Job Discussion Forums

[veiledsentiments]

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

[kiefer]

J. J. and M!

I was offered a job in late 2006, maybe 2007. Days do drag by here and it seemed like a few years ago plus I never bothered to ask just how long the place had been up and running; I turned the mofos down--so mea effing culpa. Does that sate the feeding frenzy or should I toss a '"feww" typos into "thhe" chum?

Think happy thoughts and consider:

The central question on my post remains about campus comparisons, now doesn't it?

[MrScaramanga]

The Madinat Zayed college did open in September 2006 with 50 something students and a handful of teachers.
It now has 300 + students and faculty numbers have also grown.
Trade off = the atmosphere has been changing and not for the better.
The director is a nice enough fellow but the number 2 guy is somewhat of a killjoy.
Recent supervisory hires are also a bit self righteous.
Teachers there teach 20 hours, just like in other colleges and they also commute for 4 hours a day. You do the math: it is a killer indeed...
MrS

[Sui Generis]

Everyone will tell you something different about each college....but here are some of my observations. I apologize in advance - I realize that this post is very long! However, there appears to be a genuine interest in this:
HCT overall: Generally, the students are terrific and teachers have a great deal of autonomy in their own classrooms. Most colleges have a very high level of access to teaching and learning technologies for those who want to use them.
However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to manage to live in Abu Dhabi and Dubai on the salaries, children�s tuition allowances and housing allowances offered. This is especially de-motivating in light of the salaries now offered by competing colleges and institutions. I note that on this board there are several comments implying that HCT teacher are complaining about their compensation packages without sufficient cause to do so. Despite these comments, the fact remains that the HCT packages (both in the context of the other, similar institutions in the UAE and the context of other similar institutions globally), are no simply longer competitive in the least. This is especially true for teachers in non-ESL areas, such as business, IT, education, accounting, etc.
The HCT demands increasingly higher and higher qualifications and experience from its teachers. This is good in itself, but discouraging for teachers who find that they have advanced degrees and end up teaching what are essentially secretarial/typing courses, or courses in how to write a cheque and read a bank statement. The colleges often oversell the quality of their students and the level/content of the courses taught and this can be a shock to the new and unsuspecting recruits. On the other hand, there are some excellent students and challenging programs, but the number of faculty teaching in those programs is limited in number.
Central Services: Currently in a state of destabilizing change due to massive resignations/terminations/downsizing of most key players.
ADM: Despite the fact that the VC is no longer the director, faculty at ADM (and at CERT) complain that the college appears to still be very much under his direction and management. The last director purportedly had little power and has now left. The upside of the VC's special interest is that ADM gets a lot of perks in terms of funding and projects that other colleges do not, which offer faculty more development opportunities than at some other colleges. The downside is that faculty complain that the scrutiny of the VC means that the management team are ineffective and not supportive of faculty, and that decision are often made at the Central Services level rather than at the college level, leading to little consultative or participative leadership. Some good curriculum development goes on at ADM - however, the complaint for a very long time is that they do not share with the other colleges.
ADW: Large numbers of management leaving in the past year (and this semester as well) have resulted in a nervous and inexperienced management team, and cynical and suspicious faculty. Fear, paranoia and rumours swirl like a miasma in the halls. Faculty are pressured into taking on overtime (due to the inability of the college to fill vacancies) so teaching loads are very high in some programs. Despite this, faculty are overall dedicated to their students, and teacher autonomy is pretty good. As in most colleges, the faculty pull together and are supportive of each other. You will find some of the most conservative students in the system in ADW. Teaching and learning is not especially innovative here, although PD support for faculty is very high.
DWC: Generally more autonomous than the other colleges due to the personality/wasta of the director and more diverse sources of funding. That is both positive and negative, as it protects the college of micro-management from above, but the director has long had the reputation of bullying, vindictiveness and caprice. On the other hand, other faculty and management will tell you that this is not true at all. Everyone (critic and fans alike) admits that he is something �to be dealt with.� The college is quite forward-thinking in terms of teaching and learning methodologies. The students are some of the least conservative in the system. They have a large and well-appointed campus.
DMC: They are doing some interesting and innovative teaching at this college. I am sure there are also lots of complaints, but I don�t know what they are.
SJW/SJM: Complaints about the director are common, especially of his policy that no one is allowed to transfer out of SJ to another college. The joke is that you can only leave in a coffin. Other complaints are of lack of resources and support for faculty, and high expectations and little resourcing for initiatives. I haven�t heard anything positive about the SJ colleges in quite some time, but I am sure there are some.
Madinet Zayed: Faculty are dedicated and eager, and management is good. Everyone hates the commute but they are building housing now. The campus is still very new.
RKM; RKW; AAW; AAM; FJW; FJM: Sorry � I don�t hear much about these campuses. I guess no news is good news, right? Other people could likely tell you more. The smaller colleges tend to be more collegial, although faculty do complain about lack of resourcing compared to the bigger colleges.
I hope this has been helpful. I have tried to be as fair as possible, but again, this in only my personal opinion. I am sure others would paint quite a different picture.

