Job Discussion Forums

[thebigeasy]

Hello again folks,

Firstly, thanks again to all the folks who took time to answer my last query here. As I mentioned, I am a 'noobie' on this forum so, your help is very much appreciated.

I have another few queries, however.

I have had my contract through regarding future employment at CERT in Abu Dhabi.

a) I see that the working days are 8am-5pm (no problem) but, on avergae, how many of those hours are actually spent teaching? Or, put another way, what's the typical teaching load per week?

b) I am presuming there are terms/sessions - if so, how many weeks do they last? When I worked in KSA, they were around 8 weeks long. Is that also the case at CERT?

c) If there are terms/sessions, is there a break between them, and if so, how long are they? And are visas for getting in and out during these breaks easy enough to come by?

Many thanks for any kind answer,

Take care,

The Big Easy

[scrog_420]

Expect to spend, at the most, several minutes a day actually teaching, and most of your time trying to get the students to shut up.

[veiledsentiments]

I think most of your answers will depend on which CERT project that you work on...

But I would think not more than 20 contact hours per week.

There are no restrictions or exit visas required. Your visa will be multiple entry and your passport stays in your possession. (except for a short period at the beginning when they are doing the paperwork for the work/residence visa.)

VS

[thebigeasy]

Thank you VS for your comments. I'd still appreciate any other positive answers to my questions colleagues/posters here may have.

Thanks again,

TBE

[secretsquirrel]

To reply to TBE's original questions, let me offer the following:

a) ... what's the typical teaching load per week? About 20 contact hours, I'd say (at least it was when I was there at HCT)

b) I am presuming there are terms/sessions - if so, how many weeks do they last? Depends on which program you're on. Could be 20 weeks, maybe less.

As for the actual 'working hours', they are supposed to be 45 a week, but only the most determined brown-nosers ever did that. I don't think I ever showed up for more than 6 or 7 hours a day, though. However, it will really depend on your superviser/s and how anal they are.

[uaeobserver]

CERT Note ----

Some of the CERT classes require that you teach "mature" (late blooming) students ---- who have day jobs.

With CERT (and HCT) --- it's not unusual to see someone working until 8/9 PM.

That's not necessarily a bad thing --- but if they also throw a morning class into the mix --- you're in for a long day.

[Le Petit Prince]

How is CERT overall?
When I first came to the Gulf (about 5 years ago), they had just taken over from a place called the military English academy...or something.. in Abu Dhabi. An Australian guy working there at the time said CERT looked to be a recipe for disaster. But I've never heard anything good or bad about the place since then.
I'm planning a rather long break from the ME and am trying to get an idea of the decent EFL programs to look into...if/when I return.

Shukran!

[veiledsentiments]

Probably makes more sense to come back after this long break and see what is happening then. By that time the CERT program could be either the best... or the worst... or probably somewhere in between... job in the UAE. Just like the MLI crashed and burned after the military decided that they could run the program on their own... and then brought CERT in to try to fix their disaster... but then threw up roadblocks to everything they tried to do. Personally, I wouldn't like the unpredictability of what and who you will be teaching at CERT. Though some people like that variety. The lack of discussion here suggests that things are going OK... because we mainly get people posting who are unhappy with a situation.

VS