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Citizenkane
Joined: 14 Jun 2009
Posts: 234
Location: Xanadu
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 Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 8:21 am Post subject: Al Maarefa College Riyadh - Anyone Heard of Them? |
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They are advertising for male and female teachers:
http://www.eslcafe.com/joblist/index.cgi?read=22293
The ad is pretty vague on benefits and work conditions: all they say is that they pay between 11,000SR and 14,000SR a month which is fairly average but not great.
I'm wondering if anyone is familiar with this college at all? I know they're new (with all that implies!) but perhaps someone can give us the low-down on what to expect from them? |
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sheikher
Joined: 13 Jul 2009
Posts: 291
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Citizenkane
Joined: 14 Jun 2009
Posts: 234
Location: Xanadu
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| Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 9:30 am Post subject: |
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| Google is your friend. |
Yeah, I had thought of that thanks.
However, Al Maarefa's official website doesn't tell me much - if anything - about the reality of working there. |
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sheikher
Joined: 13 Jul 2009
Posts: 291
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| Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 9:54 am Post subject: |
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Yes, the website is less informational than promotional.
The campus is a higher education upstart which will no doubt take a few years to stabilize. Alternatively, see this as your opportunity to make an impact on a new and exciting venture for a month or two. Lesson #1 may well entail Basic Introduction to Fundamentals in Spelling and Punctuation for their Human Resources Department.
ALMAAREFA COLLEGES FOR BOTH MALE AND FEMALE
MCST is a well-known Medical and Computer Science Colleges located in Riyadh:
The colleges are seeking applicants to fill the following vacancies:
For the academic years 2010-2011
The candidates must have PHD or master degrees. The specialties required are as follows:
- Medicine and all it's branches.
- Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology.
- Applied Medical Sciences (Nursing, Respiratory Care, Paramedic, Anesthesia.)
- Basic Medical Sciences (Anatomy, Physiology, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Mathematics, and Statistics)
- Computer Sciences and Information Technology.
- English Language (Native Speakers)
Notice:
� For teaching vacancies, a PHD with 5 years experience is required and Master Degree with 3 years experience.
. For English Language teachers 2 years of experience is required with FEL and ESL (CELTA,DELTA) is preferable
Send one page of your CV to Fax: 01- 4538646
E-mail: [email protected]
Last edited by sheikher on Wed Nov 24, 2010 11:40 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Citizenkane
Joined: 14 Jun 2009
Posts: 234
Location: Xanadu
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| Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 10:50 am Post subject: |
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| MCST is a well-known Medical and Computer Science Colleges located in Riyadh: |
Well known? I thought they had just opened!
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| For English Language teachers 2 years of experience is required with FEL and ESL (CELTA,DELTA) is preferable |
FEL? What on earth is a qualification in 'FEL'?
All in all, the website looks pretty unprofessional. But that's not neccessarily a deal breaker. I know places in KSA with very slick websites yet which turned out to be terrible places to either study or work in. Let's see if anyone with actual experience of the place lets us know how things really are at Al Maarefa. |
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Linguist
Joined: 22 Feb 2006
Posts: 202
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| Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 12:30 pm Post subject: |
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| FEL? What on earth is a qualification in 'FEL'? |
An intelligent guess says a 'Falafel' (FEL) maker.
That's what TEFL means over here anyway. Get some dullards who do not get it why they are unemployed in their own countries, get them to come to Saudi to teach little darlings, make sure you tell them that they are good and valued employees otherwise they turn against you and eat you alive for having accepted to come to the sandbox. |
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sheikher
Joined: 13 Jul 2009
Posts: 291
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| Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 1:35 pm Post subject: |
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CAUTION: Is that application address [email protected] a front for an agency owned by the Director (see Linkedin above) http://pts-sa.net/ , yet another upstart in KSA's recruitment circus to partially replace the college's own human resources (hr2010) division's duties?
If so, is the agency independently registered as a business enterprise with Riyadh's Chamber of Commerce and, if it is, why is that registration number not indicated on the website?
Everyone scrambles for a cut from Saudi Arabia's edudollars!
Does the advertisement's Salary ranges from 11 � 14k SAR per month with benefits mean plus benefits or including benefits?
Would you really care to work for a company guided by its website slogan: "Be willing to make decisions. That's the most important quality in a good leader. Don't fall victim to what I call the "ready-aim-aim-aim syndrome." You must be willing to fire." -T. Boone Pickens ?
Just wondering.
Last edited by sheikher on Wed Nov 24, 2010 2:19 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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blackwellben
Joined: 06 Nov 2010
Posts: 121
Location: Saudi Arabia
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| Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 1:37 pm Post subject: |
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| Linguist wrote: |
| Get some dullards who do not get it why they are unemployed in their own countries, |
I may resemble that remark.
I've been reading this board for a while now and read a lot of sniping over usage and style, but don't read much in the way of exciting or inventive approaches. Like, say, an exercise using contrastive analysis or a participatory exercise from which the typical Saudi might not shy away.
I read many a personality on this forum negatively assert a knowledge or expertise, but I don't see the beef. |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 1:43 pm Post subject: |
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Here's one of the 'offerings' from that PTS website. Anyone interested in this course? Might be useful in the expat work environment:
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Handling Difficult People
This is a course about handling difficult people, challenging situations and confrontations. Participants learn about characteristics associated with difficult people, the origin of their behavior and how best to deal with them. Participants are introduced to a variety of effective responses, learn how to deal with toxic words & phrases, how to resolve a confrontation, how to avoid blame games and many other topics. The course is full of practical examples, case studies, exercises and role-plays. |
You might also be interested in:
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English for the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
The book by Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, has changed businessmen�s lives around the world. The material for this course is the book on cd. Here Covey explains these habits and challenges listeners to follow these key principles. This course increases student�s listening comprehension, vocabulary, improve writing, and speaking skills, and develop analysis and logical presentation in English. Learn English and change your life. |
I just love how Saudi organisation parrot the latest nonsensical buzzwords from the latest pop-psychology or pop-management skills bestseller. Covey is a particular favourite: I reckon some Saudi 'dean' or other saw him on Oprah one day and was blown away. Never mind that the typical Saudi 'manager's' idea of success involves widening his wasta network and hiding behind closed doors and various layers of minions when unpleasant situations arise.
| Quote: |
| Learn English and change your life. |
Oh... sure! |
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sheikher
Joined: 13 Jul 2009
Posts: 291
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| Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 1:59 pm Post subject: |
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| Well, Cleo, that's quite some inventive and exciting exegetical approach! |
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blackwellben
Joined: 06 Nov 2010
Posts: 121
Location: Saudi Arabia
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| Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 2:25 pm Post subject: |
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| Cleopatra wrote: |
| Never mind that the typical Saudi 'manager's' idea of success involves widening his wasta network and hiding behind closed doors and various layers of minions when unpleasant situations arise. |
You can't have it both ways Cleopatra: Dismissing the promotion of solutions to the same problems you describe.
Your description of what a "typical' Saudi manager's idea of success involves" is no less cliched than Depp's schlock. |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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| Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 2:36 pm Post subject: |
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Dear blackwellben,
"You can't have it both ways Cleopatra: Dismissing the promotion of solutions to the same problems you describe."
Sure you can - when the so-called solutions are risible. Remember Nancy Reagan's "solution" to the drug abuse problem: "JUst Say No."
"Your description of what a "typical' Saudi manager's idea of success involves" is no less cliched than Depp's schlock."
Except that Cleopatra's "cliche" is based upon lots of experience whereas the schlock is just that - and nothing more.
Regards,
John |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 4:17 pm Post subject: |
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| Why are they advertising now ? November ? What is going on ? |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 5:45 pm Post subject: |
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blackwellbenn,
I've little to add to what John already wrote. Sometimes 'cliches' are 'cliches' because they actually describe a common reality.
scot,
I was wondering the same thing: I think the ad says something about 'current positions' but it did seem that they were mainly advertising for the next academic year. Like the OP I too would be interested to hear from anyone working there now - if such people do in fact exist! |
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blackwellben
Joined: 06 Nov 2010
Posts: 121
Location: Saudi Arabia
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| Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2010 6:56 pm Post subject: |
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| Cleopatra wrote: |
blackwellbenn,
I've little to add to what John already wrote. Sometimes 'cliches' are 'cliches' because they actually describe a common reality. |
Cliches describe a common perception, not reality.
I've read this forum for a while and many consistently assert phrases like "It's a fact" and "the reality is" which are hardly constructive.
What is constructive was Sheikher's research in the matter while generalizations affirm a bias and serve a psychological need.
Your contention was management education is desperately needed, but the website in question doesn't fit the bill-- what would?
Not that I require you to answer the question. If you had an answer you wouldn't be reduced to indicting 'wasta' as anything other than another form of nepotism or 'hiding behind minions' as something other than another form of bureaucracy. You're engaged in a chauvinism and pass it off as informed opinion and you're free to do so.
Good luck with that. |
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