ESL Jobs Forum

[clark]

I am going to join EF English First Saudi Arabia. I need some Information about that school, as I have read and heard that the school and the owner has a bad reputation. He promises a high salary but but every month makes some deductions by saying that your performance was not good, the students are not satisfied etc.
By the way they have offered me SR 6500 including all. I am afraid of being stuck there.
Give me some advice
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English Teacher

[aardvark]

Hey, I'll tell you a little about KSA if you'll tell me a little about English First.

I contacted EF about teaching in Russia, but they were more interested in getting me a one year assignment in China.

I did try applying to Al YoMAMA college in Saudi, but their recruiter was an absolute pill. He asked about my teaching methodology for phonology and I mentioned using American English Pronunciation and minimal pairs (just to get listening practice). He reacted like I twisted his dick. He said it was absolutely unacceptable.
I asked him about which method would be acceptable and he replied "something that would allow the students to make the choices for themselves" Well, that leaves out every method except for "THE SILENT METHOD" which is what they really want.
I also asked about their teacher renewal rates and he said "It's over 50 percent" So I said, "It's 55 percent?" He said, "no, it's higher than that."
I got the distinct impression that they want the teacher to lay down all the cards and they pick and choose the sucker who is most apt to toe the line and kiss the Saudi butt. They can pick G. Bush for all I care. He'll be looking for a job, and he is a real Saudi brown-noser.

So, if you chose EF Saudi, are you a happy camper? PM me if you want to tell your tale of woe.

[clark]

[aardvark]

Yeah, I've heard bad things about EF Indonesia, but I didn't think it had spread to EF Saudi. Try looking at Dave's ESL cafe and going to the international forums. You'll find a world wide discussion of what's good & bad about every spot in the world.

Personally, I wouldn't go near Korea because of bad experiences I've had with them in CA. The Saudis have a reputation as major league a$$holes because of their wealth and ability to order Bush & Cheney around.

Have you considered Dubai, UAE, or Kuwait?

[Conquense54]

This post has been moderated UJ

Hey, I so agree with what these guys are saying, it seems we get used and abused in every corner of the world. I've been in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, for almost a year now, I was brought over from UK to teach ESOL at (School name removed) I'd researched the school, the area, etc on the net and all seemed kosher, 'till I arrived. No contract of work was ever signed, no payslips, no health care, no social security, no security of any kind. The place, with its lying evil director,(name removed) is a facade, a den of corruption. There are four teachers including myself who quite literally have been tossed aside by this woman and left to fend for ourselves. Even though I have won my case against them for unfair dismissal, this place is so corrupt I've yet to receive a cent. They just bribe anyone in authority and everything gets put on hold or your case "disappears". I'm now facing a long court battle, which I'm told could take years, in the meantime I can't find work thanks to this evil woman putting a warning in the paper against me, I don't have money for a flight home, so I'm surviving on a day to day basis, and it sucks; it really does.

More details on request!!

[RoseV8]

There are "schools" like these in every country. It's time someone started an online Rogues Gallery exclusively for them, minus names of course but with the ability to PM the poster for full details.
Surely that would not be breaking the law.

[Abdul Al-Qahtani]

Everyone in Saudi is a slave, and it is common for them to use recruitment companies to show just how much they disrespect others. The place is simply the biggest joke on the planet, and the reality is that the boys in the white robes hide behind Sunni Islam. Islam is beautiful, and there is nothing in the Quran about Sharia Law. This is purely a Saudi and Western government scheme to keep the oil flowing. The people that are natives and employed in the country are literally retarded. The literacy rate is extremely low, and it is a big circus designed just to pump oil. The irony is that God deposited a large amount of oil in the most uninhabitable place on the globe. These men and women have been fighting for thousands of years, and they will not stop in the future. They are not bad people, but they should not be living in this place. People try to convince themselves that it is not that bad, but it is. It is a horrible place, and it breeds incompetence.

[St. George]

I'm afraid you will learn nothing new in Saudi except that you would be better off somewhere else...

St. G