Job Discussion Forums

[YepItsMe]

Hello all!

I am new to the forums, but I've been reading through a bunch of postings about the city and the University of Buraimi. I've read all of the 5 million negative things and the 2 good things about it (ok...I might be a BIT hyperbolic here, but seriously...I've read those debates - I don't need any more of that) and I still have a few questions.

First, in the middle of all those good/bad debates, I read that the structure of the program at UoB was changing. Unfortunately, the last post I found on that was a little while ago and was a bit unclear. The person I interviewed with said that UoB is not working with another company any longer. Is this true? Is there only one program? Will this affect anything anyway? Just trying to get to know the place I'd be working.

Second, accommodations are not included in my package. I've read that I should be able to find an apartment for 180 OR or less, but I can't find anything ONLINE. I'm a bit of planner, and I'd like to have at least some idea of where to look since I'll only have 3 nights in a hotel. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Or, does anyone know of a female teacher looking for a roommate? I'm only messy in my own bedroom.

Third, what's the social scene like? I'm a social person, and I'm a bit worried about living in a small place. I know it's right on the border of Al Ain, which is considerably larger, but I'm worried about the cost of getting to Al Ain/anywhere in the UAE on a regular basis. On that note, how much is a border pass, and what does one have to do to obtain it?

Fourth, how much should I expect to spend on a car? I've been told I'll really need one, but I don't know how much they run there, if there are places to get good used cars, or what.

Last, if the contract says between 18-22 contact hours, can I really expect to be out of there with just those hours along with office hours? I mean obviously I'll expect to do some things here and there, but I'm not going to get there and be required to be there 30+ hours a week or anything am I?

Thanks in advance everyone!

[CANDLES]

1) Buraimi is a 'hick' town! Nothing there apart from Buraimi Hotel and UOB.
2) Good thing there is, it's on the Border with AL Ain- but you would need a exit/entry visa to get in an out of the country- meaning Oman to UAE and vice versa. No Problem! You can get the exit visa from either from the main Police Station (if they've decided to have the visa dept. reinstated) or you will have to go to Al Jizi Police (Border point when you drive into Buraimi).
3) After registering and eventually getting a Residency visa- you can get a Border Pass - not sure what the price of that is - UOB will let you know.
4) UOB HR will put you up in a hotel for 3-5 days and will also take you round to see the various apartments. Apartments are usually 1 bedroom -fairly big , but you might get a 2 bedroom apartment. No need to share. Rent is between 180-200 OMR pcm -all bills you have to pay. Your salary should reflect this. Going to UOB from your apartment should you cost no more than 100 Baisa....
5) As UOB are not sharing teachers with another company anymore, you will probably get a decent flat within a taxi distance. By the way you can walk the whole of the Buraimi area in 2 hours!
6) UOB work from 8 till 4
7)For your internet connection- you can buy USB stick or get a line from Omantel- takes time!
No shops as such--- BIG corner shops selling everything you need, but
don't expect fancy things. All MOD cons. though, but still not city enough.
9) There is a LULU and various shops in the complex, plus a cinema -which is surprisingly very upto date...so you can't go mad.
10) Over the w/e you can take a taxi to Sohar or Muscat.. approx 5 OMR and 10 OMR respectively. Negotiate!! But the rest of the teachers will tell you the ropes so don't worry.

Can't remember what else you asked, but hope this helps.

[veiledsentiments]

You may very well be expected to be at your desk whether you are teaching or not. Gulf employers are famous for making teachers sit about 35-40 hours a week... even when the students are not around and there is nothing to do. At least these days there is the net to keep you occupied.

I will warn you that a new teacher in Al Ain has mentioned to me that she is dying of boredom and the upcoming year, she is planning to head to Dubai or Abu Dhabi or Oman most every weekend to save her sanity. One needs to be rather self-sufficient and able to occupy oneself in this part of the world.

VS

[CANDLES]

Yep... that's what I meant- from 0800 till 4pm- a teacher has to be on campus.
Teaching (English) is normally finished by 2pm (if it hasn't changed...) then one sits about or sleeps till 4pm!!!

As for going off to Al Ain/Dubai----you have to have a visa or a pass to get across the border... Please Remember That... It is NOT strolling across the Border check-point.

[lizziebennet]

Hi there,

At present UoB is still working with ELS but the contract ends this summer. Either way staff that are hired directly by UoB to work for their CFS program are not affected in anyway.

Accommodation
In my building single people are paying OMR170. There is a newer building a block away which charges OMR160. If you PM me I can give you the number for the landlord. These apartments are on one of the main roads near the Buraimi Hotel, are furnished with very basic cheap Arabic style furniture and have aircons. These are for two bedroom apartments. I am sure you can find something cheaper as there are a few UoB teachers in the building behind us that pay less (I don't have the info for that building).

Social Scene
Non-existent. You will hang out with your co-workers at local cafes and maybe go to the cinema once in a while. Buraimi Hotel is a sleazy place filled with sleazy men looking to pick up woman from the Philippines that they pay to be with. The restaurant is OK I guess but overpriced for what it offers. To be honest married couples seem to adapt to Buraimi much better than single people. If you are single you definitely need to invest in a border pass and then head to the Hilton (Paco's), Rotana Hotel (Trader Vic's) or the Rugby Club in Al Ain to find an expat social scene as there really is nothing for singles here.

Better yet head to Dubai. If you have a car and a border pass it takes exactly an hour to get there.

Most teachers I know rent cars from here in Buraimi or from companies in Sohar or Muscat. I think they pay about OMR150 a month.

