Job Discussion Forums

[stabnkill]

Does anyone have any opinions about Mazoon College? I know there was a tread already going on this but it seems to only be about BBC radio.

[veiledsentiments]

Apparently you didn't bother to read the whole thread. Only the last three entries had segued onto the topic of the BBC. You must be very new to this board if you are expecting things to remain constantly exactly on topic.

I expect that about everything that you can learn about this place is covered there. It is a small college, so few people on this board have even heard of it. I have passed on what I have learned from a woman I know who works there.

Good Luck

VS

[stabnkill]

Actually, I have read the entire thread several times and there is not much solid information buried under all those tangents, and Frida did play here in Oman.
The only useful information I noticed was the bit about Mazoon preferring to hire locals. Part of my reason for trying to start a new thread was that the old thread is way down at the bottom of the list and the last message was posted in June. I was hoping to get some more information. I am new to the this board in that I have just recently signed up to post and reply to messages, but I have been reading the Oman forum regularly for almost six years. Yes, messages are often off topic, but the one about Mazoon is particularly bad. Out of ten postings, five of them are relevant. The other five postings could not be further off-topic. The original message seems to have been lost-- thus the other part of my reason for wanting to start a new thread.

[veiledsentiments]

Well, so far none of those seven seem to be jumping in here to post. You seem to be the one with the most knowledge. Since you seem to know them well enough to inform us that they read this board, why don't you get in touch with them and ask them to share their knowledge with us. Up to this point I was the only one who seemed to know anything and I posted all that I knew.

VS

[stabnkill]

Mazoon College has a stipulation in the full-time contract that employees must "surrender" their passports.

There have been many complaints from the faculty about how difficult it is to get their passports back in a timely manner for holiday or weekend travel. It can sometimes take days or a week of constant effort.

Supposedly the college is worried that a faculty member will disappear and leave unpaid bills because something like that happened in the past. All faculty are automatically suspected and disrespected because of an isolated past event.

In Oman, many employers hold their employees� passports, although Omani law does not require this practice. I don't know of any other reputable college or university which makes it difficult for the employee to have access to his own passport upon request. Most other colleges have a clear, short system--the employee signs a form and the passport is promptly given to him within the hour.

[veiledsentiments]

Hi,

This all sounds rather draconian. I was fortunate with both my Omani employers. The first never held the passports and the second did, but handed it back in moments if requested.

The logical route would be to find out exactly what Omani law is. There is the possibility of consulting a lawyer. (but that costs money) If the law does not require the holding, personally I would just go to the highest ranking person in administration with whom one has a good relationship and discretely inform him/her that you find the system impossible to accept and that you would prefer to resign if it isn't simplified into a comformance with Omani laws. And then give notice as per your contract if they don't. I have found the key to making any changes to things like this is how you approach them. The George Bush approach of threats and demands never works, you need to be diplomatic - and if you know an Omani well enough to smooth the path -- all the better.

If every teacher did it (of course the organization of everyone doing it would probably get you a ticket out rather quickly - as a labor agitator ), the rules would probably simplify. A small college like this probably has few western expatriate teachers. A sad problem that permeates the Gulf is that if most of the employees are from the sub-continent, there is just no limit to what abuse employers can and do get away with.

Of course, the reality is that likely nothing will change and you (and any others that did it) would just be out of a job. And, any changes would be long after you left. It seems that as long as places with these kinds of employment policies can get teachers to accept them, it will continue to happen. Each of us has to decide where the line is. Every job has things that we don't like and when the negatives outweigh the positives, it's time to move on.

VS
(I will send on a copy of your message to an Omani friend who has contacts in this college.)

[manonatrain]

In Oman it is illegal to hold ANYONES passport ever !!! except for
processing the ol� labour card which takes a few weeks...at most.

go to your local labour department. file a complaint and voila all
will have their passports FOREVER in their possession..

the squeaky wheel gets the grease

[stabnkill]

Well, the problem with Omani labor law seems to be that, except for some amendments published in the paper last year, it isn't easy to get a copy of.

[veiledsentiments]

Hi Stabnkill

Interesting information about what MCBS got from the government. I can certainly understand why private employers hold the passports. Since they are sponsoring the person, they are responsible for all bills that a person may leave behind. I have encountered too many unscrupulous people in the TEFL field, sorry to say. (the type that get that furniture allowance, a credit car, and a car loan - then disappear one night--) All of the rest of us have to pay for their thefts with this kind of rules. And we have people on this board that brag about having done it.

