Job Discussion Forums

[rainlover]

I've been here at AlHosn since September, and have neglected to keep posting since then. Sorry. It's been a busy 7 months, but also very good. I have to say that all the postings I read prior to accepting the position here, almost made me NOT come. I'm glad I took the chance. Since arriving at the airport, the school has been outstanding in accommodating my every need, and so helpful in getting me settled. I LOVE my apartment, and again, anything I needed was taken care of promptly. It's a small school, that's growing; and that has advantages. Sure, there are frustrations, it's the ME! But in terms of personal care and attention, the school has been excellent. I greatly enjoy the staff and co-workers in my department, and actually all the professors and instructors. The school plans family-oriented events for all staff and faculty, in order for us to get to know each other. Free! The students, well, are the same everywhere. But the school maintains strict policies, which has been helpful in dealing with classes, exams, etc. So, in the past- in the early years, AlHosn may have had issues. But these have certainly been worked out, as far as I can tell. I really enjoy it here, and can say that I'm glad I took this job. Anyone thinking of applying here, don't hesitate to consider it seriously.

[Sheikh N Bake]

All sounds fine, although I do not agree that students are the same everywhere. Not even in the Gulf.

[helenl]

second that about the students SnB!

[Darsky]

I have to agree and disagree. Certainly there is a culture that does not value personal responsibility here. But then, that also exists where I come from among the disadvantaged economic groups.

I do find that for the most part, students are students. And if their needs are understood and addressed you get better results. Unfortunately many of the systems to identify and address students needs back home are not in place here. So many of the problems we teachers face here, we face alone.

I too am very glad I came. And I'm glad to hear from others that feel the same

[mousette]

Rainlover, I am glad to hear this. It sounds as though things have improved and that is wonderful.

[Nabila]

I also have to second (or is it third) what rainlover has written. I too almost didn�t accept the University�s job offer based on what had been written here about ALHOSN in the past. That would have been a terrible mistake. Whatever problems may have existed in the past have been completely resolved: I agree that this University is an absolute pleasure to work for.

The students are indeed a challenge (in that most of them are employed full time and are simply too tired to come to class or do the work) but, as stated, the University does provide a great deal of administrative support for structuring and making appropriate demands of them. Would the students be of a higher calibre at NYU�s branch in Abu Dhabi? With a reported average SAT score of 1400+ (as I read somewhere else on this forum), I should think so.

In regard to the housing allowance (180,000 dirham per year for family), health insurance (including a zero-deductible prescription plan and dental plan), travel benefits, education benefits (for children), highly competitive salary, end-of-year bonus, annual salary increases, and end-of-contract bonuses, I just don�t see how you can do much better in Abu Dhabi (in terms of salary and benefits). Certainly, this is an employment package that I could not come close to matching back home.

My personal impressions of Dr. Sabouni (the vice chancellor) and Dr. Sheibani (the provost) are that they are both very fair, decent, and reasonable men who care very much about their employees and the future of the University.

Considering that the University is only five years old, what they have accomplished there is quite remarkable. I consider myself very lucky to be working there.

[URNAMEHERE]

Hey Nabila,

The package sounds wonderful. I wanted to know about the teaching hours, how many contact hours do you have? How many students in a class?

URNAMEHERE

[Nabila]

Base teaching hours for the doctoral level faculty are 12 hours per week. This is standard for the UAE. Some have elected to teach 15 and even 18 hours per week (but this is truly optional). Base workload breaks down to two sections (male and female campuses respectively) of two different classes (3 hours per week of face-to-face teaching for each section).

Workload for English teachers ranges from 15-18 hours per week.

Classroom size varies from 25 to 35 students.

[Warning Bells]

[Sheikh N Bake]

I've taught American college freshmen in the US, international undergraduates in the US, Bumi Putra in Malaysia, Japanese in Japan, Emiratis in the UAE, Saudis in KSA, West Africans in Africa...guess what, they're all unique in outlook, attitudes, study habits, knowledge level and intellectual maturity levels.

And so are sectors within the same country. My army lieutenants are way different from university students.

[eha]

That's interesting: how are they different? More mature; more organized?

[Sheikh N Bake]

Many are on their way to becoming helicopter pilots. They've had three or four years of higher education (in Saudi) and a lot of them also have fathers who are senior officers serving in places like Paris and San Francisco. They're much more knowledgeable and independent than college students.