Job Discussion Forums

[yeramian]

I've been reading some very depressing posts about this location, or Sur University. What is so bad about this place, does anyone have anything good to say? I'm quite mature in age, not a lot of teaching experience. It could be a challenging learning environment for me in the classroom. I'd love to hear from someone who has worked in Sur.
A friend wrote that the teachers college would be a better school than sur University!
I look forward to hearing from anyone who has experience of this school and Sur,
Thank you[/b]

[veiledsentiments]

yeramian

It looks like we have no people with Sur experience around here these days. Personally I have never been there, but I did get an email just yesterday from a friend who is heading up there for the Eid. It said:

"The coast road between Sur and Ras Al-Hadd is now paved... Sur has a shopping center, I'm told... There's a movie theatre... Not to mention three or four real hotels."

So, it sounds as though Sur is slightly less boring these days. Sorry I don't know anything about Sur University, but the Dean who seemed to be the source of many of the problems is no longer there.

VS

[abufletcher]

Back when I was working in Oman there simply weren't any teaching jobs in Sur so I can't comment on working there. But I did make fairly regular photography trips down there. Actually Sur was rarely the actual destination but I often overnighted there before the return drive to Muscat.

Sur is a pretty sleepy place. If you've ever been down to San Filipe on the Gulf of Baja side of Baja California (or even just found it on a map) that's pretty much the same. It's primarily a quite place that people who live in REALLY remote areas come in to to do some shopping for basic necessities (think cooking pots). You can walk through the main suq in about 15 minutes.

In short, I'd imagine that most people used to the commercial entertainment possibilities of the US would go stir crazy working there. Whether YOU would really depends on how creative and flexible you are. I think you definitely have to plan on having a car -- 4wd if possible for those trips up to Wadi Tiwi (and the occasional trip to Muscat along the "scenic" coast route. The interior road to Muscut will take about 6 hours to drive at a sane speed.

[abufletcher]

[yeramian]

The most difficult thing about this venture is dealing with my own psychological stuff about leaving this small community in Oregon that has very few employment opportunities. I always feel that I haven�t made the proper efforts to stay here! I went through these same feelings before I went to Korea last year. After a few months of working over there I didn�t want to come back to this land of limited opportunities. A great friend that I�m living with here refuses to work, but is living, barely, off of the rent of his brother and myself. You can build equity and also appreciation, which can work out to much greater personal wealth in the long run. A lot of folks around here just get by in various ways.
I get to feeling that I can�t ever come back here and enjoy this community in the same way again. Friends will move on, relationships will change! I hate dealing with these feelings!!
I�m to the point that I won�t be happy (for a while) either way, staying or leaving! And it always feels like these changes are irrevocable, fixed, permanent!!

[veiledsentiments]

Goodness... it sounds as if this may not be a good place for you to go. A place like Sur can be very difficult for someone who speaks none of the language, and is not one of those who has serious interest in traditional Muslim culture. (but still have the modernities of AC and such...)

But, if you are very adaptable and enjoy a quiet life.. the sea... camping in the mountains... visiting scenic areas or watching turtles hatch. If you don't mind dealing with 'unusual' management, but would enjoy polite low-level students - you might be able to save some money. There would probably be few other Westerners though.

VS

[Russell Hadd]

I was there on umpteen occasions between 2001 and 2004. In that time the coast road went from a no go area for my driver to his pride and joy! I never saw it before they started paving it but I can see why expats would be unhappy with the result but also why locals might feel liberated by the ease of access to Muscat.

As for Sur, it seemed to be a fine place for men with some great places to visit, afternoon football on the beach, great food and 'interesting' bars. For females unfortunately it does seem a bit limited.

There was an expat community in Sur consisting of people teaching at the college, uni and for the MOE (about 20 approx) plus some Dutch, Germans and English working for Shell (someone correct me if it's another company).

To be honest I loved visiting but I don't think I'd want to be there for an extended stay.

[veiledsentiments]

[Borealis]

I didn't teach at SUC but have friends who did and their reactions were varied. Most left at the end of their contracts but a few stayed on because they loved the area. The problems stemmed from the management, not the place. The sheik who owns SUC is the same one who owns Hawthorn, along with hotels and tourist agencies. He is a businessman with no interest or expertise in education but a lot of interest in making money.
He refuses to give release letters to teachers at the end of their contracts so if they don't renew their contracts they have to leave the country. Lack of professionalism and integrity seemed to be the cause of most of the grief.

Having said that, some teachers were prepared to grit their teeth and stay for several years because they loved the lifestyle. The landscape is truly stunning for those who like the outdoors and archeology. It's certainly quiet but that's a great excuse to begin a master's degree while you're there, with no distractions.

Another thing to keep in mind is that SUC is not a university. Think High School rather than tertiary level.

Hopefully someone is is actually teaching there at present will come on and say how things are now.

[kaw]

it wasn't just that people stayed becasue they liked Sur but loved Oman and knew there was no way they could legally work elsewhere in the Sultanate. I worked with people there a few years ago who are leaving now (or haven't recently left) and they'd been there 4 years or so - ever since it first opened in fact.
Most of the English department were on 1 year contracts and at the time most only stayed for that year. Of course there were a few exceptions. The other departments seemed to fare better and people have been there a lot longer (admittedly though they weren't Brits, Americans etc).
I'd always be wary of a place that had a pretty high turnover of staff (including Head of Foundation....)

[The Ciderman]

The university college opened while I was based there. I met teachers working there socially a few times and it wasn't long before the complaints began regarding such things as workload, students and accommodation.

[Down Home]

I just returned from a couple of days in Sur. The "coastal highway" goes both north and south. The one going south to Ras Al Hadd and the Turtle Beach is paved. The one going north to Muscat and Tiwi is not paved.
The town itself has nothing to write about. Shops are ho-hum and goats roam the streets. The scenery is lovely but the beaches are littered with garbage. Angry black young men and boys shout obscenities from passing cars; streets teemed with bored, single East Indian men. We stayed at the Sur Beach Hotel hoping for a resort but found it dropped short of its 3-star rating. HOWEVER the countryside is absolutley astounding and we met a wonderful Omani family who treated us like royalty. It was more than enough to take the edge off the other negative things, but in the future I will look elsewhere for a beach experience.
I have heard the university doesn't treat the teachers well.

[Russell Hadd]