Job Discussion Forums

[bertonneau]

I have just returned from Oman after 6 weeks there. While my experiences are still fresh in my mind, I thought I'd write some thoughts. TATI as an organization was OK, not horrible, but I wouldnt give them an A+ either. First the compliments, They did fly me over there. I was paid on time. I was even given a decent size pay advance upon arrival before being shipped down to Salalah (very cool of them). They had a representative who met me at the airport after 30 minutes and a phone call. The representative helped the new teachers get our resident visas and offered to be available if we needed him. Those are the goods, which generally speaking were pretty good.

Now the not so goods. I would advise anyone coming over with any recruiting organization though to watch your back and yes keep your guard up a bit. This is a haggling or nickle-dimey culture. My experience having just flown around the world and landed in a place where I didnt speak the language and where I was tired, I was quickly shuttled to my accommodation which turned out to be a cockroach and ant infested nightmare with dirty sheets in a room I had to share with two people I had never met before. I have worked overseas several times with different agencies/governments and never have I been put in the kind of disgusting place that this was. I was later told by other teachers, that I should have argued and fought for a better, cleaner place. I wrongly made the assumption that the company that had spent a good chunk of money to get me there would have had the class to put me in a moderate, but clean place my first 5 minutes in town. I was wrong. All these recruiting companies make money off us arriving and if they make a few extra dollars here and there off of us they will. Keep this in mind newbies. By our contracts, the companies are to put us up for at least 10 days/ the quality of accommodation however is up to them. I was so disgusted by my place that upon being in Oman two days I moved into the first clean nice place I could find. It was nice, but for a single person very expensive and after being there a month and looking around a bit, I then found a more reasonably priced place closer to my work. My problem was that had I felt safe and comfortable I would have probably taken that 10 days which is offered to us and made a better decision than I did out of panic and disgust at the situation. I later wrote a letter to the management in Muscat at TATI. They apologized and said that the matter would be addressed in the future.
Hopefully so, otherwise my experience with TATI, minus my one incident was moderately professional. They did respond to my requests about a few minor things and they did keep in touch when I wrote them. Do keep in mind folks coming to Oman via any of these recruiters, that given the chance them making a few extra bucks however they can, meaning at YOUR expense they will. I guess it's just part of the Omani Arab culture. This was my experince and was also backed up by several other teachers many with experince in the M.E. I discussed it withl.

[johnslat]

Dear bertonneau,

"I guess it's just part of the Omani Arab culture . . ."

Actually, it's part of the "recruiter culture," in most parts of the world.

Regards,
John

[veiledsentiments]

Isn't TATI an Indian company?

In a situation like this, the best approach is to politely, but firmly refuse to accept the housing situation. The normal situation upon arrival is to be put into a hotel for X number of days until your housing is ready... or you find housing. Shared housing is NEVER acceptable. Don't accept it.

Again, be polite, but firm. If teachers keep accepting it, they will continue to act like this.

VS

[usa_in_gulf]

TATI (Technical & Administrative Training Institute) is an Omani company; as are the recruiters Al Nawa and Globnet.

Another Ministry of Manpower recruiter, Bahwan, is an Indian/Omani venture. And the fifth, CECN (Canadian Education Centre Network) is a mixture of Canadian/Lebanease/UAE company.

One problem is that the recruiters have offices only in Muscat. Some of them hire part-time reps to help employees. And since most "normal" business in the Gulf is based on everyone taking their "cut"--whether they deserve it or not--I'm would not be surprised if these part-time PROs were getting the cheapest housing--and pocketing a profit for themselves.

Its important to note that most of these part-timers are simply young kids. As suggested, if a teacher is put in an unacceptable situation--speak up...more often than not--this should solve the problem.

[It's Scary!]

[veiledsentiments]

Ah... yes... I suppose that with the name TATI, which is such a big name in India, that it would be an Indian company. There are some wonderful tales behind how many of the companies in Oman came about. My favorite being the W.J. Towell Company.

Bahwan has always been Indian. They used to have a good travel agency, and did a wonderful job arranging my travels in India.

VS

[Sleepwalker]

Bertonneau, I see from your other post, you've left Salalah.

What was the job and the college like?

[Smooth Operator]

I'd be very interested to know your impressions too, of both the area and the university. Thanks in advance.

[c_dange]

Yes, you mentioned you were only there for 6 weeks. Do you mind sharing your reasons for coming back home?

I've also just applied for a position with TATI and I listed Salalah as my second choice, after Muscat. Could you tell us a bit more about the job and city?

