Job Discussion Forums

[holoholo girl]

I just received an email from this company expressing interest in a phone interview. Any thoughts on/experiences with this place? The name suggests a government institution perhaps. What questions do I need to ask? I am new to the ESL experience as I just received my MA TESOL but outside of my practicum have no full time experience inside the classroom- as stated in my CV I sent them. Thank you in advance for any words of wisdom.

[trapezius]

According to someone who worked there for 19 years, it is a good and professional place.

He will post here soon enough

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

You know who must be away from the computer...

NCTBA

[johnslat]

It's me - you know who.

Unfortunately, the OP is female (or so I assume from the user-name.) Also, unfortunately, the Women's Branch, during my times there, was reported as being both a good and a not-so-good place to work, the designation depending pretty much on who was administering the place. Also, unfortunately, it's been seven years now since I left, and so I have no idea what the administration of the Women's Branch is like there now.

As for question, well, I'd probably ask about the class sizes, the number of contract hours per week, whether overtime was common or not, what sort of equipment is provided (I'm pretty sure they have a language lab,) the curriculum/syllabi, the textbooks, how many other staff there are, whether there would be an orientation, whether you could contact other teachers there by e-mail, your housing arrangements (are you married or single?),
what furnishings/appliances would be provided (we never got sheets /pillows /pillow cases or much kitchen stuff, and no washing machines, but that may have changed,) whether transportation would be provided (or a transportation allowance - I believe it'd probably be the latter,) and, of course, your salary, holiday time, and medical coverage (probably government hospitals.)

The IPA Men's branches I worked at were, as trap wrote, "good and professional places," but the Women's Branch in Riyadh is not a place that I ever had personal experience of - one guess why not.

Regards,
John

[holoholo girl]

Yes I am definitely female. Thank you johnslat for the question ideas.

This is what the ad stated:

"Benefits: Free housing with basic furniture for both teachers with or without families, paid summer vacation (45 to 60 days) with return tickets, Ramadan, Hajj and mid-year breaks during the teaching year, full or partial subsidy for children�s education at international schools, private offices with personal computers and internet access. "

I checked their website and most of your questions posed for me to ask in my phone interview are answered in the sites' "applicant's handbook" text,

http://www.ipa.edu.sa/files/Applicant's_Handbook.PDF

Apparently 22 contact hours a week is the norm & anything over is at an hourly rate. I hope to receive some postings from females that work or have worked in the past at IPA.

One 'grey' area of the handbook is the location of the women's housing. Couples are in Al Yamama and single men are at the Adhel bldg. closer to campus. It does not discuss where the women's is. If the women's is nearby campus as well is it a good idea to walk to work?

I guess my thoughts now turn to living in Riyadh in general for the single female. I'm pretty active outdoors in my life here and I realize this will all come to a halt (no surfing, no yoga, no running) but are there places to go and socialize- coffee, etc? I get the idea my main past times will be reading and cooking. Are the compounds just for teachers, or made up of expats from a variety of vocations? Is there a fair degree of privacy? How are the noise factors?

What is the air quality like? My last question for now surely will bring laughs but I have to ask it anyway- are there such things as health food stores there? Is there access to organic produce, or the ability to have a garden in a compound?

holoholo girl

[bounce]

I don't work there but I know people who do, and I've been to one of the Al Yamama family compounds. It's the most conservative compound I've seen in Riyadh (fully veiled Saudi wives, roaming bands of semi-feral boys, very few western families). I think single women stay in a block somewhere so you'd spend a lot of time with your colleagues, which is pretty claustrophobic after a while. Making friends with people who live on proper compounds/DQ would be a priority if you want to organise outdoor activities. You can join a ladies' sports club for yoga etc.

Short answers to the other questions:
air quality = dusty, like you wouldn't believe
walking to work = bad idea (hot, dusty, predatory men in cars)
coffee = fine with ladies / families, not with men
noise = traffic plus prayer calls all day every day unless you live in a compound a mile out of town
gardens = unlikely unless you get a job with a villa on a compound (ie no EFL jobs at all - try ambassador or CEO)
organic produce = some available but expensive at high-end supermarkets
cooking / reading / internet / TV = you will be a happy lady if you can limit your social life to these

I would guess IPA offers a decent salary for someone starting out in EFL with no real experience, so if saving some cash is the priority you should consider it. Certainly you'd be better looked after than in some of the other large-scale projects in Riyadh.

[Sheikh N Bake]

You would score quite a coup if you could get IPA straight out of graduate school with little or no full-time experience. IPA is essentially a two-year college with a decent salary to start. Normally throughout the Gulf you would need substantial experience before getting such a job, MA or not.

[veiledsentiments]

I too was surprised at interest from the IPA based on her credentials. When they tried to recruit me in the late 90s, an MA and experience seemed to be required and the salary offered reflected that.

There are advantages and disadvantages to being housed close to the people that you work with...

VS

[Sheikh N Bake]

About accommodations, yes, it depends on your personality whether you'd really want to live elbow to elbow with teacher colleagues. It's definitely not for me, and I live in Saudi, but then I'm not a woman. I can jump in the car any time I want and with my six-month exit-re-entry visa, could even pull a runner if the situation demanded. Maybe somebody like Cleo can offer more insight...I have no idea whether she lives near colleagues or not.

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

[holoholo girl]

[johnslat]

Dear holoholo girl,

DQ = Diplomatic Quarter

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&source=imghp&q=Diplomatic+Quarter+Riyadh+Saudi+Arabia&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

per se (Latin: by/in itself) rather than per say.

No problem transferring money. The IPA will likely set you up with a bank account and pay your salary into it. Then, you simply make a cash transfer to your account in the States (or online, probably - I never had an online account but I don't think that'd be a problem.) There'll be a small fee; about $10 or $15 dollars if I remember correctly (and I may not, but it isn't much.)

"I have spent the past 15 years as an anthropologist/ archaeologist?"

My goodness, I think you'll like the Middle East then. Petra's right next door and there are plenty of other fascinating places to visit.

Regards,
John

[trapezius]

[dutchman]

Just out of curiosity, how did they find you? Did you just put your CV on Eslcafe?

[johnslat]

Dear trap,

Actually, I had a student named Petra (Petra Hernandez) in one of my last classes (which ended just last week.)

She had no idea what Petra is or where it's located (but now she does.)

Regards,
John