Job Discussion Forums

[althompsone]

Yo,

I meant to post this earlier. Not sure how much of a potential problem this would be for prospective candidates, but anyway...

Was offered job in KSA with INTERLINK (in conjunction with English Gate Academy and for a contract they have with technical colleges there). About a month ago now.

Having insisted on asking a lot of questions about the contract, it turned out that if handing in your notice, i.e. breaking contract, you'd have to reimburse the 'remaining' cost for the accommodation. I asked for confirmation that this meant the period of time during which the employee would have been provided with accommo from that point onwards (as opposed to accommo already provided). Sounded like the latter, but they just got back asking if I'd got my visa sorted yet.

Anyway, the warning is that this wasn't directly outlined in the contract. Given that I'd never been to the ME before, I felt I couldn't really take the chance if breaking contract was so costly (though reimbursement of flights and visa in such a situation seemed tolerable). The fact that this wasn't really outlined in the contract spooked me a bit as well in any case.

Experienced Middle-Easters may tell me that this is simply par for the course, but from a prospective beginner's point of view it was far from obvious (and this post can probably be taken as advice for anyone who's been offered their first ME job).

I add, of course, that I cannot comment in any way on INTERLINK as employers. They could be great employers for all I know, though they seemed to be really rushing me out there, which wasn't a manner in which I wanted to be going out to start my first job in KSA.

[johnslat]

Dear althompsone,


"Experienced Middle-Easters may tell me that this is simply par for the course . . . ."

Not par for my course - and not for anyone I ever knew over there. This is completely novel to me (but, given how the situation's been deteriorating, I guess I can't say I'm surprised all that much.)

Regards,
John

[Middle East Beast]

No, this is definitely not par for the course.

Interlink has always been a question mark for me anyway. I wonder what other surprises they may have in store once you're there. They seem to advertise a lot; maybe a red flag in this case.

Be careful.

MEB

[veiledsentiments]

I have never heard of such a thing. Just another reason to avoid Interlink. With any luck they will get no teachers if they are going to be pulling this kind of CRAP!!

Standard procedure in the Gulf, with even most of the shady employers, is that the contract give you the procedure for leaving early... which normally is a 6 months/one semester notice. And you don't have to pay anything back. (the exception to this is if the employer gives a furniture allowance that declines over the contract period - which is not common)

Tell them to stuff it.

VS

[It's Scary!]

[johnslat]

Dear It's Scary,

Wazzup, Dog?

"It's just me holding the line, is it? (Psst...that's known as a "tag question"!)"

But . . . but shouldn't that be

"It's just I holding the line, isn't it? (Psst...that's known as a "tag question"!)




Regards,
John

[It's Scary!]

[johnslat]

Dear It's Scary,

Using an object pronoun after a linking verb??? Well, who am me to correct you?

Regards,
Prescriptivist John

[Middle East Beast]

Call me squirrelly, but...grammar lessons...really???

You guys are driving me nuts!!!

MEB

[It's Scary!]

[johnslat]

Dear It's Scary,

"It's the exception that proves the rule!"

I'm crying Fowler:

"Fowler objects to the misuse of this proverb because it implies the following two beliefs:

1. Exceptions can always be neglected.
2. A truth is all the truer if it is sometimes false.

It was in objection to this misuse that Arthur Conan Doyle had his famous detective Sherlock Holmes utter the statement "I never make exceptions. An exception disproves the rule."

All rules have exceptions, except the Exception Rule."

Regards,
John

[yrsammit]

If you got the contract I saw, it does basically say in it that you have to repay them for the costs they spent on you if you quit. Caused more than a few raised eyebrows from teachers returning from last year, and was one of the reasons I was decided on not coming back.

That being said, I've spoken with a few guys over there and they all have mostly positive things to say about the company and the program, especially compared to last year. Plus they're paying much better!

[It's Scary!]

[Middle East Beast]

Finally...now I can get back to my pecans!

MEB

[johnslat]

Dear MEB,

And how do you pronounce that: pea-CANS, PEA-cans, or pea-Caaans?



Regards,
John