Job Discussion Forums

[steppy-boy]

Well, for all those who sing the praises of the recruiter Abdul Majali, let me just say that three teachers he hired for Sohar College last year have had their contracts terminated recently, and this in the middle of an academic year. So whatever they did or didn't do must have been serious for the College to fire all three at the same time.

Well done Abdul. You really know how to pick them!!

Yes, sites like this have forced recruiters and employers to be a little more diligent as to who they employ and to treat the new teachers with proper care and attention. However, the key word here is a "little".

[veiledsentiments]

Three out of how many? If it is 3 of 3, that is pretty bad... if it is 3 of 10 or more, then it is not that far out of the norm.

Vetting is always the weak point for the recruiter system. When you are paid by bodies provided, you provide what shows up in your inbox. Since the education and experience required is low, it is much more difficult to find out if they will be up to the job or not.

How is the housing situation in Sohar now? Are teachers able to find flats in their budget?

VS

[Duffy]

Steppy Boy, Buddy,

There is always a "drop out" zone. Even those directly employed Instructors, chosen by the various Ministry's have their share of problems.

It is a fact of life, some like being here some don't. Some can teach, some cannot.

Thats life

Duffy

[eha]

Some can play the game(s); some cannot.

[4 wheel drive]

Hey Steppy-boy,

Well that makes 4 people....Only I was terminated while on emergency leave out of the country of Oman on December 10th and Majali gave all of my belongings to a new teacher that moved in my apartment.

Nice Job Majali!


I hope your Ministry contract gets cancelled because you deserve it.

If you do not show respect to teachers coming here to Oman then it is up to the Higher Education Ministry to stop using you as a recruiter.

[veiledsentiments]

[Zajko]

It's never ceased to amaze me how many EFL teachers in the Gulf over the years seem to feel they have a God-given right to (a) behave in a manner which would be considered totally unprofessional in any country or society, and then (b) whinge and whine to all and sundry when their employer eventually reciprocates in like manner or fires them for it.

Whilst there are cases of people who actually have been unfairly treated by an employer, in my experience they're less common in the region than many claim, and far outweighed by the numbers of EFL teaching staff who use and abuse their employer's goodwill and hospitality, and then still see fit to complain about this afterwards. Often these are people who turn out to have screwed up or absconded on each and every prior position they've had in their home country or elsewhere, and seem to make a habit out of drifting from place to place moaning about how their last employer treated them like dirt.

The vast majority of us in this industry (including most of those reading or posting on these boards) do not fall into this category, of course, but I'd be surprised if anyone reading this who's worked in any kind of 'regular' teaching environment in the Gulf for any length of time can't think of one or two people they've known who'd fit this description like a glove.

[Miss TESOL]

Absconding--do they post ESL absconders pix too?

They used to post pictures in the newspaper of so-called "absconders" in the UAE, usually Indians, Bengali's and other apparent victims of human trafficking. It seems to me the very definition of "abscond" is different in the GCC from a Western interpretation. Many employees are forced to leave their jobs/employers due to intolerable circumstances (salaries witheld, passports witheld, physical abuse, etc.). ESL teachers have been known to abscond in the sense of "taking something" with them (unpaid loans, for example). That's clearly wrong. But if employers aren't willing to provide a certain measure of dignity and job security, they shouldn't be surprised if it slips "their" workers minds to ask "permission" before leaving. Reminiscent of slaves in the US, prior to emancipation, forgetting to ask the massa's permision to "follow the drinking gourd".

From http://www.wordwebonline.com/en/ABSCOND

Verb: abscond ab'sk�nd or ub'sk�nd

Run away; usually includes taking something or somebody along
"the accountant absconded with the cash from the safe"

- bolt, absquatulate [N. Amer], decamp, run off, go off, make off
Derived forms: absconds, absconding, absconded

See also: absconder, abscondment



As a sign of progress, see also

Al Mazeina hails court decision
By Alia Al Theeb, Staff Reporter
Published: January 24, 2008, 00:06

Dubai: People who issue employment visas for women to work as housemaids on behalf of other parties will be accused of human trafficking, not visa trading, a senior police official said . . .

from http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/08/01/24/10184363.html


Does it count as absconding when a victim of human trafficking bolts for freedom?

MissT

[Stephen Jones]

The photos of absconders you see in the Gulf papers are normally of salesmen or others in positions of responsibility. They have either run off with company money, or the company wants to avoid being held responsible for any contracts they have entered into post absconsion.

