Job Discussion Forums

[I Rub Ruchi]

I am curious as to how things have worked out with this program? Are they recruiting? How many new teachers? Have salaries been cut?

Thanks.

[allyp]

Yes they are recruiting. The program has been restructured, yet again, and wages have been cut, yet again!

[Zoot]

The project came close to being closed down at the end of the 2008 - 2009 school year, but had a last minute respite due to the economic downturn. If you wanted a year in the UAE, they'd be ok to be hired by. They're definitely running for another year.

[gatter]

Since Zoot and others seem to know a little more than what we can find out I'd like to hear more about the status of MAG. We had a contract that we throughout checked out, were given tentative flights, so rented our house and invested thousands in moving animals etc. once everything appeared a go. Then we get a "stop everything" while we wait on the ministry (three weeks ago). We and 25 other new hirees are in terrible situation of not knowing if this is all going through. There are few jobs out there although there's some pressure on us to have my husband cancel his retirement and stay here (our last option).

I've heard this happened in 2007 but would like any scuttlebutt (which we can't get through official channels) about MAG. We have a contract from 7/31 but was suppose to arrive the 15. We are camping out, losing sleep and wondering whether to wait patiently or serously look for alternatives.

[Zoot]

Cancel the retirement and stay put or wait to see if you do get the job and live with the understanding that it's likely to be for a year only.

[allyp]

It could be as simple as something to do with the delay of the school start until september and someone deciding to save some mioney. You will get paid from when you arrive in the UAE not your contract date.
Or it could be something worse, like canc of MAG but I doubt if that's happening.
Or ... something in between

[Rock Hopper]

Heard MAG program has been cancelled. Staff disbursed. MOE failed to notify hired staff that their contracts are but a nightmare. Have heard of some distressing situations people have been left in. MOE has not done the UAE any favours with its attitude to these people they hired, gave contracts to and now pretend they do not exist. Failure to communicate or offer any explanation will bite them on the arse in the long run.
Rover in Time

[allyp]

Really??? The whole program cancelled? ... or new hires cancelled?

[allyp]

The following article was in the National a while back. May have something to do with MAG. I know those who wanted to stay on with MAG this year had to accept a pay cut. Not sure if the following is refering to MAG or not.

Administrators say salary disparities led to contention,
More than 50 employees of the Ministry of Education will leave their posts today after their contracts were terminated last month amid complaints over salary disparities. But a former senior consultant at the ministry who helped craft the compensation packages for some of the workers said the higherthan-usual salaries were necessary to lure qualified applicants from western countries. Administrators at the American University in Dubai, who had been drawing up contracts and assisting the ministry with management of human resources, said they notified the executive council in Dubai last year of the �exaggerated� value of consultants� contracts. They pointed to inconsistencies in pay scales across the university contracts for consultants and administrative staff at the ministry.

The university started drafting ministry contracts in August 2006 after a request to help manage human resources.

Elias Bou Saab, executive vice president of the university, said: �The entire system, the mechanism of hiring these people and the decisions that were made on how much they get paid, was not appropriate in my opinion and the universities opinion, and we felt that we should raise that issue, which we did on more than one occasion, and in the end we decided to say that we�re not going to continue.

�There were issues in the beginning with the first group that they brought, but it was minor and controlled because the numbers were five, six, or seven,� Mr Bou Saab added. �And then it grew out of proportion since January or February.�

Dr Vincent Ferrandino, former head of the department of policy and planning at the ministry, said the university dealt with the consultancy contracts in his department.
�There was an agreement that the ministry made with the American University Dubai to transfer money from AUD to cover our contracts,� Dr Ferrandino said, adding that the university drafted the contacts because they were accustomed to dealing with expatriate packages.

Dr Ferrandino was hired in 2006 to create a department charged with shaping the agenda for federal education reform. He said the six consultants he hired were brought to the UAE at the same salaries they had been earning in their home countries.

�We were asking people to take on a position halfway around the world, away from family and friends; if we were asking them to do that and take a salary cut, I wouldn�t get a lot of good people,� Dr Ferrandino said.

�If you�re comparing those salaries to what people in the UAE are paid, there probably is a discrepancy. But that�s not the base we were operating from.�

University administrators said they raised the issue with Dr Hanif Hassan, then the Minister of Education.

� Hanif Hassan took a decision that we shouldn�t overpay,� Mr Bou Saab said, �but then the decisions were coming from somewhere else, not Hanif Hassan.�

[Rock Hopper]

At the time allyp, this article I drew to the attention of a couple of "new hirees" , later events confirmed their worse fears.
When a few people died in hospitals a couple of months ago it appears the Minister of Health was transferred to Education according to the newspapers at the time. Reading between the lines and from what I have gleaned those involved in running MAG have gone back to their previous positions, if they had one, otherwise given the flick. MOE has not informed the "new hirees", who have been left stranded, as to what has occurred and has remained silent when contacted by them. Fortunately for the MOE there is plenty of sand in the UAE.
Not having had the pleasure of visiting a hospital to see what standards are like, I'm not sure if the new Minister will provide a like service for schools.
I am reminded of a "chook" running around with out its head in attempting to address the problem of English speaking Emirates.
Rover in Time

[Noor]

Maybe Deborah can tell you something. Her email is at the bottom of the front page.

http://www.deborahswolf.com/801.html

[Rock Hopper]

Thanks Noor. Will do much appreciated.

[veiledsentiments]

Well... considering that her blog lasted for less than a month from first entry to... crickets...

It would appear that things didn't go well for her in 2008.

VS

[allyp]

No, DW ended up in head office in 2009 with Special needs unit. Not sure if she kept her job this new school year.