Job Discussion Forums

[manoflettersk466]

Abu Dhabi University ADU Moved Yet?? New & Improved??
Just wondering if anyone has any new things to add about the Uni now in 2006....has it moved to the new campus or is it still in a warehouse? New managment? Is there any light at the end of the tunnel??

[only1life]

Yes, I'll second that. What is happening at ADU? What about salaries, etc? Do they pay on time? It still looks a bit suss to me. They have a hell of a lot of faculty positions up for grabs. Either there is a significant expansion going on or they have had a mass slaughter of teachers.

[Justice_Seeker]

Hot off the press - the man who caused all the pain - is SACKED. The VP of finance.

Can anyone confirm this?

[adu.advocate]

ADU seems to be getting its act together on all fronts. It's becoming a more teacher-friendly, as well as busier, place to work. There is light at the end of the tunnel, but the tunnel still has a few curves to it.

Salaries are not at the top of the scale, but they are paid on time.

They're expanding the number of undergraduate programmes they're offering and plan to start offering graduate courses soon, as well. That's largely why they're looking for more instructors, not because of any "mass slaughter". Some of the new people they've brought in have helped to create a more positive, cooperative work environment than existed before.

The Abu Dhabi campus is moving to Khalifa City in September. Haven't visited the site, but it should be an improvement over what's currently being used.

The VP of Finance mentioned by Justice Seeker no longer works at ADU, but I'm not sure of the reasons behind his leaving.

So, progress is being made.

[aka_flowergrl]

I am not sure if you work for ADU but, I have worked there for the past 3 years , and the conditions are the worst they have ever been. They have this nasty habit of cancelling classes then dragging us in on Thursdays and working us till 9 pm.
We pass students if they complain enough.
The rumour is true that our English Language institute is run by a lady who used to be a day-care teacher. And all her experience comes from working and teaching levels of KG, not even grade school.
I know of English staff members who get paid only 4000 dirham, and they give lowest paid housing allowance and summer vacation in the UAE system ( 30,000 dirham�s, you cant even find a one bedroom for that).
I heard also that The VP of Finance mentioned by Justice Seeker left ADU because he could not stand the Vice Chancellor who is the cause of all the headaches at ADU so he has opened his own new school in Abu Dhabi. And yes ADU is the worst place to work as "mass slaughter" is the perfect way to describe what they are doing to staff members . They also don�t even provide payslips and fire at whims. The list goes on and on, from hiring un-qualified teachers, stressful work conditions, long working hours, horrible housing allowance (they pay the lowest in Al Ain and Abu Dhabi), bad medical, no educational support or assistance for children under the age of 18, and now we will have to drive 40 min out of town to get to the new campus in Khalifa city, and guess what, they will not even compensate us for our new fees for transportation.
Funny, really, I cant seem to find anything good at ADU these days, it seems all the good work of Dr. D has been wiped out. She was a great lady, she really supported her English teachers and did not give in to students pressure. IT seemed things were getting better in her days, now its purely survival of the fittest. Trust me I would leave this place, but they trick you, get you out here, get your visa paperwork done after like 4 months , and if you think about leaving they but a ban on you for 6 months. So you are imprisoned unless you want to leave the UAE.
So as far as progress, it seems like the powers above are re-inventing the wheel for the millionth time. And in the mean time, we don�t even know if we will have our jobs from one month to other month.
Moral of the story, stay away from ADU

[only1life]

Thank you flowergirl. Sorry to hear what you are going through. I suspected what you were saying. My instincts felt things were not right about ADU. They are offering about US$30,000 and with my qualifications I'd rather go back to my home country and earn more even after tax. Thanks again for your post.

[Justice_Seeker]

ADU is not about education. The founders of ADU are in the construction business and they have and will continue to profit from the generosity of their government sponsors. The fact that they have the go-ahead to build new facilities in Abu Dhabi without serious consideration being given to the crap programs on offer should be an alarm bell for any job candidate.

The VP of finance was the most incompetent megalomaniac ever employed in the Gulf. The fact he has left is most likely due to the identification of his offensive/incompetent antics by the new NZ chancellor. Stuff him! Damn him! The UAE is NOT Iraq. I hope and expect that he will get every ounce of suffering that he has meted unto others over his lifetime.

