Job Discussion Forums

[mouse5]

Ladies, if you're new to KSA and contemplating applying to one of the BELL set-ups, please read the post below. In my own experience it is exactly what you'll be confronted with.

[Cleopatra]

Sorry, but I can't see the point of a post which merely cuts and pastes from another thread! Plus, why does advice specifically pertain to women?

[mistral]

Most of us can't see the point of any of your comments. Thers' nothing wrong with cutting and pasting. I assume you work for BELL. Haven't you got any knitting to do?

[Jim Bigelow]

Most of us???

Whilst I really can't stand much of what I read on this forum I wonder what arrogance would be needed to speak on behalf of people whom I have never met or even spoken to.

As for Bell then when I first took a look at them on the web they did seem like a pretty well run operation until I checked out this forum....

Then the truth was revealed that they are nothing more than a bunch of cowboys ripping people off and cheating both teacher and student alike....

But then I started to read again and I found how utterly absurd my stance was. In reality all there seem to be was one or two people who wrote horrifying reports on how they had been robbed and oppressed etc but that was it? For such a large company shouldn't there be more teachers (as with other cowboy operations in the past) jumping in and exposing them?

I found that the main people who HATE bell didn't even end up taking jobs with them for reasons such as ''and what made me really stay away was the fact that bell don't even sign the contract with you'. Yes and this is KSA and that is the way that things are often run but it doesn't mean there is anything shady about it.

Mistral you added nothing to this post except being rude to Cleopatra. I personally don't see any thing wrong in cutting and pasting if relevant and I suspect Mouse5 posted her post as Bell are recruiting for the the ladies section but I find it very suspicious that people keep attacking BELL and bring nothing of any substance to support their viewpoint.

I remember a poster who was appalled at the cowboy style management and he gave his simply shocking experience as he knew a very intelligent teacher who went to the a manager and was told he was busy and come back after lunch. He waited 2 hours and went back to be told I'm busy come back later or tommorow'!

Err....ok....right.... yeah that is really really terrible! That's it? The manager was too busy to see you and that's all you bring to show their incompetence?

Sounds to me like a bunch of contractors trying to stem the flow of teachers to Bells mammoth recruitment drive combined with some people who obviously are not suited for work in KSA or have no idea of how things work out here.

Am I wrong but no teachers who are currently working for Bell have posted? Often the places that tend to be half decent have few people commenting on the forum. IPA, KAAU etc are pretty quiet all year round.

[EFLUndercover]

If there is a consensus from a group of teachers and/or management staff that a recruiting agency is unfair in its employment practices then such information is useful to the public.

However, there is no benefit to readers if it is the complaint of one disgruntled employee as their specific situation may not be applicable to all.

Regardless of who is right or wrong, there are two sides to a story and I find it a bit disingenous for one or a few posters to expect that others will reject an employment offer based on unverifiable complaints.

[scot47]

Sounds like a vendetta run by one individual. Have a look at the thread about "Happy TEFlers in Riyadh". Those chaps all look very happy.

Some individuals - perhaps the originator of the anti-Bell thread - should not come to KSA.

[Paul in Saudi]

I fail to understand this. The OP seems to say he (or she) does not like Bell. OK, got it. Now you want to give us more specifics about the problems?

Is not paying for your taxi really a deal-breaking issue? Is 100SAR even worth mentioning?

It seems the OP has a serious grudge.

[micromegas]

What surprises me most is that very few people really understand the Bell set-up, even those who have worked for the trust and still criticise it.

In the past, Bell partners used the Bell name and logo, its expertise in education, its reputation, and in return the partner paid Bell a fee each year for these services. I assume this still happens. Bell does not usually have a majority stake in its partnerships overseas so working conditions are still controlled by the partner. Even still, Bell does listen to its teachers and tries to ensure high standards for them and of them, and will try to do its uttermost to help the teachers it recruits. They make mistakes but in TELF there are many others who make far worse ones, and I found that Bell always tried to improve. It's not the Council, not Berlitz, not EF, not Wall Street, not... . TELF has become cut-throat. Bell are only trying to get in where the Council cannot (thank the powers that be) or where less reputable or moral outfits would try to get a quick profit, especially at our expense.