Job Discussion Forums

[Al-Mansoor]

despicable

[johnslat]

Dear Al Mansoor,

Yes - but something that, I'd say, goes on in most countries in the world - maybe in all of them.
It's just that some places are, perhaps, more conscientious about checking than others.
And then, in the Kingdom, there's also the "wasta factor."

"FRAUD used by TEACHERS

The most used frauds are fake degrees, diplomas or fabricated resumes. Because the demand is high for qualified ESL teachers overseas and these schools have few or no resources to check credentials many fakes go undetected. There have been estimates that 30% of the teachers in Korea used fake degrees to get jobs, and over 60 % of the teachers in China have absolutely no qualifications or have fake certificates.

The most common "Teacher Fraud" is traveling to overseas countries on a visitor visa and then teaching illegally."

http://ezinearticles.com/?Fraud-In-English-Language-Education---Keep-Your-Money-Safe-From-Criminals&id=262215

Regards,
John

[sheikher]

The most common student frauds?

School's loan tricked officials, court told
By Andrew Laxon

An international school in Auckland lent an Indian student $10,200 to trick immigration officials into thinking he had enough money to study in New Zealand, a court has heard... http://www.nzherald.co.nz/education/news/article.cfm?c_id=35&objectid=10691885


Editorial: Rogue English schools risk NZ's reputation

...Little wonder, therefore, that governments have been slow to act on persistent reports that question the standards and honesty of some of those providing export education in this country. The Weekend Herald reported that Massey University at Albany has stopped accepting students from several of the private language tuition centres that have proliferated in Auckland and elsewhere. It has found the students barely able to speak English and incapable of studying for a business degree.

Former staff of these "schools" tell disturbing tales of fraud. They say students can be given answers to test questions to ensure a pass and sometimes the centres sell pass marks to students who have failed at other schools. They call the centres "visa factories", providers of paper qualifications that help students gain permanent residency... http://www.nzherald.co.nz/education/news/article.cfm?c_id=35&objectid=10687821



Failure is not an option with pass-for-cash scams
By Andrew Laxon

Mary couldn't believe it when she told her students they'd finally flunked the course - and they just smiled.

"I'd say 'you've failed too many times, you've got to re-enrol for this paper' and they'd come to me and say 'no problem'," says the former senior staff member at an Auckland school for overseas students.

"Within two or three hours they'd just go and purchase [a pass]. They'd tell me it cost them between $650 to $1000 and they'd just get it. And there was nothing I could do." ... http://www.nzherald.co.nz/education/news/article.cfm?c_id=35&objectid=10687329


Rules for foreign schools

Private training establishments (PTEs) catering to international students will be required to meet higher standards under changes announced today by Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce... http://www.nzherald.co.nz/education/news/article.cfm?c_id=35&objectid=10688362


Teacher who wouldn't play the game
By Andrew Laxon

Judy Kraidy lost her job teaching foreign students because she refused to pass those who didn't learn anything... http://www.nzherald.co.nz/education/news/article.cfm?c_id=35&objectid=10690308

[Al-Mansoor]

We have a big issue with student fraud here in the UK. I think the new government is clamping down on it though.

[Bebsi]

[sheikher]

Heck, Mr Bebsi, management is a noble aspiration!

...It seems to me that the parents of many Saudi, Bahraini and Emirati kids instill in their sons and daughters (and particularly their sons) the idea that the only respectable career path is in management.

By all means become an engineer or doctor, they say, but use your qualifications to become a manager as quickly as possible. This way you�ll have a good salary and job security. Better still, do a degree in management, and you�ll be qualified to start managing people right away! ... http://mideastposts.com/2010/12/05/gcc-youth-and-the-false-goal-of-being-management/

[cassava]

[johnslat]

Dear cassava,

"For example, the view expressed by some Americans that the 911 attacks had been an inside job constituted a serious allegation although no individuals were named. . . . ."

Well, actually, in all the way-out conspiracy theories about 9/11's having been an "inside job," I've usually seen certain individuals named.

"As of 2010, 67 percent of the German respondents identify "George W. Bush" (27 percent) or "U.S. Authorities" (25 percent) or the "Armaments Lobby" (15 percent) as having been behind the attacks. Only 25 percent choose Osama Bin Laden while the issue of surveillance was reasonating with the German 9/11 truth movement."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9/11_conspiracy_theories

"In contrast, the 9/11 Truth Movement has discovered and/or assembled a great deal of evidence (video, audio, physical material, interviews, confessions, documentation, etc.) that argues strongly that their own theory is correct: That theory states that 9/11 was an inside job, that Bush/Cheney and perhaps 100-200 other criminals in the US government were the primary perpetrators of 9/11."

http://home.comcast.net/~plutarch/911.html

Moreover, the rules on Dave's also forbid the "naming of names," so even were I inclined to do so, my post would likely be deleted by the Mods pretty quickly.

