Job Discussion Forums

[eha]

'Through the years I have never encountered any PhDs who were working in EFL'

Don't know about the Emirates, but there are vast quantities of them now in SQU.

[MGreen]

There are many people in UAE that have Phds teaching EFL. I wont drop names, but there are a few (many be more) that are high up in the admin of TESOL Arabia that hold (or getting) Phds and teach at the various universities in the Gulf.

The Phd holders that I worked with at UAEU were hoping to get into faculty positions. Plus there are some teachers there currently getting their Phds (in education/tesol/instructional design...) through distance, I think Exter(?).

Its not uncommon now to see.

[veiledsentiments]

In the past, the ink was barely dry on the PhD before they were off for more lucrative positions... far from the Middle East... and they made it obvious that the intention was to never teach anything resembling Foundations EFL ever again.

So, it sounds like it is NOT a good choice to go on to that PhD. I can't imagine going to all that work and expense to still be teaching basic sentence structure and subject/verb agreement. I knew that ZU was actively going after PhDs.

Just out of curiosity, eha, how many of the PhD holders are Westerners? No criticism meant, but there are fewer opportunities for many of the non-westerners in their home countries. I know one of them from North Africa and another friend has been working on an unrelated PhD.

OK guys... you say that there are a few PhDs around these days. Are they at least paying them more money at most of the places now? Or do they consider them to still be teaching courses that only need an MA so they only get MA pay...

VS

[eha]

Right, VS; quite a few are non-Westerners. But some days it seems that everyone you meet all day is enrolled on a PhD programme. And some of the topics sound absolutely fascinating--- seems to be a trend away (at last!) from Tefling and Linguistics, towards wider content: more general educational and cultural issues, for instance.

Yes, I believe a PhD does influence salary, but since the whole area of scale assessment is so opaque ---- and I may add, an extremely painful issue in my case--- I can't offer any specifics. Apart from which, no doubt you'll recall the Rule of Silence that prevails in the Gulf over the whole question of Who-Gets-What: all part of the aforementioned opaqueness ( a polite word for something else).

[veiledsentiments]

At the beginning it wasn't such a big secret and the scale was available - in fact I was provided with one along with my contract. There could have been a few people who managed to finagle an extra step or two, but they were the exception.

The good old days when there were only about 50 teachers in the LC.

VS

[Iamherebecause]

There are plenty of jobs where you don't need a PhD so if you have one it doesn't get you extra increments. However sometimes they prefer PhD holders for postions of responsibility (can be the case in UGRU) but even then they break their own rule if it's politically expedient. e.g. for years head of UGRU communications had to be a PhD holding ex-professor type, and at one stage they wanted PhD only for head of UGRU ESP as well. The last 2 PD coordinators have PhDs.

Some PhD UGRU types managed to move to faculty contracts recently, but it wasn't necessarily to their financial advantage. However they will be getting support for research and fewer contact hours.

[eha]

'However they will be getting support for research and fewer contact hours.'

You mean they'll be seen as real professionals, and not as 'technical operatives', or whatever the equivalent term is for classroom teachers, situated as they are on the Respect Scale somewhere between the cleaners and the clerks?

[Iamherebecause]

Well, even though they have diferent contractual obligations they are still hired help. And attitudes of both adminstration and students range from genuine respect to that weird demanding contempt.

But I will say that over the years here there has been a bit of a shift in attitude - fewer students focused exclusively on whether or not the teacher will adjust their marks upwards, and more who are wanting an education. And to the students it doesn't matter if you have a PhD or not. You will get called 'Miss' or 'Sir' or 'Doctor' or 'Teacher' irrespective of your status and gender (actually I have never heard of a male teacher being called Miss, but I have certainly been called Sir a good few times). I think a lot of students assume all university level teachers have doctorates...

[eha]

iamherebecause:

'that weird demanding contempt.'

I love this phrase; it's such a refreshing change from all the 'MY students are ALL simply wonderful; just call me Pollyanna' garbage that's so much a feature of intellectual discussion in the Gulf.

Could you elaborate a bit?

