Job Discussion Forums

[veiledsentiments]

Will the contract be with the government as it is with HCT, ZU, and UAEU or will it be with this obscure Singaporean group?

I haven't seen anything here that suggests that it is governmental...

In particular, when it is obvious that the recruiters haven't the slightest idea what is going on... and offers change... In the Gulf, governmental universities have always done their own interviewing and hiring - there are no recruiters.

VS

[Buur]

Adorability,

I was told that only PhD holders get a salary of $ 5000 (or more). I think your wife has M.A. with few years of experience.
Did your wife ask the human resource if her package includes following allowances:

1) annual ticket allownace for the family.

2) Sick leave and emergency leave?

3) Professional development allowance and leave ( i.e attending conferences, or seminars etc.)

Buur

[hakbs]

[holbrook]

I have to say this discussion is getting ugly. Anyway I vote to give the place a chance before condemning it. Maybe the power of positive thinking can actually affect change. As educators, I am sure we can all agree that this country needs more qualified local teachers and that other school for teacher education, with a strong partnership with a very well run and experienced institution, and adequate funding to hire well qualified and locally experienced staff, can only be a good thing. Certainly things can get off to a good or bad start. Hopefully, as this is a Abu Dhabi government funded program some of the issues that become common in private schools may not interfere here. Two examples:

1. The vacation time didn't seem adequate at first (30 working days). They changed it to 40. That''s about what HCT gets.
2. The education allowance (20,000) went up to 30,000. That's good too. They seem to be responding to their employees needs rather than counting pennies.
3. 120,000 for married status rent is okay for Abu Dhabi. I don't think any other teachers are getting more than that unless rent hikes were accepted beyond the contract level on a per person basis.
4. They are giving all the same standard benefits as other federal institutions (fur nature, tickets, insurance), but with a better salary.

Sounds good to me. It just depends how much you really value salary and how keen you are to work in an stable, highly controlled environment or how willing you are to get in on the ground floor and have an impact on something new. New places can be fun, stressful or both. Increased salary can go a long way to make you put up with some of the stress of working in a newer organization.

[rosyanna]

School fees at British School Al Khubairat are currently approx DH 24,000 for years 1-6 and around DH 42000 per child for years 7-13. HCT currently pays Dh 80000 for up to 3 children and then pays half of anything over the 80000. [employee pays other half].
I believe fees at the american school [ACS] may be slightly higher, but am not sure.

[grand fromage]

[hakbs]

[quote="grand fromage
hakbs, WADR, you seem to feel very strongly about an institution that seems to be changing the rules of the game as it's beeing played (fortunately, the changes seem positive). This is always a sign of an institution that hasn't done their homework before setting up-always a bad sign. You also seem to have overreacted to VS's reaction and choice of words. This is quite strange on your part as VS is the longest posting and one of the most objective (not to mention well-informed) members on our forum. Your choice of punctuation marks and capitals also indicates a melodramatic (and shall I say VERY SUBJECTIVE) overreaction. Are you by any chance affiliated to them in any supervisory role? Or do you own their stocks ? Either way, it is obvious to me who has had the normal-don't trust startups-reaction. Keep up the good work VS .[/quote]
Really don't understand????? Why are you supporting a poster who is ill-informed about the place? Why doesn't she get the right info, then slam the place? Are you connected to her in some way(s)?

She posted a million times, so what? Will this give her the prestige to say whatever she wants to??? Or the fact that she is a long-poster, we have to agree with her??? She was definitely wrong when she slammed the college without even knowing anything about it?

I am neither trying to defend the place nor holding a supervisory position at ECAE, but I can tell you that the place so far looks very good, qualified managers are on board, the curriculum is ready and positive instructors with the right attitude are on their way armed with the right experience and optimism.

Come on educators! Give ECAE a real break and wait until it opens and see what follows! At this stage, it is too early!

I am just trying to be FAIR in opinion expressing!

[bje]

[hakbs]

[spicegirl]

I guess bje's point is that he is asking what everyone wants to know: what's your connection to this college? Have you accepted a teaching post there? You clearly have a great depth of inside info about the staff there, as you seem to know details of the managers' qualifications + also have the scoop on the motivation of the instructors who've already been recruited.

So, I'd join VS and others in wondering why you're so keen to suppress any less than positive speculation about the college. One of the attractions of this forum is that teachers can read about the good and less than good facts about teaching institutions. However, don't forget that a lot of people on this forum have been around a long time, and have connections to others who are in the know. Speculation + rumour are not always negative, they often serve to plant a seed of healthy scepticism.

From what I've heard, this college will be funded by the Abu Dhabi government, and is not federal. They've entered into a private contract with Singapore. This is a very unusual situation, as other federal educational institutions do their own curriculum development, rather than importing curricula piecemeal from overseas. It's usually the private institutions who are affiliated to overseas universities + colleges who may use non in-house curricula .... but that doesn't happen very often, either.

[adorabilly]

1. the name is Adorabilly. not adorability..

2. My wife was told by the recruiter there her salary would be over $50,000 even with an MA in TESL and 3 years experience. We have that in writing on the recruitment sheet.

3. She asked specifically about family issues, travel allowances for families, professional development fees that are covered, housing for families in the interview.

[veiledsentiments]

[bje]

[hakbs]

[/quote]

This is true. A friend of mine who is leaving the HCT and currently considering an offer from this institute (the drawcard is definitely the salary increase) has become jittery after reading the above somewhat strident postings from someone who appears to be involved in the setting up of the college.[/quote]

1) A friend of mine???? Are you his decision-maker right-hand man?

2) He is all wound up about taking the job. It is simple and easy! If he doesn't like it, he doesn't have to accept the offer and choose what's suitable for him. May be HCT is better for him!

3) Wait & see! Give it a year and see what's gonna happen???? I am pretty positive that the positive thinking blended with qualified managers and instructors will make the place looks better. Of course, there will be a bumpy and turbulent year as it will be in its first fuctional year, but this will not stop it for moving, learning and improving.

God bless ESL/EFL teachers!











0

[GI Joe]

I must say, everyone, please hold your horses. this is getting way out of hand. Educated peaple make educated guesses, not assumptions. I have been offered an English Language Instructor position with the College, and neither the recruiters nor HR provided any misleading information.

who cares about all the politics, and who knows what each poster has been through recently, as long as I am ready to make a positive impact on an individual or a nation as a whole, i am content.

I have been a poster for a while, but some of you may already know my other user name and that's why I have changed it.

Anyways, I dont trust anyone any more and their motives behind what they write. veiledsentiments you are making illiterate claims based on no knowledge, but hey at the end of the day you are free to say what you want even though you dont know what you are saying is true or not. Because it is not. With all due respect, are you from a third world country or originally from one. I thought so.

Can anyone provide any useful information about the college, the government, the staff, the culture... before I move across the world with my family.