Job Discussion Forums

[mmcmorrow]

Just drawing your attention to an interesting article in this month's EL Gazette (available free online). The article discusses complaints by teachers in Saudi Arabia who were recruited by Bell in the UK and were then employed by a 'partner organisation' in Saudi. Some teachers were confused about the relationship between Bell and the Saudi employer and also complained about having their passports retained by the employer, having to sign a second contract on arrival and having no holidays till the end of the contract. The EL Gazette sought (British) legal opinion on these issues.

One particularly relevant piece of legislation states that agencies need to make it clear that they are not the employer:

"Under Regulation 27 of the Conduct and Employment Agencies and Employment Business Regulations 2003 an agency is responsible for making sure �every form of advertising by whatever means� identifies whether it is acting as an employment agency or an employment business".

I think that this principle is important for schools, agencies and particularly teachers to know and act on, as ambiguity about the issue has been part of the EFL scene for a long time.

Martin McMorrow, TESOLANZ / Massey University, NZ