Job Discussion Forums

[ditto]

Here's standard feedback from a couple of Saudi universities so far in response to a CV that covers over 30 years of international ESL and EFL experience with a BA, MA, and DELTA:

* The applicant is asked to provide exact starting and finishing dates from ALL previous jobs, and letters of reference from same.

* The applicant is told that distance MAs will not be recognized.

Okay, this is pretty unreasonable and unintelligent it seems to me, and I won't bore you with the reasons - they're obvious to anybody.

So I'm wondering two things: first, is this standard hiring practice from Saudi universities? Second, do any of you have a workaround? How to get credited for a qualification that's completely valid in the West, but not in their eyes? How to get letters of reference from school directors that are either dead or moved on?

[veiledsentiments]

They are paying the salary and they get to set the rules. I suggest that if the listed is your actual credentials and experience, you just don't bother with KSA. The Ministry of Higher Education in the UAE recognizes online/distance MAs, so the problem is gone. And the UAE is a much more pleasant place to live anyway... and yes, the money in the UAE universities is equal or better than KSA.

VS

[ditto]

[scot47]

Many universities in KSA have unrealistic expectations about everything.

[cmp45]

I would say that this is fairly standard practice based upon the three different places I applied to in KSA. They required education degrees to be certified by some higher authority as well liked to see letters of reference. They all expected to see exact start and end dates of previous employment...along with contact names and phone numbers/e-mail. They love to see the fancy stamps and numerous signatures on every bit of paper. They are quite anal regarding paper work.
The good news is after the first job, applying for jobs thereafter are some what easier as you already have all the 'papers' notarized and stamped so not necessary to do again. That's if you are crazy enough like me to continue working in KSA But again ...I have done well enough.

It's usually the first job in KSA that is the most difficult to manage; jumping through all their hoops!
BTW, they all rejected my online masters degree in Post Secondary Education which was done through a reputable university....I couldn't get round the fact it was on-line since I had done it part time while I was teaching in KSA. It is frustrating, but there is little one can do about it.

I have also taught in the UAE and have to say I prefer Saudi Arabia. In the UAE, I found the students to be more difficult to manage and were more arrogant than Saudi students. I supose the lifestyle in the UAE is more reasonable than KSA. I supose salaries may be higher too in UAE, but if you are going 'out' alot you will find your savings melting away.

[7168Riyadh]

It's bonkers in Saudi. Don't give up though. You might be able to wing it under the radar via a recruiter. Don't ever tell people your MA was earned via distance learning, and act like it won't be an issue, because if you don't mention it...

[nomad soul]

It's a hassle to track down previous employers and hope they'll be cooperative or that they're even still in operation. But the plus side is that some Saudi employers use this employment verfication to determine your salary, which in your case, could amount to quite a bundle. However, I agree with VS. Given your academic qualifications and years of experience, you should apply for positions elsewhere. A couple of good sites are higheredjobs.com and chronicle.com.

[ditto]

Wow! Very useful responses! Thanks, everyone. You may regret having been so helpful - I'm going to be spending some time here now.

[cmp45]

[scot47]

It is sensible in this fiel of work, if you can call it that, to get certificates of service when you leave a job. That should include the date of starting and leaving.