Job Discussion Forums

umm1 · Joined: 08 Aug 2006 Posts: 8

Is anyone familiar with the Abu Dhabi Education Council? I train teachers for a living as well as teach ESL classes (before I get burned for posting on this forum). I applied for a position posted on the Zayed University website for Head of Quality Improvement and Professional Development with the council about a month ago.The requirements were vauge(no degree or experience level stated) Should I still expect to hear something or is it time to move on in looking for a position?

OH! By the way my credentials are an MA in Educational Administration with eight years teaching experinece K-12 and college level.

stoth1972 · Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2006 4:38 pm Post subject:

Mmm....I would expect Young George to way in on this one, since he's affiliated with that programme. I suspect he's quite busy this time of the year! You sound well-qualified. He might be able to fill you in with more details on if/when you'll hear from them.

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

I haven't seen him on the board for a while... he might be on summer leave yet, or as you say, he may be too busy.

VS

umm1 · Joined: 08 Aug 2006 Posts: 8

So would you say that a month or longer is typical in waiting for a response? Also how do employers feel about applicants contacting them to enquire about the status of their application? Is it frowned upon? Do they even respond?

stoth1972 · Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 7:17 pm Post subject:

I think the waiting time really depends upon the institution, but generally speaking, many employers in the ME are slow moving on acknowledgement of application receipt. When they are desperate, they move quicker! No harm in following up, though. When was the contract start date, do you know?

umm1 · Joined: 08 Aug 2006 Posts: 8

Thats the thing. There was no start date for the program nor was there an end date for accepting CV's. Is this common?

stoth1972 · Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 12:07 am Post subject:

Well, the last date for submitting not being listed isn't too uncommon. I believe those jobs are for the government schools, and since it's August 21, those new teachers should be arriving in the next week, if they haven't already. Have they ignored your requests for follow up?

umm1 · Joined: 08 Aug 2006 Posts: 8

No point in e-mailing at the present moment, all of their internet capabilities have been suspended until after their move to the new campus.

stoth1972 · Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 6:04 pm Post subject:

Hmmm....well, the lack of contact, despite possibly needing to hire new people, does not wholly surprise me. This programme seems to have a lot of exciting possibilities, so it would be interesting to get involved. You might try calling them. It is possible that they are not following up for other reasons, though. Are you married? Have children? I don't know why, but I seem to recall someone saying they preferred single hires. I could, however, be completely off-base on that one.

umm1 · Joined: 08 Aug 2006 Posts: 8

I am married and have a small child but does that really matter? Also what do you think the best time to call them would be? I know the time differences, but I'm talking office norms.

stoth1972 · Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2006 3:49 pm Post subject:

I can't be too sure about Zayed U's preference on this issue, but I do know that single applicants with comparable qualifications are preferred by other institutions. It is really about the money; not paying out an educational allowance...look at the Higher Colleges. People with kids get money for schooling. People without kids don't get that money. This doesn't mean they don't hire candidates with children. If a candidate is too strong to pass up, and they are in need, then they will hire the one with spouse and children.

VS, you know more about HCTs preferences on this subject. I recall someone (maybe you) saying that they preferred a woman of a certain age range without too many obligations. Most of the people I know who work at HCT or AUS are single w/ no children (at least none living in the UAE dependent upon them) or married with both husband and wife working for the uni.

Like I said, I don't know that this is the case for Zayed U. Too bad Young George hasn't logged in to comment, since he's the resident expert on this board for the programme you'd be working in.

Best time to call? mmmmm They are 11 hours ahead of Pacific time, so 8 hours ahead of East Coast US time. I would try to call between 9:30am-12:00 PM or 2:00PM-5:00PM. It's quite possible they're working later hours rather than early starts, but I'm only guessing here. Given the time of year, they should be bustling to get things ready. I took a job this late in the year, and I had to be on a plane in less than 2 weeks after accepting the offer. Are you prepared to pack up and run if that's the case? Is your spouse seeking a job there, as well?

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA