Job Discussion Forums

[Iesa]

Be careful if you are communicating with someone with an email address with mines.edu (edit). Mines.edu is a company from colorado, USA. This individual passes himself off as being in Saudi Arabia representing a school.

(MOD: do not give out names on a public board)

[scot47]

I think we should know more !

[ntropy]

I believe (not 100% certain) that you are probably talking about the Petroleum Institute which is operated by a Colorado university and has just such a moniker in their url/email listings.

[MAstudent]

[Bindair Dundat]

[Bindair Dundat]

Here's their job announcement. The first paragraph tells you pretty much all you need to know:

http://www.eslcafe.com/joblist/index.cgi?read=11291

[jonks]

[Iesa]

Better to be completely safe, risk losing the job if necessary, than to find out otherwise.

[Pikgitina]

The original poster still hasn't been quite clear about exactly what we should be careful about. OP, with all due respect, if you have something to share, please do spit it out. I assume your motive is to help out other posters and readers on this forum, so in that case we need more than just cryptic hints about possible situations.

I met the person with that "@mines e-mail address" (why was his name given in a public domain such as this??? = seriously uncool) in Riyadh about two years ago and he didn't strike me as being CIA-like at all. I was actually quite impressed with his approach and professionalism. Interlink in Saudi also comes across as one of very few institutions in the entire Arabian Peninsula area that is serious about what they want and really trying to match the teaching philosophy of the institution to the teaching philosophies of those who might end up working there. I can see why people get irritated or perhaps even offended by this, but what's wrong with a serious ESL gig once in a while? Isn't the lack of the aforementioned what some posters on this forum moan about?

Also, I don't work there (but I was offered a position), so I can't comment on the housing issues and the like.

[jonks]

I had exactly the same impression of the recruiting staff from Al Yamamah and Interlink, Pikgitina.

[Desert Storm]

[Queen of Sheba]

This is just strange and the accusations are false. Do a little research online about Al Yamamah and you will find Interlink is a US-based ESL institute with a branch in Colorado at the University of Mines hence the email of mines.edu. They have partnered with Al Yamamah university in Saudi Arabia and some of their heads travel between the two countries. Trade agreements and partnerships happen all the time. So do international flights so I fail to see the need to "beware" of anything short of air plane food.

An odd lot can be attracted to KSA. People don't come here for the sunny beaches or nightlife. For reasons beyond that of the standard expatriate tax free lifestyle such as the ease of attaining employment because of associated regional scares, the benefits offered to people with large families with free housing and air tickets for the entire family, not to mention the preferential treatment sometimes given to race or religion. In addition, they may not have these possibilities in their own country for various reasons. It's wise to be very careful when hiring internationally on any account and many experienced employees and employers would agree with KSA in particular, and if that means an intensive interview process, which I know Interlink has compared to others in KSA, whats wrong with that? Perhaps that's what employers have found it takes to get quality teachers, so where is the scientology or CIA in taking precautions aimed at avoiding the scam artists of ESL.

[Sheikh Inal Ovar]