Job Discussion Forums

[jillwhite]

The University of Nizwa is currently advertising teaching positions for their Foundation English.

For any potential candidate, you should know that for the 2017-2018 academic year, the University of Nizwa has rarely paid on time. It has usually been a month late. If you have financial obligations that need to be met monthly, this institution is not the best place.

[Sleepwalker]

This is bad news especially for those working there now.

[moomama]

I had a extremely poor experience working there for the past year.

The salary was always late by at least a month. It seemed to get worse as the year progressed. To make matters worse, the administration was unapologetic. Their attitudes about the situation spoiled a rotten situation further. They were a bunch of crackers.

The HR department and new director were sloppy, petty, and hypocritical. They habitually cut corners for the employees' loss and their gain. The greatest example is they try to shaft the annual leave by using some bizarre formula as opposed to letting the employees use the days at full pay. The situation is analogous to watching the meter of a dodgy taxi driver.

The campus is a tired broke ass place. No money for new things or repairs.

The students are a mixed bag. They are nice but academically poor. It was hard because the higher ups pushed unrealistic and unenforceable standards so the rapport with the students diminished.

My advice is STAY AWAY. It is not worth it.

[ruksak]

Moomama is absolutely right.

I also spent a year there and it was a pretty degrading experience. Salary late every month and had to go begging for what they laughingly call an 'advance'. Requests for 'advances' were met with excuses, obstacles, delays, lies and rudeness. I was once told by the Finance Director "if you don't like it, why don't you leave." I'm happy to report that I since have done so!

Besides this the communication was practically non-existent and when there was some it was a pack of lies. All Foundation Institute staff had a meeting with the chancellor in February 2018 at which he promised the then late pay would go into our bank accounts within the coming week and the situation would stabilize after May - complete fabrications. The salary came about another 3 weeks later (making it a month late) and staff still there are continuing to receive late salaries. For example, teachers received their July salary today (12th September) although it was due on 26th July. And, their August salary hasn't been paid yet even though it was due on 26th August.

I could go on about the woefully incompetent trio heading up the Foundation Institute and the decrepit state of the campus as well, but the main issue there was the repeatedly late pay and lack of communication and sympathy.

If you are thinking about applying there, just don't - avoid, avoid, avoid!

[ruksak]

Apologies - in the post above I mistakenly said staff received their July salary on 12 September. Turns out I'd misunderstood and they only got this last week, so in the week of the 23rd September. Current state of play (this being the last day of September) is that staff have not received August salary or September salary yet.

[EFL Educator]

Oh Man nothing changed at the Univ. of Nizwa......was there 14 years ago.....same Oh Same in OH MAN!!!!!!!!!