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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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 Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 5:49 pm Post subject: |
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Dear Trip,
Nope - have you?
By the way, that's a question. 
Regards,
John |
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TheFellow
Joined: 31 Oct 2012
Posts: 34
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| Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 6:02 pm Post subject: |
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Cheers trips.
Re: accommodation.
Had a look around the Corniche area (Khobar) and I definitely won't be moving there. Totally unsuitable for anyone with family.
I repeat what I said earlier - anyone moving with a wife/kids, should move as near as possible to Al Rashid Mall. If your wife enjoys the simple things such as shopping/grabbing a coffee/a bite to eat/going to the supermarket, then she will have freedom to do all of that while you are at work.
As for the guy who said there's a red light there, well I walked around that whole area lots of times and haven't seen it. A guy I work with who has been in Saudi for 30 years, just laughed when I asked him. Said that's utter bs.  
Thanks for the pms guys, will tell you straight how I've been experiencing things. It's not quite hell here, as some would like for you to believe. (agendas/deliberately giving false info/ etc, etc - would folks really resort to this? )    |
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sicklyman
Joined: 02 Feb 2013
Posts: 930
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| Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 7:33 pm Post subject: |
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| Bebsi wrote: |
Modals of Advice:
If you go to Aramco with a contractor, you must do your homework very well, and you certainly shouldn't believe everything you hear. You might consider becoming proficient in Saudi labor law first.
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certainly shouldn't believe everything Bebsi says no
| Bebsi wrote: |
Unreal Conditionals:
2nd Cond.
If most of the Aramco contractors treated their instructors better, there would be a lower turnover-rate. |
Could you give us figures? Probably not. Where I work, we have had 2 teachers leave in the 6 months I've been here. Seeing as we have around 80 teachers, that's negligible. Oh, and neither of them left because of the contractor. They left because they didn't feel that their teaching was suited to the classroom conditions. That is Aramco's responsibility. It's nothing to do with the contractor. I can't speak for one of them, but the other teacher said he was leaving in spite of the contractor being very good to him.
| Bebsi wrote: |
3rd Cond.
If most teachers going to work with Aramco contractors had insisted on seeing their actual contracts in their home country before travelling to KSA, instead of the generic one that's usually given to them, they'd have never gone there. |
As TheFellow says, there is no discrepancy. Details of the contract I had in the UK were identical to those on the contract I signed when I got here.
Isn't it time posters like Bebsi allowed those of us who actually work in these jobs to represent their reality? |
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sicklyman
Joined: 02 Feb 2013
Posts: 930
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| Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 7:35 pm Post subject: |
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| TheFellow wrote: |
| As for the guy who said there's a red light there, well I walked around that whole area lots of times and haven't seen it. |
there are red lights on the water tanks outside Carrefour. Maybe that's what he's referring to. |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2013 8:05 pm Post subject: |
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| Red Light district around the Rashid Mall ? What ?????????????????? |
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Trips
Joined: 16 Sep 2013
Posts: 55
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| Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 12:35 pm Post subject: |
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| johnslat wrote: |
Dear Trip,
Nope - have you?
By the way, that's a question.
Regards,
John |
Yes. That's why I'm here.
Aramcons, can you please tell me about the time frame after the interview? |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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| Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 3:00 pm Post subject: |
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Dear scot47,
"Red Light district around the Rashid Mall ? What ??????????????????"
You're unfamiliar with it? It's not too far from the nude beaches.
Regards,
John |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 8:32 pm Post subject: |
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| You can probably find a coffee shop that lets you stay in during prayer time. Other than that.................... |
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sicklyman
Joined: 02 Feb 2013
Posts: 930
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| Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2013 9:35 am Post subject: |
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| Trips wrote: |
| Aramcons, can you please tell me about the time frame after the interview? |
I doubt you'll find any Aramcons on here. Aramcon is the term for someone who is directly hired or converted (yes that's the word) to a direct hire from contractor status.
