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| TESOL Arabia Conference ... are you going ... did you go ? |
| No |
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30% |
[ 4 ] |
| No chance! |
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30% |
[ 4 ] |
| Yes - for the intellectual stimulation |
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7% |
[ 1 ] |
| Yes - it's another hoop jumped through |
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7% |
[ 1 ] |
| Yes - to change my job |
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15% |
[ 2 ] |
| Yes - to catch up with old friends |
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7% |
[ 1 ] |
| Not sure / can't remember |
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0% |
[ 0 ] |
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| Total Votes : 13 |
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Sheikh Inal Ovar
Joined: 04 Dec 2005
Posts: 1208
Location: Melo Drama School
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 Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2006 11:01 am Post subject: TESOL Arabia Conference |
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As the atmosphere in Dubai fizzles with the electricity generated from the gathering of the great minds of EFL ...
.. what does TESOL Arabia mean to you ... |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2006 2:35 pm Post subject: |
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I always used it to visit with friends from previous jobs... and through the years I met a few people that I had tried to help out on this board.
It is a very good place to network about conditions at various places. Although I never used the job fair to find a job, it did help me to find at least one of my jobs.
Every once in awhile there is even an interesting presentation. 
I wish that I could go this year, but can't afford the flight...
VS |
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QatarChic
Joined: 06 May 2005
Posts: 445
Location: Qatar
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| Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2006 3:43 pm Post subject: |
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| I went last year- mainly for the job fair, but also found it to be a good way to network & find out about other places. I would have gone this year, if it weren't for other commitments. |
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lionbrian
Joined: 26 Apr 2003
Posts: 136
Location: Micronesia
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| Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2006 6:46 pm Post subject: A JOKE! A BUSINESS TRADE1 |
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TESOL Arabia???????
A million Australian Dollard question!
If your main purpose is to find a job, don't bother! That is, if you are a qualified teacher, you will get phone interviews instead of paying that massive price (770 UAE/AE) just to attend the conference and job fair.
Take a look at the job fair 2006 and think!:
http://tesolarabiaconference.org/events/jobfairall.asp
Most of the employers are from Saudi Arabia who can't really hire native speakers and their institutions stink of NON-NATIVES!
What else!
Presentations? Networking? B.S??? Read the abstracts and get back to me! Networking! Dude! You will meet a bunch of DRUNKEN FOPS who will tell you about how much money they are making in the Gulf, BUT in the reality, they have no lives!
Where are the good jobs in the UAE? Decent ones in Kuwait?
All in all, TESOL Arabia is geared towards business & profits only! Professional?????????????? What??????????? Read the abstracts from the presentations and give it a second thought!
This is only my opinion and don't blame me!
Good luck! |
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Bindair Dundat
Joined: 04 Feb 2003
Posts: 1123
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| Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2006 4:39 am Post subject: Re: A JOKE! A BUSINESS TRADE1 |
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| lionbrian wrote: |
| All in all, TESOL Arabia is geared towards business & profits only! Professional?????????????? What??????????? |
Hey, come on now, let's be fair. I got a couple of really cute ten-cent plastic pens when I registered two years ago, and THEY STILL WORK!! One has like a palm tree on it or something. |
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Sheikh Inal Ovar
Joined: 04 Dec 2005
Posts: 1208
Location: Melo Drama School
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| Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2006 5:47 am Post subject: |
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Who's accusing it of being professional ...
... though I think we're being a bit harsh ... BD got his pens and then there's the tea trolley man ... when I last went, he played his role pretty well ... even if he was charging an arm and a leg for a tea-bag on a piece of string ... |
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lionbrian
Joined: 26 Apr 2003
Posts: 136
Location: Micronesia
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| Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2006 7:18 am Post subject: |
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TESOL ISLAMIA is trying to compete TESOL Arabia! Who knows? one year from now, you will see another or "tens" of them popping up like corn!
TESOL Arabia is run by those who have key jobs and the best benefits in the Gulf (Zayed Uni, HCT, UAEU). They are smart though! They run it and charge a bundle for other TEFLers just to keep it alive and keep their jobs in the meanwhile!
It used to be good! Now, they are talking only money! 777 UAE just to be present! They should pay people to go there and listen to their crap! Jobs? What? If you are looking for a job, and shortlisted, you can always go to your target institution!
CIAO RAGAZZO! |
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lionbrian
Joined: 26 Apr 2003
Posts: 136
Location: Micronesia
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| Posted: Thu Mar 30, 2006 8:14 am Post subject: OOOPPPPPSSSSSS! |
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Sorry forgot!
