Job Discussion Forums

[adorabilly]

I have not gone through an interview with them, but I would expect the normal questions.

What have your experiences been, what technology have you used, greatest strength, biggest weakenss, most challenging experience and how you overcame it etc..

I would highly recommend you look up HCT online and get as much information about them as you can. and when they ask "do you have any questions?" Have several. If you can show them you have looked them up, they will think you are more serious about them.

I would ask about how they forsee the use of technology in the classroom, if they use CALL or other technologies in the classroom, ask about professional development (what do they have, or offer, or reimburse for etc)

[jeanne]

Thanks for the response, Sheikh Inal Ovar and adorabilly! Will definitely do my homework.

[veiledsentiments]

They may also ask about your experience working with teams - they are big on teamwork or at least the theory - and dealing with the usual aggravations of overseas teaching.

They sometimes give scenarios and you have to tell how you would respond. But, mostly it is the usual what have you done and how did it go? What was your most rewarding teaching experience? vice-versa... etc...

[like2answer]

They also ask you how you would teach a specific grammar point. They wanted to know if I knew any issues that Arabic students have (like P and B). They asked me if I could make a picture on a web page move, if I made the web page - yes, I'm not joking. I thought it was a weird question too. They asked me why I wanted to work for HCT. Maybe they will ask you how to motivate students (because they sure need it).

Don't call it a university (not that you did, I did). It's a college.

Some people who interview you are NOT teachers nor have they ever been. They don't understand things, so don't feel bad if you talk to them as NON teachers. They aren't.

Smile a lot.

My friend brought in some material he made using computers and such. They looked through it and thought it was interesting. He got the job. That's all I can think of at this late hour.

[jeanne]

Thanks for the advice! Will do as much research as I can now.

[redsoxman]

I got a good impression of my interviewers but I want to know a bit more about the management system. I've read that there are a lot of back-stabbers around. Is this the norm or just in certain colleges? I am also worried about the staff support system. Do they support staff or are they into harassing them and putting them down. I seem to get conflicting messages about this. I hear Dubai Womens' is a bad place to work. Is it true that HG has a spying system in operation? I haven't read too much about that at HCT. Been there, done that. Don't want to work in a place with spies and master control. I need to decide fast on my job offers. All of them seem to have good and bad points but I don't want to make a decision that I will kick myself in the butt for afterwards. So do management help staff, do they support them. Is there a Mr Fix-it type in the system? I've heard that some of places have these types around. Any insights would be useful. I need to make up my mind but my main concern is staff support and management. Are they there for you?
Do they cheer you on or kick you down?

[veiledsentiments]

Management depends on the college, and there are always some changes which affects the mix. DWC, which for years had problems in retention, has been quiet and calm for a long time now... the leader has mellowed with age. Rumor has it that the current problem colleges of Sharjah will have long desired change at the top. There will be a few spies and a few backstabbers as it is a big system and I think this problem is endemic to ME education. But there are also many more supportive helpful people in the system.

Not sure what you mean by a Mr Fix-it. But HCT is probably the most organized system in the ME as far as bringing in new teachers and settling them with proper paperwork and housing.

As I said over on your Qatar thread... HCT and the Emirates are a much better choice than Doha and QU.

VS

[globalnomad2]

In my experience, it all depends on who your supervisor is. Aside from all the bureaucracy-created problems you might encounter, a good supervisor can also support you when you suffer with a class of spoiled brats who decide they'll have it in for you.

[redsoxman]

Thanks for the input VS. I think HCT is probably my institution of choice The UAE seems like a pretty cool place to live from what I've been reading about. Being an outdoorsy type, I like the idea of so many sports and activities.

The Mr Fix-it question:- U of Q threads keep referring to a Mr Fix-it person who seems to be their PR repairman or something like that. I was just wondering if having a Mr Fix-it person was a common thing in these Gulf places. Do most of them have someone who helps fix people's problems? It sounds like a good idea. From what I've read the resident U of Q Mr Fix-it was able to help new teachers solve their problems. So does HCT have someone like this around? It would be nice to know that there is someone that will help you sort out things when you arrive. If there is a Mr Fix-it in residence, is there one at each college?

[veiledsentiments]

All tends to be organized by the Central Services where HR is located. I expect that they have a person or two who knows the ropes on fixing things, but it isn't as much of a problem at HCT as it is at some places I have been. In my experience, you tend to learn through the grapevine who can do what for whom. I have been at employers that had a liason person who helped one navigate the higher administration, but the system at HCT is more structured than many Gulf employers. It works quite well for the most part (in relative terms, of course).

You are likely on your own for things like phone, electric bills, and driving license - but they promptly provide the papers you need and it is just getting in line for the most part... a few hours of aggravation and reminding oneself of the virtue of patience and smiling...

