Job Discussion Forums

[sanpedro72]

Hey all, I got worked up on some opportunties in Oman, but no real offer came until just today. Did a lot research on the place but really know little about the cost of living/income ratio, non-working day activities and general expat life (including dating .... if possible).

I have a good paying offer in Oman but the recruitment/hiring process is lousy, receiving an offer without a telephone interview. I kid you not. The money is good though Like 1000 Omani Riyals per month (about $2,600) including salary + various allowances, plus free utilities and flat. Still, is it good to work for the Sultanate (if I got that bit right) ? How are the quality of Omani schools?

Anyone know anything about this company? Hawthorn Muscat English Language Centre. They are the ones who sent the contract, which states I would be placed in the Ministry of Higher Education Specialized Colleges in Sur or Sohar. The contract reveals no formal letterhead or insignia and does a terrible job at lining up the "tabs". Or should I not bothering but such malarky and take a job that didn't even interview me?

Any takers...to share their Oman experience and suggestions?

Many thanks, Jacob

[veiledsentiments]

Do some searches here on "Sur" "Sohar" "Hawthorn" and "Majali."

You will soon find enough negative posts to tell the tales. Since they have hired you without an interview, you have a hint of the variable level of their teachers.

A social life in the hinterlands can be slim... this is very much a country where you have to be able to entertain yourself. It is a great country for outdoor activities like camping, hiking, and the local sport of wadi bashing. Sohar and Sur are both on the Arabian Sea.

VS

[megone]

I too am weighing a job offer from Majali/Muscat in Sohar. I've searched through previous posts, as directed by respondents, but many of the posts are dated and just mention him with no real specifics or details.

CAN THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE HAD (OR KNOW SOMEONE) WITH PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH MAJALI/COLLEGES OF APPLIED SCIENCES/SOHAR PLEASE, JUST GIVE--IN A NUTSHELL--A LIST OF WHAT THE SPECIFIC COMPLAINTS WERE/ARE WITH MAJALI, THE SCHOOL, THE MOHE, ETC? AN UP-TO-DATE LISTING OF SPECIFIC, DETAILED REASONS WHY TEACHERS SHOULD STAY AWAY WILL HELP PEOPLE LIKE ME GET A BETTER IDEA OF WHAT'S WRONG.

For me, I don't have much experience teaching ESL and am finding it very difficult to get a job in the Middle East, which is where I want to be. Thus, the Muscat/Sohar job seems to be a way to get a foot in the door if the terms of the contract are honored. PLEASE HELP WITH SPECIFICS AND DETAILS OF WHAT'S WRONG WITH MAJALI/SOHAR/MOHE.

Thanks,
megone

[veiledsentiments]

A leopard doesn't change his spots so the dates of the posts are irrelevant. He is and always has been a sleazy character around this board for many years now. Details that are too specific invariably get cut or locked. If you have limited credentials and want only a foot in the door, go ahead. Just have very low expectations of professionalism, organization, and any preconceived notions of how things are or will be done. He has been based in Sur for the last few years, so those in the other locations don't have to deal that much with him directly.

A few people leave within months of being hired because of run-ins with him. Others (most?) finish out their contracts with no or few problems. If you are a go-with-the-flow person, you can likely finish a contract or two. It you are the demanding type who expects answers to things (as your message suggests with its screaming all-caps), you may have problems.

As you request, it's a foot in the door... and the pay usually arrives on time... though there have been some complaints here of deductions that the teachers felt were incorrect. The recruiters in Oman are normally pretty good about following the contract, but don't expect to win the disputes that may come up.

It is July and everyone is traveling, so there may be no current employees on the board.

VS

[megone]

VS, thanks for the response.

You offered that just a "few" leave within months of being hired and that "the recruiters in Oman are normally pretty good about following contracts the contracts" and "the pay usually arrives on time." For jobseekers like me, 'positive' acknowledgements like these coupled with a character reference like "sleazy" without specifics as to what makes this recruiter sleazy are what make it difficult for jobseekers like me to assess what the problems are and if the job would be tolerable for a year. Like you said, it looks likes the details have been removed in the previous posts, so I don't know what 'spots' this leopard's not changing. That's why I used caps, that is, to ask for those details to be posted--not because I'm demanding (I'm probably one of the most passive, non-assertive people I know)--but to get replies other than 'see previous posts'.

Additional comments about the problems with professionalism and organization would help.

Thanks.

[stabnkill]

I really have to agree with VS here. The recruiter you mentioned has a spotty history, and so does the recruiting branch of Hawthorn Muscat for that matter. It is not particularly necessary for that spotty history to be updated monthly. In fact, all recruiters currently operating in Oman except one have a multitude of complaints against them. No, they will not steal your shirt. They will pay you. Will they try to keep you happy? No, because if you leave, they get more money bringing in another teacher than they would have gotten by retaining you.

