Job Discussion Forums

jaygray · Joined: 29 Nov 2008 Posts: 10

If you thought the appalling acts of Bell / Obekan would dry up over the summer you are wrong!

ANYONE THINKING OF WORKING FOR THESE GUYS NEXT YEAR READ ON

All staff were told the amount of their end of contract bonus before the end of the contract in an official letter. It will come as no surprise to those who are following the comings and goings at King Saud / Princess Noura that Bell / Obekan have paid around SAR3,000 LESS than promised to many staff members - male and female.

Who knows what we can do to get the money we are owed considering many of us are in different parts of the world. Plus many people were working all year without a contract.

It will be very interesting to see if Bell step in to stop ORD reneging their promises. They seem to have let ORD get away with all kinds of bull over the year � this is their chance to show some muscle.

I�ll update this page with any developments.

BTW - at the end of the year there was still money owed to many teachers whose salaries over the preceding months had not been paid correctly

Markemark · Joined: 08 Jun 2009 Posts: 82 Location: ksa

There's news that Bell- Obeikan at KSU have reduced salaries from SR 12,000 to a paltry 9,000 SR. It's becoming a circus.

EFLUndercover · Joined: 26 May 2007 Posts: 82

To add to the incompetence of AlObeikan, teachers were given end-of-service certificates that are not valid unless they have been stamped both by AlObeikan and the Saudi Chamber of Commerce.

Guess what? There is no stamp from the Chamber, so the letters are useless! If you have already left for the summer, you have a worthless piece of paper in your hands.

A contract from AlObeikan/Bell may seem good from afar, but they are far from good!

Unless... perhaps you are a single female that can manage somehow to 'flirt' with OlBeikan management and then life could be good, relatively speaking.

huntjuliehunt · Joined: 09 May 2007 Posts: 87

They need to be put in their place. The only way for that to happen is for current teachers to strike, or for future teachers to refuse to apply until they return to what they proposed to be when they first tried to take authority over the program.

johnslat · Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 4:50 pm Post subject:

Dear huntjuliehunt,
I don't know if you've ever ben to Saudi Arabia, but unless things have changed a LOT "striking" is not an option (unless you enjoy spending time in a Saudi jail and/or getting deported.)
And especially given the current economic climate for many teachers, I expect they will have a "pool" of potential applicants to choose from for the foreseeable future (something they're probably pretty confident about.)
Regards,
John

Never Ceased To Be Amazed · Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 5:43 pm Post subject:

Yes, but muttawa with sticks striking Filipino muslims who have not yet hot-footed it to their local mosque after the call to prayer is still quite stylish...I hear... Wink

NCTBA

Vulcan Warrior · Posted: Tue Aug 11, 2009 6:50 pm Post subject:

Hi Everyone,

I'm a new ESLer and new to this great forum. Does anyone besides me think it strange that BELL is recruiting Program Mangers with NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY for the KSU/Obeikan operation in Saudi Arabia?

Can this be real or is this probably just an oversight?

And, can anyone tell me how to enter an image/picture in my posts? Some of you have great avatars!

Thanks,

huntjuliehunt · Joined: 09 May 2007 Posts: 87

Well then that leaves one option... Do not apply for a job with them, or you're contributing to their nonsense.

What is the payrate for a program manager? They sure need a new one. Hope you make it better than it is now.

Noor · Joined: 06 May 2009 Posts: 152

littleoldlady · Joined: 06 Apr 2009 Posts: 286 Location: knitting heaven

Having turned them down twice today I received yet another offer from Bell. I am a polite, reserved littleoldlady who hates confrontation but I am going to telephone them today to find out WTH is going on. I shall ask about salary and post their reply.

They don't know their a...se from their elbow it seems to me. They made a big issue of being oversubscribed with only the best and now they are advertising for 50 people. Tefl.com

EFLUndercover · Joined: 26 May 2007 Posts: 82

Citizenkane · Joined: 14 Jun 2009 Posts: 234 Location: Xanadu

I would say that if they've just significantly reduced their salaries, Bell cannot be that desperate. As john suggests and as I've said before, it's an employers' market right now. I've seen evidence of this many times over the past year.

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

littleoldlady · Joined: 06 Apr 2009 Posts: 286 Location: knitting heaven

Update.
I had a heated conversation with Bell this morning re: salary, package etc. They are being very cagey and won't reveal salary unless an offer has been made. They said it is being "renegotiated". I was also asked why I wanted to know this information if I wasn't a candidate or prospective candidate.
I don't know if this tells you anything. I know what it tells me. In addition, their customer service was very poor.
Sorry I can't be any more help.
LOL
Now I must fasten my cases, label my boxes and choose from the tempting selection of in-flight meals offered by Emirates. Mmmmmmmmm
No Nancy's pasties listed for this flight NCTBA. Laughing

john finn's wife · Joined: 08 Jul 2009 Posts: 1

i'm surprised to hear that, because they were very clear with me about the salary scale when i was interviewed.

the only thing that i felt they were less than direct about was the housing. but even that has since been clarified...