Job Discussion Forums

[redeyes]

Well, judging from the current thread, many of us have experienced office witch hunts, isolating mind games and the antics of the office back stabbers at some time in our careers -- clearly, that's a fairly common experience we have all had at one time or another. EFL brings out some good points in people -- and it encourages some real lowest common denominator types too, and I mean that without spiteful, or trolling intent -- it's simply often true, as I am sure many of you will agree.

So, I'd like to pose the next logical question -- when it happened to you --how did you deal with it? That's a genuine question, not a facetious one.

In my 18 years in EFL environments, it has happened to me too -- my response nowadays? Read your Macchiavelli, read your Sun Tzu, grow a very thick skin -- and ignore them with the contempt they usually deserve. If they persist, turn their vicious , poisonous mind games and atmospheres right back on them -- with intent -- and trip them up with the same strategies they employ.But don't waste too much time on it. Life's too short, and the types of people who indulge in low life gossip for the dubious "pleasure" it affords them, simply aren't worth wasting too much thought on.

They want their targets to waste time worrying about that they are saying, and they want their targets to be preoccupied with their tale bearing -- don't give them that pleasure.

After all -- if they are creeps, what does it matter to be disliked by them? Why is it alienating to be marginalised -- by people who are creeps? It should be a pleasure to walk alone amongst creeps! And if what they are saying isn't true -- well, who cares? The only people who'd believe their tale spreading anyway -- would be other creeps too, and people not worth bothering about.

[rocketchild]

I have to say that as a teacher, I respect all negative comments posted here hahaha..WHY? Because lets face it. They are usually true. And just because we can bare the negative stuff, doesn't mean another teacher is coping as well.

And not coping is not the same as not being a valid point.

I think it is true to say that all jobs without exception in the Gulf come with a large degree of backstabbing never seen in other parts of the world. Now don't hate me but I do believe it is connected to the culture of the Middle East. Just look at the history and politics.

This Uni in question does offer a lot in terms of a package, and dare I use the word 'standards'. Still at an extremely low level to what we are used to, and I think as teachers we never get over being shocked that we are working in such wealthy Uni's with such pretense and so many lies.

I think 'redeyes' has high standards and wishes they could find a decent place to work in the M.E. It is hard darling, really hard. Wait, no it's impossible.

Impossible in terms of 'our' standards that is.

Take away all the shiny buildings, the Ferraris etc...and you have sand and some camels and a deeply tribal socitey where tradition and family names rule. That is where you are.

I think when a teacher is in Africa and sees the poverty, and simplicity it is easier to process the situation. I think mentally, it is very hard for a Westerner to see the UAE as not a modern society.

I always have a great laugh when I leave Dubai and meet people back home and tell me how modern Dubai is from photographs of hotels they have seen. They have never been there yet have firm ideas on what it must be like. When I say, it is a deeply tribal society which follows SHARIA law, and show them photos of the poorer areas, the ghettos i call them, they are shocked and say, "THIS IS DUBAI? How is that possible?"

My best comparison is a place like Hong Kong, dire poverty and extreme wealth.

Redeyes, try to accept that it is never going to be a modern forward thinking democratic environment for education or life in general. Not in our lifetime. When you accept any job in the ME. Here is the best advice given to me by an American Army employee when they were transfered to the M.E.

He said, life in the ME is really different than anywhere he has been transfered to. He said, for some reason the expats are twistedupinside etc.. Don't trust anyone he said. For the first 3 months keep all private info about yourself private, and don't confide in anyone who tries to befriend you. Take your time in getting to know people. Go slow, really slow. After six months you will understand what I mean.

You know what, he was dead on.

I have made great friends in the ME. But never have I met so many people with so many sides to who they are. I do have a few stab wounds.
But they have healed, and I have moved on all the wiser. At the time, it hurt so much I thought I was losing it.

When someone posts about having a hard time at a place of work I don't think good advice is 'please leave then'. This is horrible advice.
Better to encourage the person to find some personal happiness outside of work, and to think about if being there is good for their mental and emotional health. If they chose to stay that is their business. And if they chose to post the truth about the dark side of the company, I would rather trust this person than a person who says it is amazing.

We know so many lackeys for management do try to come on to these boards and counter act the truth, that I just can not stand those lies. I prefer the truth, no matter how ugly it is.

[Iamherebecause]

Gnocchiman said

[redeyes]

RC wrote --

" I think 'redeyes' has high standards and wishes they could find a decent place to work in the M.E. It is hard darling, really hard. Wait, no it's impossible."

Not at all true RC -- As a middle aged cynic, and a teacher who has been in the classroom all over the world for 18 years, like you, I have found that there is no such thing as a "perfect" or "ideal" school -- just a succession of compromises.

Having said that, some of the compromises I have had to make over the years, were not so bad really. Some were very fair or pretty reasonable compromises.

Most were workable.

That's all a teacher can hope for really imho, unless they get really lucky ( Few and far between imho, but it can happen) and land a job which really fulfils them professionally/personally, and gives them a really good remunarative deal.

For the most part on these threads I compare notes, read, watch , absorb and learn.

[veiledsentiments]

[Gnocchiman]

[al bidarnd]

[windstar]

[veiledsentiments]

Not to mention that there isn't a major city in the world that doesn't have ghetto areas that should be an embarrassment to the government concerned.

Plus, I don't believe that any of the Gulf countries are ruled by Sharia law. I think that only Iran and Saudi (maybe Afghanistan?) follow strict Sharia law. Most other Muslim countries follow Sharia for family law, but you don't see beheadings, stonings, or hands being amputated - outside of those three. Their business/banking laws don't follow Sharia.

VS

[Stephen Jones]

[johnslat]

I know that Wikipedia is scorned by some as an "unreliable" source, but I've read through the entry on Sharia law there, and it seems to be to be accurate (to the best of my knowledge), very informative, and darn long.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharia

[ShaikhRattleandRoll]

[\quote]Normally UGRU English has a PD day at the end of the year but this year it couldn't get its act together (too busy making all the middle managers play musical chairs, I guess).[/quote]

Does this mean that most management positions are occupied by the same people and they just swap around? Someone else mentioned that positions have recently and somewhat unethically (from the sounds of it) become vacant. Which is accurate? I can't seem to get that nice quote box to work.

[Iamherebecause]

[boondoggle]