Hi Jonathan,

Many apologies for not getting back to you sooner - but I'm quite happy
for you to use my material...

Since sending this post I was silly enough to go back to the gulf
(another country) and had similar/worse experiences there - when/as I
have some time I can always write something about that too if you
wish...

Right now: in Australia 'licking my wounds' and *very* carefully
considering WHERE I will work next - or if in fact I will *ever* go
overseas again to work or not...

Regards,



John
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Well - I recently spent 5 or 6 months teaching in a certain gulf state
which will remain nameless.
 
I was given a 2 year contract to teach university level ESL in this
country - this contract specifically spelled out my conditions of
employment; pay, working hours, the lot. NOW - here's what happened:

The contract was BROKEN the day I arrived:

1. I was NEVER paid the amount that was stipulated in my contract (in fact,
I was NEVER paid AT ALL - for the entire time I was there - until I decided
to pull out/escape - I never received one pay cheque - I (and nearly 70
other new teachers) had to go into the university on a daily basis to BEG
for 'advances' on the salary that we WEREN'T receiving...
 
2. The 'contract' GUARANTEED free furnished housing - when I arrived I
discovered that this 'free' housing was NOT free - the furniture for it had
been purchased 'on my behalf' - and if I DARED to leave the country under
FOUR YEARS I would have to PAY FOR IT  - something like 5000 to 8000 dollars 
US!!!!
 
3. My 'contract' ALSO guaranteed 'free medical' - this was WITHDRAWN from
ALL TEACHERS while I was there.

4. At the same time, myself and other teachers were subjected to new/renewed
restrictions on LEAVING THE COUNTRY - the NATIONALS of this country could
leave WHENEVER THEY WANTED TO - we were literally PRISONERS - without a
LETTER OF PERMISSION, about 5 different signatures AND certain stamps/etc.
you were not allowed to leave the country - and the university
administration made it as DIFFICULT as possible for you to get these
signatures/stamps - it normally took you up to the last few days before  you
were due to FLY OUT - so you would book your ticket, have all your
arrangements made - and NEVER KNOW - not until the last minute - whether you
would actually be ALLOWED to go or not...

5. We were ALSO supposed to receive a 'loan' to buy a car - the ONLY way you
could ever HOPE to get around in this country - there is NO public
transport - once you got there you discovered that the university would ONLY
give you the money AFTER you had purchased the car (with WHAT you may ask?
With the SALARY that you were not receiving anyway)... Guess WHO ended up
WALKING (seriously) home from the university, trying to 'thumb a ride', on
MOST days? (Bear in mind, this is walking through the DESERT - in
temperatures of up to 50 degrees celsius - while my rich students flew past
in their (top-of-the-line) airconditioned toyota landcruisers....

6. CONTRACTS themselves? Written in ARABIC - you NEVER got a copy of your
actual contract in English - and once you (stupidly) signed the contract
that they pressured you into signing - it disappeared into the bowels of the
university's administration system - never to emerge again - no matter HOW
MANY TIMES you asked 'when will *I* get a copy of my contract?'
 
7. BY WAY OF COMPARISON: A foreign teacher - university level - such as
myself - was SUPPOSED to be paid (money) in the hand per month
(which I never received anyway) - this is for someone with three degrees in
TESOL/Applied Linguistics and university level experience in several
countries - a 20 year old NATIONAL of this country - with a single teaching
qualification - someone teaching primary school for example, was paid
(minimum starting amount - lots) PER MONTH in the hand - with
EVERYTHING provided for FREE...
 
8. Whilst I was in this nameless gulf country (or maybe just before) the
foreign minister appeared on national television to talk about the oil
crisis/drop in oil prices - his message to the people was simple: "Don't
worry - you won't suffer financially