Job Discussion Forums

Cleopatra · Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 4:17 pm Post subject:

Still not sure what you meant, Mike. I was not implying that all or most teachers at PMU are not decent at their job, just that most Saudi employers seem to be finding it hard to get teachers of any sort to come here.

MIKEBUCHAN · Joined: 18 Mar 2007 Posts: 106 Location: Russia

Cleo,
I really did not mean to sound sarcastic or derogatory in any way. I think every foreign country that wants to have native speakers of English teach in their country are having a hard time recruiting teachers. Not just the Middle East. I have seen many adverts now accepting IELTS scores of 8 or higher for English teachers. I was in Qatar 6 months ago and almost all the ELT's there were Third World Nationals with British or Irish passports and I never could understand anything they said - ever. And I have been in the trenches for 22 years.

007 · Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 4:27 pm Post subject:

Cleopatra · Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 4:31 pm Post subject:

007 · Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 4:36 pm Post subject:

trapezius · Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 4:42 pm Post subject:

Just to be sure, I have read Van Norden's posts more than once, but I don't see where he mentioned anything about "employability" or qualifications or expertise, so I don't understand why Cleopatra is going on about him with regards to those.

Yes, he made absolute statements and generalizations, but never did he say that teachers come to KSA if they don't have qualifications or can't be employed elsewhere.

He only talked about the ratio of salary to savings being the best here being the reason why teachers come here.

And in a way, he is right, surely not about 100% of the teacher population in KSA, but a great majority (save for those who come here for religious reasons).

As an example, if I am making 10,000 here and saving 8,000, but in Dubai I could earn 11,000 but save just 6,000, then yes, I would rather be here, at least for some time till I have saved "enough." Again theoretically speaking, if I could get a job in Dubai that enabled me to save 8,000, I would leave and go there. And I would say this applies to the majority.

MIKEBUCHAN · Joined: 18 Mar 2007 Posts: 106 Location: Russia

Cleo,

I did understand from other staff members that they were from Syria, Lebanon. Libya and other arab countries. They may have a British or Irish passports, but they are not native speakers nor did these men qualify to teach English --- one of the very big problems in Qatar --- but had passports that 'made' them acceptable!

007 · Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 4:58 pm Post subject:

Cleopatra · Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 5:26 pm Post subject:

MIKEBUCHAN · Joined: 18 Mar 2007 Posts: 106 Location: Russia

Cleo,

It my turn, I never said they were good or bad teachers - I only said they were not native speakers and had British and Irish passports. I also did not say anything about being able to speak the students native tongue -- only that I could not understand them when they were speaking English.

In many of the different countries that I have taught in, had one main rule stands out to me --------- never speak in the students own language, only speak in English.

I tend to agree with you about British and American teachers, in 22 years I have met my share of total idiots around the world.

Cleo, one of my grandmothers was born and raised in Glasgow and later moved to America - I could not understand her either!

MIKEBUCHAN · Joined: 18 Mar 2007 Posts: 106 Location: Russia

Scott47

You started this and disappeared?

Cleopatra · Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 5:58 pm Post subject:

Bob Gorn · Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 6:04 pm Post subject:

It is my understanding that PMU does an excellent job of getting teachers into the country quickly under temporary business visas. The problem is the slow, slow process of getting a work visa and an iqama. PMU applicants are advised to be very careful of the delicate feelings of the person who handles immigration matters. A personal grudge can slow things down dramatically. Also, people have expressed regrets about sharing any personal information with the visa rep..such info has ended up in the public domain in a perversely slanted manner. Like much of KSA, and the Middle East in general, applicants should assume that all personal information can and will be held against you.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

I was last in Nigeria in the 1970's. Anecdotal eveidence reaching me would indicate that it has NOT improved !

Longton · Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 148

In UAE, some ELT employers provide a housing allowance of anything up to Dh100,000. You can put that towards the cost of an apartment and take a bank loan for the rest of the cost. After a few years the apartment is yours. If you had bought a flat three years ago you would by now have doubled your money.