Job Discussion Forums

disregardedknowledge · Joined: 12 Nov 2008 Posts: 63

Greetings all.

I saw an ad for English Instructors for Creative English. And similar to another poster, I couldn't find any other threads about this employer. Can anyone provide me any feedback on working conditions, student motivation and/or accommodation?

Thank you in advance for any feeback.

Regards

whitetiger · Joined: 31 Oct 2010 Posts: 5

Creative English is a "One man band" operating out of her house. The company is a recruiter with little experience in Saudi Arabia. The recruiter did not have direct contact with the employer only via another recruiter, therefore two companies are taking a cut/commission from you when/if get the job.

NoahSal · Joined: 01 Dec 2010 Posts: 12

Thanks White Tiger, I guess its yet another dodgy recruitment outfit to add to the many others that have been mentioned on the Saudi forum. Still, although they are taking a cut from another recruiter the jobs they advertise might still be relatively okay in Saudi terms. Maybe I am being naive on this but I get the impression that Saudi jobs are a hit and miss affair and the fact that this recruiter is on the dodgy side doesnt necessarily mean that the jobs in question are also. Anyone out there who has actually taken a job via Creative? Also, who is the other recruiter they are taking a cut from? maybe its a better way to know more about what maybe in store on the job..

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

So now the recruiters are using recruiters? Rolling Eyes

NoahSal... the answer to who is paying them is ... YOU!! Recruiters are paid with a cut in your salary. Sweet eh?

VS

NoahSal · Joined: 01 Dec 2010 Posts: 12

Yes indeed. Thanks for that Veiled. I guess though I might be willing to pay a bit more even to a second recruiter if the job is good in terms of working conditions etc. Thats why I asked if there was any current employees who have jobs via Creative.

S.

egyptfan · Joined: 29 Nov 2004 Posts: 105 Location: Middle East

Well, first of all, I think Creative English is a one-woman band and she tries her best. There's nothing unusual in having two recruiters. Aramco applicants face this all the time. One of many recruiters / agents in Saudi will probably end up as your sponsor / employer. As these don't have offices overseas, they use agents in the UK/US to advertise, set up interviews etc. Hence, Creative English and others.

And, yes, two recruiters get a slice of the cake. I'm not sure it's your cake actually, as the employer usually pays them a hefty fee for your services. It's not worth worrying about too much it as there is little you can do. The bottom line is that you get a package you are happy with and a place to work that is OK. A combination of those two things is not always as easy or straightforward as it seems!

Creative English recruits for other employers (apart from Aramco) and here is where you might need to exercise caution. Get as much information as possible on the school / company / institute before making any decision. Dave's is a good place to look for info but, failing that, you could ask for contact points of existing teachers. Failure to provide this is often a red flag! Proceed with caution as, if you end up in a dodgy institute / school / university, Creative English will be the least of your worries.

Bebsi · Joined: 07 Feb 2005 Posts: 958

The distinction is simple, really, and there's nothing suspicious about it.

Aramco, like many large organizations, outsources certain functions such as training, and has been doing so since the early 90s. These outsourced contracts are given to companies such as HAK, SRACO and Al Hugayet.

These contractors hire teachers to service their contracts, but to do so, they use recruiters on the ground in places like UK and US. The functions of the recruiters are to attract applicants, maybe do some of the shortlisting, and arrange interviews etc. This is normal in the world of HR, and more often than not, these recruiters are small operations.

Many universities also outsource, such as KSU (Obeikan/Bell) and DCC/KFUPM (Al Falak), as do the military (Vinnell etc).

The employment packages for teachers vary, with some contractors treating teachers very well and offering good packages, while quite a few are less reputable and others still are downright unscrupulous. As to who is what, there are plenty threads on the subject in this forum. Some, like Bell/Obeikan, appear to get a lot of negative attention.

I am given to believe that the Aramco contractors are among the better ones and the packages on offer seem to be at the upper end of the Saudi teaching scale.