VS

[Moriarty]

Redsoxman - all HCT colleges have a HR officer and most also have a visa & housing officer: these people fill the fix-it role. Normally, someone will meet you at the airport and take you to the hotel where you will stay for a few days, until accommodation is ready for you. If you arrive at the beginning of the year when there are likely to be other new people around, chances are you'll get an orientation period, which may include visits to the various utilities offices and the bank, a tour of the shops, advice from the seasoned campaigners, and so on. Some colleges used to have a buddy system (and may still do so), where an old lag shows you around; the usefulness of this depends on how conscientious your buddy is. Most people don't find it too difficult settling in - if you've spent time overseas, you'll find the UAE is one of the easier places to get things done.

As to back-stabbers, you find them anywhere. Keep your own counsel until you're sure of the people you're talking to.

Good luck.

[redsoxman]

Thanks Moriarty. I find the tips and threads on this site really useful, interesting and sometimes intriguing. I'm looking forward to the UAE
seems like there are a lot of interesting things to do. It's good that they have an efficient system to help staff deal with settling in problems, issues, etc.

I am still concerned about the management thing. There seem to be quite a few negative comments from various posters about certain places and certain people. From what I read the places to avoid are Dubai Women's College, Ras Al Khaimah Women's College and Sharjah Women's college. I am wondering why the women's colleges seem to have so many problems. Is it the people who run the college, departmental problems, etc.? I've been in backstabbing institutions and it is not a scene I like. I do my job well and don't want to be hassled by people who are power hungry or insecure or just plain obnoxious or have personality issues. Some of the HCT people I've talked to say it really is a personality thing with most of these people. I found my HCT interviewers really professional and got an impression of a well-organized and structured system. I hope my impression is right as this is a major move for me. I really hope I won't be kicking myself in the butt as I did a few years ago at a job that turned out to be a nightmare. I hope I've made the right decision. The country sounds pretty incredible.

[veiledsentiments]

HCT will assign you to a college and you have little or no choice in the matter. Dubai Women's used to be the major problem branch, but it hasn't been bad for some years now. Management is professionally demanding, but it has been a few years since they stopped the annual year-end massacres. Sharjah Men's and Women's share most of their management... and changes in management are in the works, so who knows. RAK also got some new people.

The thing is that management comes and goes along with teachers. So, good and bad branches can change too. Then there is the fact that some of the teachers make their own problems. Even at the places that have the reputations of difficulty most of the teachers will have been there for years and get along fine.

Like most places, if you do your job diligently and devote yourself to your students - and avoid the politics of every employer - you can do fine. Spend that first semester smiling and keeping your counsel, and you soon know the ropes. And that works at every branch.

BTW... personally I think the women are much more fun to teach. They also have better English and work harder than the men.

VS

[redsoxman]

Thanks again VS. You really are a bundle of information. How long did you work in the region? You seem to have your finger on a lot of buttons.

One thing that bugs me is a firing quota. I read that U of Q has an annual firing quota agenda and I wonder if this sort of thing goes on elsewhere - in particular, does it go on at HCT? It was really offputting to read about all the people who got fired at U of Q. Struck me as being nasty and spiteful. Someone put me in touch with an ex U of Q person who told me that most of the info on the firing business was pretty accurate, and pretty sad. The guy said all the bumped people were good teachers but some got on the wrong side of a certain management honcho. I also didn't like the fact that a person who posted good questions got rejected. The person just wanted some info related to her lifestyle and family and she got a reject notice. Too coincidental with her questions in my opine. Someone thought it was because of the postings. The firing quota thing was one of the reasons I decided to accept the HCT offer but I am worried that HCT might have a similar system. My question is - does it? How long can people work there? Is there a time limit? I was told a 3 year contract - is it automatically renewable? Do they fire a percentage of people every year like U of Q does? Do other institutions in the region do this? It seems to me that there is no tenure system in these places. Do they appreciate comittment? As you know here in the US comittment is usually rewarded (unless you work in a turdy insitution - I did a few years ago - lucky to escape). My current job is great but getting monotonous. I feel a need to have new experiences before it's too late and I get settled into a boring mundane lifestyle. Money isn't everything but a good lifestyle and good working environment is what does it for me.

It's too bad we can't choose our HCT college but I reckon you've got to take what you get and make the most of it. As long as my colleagues are nice and the management supportive and the students hardworking, I'll have no complaints. I heard though that the cost of living there is rising. Will that will be a major problem?

[veiledsentiments]

HCT has no apparent system of terminations. There are still people there that I taught with in 1992!! But, most of us don't have an attention span that is that long. In my time, almost everyone did 2-3 contracts, but they were 2 years at the time. Renewal seems to be rather automatic if you do your job and minimize mgmt run-ins. The system is much larger now, but I expect that most people complete at least one contract, probably 2.

As to the idea of 'firing quotas' I think that often there is reasoning behind it... not that I agree with the reasoning. Many times it is economics. Often they are getting rid of people who are paid more and have mounting gratuities. There may be an unwritten rule that people can only do 2 or 3 contracts and suddenly they don't renew. Often the first year that a decision like this appears in a Ministry there will be a huge unexplained purge. I wonder if that is not what happened at QU (just a guess here). Another factor that causes a purge is when there is a large change of upper management... and they are of a different nationality and they are allowed to create a mass of openings to bring in their own.

Nothing remotely resembling these situations have occurred at HCT since I've been monitoring this board.

VS