So, to clarify, are you asking about a direct hire position or a contracted position and, if the latter, who is your contractor and what's your nationality (i.e. where are you based for the visa process?) |
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Trips
Joined: 16 Sep 2013
Posts: 55
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| Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2013 1:17 pm Post subject: |
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| sicklyman wrote: |
| Trips wrote: |
| Aramcons, can you please tell me about the time frame after the interview? |
I doubt you'll find any Aramcons on here. Aramcon is the term for someone who is directly hired or converted (yes that's the word) to a direct hire from contractor status.
So, to clarify, are you asking about a direct hire position or a contracted position and, if the latter, who is your contractor and what's your nationality (i.e. where are you based for the visa process?) |
Thanks for staying on the topic, sicklyman. I'm referring to a direct hire position, but I was unaware that "Aramcon" referred to direct employees, so to clarify I am looking for responses from anybody who has been interviewed or worked for them recently. At this point I am wondering about the process after accepting the offer, such as the amount of time it takes for a health screen, where one would obtain the health screen (in home state or with Aramco doctor back in Houston) and other stories. Is it a health screen beyond the requirements for the Saudi visa? Their site says "to our satisfaction" which is a bit vague.
Basically I'm wondering if I'm going to start making money with them in 2013 or if I need to be frugal whilst buying Christmas gifts from savings. |
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TheFellow
Joined: 31 Oct 2012
Posts: 34
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| Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2013 1:51 pm Post subject: |
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Hi Trips.
Check your pm box. |
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TheFellow
Joined: 31 Oct 2012
Posts: 34
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| Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 1:39 pm Post subject: |
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Update:
Heard from friends in another country that two of their co workers have just been offered direct hire positions. (both in Jeddah). There has been a few job ads from Aramco, advertising for direct hire positions, so it seems like now is a good time to interview.
Just about the job itself (again);
There are two tracks - ELU (basic level) and ASTU (higher level). I teach ASTU classes, and haven't had any problems with my students and classes. They actually do most of the work that I assign them. Then again, I make the effort to motivate them! Overall, I've experienced far far more challenging classes than these in previous jobs. It's a piece of cake!
There's no doubt that anyone with lots of university teaching experience (which I have) and or high school teaching experience will do very well.
However students here, do smell blood! If you lack confidence to teach the higher track (here), you may have a hard time managing your classes.
For anyone hired - don't go crying to admin if you can't manage your classes and students - take care of everything yourself. In fact, one of the top admin guys told me that teachers who manage their classes very well, are regarded as good teachers (and doing what they are paid to do!). The odd teacher who goes crying to admin is seen as weak (his words) and not being able to do the job, they are paid to do! In fact (allegedly), one teacher was transferred to one of the less glamorous locations, because of the above! 
Hope this post proves useful, for anyone thinking that the students are extremely challenging here - because they are far far from that. |
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sicklyman
Joined: 02 Feb 2013
Posts: 930
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| Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 6:00 pm Post subject: |
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| TheFellow wrote: |
| There are two tracks - ELU (basic level) and ASTU (higher level). |
While I agree with everything else TheFellow has said, I would point out a couple of things. That division into two departments may be specific to Dhahran North ITC.
Secondly, while expecting a shoulder to cry on with management is asking too much, I have been extremely impressed with the support given when you decide to crack the whip with a difficult class/student. I have never felt myself undermined (although others claim they have been) by senior teachers or principals and once even had a personal visit from the superintendent to let me know that he supported me in a particularly difficult case.
In fact, in 16 years of teaching, I've not had a better management team when it comes to support with difficult students. But, as TheFellow makes clear, that support is offered only when you are tough on individuals who challenge the system, not when you are cowed by them. |
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dr. caligari
Joined: 18 Sep 2013
Posts: 21
Location: the Checkerboard, NM
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| Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 5:30 am Post subject: |
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So, how should I cram for the interview if it goes through? I was going to brush up on Teaching English Learners: Strategies and Methods. However, it seems I should skip the the teaching, hit my wife up for a grammar book, and just memorize it.
caligari |
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