[Zajko]

You are right to point out that there are many victims of employer abuse in the Gulf and elsewhere around the world who could hardly be blamed for 'absconding' or whatever else we choose to call it. However, the situation of a poorly paid and abused housemaid or building worker (for whose potential 'absconding' I have every sympathy and understanding) is not, in all honesty, remotely similar to that of any but a tiny minority of Western EFL teachers in the region - if, indeed, any at all.

Yes, human trafficking, sexual abuse, forcing of employees to live in atrocious conditions, withholding of salaries and various other privations are serious concerns and problems for workers of a number of nationalities and in a number of industries around the world. We all need to be aware of this, and most of us who've worked in the Gulf for any length of time are. But this category of abused and victimised slave-labourers doesn't, by and large, include EFL teachers: which is what we're discussing here on this, an EFL / ESOL discussion board.

[Miss TESOL]

Yes, of course. But aren't such attitudes toward workers a problem in general whether they are economic refugees or of the privileged, educated, profesional workforce?

BTW--in my own experience, I've heard supervisory staff (Westerners) in the Gulf referring to the ESOL "slavemarket", half-jokingly, but really getting a laugh about it.

The mindset in many places seems to be as follows: lure the workers of whatever profession into a compromising position, once they're here make them as dependent as possible upong the management to prevent absconsion, then extract as much possible labor from said workers at the lowest possible price for as long as possible. Repeat process once worker dies, becomes ill, disruptive, or otherwise unprofitable (yes, I know, this happens in many countries).

Would you consider it an abusive practice to bring ESL teachers to the GCC on temporary visas, never coming thru w/ a residence visa so as to maximize profit and minimize liabilities for the institution? If the employees complain, just terminate them. After all, they're here illegally--another bit of leverage for the employer. Talked to a friend in Saudi recently in this circumstance. He was with an institution under the Royal Commission and had to do a runner so as not to be found in the Kingdom illegally overstaying a visit visa. It was supposedly coming, but not in time to keep this teacher from doing a "runner".

Guess I was just questioning the use of "absconder" in reference to workers who leave a position, but don't actually take anything when leaving. Glad to hear from Stephen that TEFLers' photos aren't generally posted following absconsions (is that a word?), not that I myself was considering absconding at all. I'd prefer they had a nicer picture in any case than the one on file, or at least touch it up a bit

MissT

[Zajko]

There's one huge and vital difference here in the roles of Western EFL teachers and those less fortunate, unskilled workers in the other industries mentioned: the fact that these EFL teachers are 'privileged, educated and professional' means that they can up and leave whenever they want and get a comparable job elsewhere without hassle. In short, we're here because we choose to be here rather than because we have no other way of feeding our families.

EFL teachers in Saudi, Oman or anywhere ese in the Gulf are not 'lured' into a 'slavemarket' (despite jokes about the term, which only serve to denigrate those who actually are in such a position) nor are they generally 'abused' or otherwise taken advantage of. Most of us in the region have cushy, relatively well-paid jobs which allow us plenty of free time, extensive holidays, free travel, airfares, bonuses and light workloads. A western EFL teacher employed illegally under a 'visit' visa is not in such a situation because he has no choice but rather is in a position to ensure, as a professional, that he knows the realities of his own situation and plans accordingly. Anyone working on a visit visa knows it's technically illegal and is aware that they are potentially taking a risk - as is their employer, who cannot escape the situation (as the teacher can, at any time) by 'doing a runner.'

Of course there are employers who are out to maximise their profits - in any regular, money-making EFL institution that's a part of the equation and nothing wrong with that per se. Likewise most of us who work in the region are out to 'make a profit' too. Let's not kid ourselves that we all come to Saudi solely in order to improve the population's educational standards and the money's not important to us.

There are moral employers and immoral employers, just as there are moral and immoral teachers. But EFL teachers in the Gulf are not a downtrodden bunch of economic refugees cowering under the whip of oppressive and aggressive masters. They are adult professionals who have made a choice to be where they are, fully informed and free and able to go elsewhere and do otherwise at any time. And in all too many cases, when something goes wrong, it's the employer who gets the wrong end of the deal as much as or more than the teacher.

[Stephen Jones]

[Duffy]

Last year, here in Salalah an employer (Private ESL Scool) posted an Absconder notice about a teacher who he claimed had done a runner.

This was despite the fact that the person was still living and working in the city and the ex-employer knew exactly where this person lived. The civil case is ongoing and all will be revealed about this obnoxious owner when it has been settled.

Duffy

[Stephen Jones]

If the guy had left the country, the employer would have been wasting his money putting in an ad.