Job Discussion Forums

[lucreziaborgia]

I have been very interested in the comments posted on this site about terms and conditions of working in KSA.
I have now been offered 3 jobs and have decided to decline each one.
My decision to do this is due to the descriptions on this site and also
a refusal to be treated badly.
I was advised by one recruiter to regard the comments posted as the outpourings of disgruntled teachers who were ill suited to the demands of living and working in KSA.
While I am able appreciate that comment and I am also forced to conclude that not all experiences described can be dismissed as mere miffedness.
I am particularly interested in the comments posted a few days ago by women who had worked at PMU. In my wildest fnatasies, I cannot see myself surving under those conditions! I am in awe that you did!
My expectations of an employer maybe naive but I cannot put myself at risk by blindly believing that the terms and conditions of my contract will
be met in full. It is not possible for me to invest my time, money and energy turning up to a country that would so disrespect me and my colleagues as to treat us in such a manner.
I have little confidence in basic living conditions being met in KSA and after several years in a developing country, I consider I have done it rough for long enough. Working in KSA was a way to have (I thought) some creature comforts and an interesting albeit, challenging experience.
As well, I have negotiated difficult working conditions and learnt forbearance however, these problems have not included dishonouring the terms and conditions of a contract. I have not been left 'high and dry' in a foreign country.
The prospect of turning up to KSA after travelling half way around the world to meet the country's requirements to find that I was (all or some of the following):
refused entry,
given entry but not met at the airport by a member of staff,
taken to accommodation that was substandard,
terms of employment changed without consultation
and so on...ad infinitum ad mauseum... would probably destroy me.
I had a working life in current affairs (prior to English teaching) and have met some of the world's nastiest people - and some of the world's most pleasant people. I am a single woman with a PhD (Oxford) and a TEFL qualification. I have been teaching English for 3 years in an interesting country that has a bad rap in some circles.
KSA has beaten me before I even started.
Good luck to you all and thanks for your comments.

[Mia Xanthi]

This is probably a good decision for you. Try the Emirates...there is much more there in the way of stability and creature comforts, and you will be treated honestly and fairly. Good luck to you in your job search.

[veiledsentiments]

Or Oman, although there are some shady recruiters there too.

VS

[Citizenkane]

[lucreziaborgia]

Citizenkane, Please tell me who the decent employers are before I throw in the towel. I have read the postings on this forum, dispatched applications for work and discussed the issues with more seasoned ESL teachers than myself.
I really don't want to turn tale and run...Please oblige.

[Markemark]

Lucrezia, before you throw in the towel, have you thought about Al Yamahma College in Riyadh?

[lucreziaborgia]

Hi Markemark, No I haven't but I will this evening.
Thanks for your recommendation and I'll keep you posted. It is evening where I am and I'm eating chocolate biscuits in a plush hotel room that I moved into for a few days. The room is soundproofed and I could be forgiven for thinking that I was back home (where's that?) surrounded by little else but the silence of vast acres consisting of little else than cows and low flying crows.

[veiledsentiments]

Ah-Yamama has some serious problems. Not the least of which is an obvious lack of students. Numerous experienced teachers were axed this year... they are being replaced with MA students from SIT in Vermont who are working for a pittance as part of a scholarship program.

VS