Job Discussion Forums

[kanterbrau]

I am looking for information on any schools/teachers associated with attempts to set up an English Language training course for Occidental Petroleum ( Oxy ) at the Mukhaizna Field site.

The only name that has surfaced so far is that of Morris H(MOD edit) which might be the name of a school but I believe more likely to be that of a teacher.

I would be very grateful to hear from anyone with any information concerning (MOD edit) English Language provision at this or any other Oxy site in general.

Many thanks.

Good Luck.

[Frank&Sense]

Sorry, I've been offline awhile.
Yes, I know Morris (MOD edit), was with him in Mukhaizna, and am very familiar with Oxy regarding ESL.
What exactly is your question?

[kanterbrau]

Many thanks for taking the trouble to reply and many, many apologies for being so long in getting back to you.

Thankfully Oxy and I have long since parted company as they requested my erstwhile employer Hawthorn Muscat - Sur International Hotels to replace me with someone with a better, and I quote, "attitude".

I outlined the problems I had with them on a post in the General Africa Forum related to rotational employment, if you're interested.

While I was at Muk I heard of a previous school being involved and when I approached the Training Supervisors with this they were extremely evasive and any information I managed to glean came from other trainers. The only definite word that I received was from Hawthorn Muscat who said they had been told that Oxy had had problems getting, and once again I quote, "quality" provision in the past.

I could find absolutely no reference to previous language provision there and so duly set about assessing the prospective students' language capabilities. However, as so often at Oxy Muk, chaos promptly ensued as employees and shift supervisors assured me that assessments had already been carried out and only a few months prior to my arrival.

The only piece of evidence of another school's participation that an other trainer managed to unearth for me was one single, solitary spreadsheet detailing students' assessments (MOD edit). This was, in my humble opinion, as professional a piece of work as I have ever seen and if Oxy do not consider that 'quality' then I would be fascinated to see what they do.

Anyway, that's all water down the wadi now but I would be very interested to hear anything you have to say about your experiences there.

Thanks.

Good Luck.

[Frank&Sense]

Okay, I am the one you were looking for. I was a bit hesitant when real names were posted, because I thought it was probably a friend in OXY's Training Department wanting some more free professional consulting work.

I recently added to a subject on this forum entitled "Globenet." You should read it all. However, it sounds like it won't surprise you.

Yes, I did that placement testing, evaluation, and spreadsheet results with recommendations. I was assisted by a teacher, who is mentioned in the above subject Globenet, who was abused by Globenet and OXY did not come to his rescue although they had convinced him to take the job and guranteed that there was plenty of work ahead. We were in Haima and went down to Muk on our own time to do this as the training center in Haima was being closed. The teacher above had already been told the day before his probationary period was finished that he was fired by Globenet. He came along and helped me anyway, thinking surely the professional American and Omani staff at OXY HQ would help him out vis-a-vis Globenet. It turned out they didn't and we were both shocked!

I appreciate your saying that the spreadsheet and (hopefully you got) the recommendations were as professional as one could ask for. I have done this many times for similar companies. It was all to take one day and it took four because of the disorgainized management in Muk.

I would appreciate it if you would PM me with details and names, which we cannot do here.

[kanterbrau]

First of all, please let me apologise for using a real name on my initial post. I really didn't know whether it was the name of a person, a school, a recruiter, an agency or what - it really was all I had "to go on", as they say in the detective movies. Sorry.

I was saddened to read of the treatment you and your Canadian colleague received but well ... disappointed but not surprised ... probably best sums up my reaction.

I regret to say I couldn't help smiling at your phrase "professional American and Omani staff at OXY HQ". In my experience of these people I have to say I didn't often use the words "professional" and "Oxy" in the same sentence.

Furthermore, according to the trainers that I got to know at Muk, Oxy is considered pretty much the bottom of the food chain in the oil industry. If you have any doubts as to the efficiency and professionalism of Occidental Petroleum just Google the words 'Piper Alpha'.

Frankly, I consider myself to be well rid.

I shall certainly pm you in due course.

Good Luck.

[Frank&Sense]

First of all, no apologies necessary. The people I worry about wouldn�t have time to play here.

Why would you post on Africa General Blog for this about Oman?

On these blogs, the usefulness of it all is directly related to how honest people will voluntarily be, inspite of ego, etc., to help others make a decision about said topic. The Oxy staff in Muscat had always dealt with me professionally, as I had with them. I was in the desert, halfway between Muscat and Salalah. I needed something, they took care of it quickly. Globenet would ignore me. I�ve got a problem with my language lab. The next day OXY IT engineers arrive to sort it out. I decide I must terminate two really bad troublemakers, whose families have connections to the Minister of Oil and Gas. The top managers of OXY support me against the Minister all the way. Globenet ignored it. I have worked for big international companies for 30 years and I know what professionalism is.

You cannot compare the Piper Alpha incident with the Exxon Valdez incident. Exxon is at the top of that food chain, and their disasters are also at the top. But...

Having said that, when OXY did not support my teacher against Globenet�s fabricated charges against him( it would cost them a little money), I told them(OXY) face to face what they had given their word on. They still wouldn�t help him(they were afraid of Globenet�s owner�s brother).

And so there, you are right. OXY is doddledoo. When I left they finished with Globenet and got Hawthorn. When I saw that OXY/Hawthorn were offering much less for ESL teachers(which is what this is about), when it should have been MORE, then I knew that OXY was indeed a chincy group. Double doodoo.

What I�m saying is that we are on the same side of this issue. So why get into a splitting-hairs pissing contest? That�s what the regulars do here. They should get a life, get a girlfiend/boyfriend, or a pet, or whatever.

Anyway hope to here from you and all the best.

[kanterbrau]

I agree that we are both singing from the same hymn sheet and I certainly have no interest in a pi**ing contest - that was never my intention. I was merely passing on opinions and information that I received from the other trainers at Muk and, to be fair, you were the one who dragged Exxon into this.

I think it's also fair to say that I had a very different experience living day in day out in 'Camp X-Ray', as many of the regulars called it, and not being allowed to communicate with Oxy Muscat when things went wrong as they, unfortunately, so very often did.

I fully undertand what these pages are for and my ultimte aim, as always, is to make things better for my colleagues in any way I can. That was why I posted on the GAF. It was concerned with living and working under certain conditions and was not limited to any one particular location.

I posted again on this site in the hope of hearing from others on this subject, maybe even someone involved at the moment, but as this does not seem likely I shall pm you.

All the best.

Good Luck.