STAY AWAY FROM ADU!

[aka_flowergrl]

Well I have some shocking, but not so shocking news , the ELI is going to close in May, and re-open in Oct., teachers are being forced to take a 5 month break as the main campus moves to Khalifa city . The big question is are they going to get paid ? So far, the answer seems to be no ! There is lots of gossip about firing the TESOL teachers and hiring new ones in Oct., so they can save money. Stress levels are at a high, and everyone is on fight mode. Another bright idea by the ADU Management

[only1life]

An abomination! Do they have no shame?!! I wouldn't touch that place with a barge pole. Had an interview with them last week. Nothing more than interview practice. I've seen some sorry excuses for management in my day but this bunch sounds devious. Come on ADU... what about it? What's your side of the story? What's your game plan? How do you propose to put together a credible, competitive educational facility by shoving teachers around like that? You certainly look questionable on the surface and everything I see and hear coming out of your institution is very disturbing. Among knowledgable EFL teachers your reputation is black. Do you want to secure the services of committed well qualified teachers with competitive salaries, holidays and benefits or do you want to hire a bunch of cap in hand lackeys you can hire and fire on a whim?
I assume you interviewed me as a lackey. You sure as hell are not offering anything that would draw me to the UAE and I'm certainly not going to support what looks like a misguided, ineffectual and probably devious management. Get your act together! As if serious EFL teachers don't get enough crap out there... we have to get it from what should be a serious and sought after position. You've turned it into an opportunity lost and apparently caused a lot of grief along the way.
Keep us posted on their latest nonsense flower... and good luck!

[spicegirl]

Flowergirl, do you know if this closure will also affect the Al Ain branch of ADU, or does it only apply to AD? Is there any chance that they might give you the chance to work in Al Ain on a temporary basis in the summer?

I imagine that the present semester finishes in May. Is there usually a 'summer semester', or what usually happens to the ADU teachers in the summer? Do you usually have the option of teaching right through the summer till the start of the autumn semester, or is it usually a chance for teachers to take a long (but mostly unpaid) holiday? BTW, how much holiday do ADU teachers get a year?

How long are the ADU contracts? Does this 'summer closure' affect your contract period in any way? Do you have the quals and experience to work somewhere else ..... if I were you, I'd be looking!

[QatarChic]

I was also offered a job with them last year at TESOLARABIA- it was only when I did some research about them here on Dave's that I knew that they were best to avoid.............they were very charming at the interview

[confused06]

Hello all
Thanks for all the people who contributing to this discusstion about ADU. I got an offer from them to teach at ADU. I am not a Language teacher but more of a science one. I was wondering if all this bad stuff apply for other departments and schools within ADU or it is mainly for ELI institute? Also how much it cost to live in Al Ain (average housing for a family)? How they deal with the summer, I know I have a 24 credit hours for 2 semester but they did not mention much about the summer, do people get paid for it? and if yes, is it the same payment as for regular semesters because I remember some one on the forum mentioned that they get paid around $3 per hour

Aslo how hard is it to move from ADU once you decided you had enough? I mean I am tempted to take the offer so I can get closer to the area so I can get a closer shot at other better universities in here.

I really appreciate any input from you guys.

Confused

[aka_flowergrl]

