Job Discussion Forums

Sir Better · Joined: 21 Aug 2010 Posts: 8

How much do new hires get by way of a settling in allowance at QU? Is it about 30,000, like at HCT? Is there a good orientation process. Are HR friendly and helpful? Any answers gratefully received.

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

The "settling in" allowance at HCT is actually a furniture allowance (which is what it was called for many years). The last I heard, QU provides furnished flats, so there is likely no allowance.

VS

FunGus · Joined: 10 Jun 2008 Posts: 34

No allowance given.

The apartments are fully furnished but you still need to but pots and pans, etc.

They will front you a month's salary which is then taken out of the next 3 paychecks.

wilberforce · Joined: 27 Dec 2008 Posts: 647

Hey Fungus - what are they going to do with all you surplus teachers? I heard they are sending the computer teachers from the cancelled computer foundation to other depts but what about English teachers. Maybe they should go back to the old system of providing ESP. Some places, like SQU never stopped their ESP programs and are flourishing.

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

Hey Wilbur...

SQU's Foundation program in the Language Center is a combo of ESP and standard Academic English.

There is no reason why SQU couldn't make this same decision to switch various departments like Business and Engineering to Arabic.

VS

battleshipb_b · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 189

[quote="wilberforce"]Hey Fungus - what are they going to do with all you surplus teachers? I heard they are sending the computer teachers from the cancelled computer foundation to other depts but what about English teachers. Maybe they should go back to the old system of providing ESP. Some places, like SQU never stopped their ESP programs and are flourishing.[/quote]

Right on! ESP is the way to go - should never have canceled the old Language Unit in the first place. It was doing a good job. The idea to change the university into an English language university was a hasty decision. They only taught Engineering and Science courses in English in the old days, in fact sometimes the materials were in English but the profs taught in Arabic. This helped the students whose English reading skills were sometimes better than their English writing skills. We use this approach in many universities in the magic kingdom. It doesn't harm the students.

battleshipb_b · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 189

[quote="Sir Better"]How much do new hires get by way of a settling in allowance at QU? Is it about 30,000, like at HCT? Is there a good orientation process. Are HR friendly and helpful? Any answers gratefully received.[/quote]

I don't think they give you a settling in allowance. I never heard of this. Once upon a time at some point they may have given people a furnituyre allowance when they gave them unfurnished accomodation. This policy was canceled like so many other places. It doesn't work as some people take the money and run.

The last person I knew personally left about 5 years ago and said teachers were put in QU accomodation, mainly villas. I later heard they had rented a whole compound for teachers somewhere near the big stadium. My friend left before this but was very satisfied with his accomodation.

stickleback · Joined: 01 Jul 2008 Posts: 76

No way. I never got a settling in allowance. Some sneaky types brought their furniture and managed somehow to get a furniture allowance. The accomodation is furnished, it's not too bad as accomodation goes but the apartments in the Zuhoor Compound where I lived had no sound-proofing. This means you could hear your neighbors fight and flush the toilet. Another thing that bugged me were the teenage ruffians parading around the streets. I think that's been fixed.