Job Discussion Forums

[leggeymountbatten]

GPT are a military set up who teach Saudi National Guard recruits close to Riyadh.
The recruiter is an agency called "Pimento."

Nothing particularly with the recruitment agency, but the job itself is decidedly avoidable. They have a high staff turnover. The main problems are:
1. the place is ruled with an iron rod by the Saudi Training Manager. He has sacked and got rid of folk for little or no reason. He was subsequently told by HR to "leave it out" as the recruitment costs were getting out of hand. He is on a power trip and constantly exceeds his authority and issues formal warnings to employees without having the power to do so.

2. The problems are compounded by an insecure and inconsistent academic manager. He is himself petrified of losing his job. He also has a competence deficit causing staff no end of stress as he appears incapable of completing the most straightforward of tasks. He also suffers chronic ill health which adds to the feeling of everything being beyond him. To cap it all, there is a lot of nepotism. How you get treated depends very much if you are one of the "in" crowd. The inconsistency is appalling.

There is a very small teaching staff of about 13. Backstabbing is the order of the day. To be fair, not by all but by a vocal minority.

Overall not a pleasant experience.

Leggey

[cnthaiksarok]

[leggeymountbatten]

Message me..

[EnglishLanguageOne]

[scot47]

200,000 ? Saudi Riyals per annum ? I have never seen anyone quote a KSA salary in annual terms ! I wonder why.

[Lord T]

I've heard about this place: the Saudi fires good people because he can.

You have to wonder why they go to great expense to recruit people; and then start to bully and intimidate them as soon as they walk through the door.

As for the so-called academic director, well he was a dairy manager in his home country, so not really an ideal background for the position:

ESL Academic Director wanted, must be able to milk a cow!

[DessertMonkey]

The cream always rises to the top

[hash]

[plumpy nut]

********

[cnthaiksarok]

[EnglishLanguageOne]

[leggeymountbatten]

Word has it that more skulduggery is afoot again at GPT.

HR have contacted teaching staff with the good news that GPT have finally acquired a visa block for Iqamas. Teachers were instructed to get their documents attested and arrangements were made for them to go to the UK for medicals etc.

At the same time. the Saudi Training Manager has tried to undermine the whole process. He can no longer hire and fire with such regularity if people have a modicum of rights.

He has kicked off directly with HR for coming up with the iqamas, and he has tried to undermine individual teacher's efforts to book flights etc.

One teacher has been threatened with sanctions if he takes more than one week to do the necessary medical and paperwork in London. Something not in the gift of a teacher unfortunately. Anyone with experience of applying for an Iqama will know the delays that are inherent.

Meanwhile the academic supremo at GPT (former diary manager - see previous posts) is running around like a headless chicken, caught between the milk churn and the cow dung.

Leggey

[desertdust]

Avoid this place. The teaching department is run by two individuals who have very little knowledge of teaching or education. One is a Saudi who at every level, undermines the rules and regulations of his own company and thinks that's really good management. The other westerner is a sycophant who looks after himself and couldn't care less about anything other than doing the minimal and taking lots of sick days.

Early morning starts and continual questioning of leave time and flights are the order of the day. All this will combine to wear you down over the months. Its not worth the extra money of 3000 SAR. Avoid, avoid, avoid unless you are a social masochist.

[scot47]

What is a "social sadist" ?

[veiledsentiments]

Maybe he means masochist?

VS