Job Discussion Forums

[Duffy]

Perhaps I can clarify this.

In the COAS in Salalah, we are the first to recieve tuition in the new Blackboard software (I am a fan already!!). as well as the contracted instructors, there was highly placed MoHE official who I will not name as I do not have his permission to do so. He openly requested all participants to ask anyone they knew who might be be suitably qualified, to apply online. When I pressed him about English language teachers he agreed that they may apply also.

The fact that their online registration form is not working was unknown to me when I posted, but, let me assure you that I will be seeing him tomorrow and will be appraising him of this fact. Hopefully, In'shallah, it will be put right soon, after all, it is in their best interest that it is working!!!

Duffy

[flutterbayou]

Duffy, please let your contact know that, as of 10:00 a.m. Wednesday morning, the registration log-in remains disfunctional:

Internal Server Error
The server encountered an internal error or misconfiguration and was unable to complete your request.
Please contact the server administrator to inform of the time the error occurred and of anything you might have done that may have caused the error.

More information about this error may be available in the server error log.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Web Server at mohe.gov.om

[temujinsky]

Dysfunctional web sites are the bane of every Internet user. It's the same as a dance for the very old; the participants become excited and query as to whether dis function'll bring them better luck.

[flutterbayou]

What are they putting in the water in Nizwa? Each message becomes more and more cryptic. I find you adorable and fun, TMJ, but the posts have become a little preachy as of late.

Hey, Duffy, old man - let's dance! You know, the ad interests me because they call these openings 'professional' positions... like... er... are there non-professional teaching positions, like.... ?

TMJ, the ad is not for hopefuls, but for people who can teach applied science courses beyond foundation year English, and the list of departments involved is exciting, not at all pipe-dreamish. It includes interesting programs in journalism, communications, IT, Hospitality Management, Business Administration. I'm glad more and more of these jobs are opening to native speakers.

And then there is the question of whether these 'professional' positions will end up out-clouting us paraprofesionals with MA's and doctoral studies in positions that were once coveted as 'professional'?

VS made a similar comment this week, and I now wonder if the agency placed people will end up any lower on the low end of the food chain.

A few more months will tell all.

[veiledsentiments]

flutter,

I would say positions like this have always been open to native speakers of English all over the Gulf, including Oman. It is just that the pay and benefits are so low, that they tend not to get any out in these hinterland colleges.

The TEFL department has always been at the bottom of the university food chain. Meetings in the academic departments are often known to complain and look down their noses at those of us who only had mere MAs. At SQU in the early 90's when they started to be short of on-campus housing, the first idea floated was to throw out all those English teachers who were bogging down the system. The housing should only be given to the actual educators, not a bunch of TEFL teachers. And half of these people were Westerners... looking to toss out their compatriots. When there was talk of benefit cuts... it was for the non-PhDs.

SQU made a short lived foray into using recruiters, and their teachers were paid less, had longer teaching hours, and crappy housing far away from the campus necessitating long commutes. It was a disaster with a mass of very unhappy teachers. They dropped the use of recruiters after only 2-3 years.

So, I think we MA - TEFL teachers were long ago out-clouted in academia. Which is why almost all of us in the US are "adjuncts."

VS

[flutterbayou]

It's the TESOL field, VS. Academia credits MAs in many fields as 'professional' degrees, including English and TESOL, yet pays poorly to TESOL teachers.

Those of us who are able to get beyond adjunct in the USA have degrees in other areas to help gain recognition - it's a shame, really. My fellow MA alumni were extremely gifted. Most had to move into publication, editing, and public relations to get ahead.

This is why I look forward to more hiring in these areas, VS. The expansion of the Applied Science programs in Oman provides far more opportunities then, let's say, 5 or 10 years ago.

I'm glad to read from Duffy that MOHE holds little esteem for the certificate mill credential. Let's see what happens.