Job Discussion Forums

[Tuttifruitti]

The rumour I heard is that we are getting Sunday AND Monday off this year because they are planning on making a bit of a thing of National day as we haven't had big celebrations for the last 2 years. Nothing announced yet though.

[Gordon]

What is it with you guys being in the dark when it comes to holidays? How is anyone supposed to plan anything, students and teachers? Is this an Islamic thing to keep you on your toes? In Japan here, I get a list of every holiday and day off 12 months in advance. I even know when the "surprise" fire drill is going to happen 6 months in advance?

[Afra]

Plan holidays . . . what a quaint idea!

[caliph]

You see here, everything depends on the phases of the moon, a quaint custom.

[NadiaK]

Well, except for the 2nd December, which always falls on...2nd December, moon or no moon.

[Gordon]

[veiledsentiments]

Gordon

It is a frustrating fact of life in most of the Gulf. The religious holidays are supposed to follow the sighting of the moon. But, it even spreads to other holidays - such as National Day.

The problem is that if the locals know when the holiday is - they invariably disappear many days before. The students disappear... the bureaucrats disappear... So, they just don't tell you when the days off will be. Few locals leave the country, thus they don't mind as much as we do or they merely drive to the next country to visit family. The rumors run wild for a month before, but you often don't know until the day before.

With religious holidays, like Ramadhan and the Eids, I used to call the TV station before I went to bed because it was the only way to know what time to be at work for the first day of Ramadhan, or not to go to work if it was the first day of Eid. Eventually I was able to gauge it by the programing.

I also quit trying to plan an Eid trip out of country.

VS

[Gordon]

[veiledsentiments]

I read that companies are trying to enforce vacations in Japan... so many executives working themselves to death.

This is NOT a problem in the ME.

VS

[Gordon]

[Afra]

Things are much better than they used to be regarding advanced warning of holidays. When I first came to the UAE, it was as VS described but that isn't the case now. At HCT we do get some advanced warning as 'they' have at last realised that the students will take the days they want and so the holiday is given to accommodate most possibilities. There is a risk of pay back days if they get it wrong, of course! However, I won't be booking my Eid al Adha holiday quite yet.

[Iamherebecause]

The pay-back days are the worst... For potential newbies to the UAE It works like this: Eid or whatever falls in the middle of the week, say Mon-Wed. The University authorities realise that even if they say there are classes on the Sunday and the Thursday students won't come and the bus drivers (a fairly powerful gang) will complain. So they 'give' the whole week off and then claw back the 2 extra days over a couple of ensuing weekends. Sometimes they even cancel buses during those weekends, and also refuse to allow family members to pick up female students by car and the female students are forced to stay in the hostels. Male students tend to have their own cars so can come and go as they please. SO: high level of absenteeism among male students and resentment of the practice by teachers and female students. Really makes for effective teaching and learning AND boosts morale too!

[Afra]

One day only for National Day at HCT: next Sunday.

[veiledsentiments]

These payback days... is this UAEU? Or is this only primary and secondary schools? I haven't heard of this at university level...

VS

[Iamherebecause]

Payback days apply to tertiary sector too, including HCT and UAEU. Not sure about ZU, UoS etc. or any of the private tertiary institutions.