Job Discussion Forums

[scot47]

Housing is provided. You will pay for utilities. Employers in KSA are required by the Labor Law either to provide accommodation or to pay a housing allowance.

[rosalind]

I'm sorry -- I wish I'd seen this thread before I started a new one on PMU! (I don't know what the deal is; I've been scouring this and other forums for information on PMU, and there's quite a lot of it, but it doesn't always seem to turn up readily. Maybe I need to hone my search-fu...)

I'll paraphrase what I wrote in that other thread (and perhaps close it if that's best? I'm not sure what forum policy is.)

"Let It Be Known: I have searched these forums. I have read the threads about PMU (Prince Mohamed bin Fahd University, in Khobar), from years past. I have scrutinized the horror stories. I have seen the tales of ill-treatment, of unliveable housing, of incompetent and unaccountable management.

I Have Read Them. Yes.

Having read them ... The tales of horror date back, mostly, to about 2010. They are impressive. They are also six years out of date.

Can anyone give input on what things are like there now? Within, say, the past couple of years?

I've had a Skype interview. (I didn't know who it was for until it had been arranged; I'd responded to a blind recruiter ad.) I've had an offer, for the women's section of the Prep year. The terms look good.

And, yes... I've been doing my research. I see horror stories on this forum (and I'm not trying to understate how awful they do look). That said, I've also seen much more positive, more recent, reviews elsewhere.

Can anyone give updated feedback?

They've given me three days to think about it. I've asked for an extension: that's really too little time for me to do due diligence. But I do want to gather my info as much as possible, and I would be very grateful for any recent(-ish?) experiences.

Thank you very much."

[rosalind]

Some further context: I find their offer really tempting, because it _looks_ like -- if it can be relied on? -- It _looks_ like better money than it seems I'd be likely to find almost anywhere else, given the apparent recent decline in salaries, and my lack of connections or experience in the Gulf.

(I have an English BA, a Master's in a humanities field (not Ed. or TESOL), a CELTA, and 7 years of EFL teaching experience. The last five have been in a high-school setting in Japan. I _like_ teaching uni. and adults, so a university context seemed appealing to me.)

The terms of the offer look appealing:
- 14000 SAR/ month, plus 600 transportation allowance (this as well as busing to campus provided free);
- "As per PMU availability, furnished housing with basic household goods or in case of unavailability, a housing allowance equivalent to 3 basic salaries may be approved by PMU Management";
- medical insurance, annual return airfare, etc.

According to the recruiter,
"PMU provides single women, men and other faculty members with fully furnished accommodation where there is no segregation of housing. However you will have your own single independent unshared apartment. They also have a gym and swimming pool not only on compound but also on the campus."

The recruiter added (in answer to my questions):
"​In short having worked in the region and working in the Middle Eastern region for close to 8 years now, I can only assure you that PMU is one of our prestigious clients who tend to be flexible in terms of bringing on board candidates but providing them with utmost care. Also given the fact that they provide you with bus transportation from the compound to the campus and back, SAR 600 is still remitted to your account with the basic salary for your personnel use. You will be also taken to shopping trips with other faculty twice- three times a week to various malls supermarkets. You are also able to socialize with your peers and faculty from other departments on the compound as there is a recreation hall and cafeteria on compound other than the gym and pool. Men,women and children all are present there without segregation which gives it a more normal atmosphere in Saudi Arabia.
I hope this help to answer your questions. If you wish to know more, I have spent time in the region and I would love to assist you further."

She also sent me this, regarding the housing:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/128559232@N04/26902589326/in/datetaken/

... Basically, after reading this and _also_ reading all the threads on these forums about people's experiences with PMU, I feel like my head is fit to split in two -- they're like two alternate versions of the universe! _Either_ this is a good opportunity with reasonable salary and good accommodation, _or_ everything I'm being told is completely untrustworthy, these people are lying through their teeth, and I can't count on anything they say. Which is the truth? Me, I'm just trying to find a decent job, do some work, keep my head down and pay off my debts. But I don't want to find myself driven to quit, or misused, forced out and _in_ debt.

Honestly, if anyone with relatively recent experience at PMU is willing to advise I would _love_ to talk to you. I just feel like someone or something is insane in this situation, and it might be me.

Thanks so much for any help you can give.

[nomad soul]

[rosalind]

[quote="nomad soul"]

[nomad soul]

[johnslat]

My nomination for understatement of the year:


" . . . . .the month of Ramadan starts in about 4 weeks, which slows things down a bit."

Any competitors?

Regards,
John

[nomad soul]

[scot47]

Last time I looked Dammam Community College (DCC) like the parent institution, KFUPM, had only male students and teaching faculty. PMU has both male and female students taught on adjoining campuses (miles out of town)

Good place for a teaching couple.

[hash]

[nomad soul]

[rosalind]

I'd like to extend my very sincere thanks to everyone who has offered their experience and opinions to help me in my dilemma, including both those who posted here and those who took the time to message me privately. I appreciate it very sincerely, and very much.

Over the past week, I've also been able to successfully use LinkedIn to contact some current PMU teachers and receive their first-hand experiences. (This gets discussed in more detail in this thread: http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=113659 , in case anyone is interested now or in the future.)

At the conclusion of this research, I've decided to accept the job offer at PMU. The terms and conditions seem strong to me, relative to what I've seen offered elsewhere. Feedback from current and former (recent!) employees suggests that the work environment is reasonably comfortable; the students are not too bad (one teacher described the female bridge-year students as "sweet, if a little immature"); and that at least some current faculty and directors are interesting and capable people. (*Again, do note that my investigations have focused on the women's side.)

Reviews do suggest that the daily commute to campus is long (40 minutes one-way by company-provided bus), and the housing a bit hit-or-miss: some is newer/ better than others, and I can't really know what my case will be until I get there. They also tell me new housing is being constructed now, closer to campus, so that may change. They tell me that in some of the housing, Internet access is fast and reliable; in the less-new housing, it's less so, but if I'm willing to invest in an upscale Internet package, I'll still be able to get all the access I want. (This is very important to me.)

The salary should be adequate for me, given the included housing and what I've been given to understand is a generally low cost of living. And the vacation terms look very nice, actually: three breaks of a week or so during the school year (varying with Eid), and then 60 days of paid leave in the summer, with a round-trip paid flight to country of origin. (!! _That_ will be a big change from Japan!)

I gather that there should be opportunities to get out and about, though whether that will be within the area, through groups I meet there, or whether it will turn out to be confined to travel during holidays and weekend trips to Bahrain, I don't yet know.

I'm starting the visa process now. I hope I'll be able to report some updates on PMU in this forum, as I arrive and start working there. Perhaps it will be helpful to future information-seekers.

Thank you, everyone, very, very much, again. Once again, this forum has been invaluably helpful. Thank you!

[scot47]

Good luck

I see that indeed there are two institutions
Community College - Dammam
and Dammam Community College

Wow !

[rosalind]

[currentaffairs]

Internet can still be patchy despite investing in your own router. I know a number of teachers who bought routers and tell me that at certain times the connection really slows down..