Job Discussion Forums

[desert_traveller]

welcome to saudi arabia. i know that you have been here for as much as 7 and a half weeks, 54 days exactly, but a welcome is still due. i know that by now you think you have figured out the whole country and its people, and you may have covered as many as 3 full 45 minute long lessons, which in your opinion makes you an expert in possession of deep insights into the mind of the saudi student, but believe me, there is more to know, unlike in your previous job (what was it, florist or cook on a cruiser, i forgot). so, in addition to a warm welcome, i would like to raise a few little things here

last time i got an email from you, i checked the timestamp on it, it was 2:34am. i was partying with my friends or was i afterpartying with my girlfriend, i forgot, but if i had known that you were carefully choosing words for a work email at the time, i would have paused for a minute as a salute

shocking as it may sound to someone who is 45, unmarried and without children, there are people in this world who are 25, married and have 3 children, and some of them are english teachers. they will be happy to go in to discuss a few important issues about the new multiple choice oral verbal written audio video quiz system that we may implement after week 7, but before week 8, but not sure, but maybe yes, so they will be happy to discuss that at 7:30 on a thursday morning, but only if the meeting lasts until at least 10pm so that by the time they get home the wife is already in bed, otherwise she would most certainly beat them to death

a few words about the 27 page documentation on the intended changes in the syllabus with regards to question two point b of the listening exercise at the bottom of page 27 of the level 2 coursebook of the B series. its great, but its a bit too brief. there are several points that needed elaboration. an additional 34 pages on the same topic would be great, coz then the pile of sheets would be an excellent wedge to keep the balcony door open when its windy outside

about our mission statement 'to change the saudi learning culture in 6 weeks and produce the perfect motivated autonomous learner' i think its high time someone did it. out of the 23847782070126345 tefl managers who tried this over the past 50 years, 100% failed, so its time for someone with your dedication to take up this issue and get it over with once and for all. change is what this country needs, and they need us to bring this change, coz we know so much better what they dont. in fact, we, amreeki, know everything, and they, the rest, know nothing. we are smart, and they are dumb. we are the catalyst that this country has been waiting for since time immemorial. ah, i almost forget, dear manager, 17 year old little muhammad 23 from class b2 asked me to tell you not to lean your bicycle against his new BMW 22BX extra super WOW X.xx direct injection turbo diesel mercedes benz, coz the rust from your frame makes a spot on his cars pearl white finish, and it annoys him coz hes got only 2 spare cars for weekdays. yeah, so where were we? yeah, so its time we tell them the right way of doing things, and that they wake up from the slumber, coz, man, they are going down so fast, and we are so much above them, they need us desperately, they need our wisdom, they are praying for it every day

just like you, dear manager, i also came here to work, continue with my professional development, become a better teacher, and discover the culture. i dont care about money, not at all, oh no, how dare you. im here to make a change, to make a difference, to leave my mark in history. i would do this for no money at all, i would even do it if i had to pay for it. we are all here to work, we dont care about money. even the fact that my housing allowance is 4 months late now is not a cause for concern, as i would like to move in to my office anyways and work 24 hours a day

i know that you, my dearest manager, know everything about this country, as you had done a research on the internet and read a book before you came here, not to mention the 3 lessons you covered (during the mid term break), and that you know everything about english teaching, as you have a celta, a staggering 4 years teaching experience and an advanced certificate in knot-untying, but i just thought i would say something here, just to let you know that i basically agree, i obey, i comply, i cooperate, i follow, i support, i teamwork and first and foremost, i love you, as i know that somewhere deep inside you just want to be a good boy, a good guy, and for that, i respect you, but, as they say it in 'ferris bueller's day off'::: i said it before and I'll say it again: Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it

[Cleopatra]

You do know term hasn't even started yet?

[veiledsentiments]

I suspect that it was a late night bit of creative writing that perhaps describes a number of previous managers... ones that we have all run into... arrive all gungho to change the systems.

VS

[Grendal]

I'm thinking our dearest dessert traveller has a sweet tooth and is suffering from excess glucose intake and maybe bouncing off walls and hyperventilating. It's a good first draft for a stage play. The scene is set, the actors introduced (I like the Mohammad 23 charactor). We need to develope it a bit more.

Regards.

Grendal

[hsm]

[scot47]

Is this aimed at someone we know ?

[Bebsi]

Yes, I KNOW that manager; he works in many places in Saudi Arabia!

He's not very strict about using capital letters at the beginning of sentences, however.

Why stick with CELTA for KSA? PhDs, MAs, and multiple primary degrees are all easily available if you're going to Saudi, judging by some of the well-qualified people, especially managers, that I've met over the years there.

[gorkomi]

"a few words about the 27 page documentation on the intended changes in the syllabus with regards to question two point b of the listening exercise at the bottom of page 27 of the level 2 coursebook of the B series."

Ha!