King saud university - any teachers from there?

Hi twistinpatty!

Welcome to Expat.com

Armand

Hello
I am a student at King Saud University ..
there are lots of teachers from different countries ,,
I don't know about the accommodation but I saw my teachers apartment pics and its not bad at all
hope u have a gr8 time

i worked on pyp last year
accommodation depends on which hiring company you work for
iceat accommodation is in single apartments for single ladies - no facilities - out by granada mall about an hour from pyp campus
no facilities for female staff at olaysha campus

its good...but how about u check PNU
they just start moving to there new campus
pnu.edu.sa/en/Default.aspx

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Nora_bint_Abdul_Rahman_University

So, I gather you have found out what it is like to teach English at King Saud University. Can you say something about it?  Are you going back in August to do it again?

Is anyone knows any job at king saud university in management and administration since I have master degree in City and Regional Planning from Pakistan. Or any teaching job.....

Is anyone knows any job at PNU or king saud university in management and administration since I have master degree in City and Regional Planning from Pakistan. Or any teaching job.....

I have two indian friends working in King Saud and they are overall happy with the package but I guess management is not good.
2 weeks back King Abdullah has sacked the president of King Saud so that proves my comment.

Overall, its a huge university still being developed. if you are being paid well and given perfect accommodation go for it.

I live next to the university btw:)

Is there any opportunity for me there in Riyadh since my husband is in Riyadh and I also want to move there and I have master degree in City and Regional Planning from Pakistan and Master in Environmental Studies from Canada.

Do you have a TEFL certificate?

Aneela2 wrote:

Is there any opportunity for me there in Riyadh since my husband is in Riyadh and I also want to move there and I have master degree in City and Regional Planning from Pakistan and Master in Environmental Studies from Canada.

are you interested in teaching or what? Do you have nay teaching exp?

Yes I am interested in teaching and I worked as a graduate assistant and as a research assistant at York Univ., Toronto, Canada OR any management or administrative position.

Thanks

There you go. Cosnidering your profile I beleive you will get into PNU and King Saud but you need proper leads. I am a banker so doesn;t know about how to get in. One thing which people do is go once they are in riyadh and apply in person then they call for an interview.
But for you if you are not in KSA, do customer search on EB and you might get some leads.
If i get to know some channel, will sure let you know.

Aneela2 wrote:

Yes I am interested in teaching and I worked as a graduate assistant and as a research assistant at York Univ., Toronto, Canada OR any management or administrative position.

Thanks

I don't think you answered the question about TEFL or a CELTA.  Do you have a TEFL or CELTA?  You will need one of these to really be strongly considered for an ESL teaching job.

I am at the accommodation for one of the main companies employing teachers for King Saud.  The accommodation is basically a hotel, except that the rooms have a kitchen and a living room.  The rooms are small.  There is no gym, not even one close by.  Looking outside you only see similar apt buildings and rubble----a lot of rubble.  It is boring.  There are several dangers at the hotel.  It is unsafe in a number of ways.  Last night, I got trapped in the elevator with one of the male workers.  We had to yell for help.  I was thinking I would die, since the elevator is small and has little air.  Finally the male receptionist rescued us.  I would suggest that you take a job with a company that houses their teachers on a safe and secure compound with amenities, such as walking space and a garden.  That's what I am going to do.  Feel free to message me if you like.

Oh, I forgot to mention: the rooms at the accommodation, which is called Sahara, have no sunlight.  Well, the corner rooms have window with some sun.  But most of the rooms have either no sun or a window that opens onto a concrete wall.
So, ask yourself if you can really live in a flat with no sun for a year?
One of my colleagues here described the place as a "glorified prison" and another called her apartment "a cell."
You should also be aware that you may have to deal with a non-functioning toilet (as I did) and that if you bring any problems to the attention of your employer, they will resent you and make it seem likes it you who has the problem.
So, psychologically, for your own welfare, consider whether you can live like that.