[mishmumkin]

Friends of mine have been in RAK for years, and are seemingly quite happy. Less crap than I've heard from friend in the Sharjah and Dubai colleges. The accommodation in RAK would be excellent compared to the other emirates, and road improvements have led to a speedy drive into Dubai (hour and 15 minutes?), but it is RAK...not a lot going on.

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

Kiefer!

Dude (or Dudess), the attitude! So, let me get this straight, if someone praises you on one thread for taking care of an obvious fraud, then you bask in the glow...but if someone points out your (or those whom you deem to take under your comforting wing...such as the poster who was sooo hurt by my simple rebuke for going off-topic) mis-statements, you pull out the claws ("effem"..."effing"..."mofos")??? How about a bit of decorum here. This is a legitimate website and a legitimate thread. Why the hostility...or are we to be ashamed of ourselves for pointing out the obvious problems of some of your postings?

I don't seek to square off with you, but I think that you go a bit OTT when someone honestly disagrees with you. Has anyone on this thread ever criticized your spelling (re: your previous post) or is this simply an attempt to muddy the waters? You made a simple mis-statement of a time frame which brought you credulity into question...nobody ever questioned your intelligence...or lack of it.

NCTBA

[globalnomad2]

About housing in RAK, apartments of all sizes were of low quality as of last summer when I left. Perhaps some of the villas were fine, I don't know.

It's a 50-minute drive to Dubai, not one hour and 15 minutes.

[veiledsentiments]

Great summary sui generis. What always amazes me is how little things actually change at HCT. The positives and negatives just swirl about a bit, switch between branches and back again. Great students, some wonderfully professional teachers to work with... and management - as always everywhere in the Gulf - being the biggest beef.

It is obvious that inflation and exchange woes are affecting the compensation package, but from what I have read here and heard from friends, HCT and ZU have basically the same package and UAEU was lower until this last raise - and it hasn't been clear here if it just caught them up or if it pulled them ahead. Have any of the other employers raised the school allowance for the kiddies?

So... who is offering more other than AUS and PI who have always offered more?

But this was my favorite part: "The colleges often oversell the quality of their students and the level/content of the courses taught and this can be a shock to the new and unsuspecting recruits." And so it has always been in the Gulf. When management would natter on about how we were teaching the same courses as in the US or UK with the same texts, we that taught content courses would just ... TEFL teachers are more aware of the reality. But, some PhD's in subjects like accounting will have a very difficult time for the first year getting down to level.

VS

[MrScaramanga]

Building housing? Where? In Madinat Zayed? I don't think so. There are a couple of substandard tiny apartments above a small souk close to the college there, that's all.
The looong term plan includes a compound in MZ down the line, but nothing yet.
In fact, HCT has yet to secure land to build the real college, currently housed in an old high school...
Besides, who wants to live in MZ?

[veiledsentiments]

[redsoxman]

Housing could be worse. It's good not to be in some dump where the rent keeps going up. My pad is not too bad, could be better. So far so good with HCT. It was a lucky day when I turned down my offer from QU. Despite all the garbage at this place, it doesn't compare to the garbage my buddy has to put up with at QU. The good thing about the Emirates is there is never a dull moment. There are so many things to do and so many places to go. I haven't spent one weekend at home since I got here. So for the moment, I'll keep hanging out at HCT.

[colt]

At Madinat Zayed, they have a 4 day work week, with the fifth day billed as a prep day, but you don't have show up anywhere to do it.

[MrScaramanga]

Right. That's 20 hours teaching over 4 days + 4 hours commute 4 days a week; let's see that's 20 + 16 = 36 hours spent at the college and commuting to and from the college.
If the prep day disappears, so do the brave - or crazy - teachers who go out there every week...
MrS

[mishmumkin]