Does the phrase refer to those types who screech at each other in Arabic across the classroom / hallway, throwing in a few words in English so that you'll know / think they're referring to you? Or the one who said to an ex-colleague of mine: "I could kick you as easily as drinking water", because he got a C instead of an A? Or the one who behaved so obnoxiously in class to another colleague that the latter, goaded beyond endurance, shouted at him, and he wrote a letter of complaint to the Admin, WHO BELIEVED HIM, and my colleague's contract wasn't renewed? Or the (actually this was a member of staff!) one who persisted in engaging in inappropriate personal comments based on cheap gossip, to another colleague, and when the colleague complained, s/he was the one hauled in and harangued about 'appropriate professional conduct'?

Are you reading any of this, Pollyanna?

[Iamherebecause]

weird demanding contempt? Well, I mean the students who come and want to see me at the drop of a hat and get huffy when I say I am busy with something else for a deadline, but I can make an appointment tomorrow. After all I am THEIR teacher, I must make myself free for them whatever. Or the ones who can't be bothered to run a spellcheck on their work, the hired help (me) can make all the corrections. Or the ones who leave a draft and a scribbled note saying, 'here is my draft, correct it and I get it tomorrow.' Or the ones who chat through class and then complain in feedback that they we don't do enough work/their marks are too low etc. The ones who show no respect yet demand constant attention, want all the answers on a plate. The ones who give bad evaluations if you have the temerity to expect them to work (doesn't matter if there are only a few of these in a class but if they are the majority, well!!)

I had better stop. I think the situation, where I work at least, is slowly improving. Except for management - they still seem to have a 'plenty more where you came from' attitude. Hence the way nothing is done to promote retention, even though institutions demand 'loyalty' (see text of any speech by the Min of Higher Ed, passim)

As for the Pollyanna teacher types, best never to believe them - except that management does

[veiledsentiments]

Ah... thanks for the memories you two...

It was a constant problem this attitude they have of 'me first.' So many of them are so terribly spoiled though not really bad kids. Through the years it got easier to teach them some manners and enforce respect - without sending them off complaining to the top. (and they do ALWAYS go right to the top. )

But again we digress...

VS

[eha]

I like digression; sometimes it's the road less travelled that leads to the truth.
I REALLY NEED to keep hearing people say what you just said: 'And yet they're not bad kids'. (or at least not all of them) . But I need to hear it said in a tone that suggests that my reaction is valid too. It's so hard to hang on to one's humanity in the face of all the things that happen in a day, in view of what iamherbecause just said: Management believes Pollyanna.
What I have against Pollyanna is how viciously dismissive s/he can be of anything that doesn't fit in with his/her/its own ---often limited -- perception; how often the Pollyanna types can be downright brutal to colleagues while kissing up to Management and students.... Yeah, I know, VS; THIS IS NOT A LOCAL PROBLEM. It's universal. That's ok; so is education.

[Tahr]

back to the original topic,
I don't know what the starting salary is, but the top of the HCT faculty pay scale is over Dh18,000. I know because I am an HCT old timer and that is what I earn.

Another point: as far as I know, all MA holders, regardless of the subject they teach, with the same amount of seniority recieve equal pay (thankfully). Correct me if I am wrong on this.

Additionally, there are a number of doctorate holders in various faculty positions. In fact, faculty are frequently better qualified than their supervisors! HCT is eager to recruit PhDs in order to acquire accreditation with SACS in the USA.

[tiberio]

Additionally, there are a number of doctorate holders in various faculty positions.

yes, but they are on the same scale as MAs, get paid the same 150 for overtime like MAs and when they start at HCT, they will not start them above 14000, which still means at the time they join every other teacher on a BA/MA who has been around long enough will earn way more than they do.

also, there is no way to get paid to attend conferences and there is no support for research, they only like to brag with you in terms of performance indicators once you managed to publish against all odds.

in fact, when you sit around at the office for 40 hours in a cubicle, how would you be able even to do unsupported research?

also, business faculty or not, the level of teaching cannot be satisfying for a PhD ever planning to work anywhere else than HCT.

Been there, done that. Left.

[Tahr]

Absolutely right. Why would any PhD in their right mind go there?

Furthermore, it is well known that all those people working on their doctorates are not going to hang around for very long once they have their new degrees.