One other thing:
Some of the teachers are living in another accommodation, which has a name something like Star of Malaga.
Those teachers seem to be happier.
But I understand their rooms are small as well.
Perhaps you could ask the company that made you the offer exactly where you will live and whether they can give you the phone numbers of women in both apartment buildings.  Then you can call them and ask questions.  The only thing is, the employer will probably pick teachers to talk with you who have some incentive to portray the accommodations as acceptable, so you'd really have to ask probing questions.

Another thing I should mention:
There is an abaya police at the accommodation called the Sahara.
These are women teachers who tell you to wear an abaya every time you leave your room and so on.  If you live in a compound, that won't be the case.
In terms of King Saud, you would be at the PYP building, which is a fairly standard institutional-looking setting.
Teachers have said that last fall, many teachers were given four classes a day because there was a teacher shortage.  Hopefully, there is enough teachers this year so that you wouldn't have to do that.  But you might want to ask your employer about that just to make sure.

When I say that the abaya police make an issue about wearing it every time you eave your room, I mean they don't even want you to walk around in the halls or the lobby (which is small also) unless you have it on. 
In terms of doing things like outings, we only went to restaurants and no excursions to sites or anything like that.
The women teachers are into food, and it's a community of sitting about in many ways---quite sedentary.

wth!!! see this is why I want to live in a compound. ridiculous!

I must say this also (especially to women):
The male workers at the SAHARA ACCOMMODATION are intrusive.  Several teachers have spoken of the ways in which the workers follow the women into their rooms.  In my case, one came into my room unannounced when I was undressed.  The male workers also interrogate us about our personal lives.  It's very offensive, especially considering that they are supposedly Muslim.

The poster opened with a question and invited responses.
I replied by sharing experiences and making observations.
Just because those experiences and observations don't mirror Katelol's, doesn't mean they aren't legitimate.  If they happened, I am free to give an account of them.

So, Katelol, your attempt to censor is fine as an act of free speech, but ineffective as a means to inhibit or intimidate.
Why keep one's mouth shut about serious problems, especially if they involve hazards to one's health?

And, twistinpatty, why not find out for yourself what you think of the place.   Many teachers live here, so there are many points of view, including perspectives of teachers who have particular complaints about their digs.  And for someone with low standards, it may be a nice place to live.  Plus, if you want the job and you are a single woman (or a married one sans husband or if you are a single mother with a baby), then you need to make it work.

Why are you giving me directives, Katelol?
You sound like a clone of your employer.
I'm not interested in your approach to coping with substandard accommodations and I am not interested in playing games.
 
If you choose to challenge yourself by figuring how to conform to living in a hotel replete with problems, fine.
But other teachers may wish to invest their energies elsewhere and they may not wish to have to deal with a problematic living space.  For those teachers, it's better to live somewhere  that does not constantly pose challenges that must be surmounted.

Hopefully, twistinpatty and other women contemplating the pros and cons of the position have options besides having to adapt to hazardous and unhealthy living conditions.

With regard to the problem of safety hazards at the Sahara hotel, that problem is not mine to solve because I do not own the Sahara hotel.  Nor am I the employer of the women whose safety and welfare is affected and potentially jeopardized.

With regard to your second question, Katelol, that is none of your business. 

About two weeks ago, one of the teachers here told the employer (this happened in the lobby) that two incendiary sparks had occurred recently and that this was serious because the smoke alarms do not work properly.  She added that she does not want to have to jump from the third floor. 
That is one example of "the problem" you are suggesting could be "solved" by "moving out."   But even if all teachers moved out, they would not take with them "the problem" since that is a physical, material matter that has to fixed by a reliable technician (and of course paid for).

ESL Instructor wrote:

With regard to your second question, Katelol, that is none of your business.

Ummm....a man walking in on you while undressed is a serious allegation. You shared that info about yourself, so it's fair to ask what did about it.

fotos&butterflies,
When I wrote "With regard to your second question, Katelol, that is none of your business," I was responding to Katelol's question about whether I am moving out anytime soon.  Katelol's question has since been deleted.
As to your question about what I did about the hotel worker walking into my room, I told a few managers and I made clear that if it happens again I will call the police.