The conditions at the colleges you will be placed at are consistent with what has been described in similar posts about similar colleges, and are pretty much typical of many colleges in Oman, sadly. You should take time to read those posts, as they are all accurate, and it is unnecessary to repeat all the information contained in them. Like VS said, it really depends on you and how much you wind up being bothered by the things that there are to be bothered by. Some people are very bothered and leave immediately after seeing what they have gotten themselves into. Other people either thrive off working in a system that is more disorganized and unqualified then they are, or stay for whatever other personal reasons they have.

If you are well-qualified and have other options, this is not the job for you. If you are well-qualified, but do not have experience in the Middle East, this is still not the job for you. If you are well-qualified and just want an easy job in Oman for a year or two, this may be the job for you. These colleges want people who are not qualified, slightly insane, have low self-confidence, or are from countries where they cannot find jobs. By hiring employees that have few other options, they hire employees who will unquestioningly put up with their utter lack of professionalism, lack of pedagogical knowledge, and petty orders. Do not come here expecting any degree of professionalism or professional respect. But, please, be ready to fight for it because the multitudes of apathetic or terrified teachers that accept every shaft given to them just cause the situation to worsen.

1,000 rials is not a lot of money in Oman these days. However, if you are working outside of Muscat, and your housing is provided, and you don�t travel to Muscat too often, 1,000 will be a lot for you. If you get a job in Muscat and housing is not provided, 1, 000 is a piddling amount and you will spend nearly half of it on housing.

As VS mentioned, the fact that you were not interviewed, or that most interviews consist more of discussing money than methodology, should give you a pretty good indication of the educational expertise of the management and the general quality of your colleagues.

If you are undecided about the job, you may try to bargain a bit on the money. You really have nothing to lose. These recruiters are absolutely desperate. Come September in Oman most colleges are absolutely desperate for teachers because they are too unorganized and inept to hire them before classes start.

BTW, all caps is often taken as an insult, so if you are not meaning to insult, you may want to avoid using all caps.

[Tarka_littleotter]

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[oh_lucky_me]

OOps - Don't talk complete rubbish! The family of the accident victim chose to have a cremation here and take the ashes back rather than an oozing corpse. It was a horrible accident and a terrible experience. Don't make it worse by adding lies. the law is the law here - every employee has to be covered by insurance, as your friend was!

[veiledsentiments]

Terrible story, but death on the roads will only become more common in this part of the world.

While all employees are provided with health insurance, I don't recall any employer who told me that if I died in country, my remains would be returned by the employer. I have to be honest and say that I never really thought about it. I know that with the laborers, who die regularly in their more dangerous jobs, they are not. It is normally the families responsibility and I expect that this explains the existence of the Hindu crematorium

It would seem to me that since our contracts specify return tickets at the end of the contract, would that cover it? I suppose that they could claim that we hadn't actually completed the contract.

I would consider cremation to be the most acceptable choice anyway. Muslim countries would not have the facilities for embalming as it is not done since they are buried before the next sunset.

VS

[mishmumkin]

A little birdie has told me of openings in a non-MoHE institution. If anyone is interested, please PM me, and I'll send you the details.

[Tarka_littleotter]

I never said my friend wasn't insured. I simply said to check the insurance. You say what you say, I say what I've been told.
It was horrible, yes. Being an arse about it won't help anyone.

It is one of my main reasons for leaving this place - being spoken in that way by people like you is another.

[gorazdi]

I too have been approached by Hawthorne


Hi Guys up to ears in Howdy Arabia thinking of downsizing into some shabby backwater
Is there anyone with personal experience who can say how the 3 locations differ
So far I read Sur on the coast
Rustaq no info
Sohar is nearer Al Ain?
Also is practical or affordable to buy rent or lease a car in UAE we used taxis as the paperwork made renting expensive.
Also anyone bring non English speaking non muslim wife
Wht can she do all day watch CNN
Will she need a Veil/obeya?
Can she safely walk the streets or shop she is not white but would never pass for a local as she is Thai I know from Qatar that unless there are a few other color blind expat wives or teachers maybe better she stays at home?
All advice however strong appreciated wouldn't want to end up in Jubail again!

[veiledsentiments]

All three of the cities have been discussed here on the board, so take the time and do a search as I said above. Sur and Sohar are on the water, while Rustaq is in the interior - and likly the smallest. (but less humid)

None of them will provide anything much for your wife to do. She need only dress modestly - local clothing is for the locals outside of KSA. I suspect that you will find that many of the teachers have wives from all over the world, but her lack of English will really put her in a position of being shut off completely from the society around her. The streets are safe enough although it will be assumed that she is a maid and she will be treated thus. And how will she shop and get around without Arabic or English? If you have any affection for this woman, teach her English for heaven's sake.

I don't why you want to rent/lease a car in the UAE when the job is in Oman or is that just poor punctuation... Some people rent and others buy. Not sure how the taxi service is in the hinterlands.

And BTW... "shabby" is not a word that I would use for any of Oman.

VS

[gorazdi]

Ta for info coming from a civilzed country everywhere I have been in Oman in last 35 years is Shabby my wife has Degree in English thank you.
If you can read English car rented in UAE wa sin past tense if you need some remedial English classes maybe I can help

[veiledsentiments]