Job Discussion Forums

Umm Banat · Joined: 18 May 2007 Posts: 28

This is certainly true. Teachers in the shortage subjects are coming in with very nice offers. Still turning them down though - recruitment gets tougher each semester.
Teachers on much less money, with more experience and skills are getting very fed up.

wannago · Joined: 16 Apr 2004 Posts: 85

bje · Joined: 19 Jun 2005 Posts: 527

wannago · Joined: 16 Apr 2004 Posts: 85

al bidarnd · Joined: 17 Sep 2007 Posts: 53

bje · Joined: 19 Jun 2005 Posts: 527

ckhl · Joined: 20 Aug 2006 Posts: 214 Location: SE Asia

it also means there'll be lots of well-qualified and experienced HCTers who have put in a lot of work on committees, attended countless meetings and taken on various positions of responsibility, etc, and who are now onto their second contract (or more) but who suddenly find themselves junior in pay to less well-endowed new hires - an interesting muddle.

don't tell me that you fell and got suckered into this track. You could have got away with doing much less. Now tell me you didn't do it only for the renewal. You were so keen, so ....dedicated..

johnslat · Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2008 6:16 pm Post subject: Inflation

Here's something I received from a friend (and ex-colleague):

"One of the hottest conversation topics this fall has been the rapidly spiraling costs. Since the government announced that the salaries of UAE government employees were going up 70%, on top of often already phenomenal salaries, rents and food prices have been going through the roof. I have never seen crazy inflation like this before. In late 2007, next-door Saudi Arabia culled a lot of fowl because of bird flu threats, which would explain some of the rise in chicken + egg prices here. But everything else (dairy, meat, flour, vegetables, fruits, etc.) is also increasing in price at a phenomenal rate. It's not like prices have gone up since last year�... it's more like prices have gone up since last week. Seems like nothing has been spared an increase...except, for many, salaries. More and more people are talking about moving back to their home countries because they can no longer save much here, one of the primary reasons for working in the UAE.

As Dubai and Abu Dhabi become more expensive to live in, people are moving to Al Ain, 1� hours away from either city, because rents are relatively cheaper here. This comes just after the Buraimi (Oman) border tightened up, resulting in people who were working in Al Ain but living in Buraimi to relocate in Al Ain. Result: increasing rents in Al Ain. So, while I was initially happy to receive an increase in my housing allowance last year, that increase doesn't mean much now."

Regards,
John

mishmumkin · Joined: 01 Sep 2007 Posts: 929

Arab Strap · Joined: 25 Feb 2004 Posts: 246 Location: under your bed

So Elie Night, today's the big day for you HCTers.................did they make the big announcement and if so how much did you get?

OR are breaths still being held and if so for how long?

tmac-100 · Joined: 23 Nov 2006 Posts: 137

I wonder if the "meeting" was postponed - due to George Bush's visit to the UAE. Yesterday AD was pretty well closed and now the same has happened to Dubai today.

Where was the meeting to have been held? Our Director has been quite visible here yesterday and today..

uaeobserver · Joined: 05 Feb 2007 Posts: 236

The 70% announcement really just amounts to adjustments in the federal salary scale for expatriates.

Higher education staff aren't generally on the federal salary scale --- and really -- should be grateful they aren't.

helenl · Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 1202

Word on the HCT street is that the VC is not in UAE right now. That would indicate no decision has yet been made - or at least, is not yet for public consumption.

colt · Joined: 27 Jan 2007 Posts: 86 Location: Milky Way

From what I've heard, this decision was made weeks ago.

Now, they just have to get the stars in alignment to make the announcement.

That would require the VC to be on deck.