Hi There

I have been offered a job with ICEAT to work at KSU.
Do you know anything about them and would you recommend me going for it?

They say they provide accommodation, transportation to and from the site but my contract doesn't have the hours of work and I am now concerned that if and when I get there...what I was promoised may change or worse, I'm subjected to an 'anything the Employer says, goes!"

Can anyone give me feedback about working for ICEAT at King Saudi University of the Prepatory English Program?

Thanks

Hi There

Did you actually go in the end?
I have just been offered a job at KSU by a company called ICEAT.
Have you heard of them, are they reputable or should I run for the hills?

Please can you let me know about your experiences to date?
I'd really appreciate your input.

Best Wishes
Londonmade

Londonmade wrote:

I have just been offered a job at KSU by a company called ICEAT.  Have you heard of them, are they reputable or should I run for the hills?

Please can you let me know about your experiences to date?  I'd really appreciate your input.

Best Wishes
Londonmade

Reputable?  Well, some have referred to them as "ICHEAT." 

A couple of my female friends taught for them at KSU.  They referred to the housing as a dungeon; their "apartments" were dark and dreary and rather isolated and not within any walk to nearby major shopping.  They also were housed an hour's drive away from the university.  The teaching was fine; they liked the students.  However, it wasn't unusual to work extra hours and at times, they weren't sure if their pay really reflected that.  Pay was sporadic and questionable in terms of accuracy.  The biggie was that they were brought to KSA on business visit visas, which meant visa runs/renewals every 90 days.  This made sending money, getting an Internet account, and a SIM card a hassle.  Additionally, one had her passport temporarily "lost" by ICEAT for several weeks.  Anyway, it wasn't a pleasant experience and both left after a year.

There's more on ICEAT on Dave's ESL Cafe's Saudi discussion forum.

Hi Smurfette

Thank you so much for getting back to me.

I think ICEAT are very aware of their bad reputation in the marketplace because they are really intent on telling everyone how transparent they like to be.

I met them this weekend at an ICEAT recruitment fair in London and now, they apparently, get their teachers to Saudi on an Employment Visa (Iquama) but they get the teachers to pay the £450 processing fee.  They say they will reimburse this upon arrival in Saudi but this is not written anywhere, so they have provided me with an email confirming reimbursement.  However, I have seen blog  at Dave's Cafe saying that their contracts are not worth the paper it's written on - so I guess I have my answer.

They were quick to say that they had had problems in the past but that they are keen to rectify these.  I should imagine that's why they were in the UK - to replace the teachers they have lost due to their shoddy treatment of them.

It was suggested I email one of their current teachers to get the bottom line (and don't know whether this will be as member of the family masquerading as a teacher :-) I've asked the teacher to Skyoe me but won't hold my breath...I'm getting the picture.

It's a wonder they are still in business then - Is this how things are done in Saudi.  What a shame, especially since ICEAT's mantra is ('...honourably yours') I wonder what Allah would make of this behaviour or reputation?

Thanks again.
I've probably got my answer but will take it slowly and look at various options.


What's Jeddah like and where are your friends now?
Over and out and hope to here from you.
LM

Londonmade wrote:

What's Jeddah like and where are your friends now?LM

Jeddah is less conservative than Riyadh mostly due to a diverse population that calls Jeddah home. Plus, I personally find the people here friendlier as well.  The weather gets hot and humid for part of the year, but right now, it's quite pleasant.

As for my two friends, they're no longer in the Kingdom.  One is now in Kuwait; the other is back home, but this time, she's applying for direct-hire TEFL jobs in Riyadh.

Speaking of job hunting, check out IATEFL's website for info about their upcoming annual conference and job fair.

Hi Again Bluesome

Thanks for the reply and information.  I've just finished speaking to one of the new crop of teachers with ICHEAt and surprisingly she is saying that things have improved.  There's been a change in management but I guess one really never knows until you bite the bullet.

I will look at the link  you've sent and perhaps if and when I get to the Kingdom, we can share waht's great about Riyadh/ Jeddah again.

Buddha Blessings from Londonmade ;-)