Confused, you need to look at the history of the past 3 years of ADU. Facts,
ADU a good place to work? No
Decent or competitive salary? No, not even close, you�re better off being a part-time instructor in Alain.
Decent summer or mid-year holidays? No, they stiff you
ELI, Main campus or Al ain same package and crap treatment? Yes
Good management, overall? No, they sack the good ones.
HR, any good? Not even close
Working environment? Catfights, gossiping, popularity clicks, power hunger dodos, and back stabling from all sides as long as whom ever gets what they want, teachers turning students on other teachers to get them sacked. Not to mention, we bend to please the students, even at the cost of our reputation, morals, dignity, as long as they are paying. Show ADU the MONEY!WE ask? 10,000 dhs and your wish is our command. Open sesame.
So confused, if you want you can ask adu.advocate, I am sure he can give you better info on ADU, as he is the advocate. Adu.advocate, any wise words, and what are you advocating about ADU? Show us the light at the end of the tunnel S.
Oh, ADU has fine tuned the meaning of �a wolf in sheep�s skin�, they top off your beer mate, keep you high in the interview so you get all warm and cosy, allure you with the name �university� and then bam wham pow. You�re hung over for years to come, needing psychological head checks just to block out the pain.
They would rather see you deported then allow you to work for anyone else, unless you have some strings to pull, you will have to yank on them with the time comes, or banned for 6 months you will be young padiwa. Good luck confused, mate, do yourself a favour, stay away, better yet, run in the other direction and never look back.

[adu.advocate]

We all come here with two empty buckets: one fills with money, the other fills with stress and problems. So long as the money bucket is heavier than the other, a teacher should consider staying. But once the other bucket becomes heavier, it's time to leave. Simple as that. No need to stay in a work environment that a person feels so negatively about.

It's probably time for aka_flowergrl to make good use of the TESOL Arabia job fair next week. Looks like her "other bucket" is pretty heavy...Life is too short to get so stressed out.

The cemeteries are filled with people who felt that their place of employment couldn't run without them. But the fact is, they can. We as teachers just need to try to add value to our careers as well as to our work place while we are employed wherever we are. If we can't, then we move on looking for the oft elusive greener pastures.

It's easy to get on the gripe wagon. Been there, done that myself. However, I sincerely believe that ADU is now taking serious steps to correct past mistakes and get its act together on many fronts. They have to, given the UAE's increasingly competitive market. I, for one, am willing to try to help the University succeed. In my limited capacity, I'll try to make it a better place to work and a better place to learn. But I won't look to aka_flowergrl and others of her ilk to cheer me on...

[aka_flowergrl]

In a perfect world, one can leave, without having to worry. At ADU you have to watch you back, or you will end up owing back so much you can�t afford to leave. When one�s salary is little, you get whipped into staying hoping to break even. But like all who have reported all the problems at ADU here on this forum, I can at least make sure no one has to suffer like us the rest of us who got swindled and tricked into coming to ADU. Adu.advocate, I would love to look for a new job at TESOL Arabia next week, but something as simple as teacher seminars and conferences ADU does not support. How can I go, when it will cost me almost 2800 dhs for 3 days? Where will I stay, food, transportation, registration fees? Almost all people I know here in Al Ain and Abu Dhabi who work for any other institutes had the costs covered by their employer. ZU, HCT, UAEU, Al Hosin, PI, just to mention a few; have covered ALL the cost of the conference for ANY teacher who wants to go, they invest in their instructors they want to help the teachers there be on the waves of knowing the newest ways to teaching and delivery. ADU gave nothing, they insulted us by saying you get 200 dhs for registration fees, talk about cheap, the fees were over 600, they wanted to make sure no one got the chance to go, no transportation, no training funds, we got no salary raises this year, nothing. Even the new teacher you hired is making less then any teacher at ADU, she makes less than 6900dhs, now that is criminal. Yes, we know you will be at TESOL Arabia S, at least we will get a few days of peace without you here. Now that�s positive! I am happy you are enjoying ADU S, maybe since you are higher up; you get pull on that sting more than we do. Your kids get educational assistance, you get paid the big bucks as you say, lucky I don�t have any kids, but for the ones who do, I do feel sorry for them. Enjoy TESOL Arabia; I am sure you will find more innocent souls to suck into this sinking ship. If I was at TESOL Arabia, I would warn all those who even would consider applying. IT would have been the best 100 dhs I ever spent in my life, then go out and give everyone drinks all around! Look around, who from the TESOL instructors are going? No one, only you, now that�s strange that there will be teachers from all over the UAE, and anyone from ADU? No, that alone should ring some alarm bells for the teachers who are TESOL Arabia, it�s almost like you did not want any of us to go from Abu Dhabi or Al Ain, and so we could not warn others. I am not alone, this I know, and we all are looking, you can count on that!