Job Discussion Forums

[Lissa]

KAAU has recently offered me a teaching position there but i am very apprehensive about the working and living condition. The have offered me SR8195 (very low) plus all the allowances which i believe are quite standard. I tried to negotiate the salary but apparently they need previous employment validation letter to support my working experience. i could only managed to get some and due to this, that's the allocation they could offer.

I was planning to take my husband along but the allocation is not feasible for both of use to relocate since we still have to continue our mortgage here. in the even if i accepted the job offer, it would be purely due to new experiences.

I need advice on whether it is feasible for me to relocate there, the working and living condition, the female campus environment, living cost etc.

And the person that i am liaising/ corresponding with doesn't seem to use her official email with KAAU. Meaning her email is a personal email not @kau/ @kaau. I did ask her to verify her direct affiliation with KAAU but she said i need to accept the salary allocation then only an official offer letter signed by the dean will be sent to me. Is this a common exercise?

Is it safe for me to stay alone in an apartment?

[Linguist]

SR8195 is low, but it is not so bad for someone who does not have much EFL experience. Other programmes are only paying teachers 10 or 11 months. So, you need to take this into account.

Have you thought about encouraging your husband to a CELTA/TEFL course and to teach as well? If he cannot get a university job, then he can easily teach at the numerous language centres in Jeddah.

As for the staff using personal email addresses, then it's quite normal as well. If they do not provide an official office number where you can also call them, apart from their mobile number, then you should worry.

[Lissa]

Thank you very much for the info. I have 8 years teaching experience; proficiency teaching, corporate training and now i am teaching tertiary level but they couldn't consider my part time teaching experience in Els. I have a degree in teaching English and Masters in English. I still think it's very low. The lady that recruited me gave me a phone number but I'm not sure if it is a land line or H/P line. She signs off with a name which I have crosschecked with the university's website and apparently the name does exist. But I am still worried with the fact that i have to agree with the offered salary allocation before having to see any valid documents. Pls advise.

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

"Pls advise." Ah, a correct second usage after the first was a flop...

NCTBA

[scot47]

Do not come.

[desert date]

Dear Lissa

Are your degrees from English-speaking countries viz Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the US and the UK?

I have a friend from Malaysia with a master's in applied linguistics from her home country who was offered SR10,000 or thereabouts.

[dutchman]

[desert date]

[dutchman]

Oh that's nice to hear. Thank you. I was afraid that my Dutch passport would prevent me from getting employed in the KSA due to lack of visas. Holders of passports from non-anglophone countries are usually at disadvantage. But maybe Malaysia is an exception, as English is the administrative language there.

[desert date]

[dutchman]

[Mia Xanthi]

Wow, Dutchman, those must be some pretty special "personal reasons". Although I did not detest my time in Saudi, it was a very tough place to live, and there aren't enough "personal reaons" in the world to make me go there for as little as 8000 SAR. Whatever your reasons, think it over carefully, as there are very few quality workplaces that would make it worth your time to be there. IMHO, the closest you will get to a quality work experience for that kind of money is a job that would be rated just slightly above "outright slavery", and right alongside "demeaning".

[Sheikh N Bake]

I agree. It's foolhardy to consign yourself to Saudi Arabia without the prospect of eventually coming home with some significant savings. To go there just to live in a half-decent apartment (which you're unlikely to get anyway when the salary is so low--i.e., low salary, probably low housing allowance) doesn't make sense. At least see what you can get in the Emirates or even Korea/Vietnam whatever.

[highopes]

First of all I would like to thank this forum and to all those who are sharing their thoughts ,advices & experiences here which are so much beneficial to people like us.

My case is similar to Fearnot as I am also waiting for the visa for the last 11 months and still there is no sign ..�only the hope. I signed the preliminary offer from a college in Riyadh last year in July 2009 and since then I am waiting. I am continuously in touch with the Head of the college as I was hired by him directly. He is a very nice man and he is kept telling me that �I should wait �the visa will come any day as it takes more time for the N.American & European countries � but my point is for how many more months should I wait. I can�t think that person is just giving me excuses for no reason. Should I call the embassy in Ottawa to enquire but from this forum I came to know this also that we cannot proceed with any case without the visa no. Please is there anyone to help me out with their valuable advice? I will be grateful. Thanks in advance

[veiledsentiments]

11 months? Why is this man stringing you along? No, this is NOT normal or even common.

Do you have a Canadian passport?

VS