Teaching at Princess Nora University

Hi Ava
Did you ask them, what company you will be working for? PNU usually gives the job of hiring teachers to contractors. They will be the ones that you will be dealing with during your employment. Recruiters work for contractors. The two big contractors at PNU are SBC and EdEx. Unless you are direct hire, in which case PNU are your employers. But it doesn't sound like you are. I hope that makes sense to you.

Ditto what Desert Blue said. To add, some recruiters also work on behalf of the universities for direct hire positions, but I don't think that's the case here. I believe Amber Recruit works on behalf of Saudi British Center (SBC) to recruit teachers to work at PNU. It could be that they've recruited you on behalf of another contractor, such as Education Experts. It's best to ask Amber Recruit which contractor you'll be working for, then posters here would be better able to attempt to address your specific questions and concerns, as each contractor offers different housing etc. Have a look at this discussion about Amber Recruit on Dave's ESL cafe: forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?p=1100637

Hello avakab. If you want to learn about Princess Nora University on this forum, just do a search in Saudi Arabia for Princess Nora University or PNU. There are probably at least a few people who have posted because we are quite a few teachers.

I have just put in my resignation at PNU and I'm glad I finally was able to do it. It took me some time and I will probably lose my housing deposit, but it's still worth it for me.

We work much too hard at PNU and there are always threats of disciplinary warnings if you miss anything. You will work all day and then some more at home. If you complain, then upper management will add more work to your load to keep you busy. Also, there is no real health insurance (you must use government clinics which are horrible, unless you're wiling to pay out of pocket) so think twice about coming if you have ANY health issues at all. 

I feel a real sense of freedom and release now that I've quit and am looking forward to a real job with realistic work expectations. I honestly feel that upper management doesn't see us as professionals, but only educated maids who teach. It's hard to explain, but you'll understand once you get here.

I would congratulate you but am more inclined to offer my condolences.  Good luck, you'll need mountains of it.

That's really shocking,  I have been in Saudi for long time and this is the first time I know that it is that bad in such reputable university.
It looks like the management made it that bad, but is there any escalation channels?

Hi Deocome

I have noticed that management is completely changing... there are heaps of advertisements for Directors and Programme leaders. Perhaps they are changing culture.

If you are direct hire with PNU then you should seriously reconsider going via an agency like SBC or Edex or better yet stay away from PNU and rather get a job at KSU (King Saudi Uni) ! I am direct hire. Everything has changed, our packages and positions have been degraded....our medical cover does not exist and sometimes (as was my case) they don't pay you for almost 3 months! I was forced to leave the country due to medical issues as I was unable to get the treatment i needed under PNU care! Also...we now no longer have access to the gym. Not worth it.....look else where!

Yes, everything nomadicxpat has said is true, except that she is understating the situation. If you need money soon, then Princess Nora is not the job for you. It  often takes 3-4 months to get your first salary because of the paperwork. If you are rude to the HR ladies, it takes longer.

Contractors are paid even less and have countless problems with fraud and not getting paid. If your contractors (Edex, SBC) decide not to pay you, forget it. So many contractor teachers left this past year because they were never paid. As a foreign female, it is impossible to go after your rights.

You pay a 5000 SAR housing deposit. When you quit, it takes up to 6 months for PNU to process all your exit paperwork. So you are stuck here for that time with no income. If you get tired of waiting and leave, you will never see the 5000 SAR deposit again.

There is no health insurance and no medical leave. If you are sick, you must go to a real hospital for a note, and this costs money (400-700 SAR). Otherwise you won't get paid for that day. A lady with breast cancer had to quit. Another lady developed a kidney problem because her bladder infections weren't treated. Working at PNU can be downright dangerous.

There are too many other issues to talk about. PNU is trying to get accredited too soon. For the teachers, this means a hostile and unsafe workplace. 30% of PNU teachers leave each year, for a reason.