Qatar TESOL: Only 50 Qatar Riyals for new members! A very fair price compared to TESOL Arabia!
http://www.qatartesol.org/ |
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Sheikh Inal Ovar
Joined: 04 Dec 2005
Posts: 1208
Location: Melo Drama School
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| Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2006 8:27 am Post subject: |
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| Is no one going to stand up for the 'good' name of TESOL Arabia ... |
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Bindair Dundat
Joined: 04 Feb 2003
Posts: 1123
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| Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2006 10:10 am Post subject: |
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| Sheikh Inal Ovar wrote: |
| Is no one going to stand up for the 'good' name of TESOL Arabia ... |
Sure! The hotel is less than a 10-Dhs ride from the airport. And it has a shuttlle bus to the City Centre mall.
What more could you want from a professional organization? |
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lionbrian
Joined: 26 Apr 2003
Posts: 136
Location: Micronesia
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| Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2006 12:14 pm Post subject: |
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Oh jeez!
I forgot to mention that they have a list of hotels to recommend to the participants: 5, 4, & 3 stars! What a waste!
Basically instead of going to TESOL Arabia Conference, you'd better off make a hole in your pocket instead of paying that huge amount of money for their membership! I recommend to fly to Pattaya and enjoy your money instead of listening to their BS! For what???? In return, you will FOR SURE, get 10 different interviews with SAUDI INSTITUTIONS! HA HA HA HA ! Cross your fingers! |
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Sheikh Inal Ovar
Joined: 04 Dec 2005
Posts: 1208
Location: Melo Drama School
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| Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2006 3:24 pm Post subject: |
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On behalf of a dear, dear colleague of mine - who's not registered with Dave's - I've been asked to post this:
"Would you boys please stop messing around ... in a sometimes barren environment, TESOL Arabia is a great place for teachers to find the inspiration and motivation so necessary for them to continue with their great work ... I attended a wonderful presentation at the conference on how to tie my shoes up ... it's a shame that none of my students actually wear shoes with laces, preferring sandals ... but that's not the point ... it lifted my professional self-esteem immeasurably ... hats off to the whole team ..."
Victoria Mature |
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Capricorny
Joined: 08 Mar 2006
Posts: 18
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| Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2006 6:24 am Post subject: Christmas in March |
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I attended and presented and for my 700 dhs I was overwhelmed by the generousity exhbited by the organisation :
Three free coffee and croissant vouchers
A tote bag with TESOL Arabia embroidered logo
A German brand travel alarm clock made in China
Four off brand triple A batteries
A free all-you-can keep down Deep Fry Buffet
A delegate badge and badge holder with presenter ribbon
Two extremely cool presenter's certificates--one landscape, one portrait
Brochures by the kilo
An opportunity to heckle Saudi recruiters (which I failed to take advantage of)
Last and least of all a chance to sit in on some other pseudo-scientific of no real value surveys we all passed off as papers and presentations but admittedly were CV padders |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2006 2:46 pm Post subject: Re: Christmas in March |
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| Capricorny wrote: |
| Last and least of all a chance to sit in on some other pseudo-scientific of no real value surveys we all passed off as papers and presentations but admittedly were CV padders |
Well if one is planning to stay in this game for a few more years and wants to get the better-paying jobs... especially if one wants ANY chance of ever getting a permanent ESL job with benefits back home, this is part of the dues one must pay. Even better is to get it published in one of the plethora of professional 'books' that have popped up that no one ever actually reads.
So it goes in academia... I was glad that I was only interested in teaching my classes - with no delusions of future greatness, so I didn't have to play that game. I could happily attend purely for the social factors. (though with the price rise that benefit may be getting too dear...)
VS |
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lionbrian
Joined: 26 Apr 2003
Posts: 136
Location: Micronesia
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| Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2006 5:23 pm Post subject: Enough is enough! |
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TESOL Arabia is a real scam for the price they charge! That's it & we all know!
The members are paying those entertaining weekends in Dubai to those who organize the event and pretend to be academics!
Academics???? ESL/EFL????? If it were a conference regarding REAL EDUCATION (SUBJECTS & RESEARCH), then I would pay the price just to get in because ain't BS! ESL/EFL man!!!!
We all learn the principles of teaching ESL/EFL at the very beginning of the career, then it becomes a routine! So what the hell paying 777 AE just to listen to someone who's talking about "common sense".
It's time to wake up and smell coffee! |
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