It would certainly be nice if our embassies would help us out by backing us up. But the American embassies in the Middle East are notorious for their non-helpfulness. You don't even need them to get tax forms anymore - easier to use the internet.

MCBS has managed to keep the passports with a minimum of employee mistreatment. It is too bad that Mazoon can't do the same. Unfortunately my friend is out of the country they say.

VS

[stabnkill]

No matter how careful an employer is, it is still always possible that the employee will do a runner and leave debt. Holding passports and making it difficult to get them back quickly only protects the school to a small degree. I feel that even with all these procedures it would still be possible for one to leave without notice and with accrued debt.

But the fact is, there is probably only one teacher in every hundred who would even consider doing such a thing. Collective punishment creates low morale and high turnover. The college alienates the other 99% by using these sorts of collective punishing techniques as preventive measure.

People teaching in this area of the world are typically concerned about their careers and professional respectability. Countries like China and Thailand, which pay less and don�t require much experience or an MA, are more likely to attract teachers whose sense of professionalism is less than what it should be.

Something else to consider: Mazoon has previously threatened to withhold the (already earned) salaries of people who refused to turn in their passports.

There is a new American Dean at Mazoon who has been advocating for faculty rights.

[veiledsentiments]

Well stabnkill, I fear that you may be making the mistake of using logic here and that often just confuses people.

Sure, punishing all for the (possible) actions of a few is not sensible. But, such is life and it is done even by nations every day. (tell Israel about this one - or the US in Iraq - collective punishments on a grand scale --- they seem unable to comprehend the simple logic that it only makes things worse -- )

Insha'Allah this new dean will eventually gain the wasta to actually make things better. Until then, the only choice teachers end up having is to resign - with every resignation referring to things like this as the reason for leaving. Eventually management may see the light. Or not. We always have to remember that we are 'only expatriates' who will be gone in a year or two or three. Whether we like their system or not isn't really that important to them. This is something that every expat teacher has to deal with wherever they are teaching. Have you read anything on the China board? Oman looks like paradise in comparison to some of the stories one reads on this site.

Wherever we teach we all have to decide how much we can put up with. Reputation on the internet may eventually have some effect. But, as long as the many English teachers from the subcontinent are willing to put up with onerous rules, things are not likely to change quickly. Unless an institution wants western expatriates, they can ignore our wishes --- sigh ---

Good Luck

VS

[manonatrain]

well far be it for me to give practical advice but here i go...

Apply to get your passport back...say you are going to Dubai for the weekend. It is not the schools business if a weekend consists of two days
only...it is your job to get your pp back.

So.. now you have it, and you never intended to go to Dubai. Just keep
your passport at home safe. And tell the school you lost it, or can't find it.

It doesnt matter how many times they ask you for it after this
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO GIVE IT TO THEM...contract or not. It is illegal
for them to have this stipulation in their contract as Omani law supercedes private contracts.

What you do now its your problem. Either stand up for yourself or don't.

Apoligies for any spelling mistakes.

[stabnkill]

Good idea.

[veiledsentiments]

Hi,

I guess it comes down to the fact that it is their ball and their court - if you like the job enough to play by their rules, you can stay. If not, you go. Whenever I left a job in the Middle East - sometimes at a point where for me at the time, the negatives outweighed the positives - I always wrote a letter of resignation that explained why - not a nasty letter or an insulting letter, but just my reasoning. (usually it detailed things that I had already discussed verbally and privately with my Supervisor and/or the Dean) It has even worked. In one position, after a couple more people departed giving the Dean the same reasoning, the offending management person who was souring the department, but held a 'local passport,' was finally pushed out. Unfortunately, changes tend to come too late for those of us that left because of it.

So, what are you going to do if they tell you to give them your passport or leave? It does sound like things are moving slowly in the direction you want.

VS

[manonatrain]

i think you are right to not quit over an issue.

in this part of the world all kinds of head games are played quite consitantly, with varying degree.

i would let them make the move. the only thing they could do is
ask you for it. they will tire of it. then maybe it will move into a labor law depute with the labor department. if this were to ever happen you would win.

the oman labor law act is ONLINE. go the the government of Oman, it is listed under the ministry of labor section somewhere...

don�t worry about the other people, if they want it they can get it themselves. in the end you won�t gain much if anything but rallying to their side. not in this world anyway.

sounds like a bureaucratic hell. but once you have that and your labour card in your possesion you should feel more at ease mentaliy.

i would let it go at this point. the issue i mean, not your passport.