Job Discussion Forums

[While I was out]

Anyone got the skinny on the Sharqiya University? I've heard there were/are issues with current staff.

When I say issues with current staff, I mean they are experiencing trials and tribulations relating to pay and holiday entitlement.

[Space Teacher]

[eslbear]

Not true, as far as I know, everyone is getting what they are owed and even slightly more in some cases - the decisions made by the current / likely ex director there are usually not approved of by the real decision makers and the right actions are being taken to correct his blundering.

[Middle East Beast]

[While I was out]

[eslbear]

Nope, my impression is that they are making amends for his unilateral and often punitive decisions - as far as I know, the issues he created have been addressed and corrected.

It's a new Uni and that comes with some hiccups to be sure but the right path is being charted. I went through some similar things when I first got here in 2004 - it seems to be pretty much the same.

eslbear

[Middle East Beast]

[Space Teacher]

Seems like a pretty big "hiccup"!

[Middle East Beast]

[eslbear]

I wouldn't read too much into it - a few teachers were on the verge of getting some heavy handed treatment - cooler heads prevailed and the right things were done re settlements etc. My contact there is leaving but satisfied.

btw, happy Ramadan to all ! Creme caramel by the kg and sleepy days for all!

eslbear

[frankincensed]

Wow, the level of misinformation and lies about ELS/A'Sharqiyah University that's coming out now is really mind-boggling. Having just completed a tour of duty there, I feel that I'm in a good position to comment (and really feel I need to for anyone considering coming out).
First, let's talk money, since it was an ongoing issue there. Everyone received their salary monthly, but it was not unusual for it to come late; I think 10 days was the worst. As for overtime (and there was a lot of it; I was doing 30 contact hours nearly the entire time), it could come over two months late. So when we learned that probably none of us would be receiving the end-of-contract vacation pay we were entitled to under Omani law, you can imagine how we felt. Several of us filed a complaint with the Omani Ministry of Manpower, followed by negotiations with the regional office of ELS in Abu Dhabi, before we finally received it (at the airport in cash, an hour before our expected departure).
How about the academic side of things? Someone's earlier comment about the Foundation Program Director being made a scapegoat certainly applies here! He is basically a capable guy, but was not allowed by ELS Muscat to make most of the changes that were so desperately needed. The program and book selection was faulty from the beginning; books were poorly chosen and there was never enough of anything. ELS blamed the university and vice-versa, therefore nothing was done about it.
But the biggest problem was certainly some of my colleagues. I have been teaching ESL since 1982 and have seen a lot of things I want to forget, but this place takes the cake. There is no real interview system; candidates are not even contacted by phone nor degrees verified. So you can imagine how we ended up with some of the most non-professional amateurs I have ever encountered at this high a level. Ineptitude in the classroom and poor knowledge of subject matter were only the tip of the iceberg. Round this out with such antics as manipulation of exams written by other teachers, including passing on the exams and answer keys to their students in advance in order to make up for their lack of teaching the relevant material, and you have a better picture. The low morale was debilitating, teachers came and went all semester, yet the worst offenders were never sacked since the Director's hands were tied (which makes me wonder about the "contact" there of a previous commenter, who is certainly employed at ELS Muscat). Teachers all live in the same apartment building, which doesn't help things (the apartments themselves are basically OK).
At any given time we had about 10 teachers and roughly 175 students; the overtime as I mentioned before was intense. Now they are expecting over 600 students and ELS are advertising for 20 teachers (they need at least 40).
With the mess that is surely coming there by October, I urge anyone who is considering coming out to Oman, or changing employers there, to run from this job like it's the PLAGUE. Oman is a great country with many fine employment opportunities and nice locations such as Nizwa, Salalah, Sur, Muscat, etc. You can do better.

[Middle East Beast]

Thanks for the insights, frankincensed. I certainly will avoid ELS/A'Sharqiyah University.

MEB

[Space Teacher]

How much can ESL "bear"????

Thanks "frankincensed" for the forthright observations, which by the way have been corroborated by other staff there.

[Sleepwalker]

"The low morale was debilitating, teachers came and went all semester, yet the worst offenders were never sacked since the Director's hands were tied (which makes me wonder about the "contact" there of a previous commenter, who is certainly employed at ELS Muscat). Teachers all live in the same apartment building, which doesn't help things (the apartments themselves are basically OK). "

This is so depressing - reminds me of my experience on a KPC contract in Kuwait.

Definitely steer clear of this one.

[eslbear]

Well, I guess Frank is right and should be taken at his word no matter what......indeed the level of misinformation may have just increased.....

Perhaps his assumptions are not correct after all, especially about who knows or does what and to whom and for whatever reasons......I have heard much different versions - ( edit) and now corroborated.

Frank seems quite defensive about this fellow who couldn't sack people Frank didn't like but also wanted to withhold his own dues? Yes, it seems the Director has spoken......quite frankly as well.

eslbear,

part-time spy, agitator and corporate shill