Job Discussion Forums

[Tod]

I am about to consider working for the College of Technology thru CECN in Oman. The contract is supposed to be for six months with the furnished accommodation provided. The salary ranges between 714-784 Omani Riyals.

Can anyone tell me which of these locations would be the most accepatble: (Shinas, Ibra, Musanaa, Nizwa, Salalah.) Muscat and Sohar are also available and besides them which other location should I consider? I don't want to end up in a remote village in a middle of nowhere.

I've read some preety nasty articles regarding bad accommodation. I need info from the first hand from the techers who have been teaching and living there. Where were the places with unadequate accommodation? I do not mind if the students are the worst or the best in Oman as I've already been thru the worst in Saudi Arabia.

There is an allowance of 55 OR for monthly transportation. Is this possible to negotiate as it seems that having your own vehicle is the crutial thing in Oman. The teachers who have been working for this company please provide the useful feedback.

I have BA in TESOL and five years of intenational experience. Would this allow me to negotiate higher transportation allowance or better accommodation?

I know the savings would be that great at all. I expect to save around $1000 per month. Would you guys rather consider working in Kuwait ( for Kuwait airways -- see the job details in Kuwait forum) or in Oman ( College of Technology?)

Thank you for your feedback.

[veiledsentiments]

Hello again Tod,

I can answer some of your questions. Unless they are desperate for teachers (which they may be), you don't have much leverage for negotiation. And the transportation allowance is set by Omani employment law. I've never heard of anyone negotiating anything on it. (perhaps someone with a PhD and decades of experience being hired to run a department.)

IMHO as to choice of location. Naturally Muscat is THE choice if you have the chance to get it. I'm not sure if you have much or any say in where you go. My next choice would be Sohar, then Nizwa, and Salalah. The rest of them would be too small for my taste.

Generally speaking, the students will be very low level, but it is rare to find anyone who doesn't love their Omani students.

Hopefully, there is someone around who can give you more detailed info on housing and what's going on with this organization these days.

Good Luck...

VS

[Down Home]

I have worked/lived in both Salalah and Ibra for CECN. Salalah has slightly better housing and is in a beautiful location (resort, beach, health club...) however the college in Ibra is much better, as is the teaching staff which is comprised of mostly western teachers. Salalah is quite remote, 1000 km from Muscat, and has limited comfort things like western food and entertainment. Ibra is 160 km from Muscat, about 1.5 hours by road, so it's close enough for shopping etc but Ibra itself has very few amenities.
Although Muscat is a popular place to live, I have heard the housing is not great and the college has a reputation of working its teachers hard.
Sinas is a new college this year and has a lot of kinks to iron out, but if you're an adventurous sort, it might be worth a shot. The accommodations are 20 km from the campus.
Nizwa is close enough to Muscat and has a lovely fort (the best in Oman) but the administration doesn't have a good reputation and, like Salalah, the majority of the teachers are East Indian.
Musanah is the closest in location to Muscat, but they seem to have a high turnover of staff. Some teachers live in Muscat and commute to Musanah.
For what it's worth, in my opinion Ibra offers the best deal. It has the best reputation, has an Omani dean and excellent HOD. The accommodations vary from a 3-bedroom villa to a 2-bedroom apartment. Anywhere you go, you're coming into the middle and can't expect the best accommodations, since the best have already been taken.
The travel allowances can't be changed. It's just rolled into your salary, anyway.
I hope this helps.

[veiledsentiments]

Helpful post, down home... it sounds like it could be a difficult decision for new teachers, but just out of curiosity... how much say do new hires have in what branch they end up in?

VS

[Down Home]

At the beginning of the year (Aug/Sept), you have your choice. After that it depends on where teachers are needed.

[meorbust]

which location is closest to the Emirates? An order from closest to farthest would help. No need to list Salalah as I know that is very far. If I worked with CECN in Oman, my main concern would be which location is closest to the Emirates so that I could get away on weekends. At this stage in my life, I don't need to be an urbanized dweller. I like the tranquility. As long as I have a grocery store and a place to drink an occasional beer, I am fine. Also, I have heard that the students can be bad as far as discipline is concerned. I have worked for a commerical school in the Emirates. Is it that bad? Or is it just bad compared to general Omani standards? Thank you very much for your feedback. Feel free to PM me.

[veiledsentiments]

I don't know of many people who complain about Omani students... almost never actually. On this board, no matter how much they complain about their job, they seemed to love the students - mine were great.

Someone else can speak to the geography as I am not familiar with some of these places nor the road conditions to drive from them to the Emirates. I'd say Sohar is probably the easiest and fastest to the Emirates.

VS

[lall]

Dear Tod,

I realise that's it's a nearly a year since you posted your request for advice needed vis-�-vis College of Technology and Kuwait Airways and, therefore, may not be a regular visitor on this site.

As I've accepted a teaching position in the Colleges of Technology through Bahwan Cybertek, (the location being either Muscat or Salalah - the employers said that the location would be made known after my arrival in Oman), I'd appreciate any feedback on the college, housing, transport, etc.,

From what I've gathered from my web trawls, I believe that Salalah is much, much cheaper than Muscat (naturally, ofcourse!).

However, I'd be most grateful if somebody could indicate the cost of independent accommodation for a bachelor in Salalah, which is within walking distance from the College of Engineering or atleast is accessible by a bus/shared taxi service.

By independent accommodation, I also mean that I'm open to sharing an apartment, albeit with a bathroom all to myself, in addition to an independent apartment (which could be useful, should I decide to bring in my wife & kids, later).

Should Tod not be in a position to reply, I'd most appreciate posts from moerbust, Down Home and veiledsentiments.

Thanking you all in anticipation,

lall

[veiledsentiments]

I can't really help you on this one, but hopefully someone else can. You might want to add what kind of housing allowance they are offering.

VS