Sorry I didn't present any data in the original post - I'm afraid I thought that anyone who had/has been working in the Kingdom for very long would know that this was (and, I'm guessing, probably still is) the case.

I certainly wasn't trying to impugn anyone's credentials; the vast majority of expat teachers in Saudi are, I'm sure, legit. But I suspect that the percentage of those with fake degrees there may be higher than in many Western countries - simply because in my experience, checking the validity of such degrees is more common (and possibly easier to do) in the West.

However, that's not to say that there aren't fakes in the West, too; I'm sure there are.

Hope we're OK on this now.

Regards,
John

[Al-Mansoor]

Speaking of conspiracy theories... what's the deal with bearded blokes finding work in the Kingdom of erm Saudi ?

[sheikher]

What EXACTLY is the deal with that question, bloke?

[Bebsi]

[sheikher]

Fake degree business booming in the Kingdom
By Sameera Aziz Saudi Gazette

Recently, 70 Saudis were reported to have purchased or attempted to purchase fake university diplomas in the United States spurring the Saudi education authorities to launch an immediate investigation inquiring whether there were Saudis and expatriates holding counterfeit certificates working in the Kingdom... http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2008091317128&archiveissuedate=13/09/2008


No bogus teachers in universities, says Anqari
By Saud Al-Barakati

JEDDAH � Khaled Al-Anqari, Minister of Higher Education, has denied that any Saudi universities or other institutions have employed staff with bogus degrees.... http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2008101619294&archiveissuedate=16/10/2008


Unaccredited university �preys� on students through Internet
By Salem Al-Jahni

JEDDAH � A group of Saudi students claim that they have been preyed upon by a fake university functioning in an upmarket district in Jeddah.
The management of the fake university has succeeded in luring hundreds of students by promising them everything under the sun including bachelor degrees in rare specializations, the students allege... http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2009030330975&archiveissuedate=03/03/2009


Blacklist �bogus universities,� says Shoura Council member
By Na�eem Tamim Al-Hakeem

JEDDAH � A member of the Shoura Council has proposed drawing up a blacklist of �bogus universities� to help people seeking genuine academic qualifications avoid being duped into investing time and money in worthless certificates while also exposing those intending to pass themselves off as bearers of valuable knowledge... http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2009073045217&archiveissuedate=30/07/2009


Abu Riyalain shops for any Master�s or Ph.D. degree
By Fahad Al-Abri

IT no longer needs effort. If you wish to get a Master�s or a Ph.D. degree in any subject it�s very simple. All you have to do is get the number of one of the outlets that we call �Abu Riyalain academic shops� spread in some cities of our country. They will grant you Master�s and Ph.D. degrees in various disciplines... http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2009121757289&archiveissuedate=17/12/2009


Haram to sell and buy fake certificates, says Grand Mufti
By Na�eem Al-Hakim

JEDDAH � Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah Aal Al-Sheikh, the Kingdom�s Grand Mufti and Chairman of the Board of Senior Ulema and the Permanent Committee for Islamic Research and Ifta, has declared haram the practice of buying and selling forged educational certificates.
He warned people about dealing with foreign universities which offer such certificates. �It is impermissible to deal with these universities, whose education services are based on cheating and deceit.� ... http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2010052172976


Council seeks help from security authorities to arrest fake doctors
By Abdullah Al-Maqati

DHULUM � The Saudi Council for Health Specialists is seeking help from security authorities to arrest doctors with fake degrees, said Director of Public Relations Abdullah Al-Zahyan... http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=2010072078617&archiveissuedate=20/07/2010

[johnslat]

Now here's a coincidence:

"MILWAUKEE � He seemed like Superman, able to guide jumbo jets through perilous skies and tiny tubes through blocked arteries. As a cardiologist and United Airlines captain, William Hamman taught doctors and pilots ways to keep hearts and planes from crashing.
He shared millions in grants, had university and hospital posts, and bragged of work for prestigious medical groups. An Associated Press story featured him leading a teamwork training session at an American College of Cardiology convention last spring.
But it turns out Hamman isn't a cardiologist or even a doctor. The AP found he had no medical residency, fellowship, doctoral degree or the 15 years of clinical experience he claimed. He attended medical school for a few years but withdrew and didn't graduate.
His pilot qualifications do not appear to be in question � he holds the highest type of license a pilot can have, a Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman said. However, United grounded him in August after his medical and doctoral degrees evaporated like contrails of the jets he flew. He resigned in June as an educator and researcher at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich., after a credentials check revealed discrepancies, a hospital spokeswoman said."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101212/ap_on_he_me/us_med_fake_doctor

As I mentioned - happens everywhere. But at least this guy seems to have been a pretty competent fraud.

Regards,
John

[Al-Mansoor]

I suppose this highlights the importance of conducting a thorough background check and actually contacting the referees noted on the application form.