this forum in the past. Nevertheless, as a coordinator, he is a total joke. He observes you once a year