[usa_in_gulf]

In my opinion, Salalah is by far the best place to live in Oman. The cost of housing is reasonable. There are tons of outdoor activities. There are a number of five-star hotels. There is the old souk. There are a number of grocery stores, etc. And it�s easy enough to find information about Salalah on the internet. (It�s important to note that I would never choose to live in Muscat.)

One aspect that is not well-known among teachers thinking of applying to teach in Salalah is the linguistic and educational background of a large majority of Salalah students. A quick survey was done at one of the colleges in Salalah. Eighty-five percent of the students did not speak Arabic as their first language. From that eighty-five percent, the majority spoke a language called Jaballi. This is a non-written language. This is what the students speak at home and with their friends. These students speak Arabic also�as a second language but their writing skills are often extremely poor in Arabic. (Arabic grammar is very difficult even for first language Arabic people.) So, they speak Jaballi at home but don�t write it. Then they go to school---and are taught in Arabic or Jaballi�depending on the teacher. Then English is put into the mix! The result is often a mess.

And don�t forget to factor in that a good percentage of these students� parents never attended school. This doesn�t help the situation.

Teaching Salalah students is not for the faint of heart! It is challenging and frustrating---but also incredible rewarding.

PS: There is a focus on increasing the number of Omani teachers at colleges. Therefore, the actually vacancies for expat teachers at some of the colleges are shrinking-that also means that the hiring process for expats is becoming more selective.

[c_dange]

[quote="usa_in_gulf"]PS: There is a focus on increasing the number of Omani teachers at colleges. Therefore, the actually vacancies for expat teachers at some of the colleges are shrinking-that also means that the hiring process for expats is becoming more selective.[/quote]

You wouldn't know it from the way they're calling for native English speaking teachers on here. I got a competitive offer just a couple of days after sending in my application. Mind you, that was for a job in Ibra...which, from all the research I've done sounds like a small and isolated place to live.

What's the visa application process like once you've accepted a job? Do they require a police and medical check?

[usa_in_gulf]

As mentioned on other threads, there are a number of reasons why a lot of hiring is going on, or more accurately, the recruiters have to �gather� a lot more CVs than in the past. Of course, you have the normal turn-over. But bigger impacts are the dramatic increase in the number of students that the government is allowing to enroll in the various colleges and the higher level of qualifications that applicants to the Colleges of Technology now need. In the past, a person could get hired with an unrelated BA and a TESL certificate, now you need a related degree in order to be considered by any of the Ministry of Manpower colleges. Also, it has become much more difficult for non-native English speakers to be approved for interviews (unless you are Omani).

If you have accepted an offer to work at one of the Colleges of Technology, the visa process is quite simple and straightforward. A letter goes from the college to the ministry saying that they want you, from whatever agency, to be part of their staff. The ministry confirms the vacancy and officially notifies your agency to bring you. At that point, the agency arranges for your visa. If you are traveling on a passport that allows you to get a visa at the airport, the agency may bring you to Oman on a simple visit visa. It is very simple to transfer from a visit visa to a work visa inside Oman. The medical and police checks are done inside Oman; if you are coming from a western country.

[thegoodprofessor]

The best thing with these recruiters is to say "No" it's not acceptable. You will have to fight them I am sorry to say. Do not accept a shared room. Do not accept cockroaches.

If you accept the first shady thing they will take total advantage of you. I have met only a few people in my life like this before coming here. I never never expected Brits to act like this. It has been shocking.

I've worked for a few of them and honestly they are all about the same, some 1/8 % better or worse than the other. They ALL will try to cheat you as much as they can get away with. IF you are nice they will take advantage of you.

They will put you in in a cockroach hotel or apt and if you complain they will somehow try to blame you. They will do anything to get an extra $20. equiv. or not pay you $5. equiv. YOU have to constantly FIGHT these people. They thrive on fighting and they will waste your time and energy until you give up.

These people will be so very sweet on the phone during the interviews but once you are here their true colors turn up. It doesn't matter if they are BRITISH or INDIAN they are the same. Schizoprhenic personalities.
The first time I arrived in this country at midnight they didn't show up at the airport until 4 hours later.

Then they put me in a cockroach hotel with a bunch of Drunk Arab men next door. I actually went back to the airport and tried to leave but there was a glitch with my PP and Visa so I couldn't even leave! Talk about feeling stuck ugh.

[thegoodprofessor]

someone told me recently that they had to pay for their visa fees and medical.

The recruiters that are bringing you are suppose to do this they are getting paid (with your money) to do this work.

No they do not need to keep your passport.

[StampLover]

Please keep the agencies separated. NO MOM agency will charge you for your visa.