Buraimi is not really the place to get a used car. Your better bet would be to buy in Muscat (3 hours away). You can get a decent used car for OMR2000. Although another idea if you have cash now is to check out the Dubizzle website, Al Ain Swap and Shop and similar Facebook groups to see what cars people are selling for cheap on the UAE side. I have seen a couple of expat owned used cars for AED15 000 (about OMR1500). You would need to organize the export paperwork which I have heard is not to difficult. Also, it is much better to buy an expat owned car.

For internet you can get a line in a week or two if you go and visit them personally a few times. We went to them about 3 times and got our internet in really quickly. It is an unlimited fixed line connection which is OMR25 a month (there are cheaper options). However, you can only get it after you get a resident card so you might want to get the USB dongle at first (you buy internet time through your phone using prepaid cards).

Border pass is AED550 and is a must if you are planning to visit Al Ain, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

As far as hours go I have heard different things from CFS people. Some say you can leave at 2 while others say only 4. Just to be on the safe side I would expect to be at the campus from 8 to 4 everyday. You might finish your classes at 12 and then have to sit around campus for 4 hours.

Hope all that helps!

[stanggg]

Not a great place

[lizziebennet]

As far as the border pass goes, might be good to get a copy of your degree stamped by your foreign affairs ministry at home before you get to Oman. As Stanggg mentioned you need a stamp from the Omani foreign affairs department, the UAE embassy AND your own country. It can be complicated but after you have done it once you never need to do it again.

[YepItsMe]

Hey everyone,
Thanks for the great replies! LizzieBennet, if I decide to accept the job (I guess I need to be making that decision pretty soon, huh?) I will definitely message you for the number. I've already been told I'll have three days only in a hotel. That just sounds a little fast for me to have to find a place, and it'll possibly be before I meet any other teachers, so I'm glad to have at least some info there.

I am single, and I'll admit I'd like to find a dating scene somewhere, but I'm less worried about that than just finding people to spend time with and go out and do things.

I'll definitely invest in the border pass, but I'm now worried about that comment from Stanggg that I may not be able to cross the border in a rental car. I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that even at my age, I still have my dad look at cars with me before I buy them, so buying a car is daunting and I'm afraid it could prove costly for me as well. However, if I'm really going to want to head into the UAE every day (ok...every weekend?) then I may just have to do it.

A new question: is there a good gym anywhere? I like to run, but I'm betting that will be out of the question outside due to the heat. Because of that I feel like I'll really need a gym membership. If there is one, anyone know about how much I can expect to spend on it?

Thanks again!

[stanggg]

You might be able to get insurance for the UAE. Otherwise taxis are great in Al Ain, and they are cheap.

As for gyms there are 6 or so, and they are cheap (10 to 12 rials a month). If you are a man no problem, if you are a woman it may be difficult to find a place to exercise.

[CANDLES]

HaHA!... I have to laugh and be flippant.

I don't think you read half of what I wrote. Not sure whether you've done enough homework about this place. For couples it's fine, but for single women it's a nightmare, because it's very lonely. If you stock up on booze and cigarettes then you're fine. Being flippant!

The only 'dating' you'll do is with another teacher or going over to Al-Ain etc, and date the ex-pats in the churches or hotels. Unless you want to date an Omani- in which case no problem-nice people, but usually married.

3 days is ample time to find an apartment, especially as UOB person will be driving you around the various sites and helping you out. So what's the problem there?

As for a car and going over across the Border- why don't you wait until you get to Buraimi, get your Border Pass sorted out, then you can plan to get a car. Most people are perfectly fine without one, as the taxis are so cheap, but the main factor is the Omanis drive badly and very fast. If you are not used to driving on the right side, then it'll be daunting at first. Some one will help you out if you are insistent on buying or renting a car-there are some nice, helpful people still about in Buramini.

There are no health clubs in Buraimi- used to be one for women only, but it closed down long time ago. So nothing to do except tp go across the Border, eventually.

Finally, make friends at UOB, but don't expect that they will necessarily 'hang out' with you over the w/e. You need to be pretty flexible, self reliant and a strong person to survive in this part of the world. And DON"T get caught up in the Dramas that take place. University dramas you can put up with, but Teachers dramas- stay Away from those!

[lizziebennet]

Dating is pretty difficult for singles around here to be honest so I wouldn't come here if you are hoping it will be a place where you can meet someone.

As far as insurance goes, they don't check for it at the border. However, it is always good to have it and you can pay the rental company extra to get Oman/UAE insurance. If you own a car it is only OMR5 or OMR10 more to add UAE insurance onto your existing plan for a year.

As far as girls gyms go, I have seen two in Buraimi but they are both terrible. One was in an apartment (all the equipment squished into two bedrooms) and the other in a building. Neither of them had much equipment, and the equipment was so cheap that it broke easily so half the machines were broken. There were also no gym classes to speak of.

There are fantastic gyms over the border but most people can't be bothered to travel over the border to gym everyday. In my case I bought machines from expats that were leaving and picked up a few basics (an exercise ball, yoga mat and dumbbells) and I made my own home gym... You might consider investing in a treadmill.

There is an area on the border (or so I have heard) where the Omani ladies and a few other expats walk in the evenings (not now though as it is way too hot). I assume you can run in that area too although it may be sandy. I can try find out for you, as I have been meaning to find out for myself.

Hope that helps!

[stanggg]

[Dedicated]

stanggg wrote :

[lizziebennet]

I might be wrong but I don't think Stanggg teaches English. There are a lot of lecturers in numerous departments at UoB and English is not the only subject taught in the foundation program.

Nevertheless, no need to be nasty. Sometimes spell check on your phone changes words when you are typing quickly and if people don't read everything all over again to check, they don't even realize.

[CANDLES]

Oh goodness sake....stop everyone being pedantic!