12 Reasons to STAY AWAY!

A recent departee from the HCT gulag has sent Suede an updated advertisement for the undoubted attractions of working for 'The Evil Empire'. Given the amount of warnings that have already been issued regarding this place, you might well question the wisdom of adding another to the list.

But I just couldn't resist banging another nail (or twelve) into that rotting coffin-lid!

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1. While HCT has been paying less and less (because of cost of living increases) for many years, more and more is required of its lecturers in terms of research, advising, meetings and needless paperwork. Most faculty members will be teaching four or five different classes from September 2019, with the multiple preparations that are involved. 

2. The Ticket Benefits for westerners have been reduced greatly, from 9750 AED to around 6,000AED. What this means in reality is that you will have to pay your own passage to the UAE, at least in part. 

3. The Education Benefits for families have been reduced per child from 60,000 to 45,000 AED. If you have two kids, then the maximum is 60,000 AED. This compares very poorly with the situation two years ago, when it was 120,000 AED. In short, you will have to pay a good share of your (depleted) salary to have your children educated at a decent school. 

4. Starting from this September, an assistant professor will teach a minimum of four classes. However, according to an email from the VC of A, the college can, if necessary, assign an additional class without any payment of overtime. Last year several faculty members were assigned TWO extra classes and, despite promises of full payment, were only paid for one of them!

5. Summer teaching is now mandatory and without any compensation whatsoever. The upper management has refused to pay overtime during the summer, despite the fact that it is not included in the contract. 

6. HCT has no ranking at all among well-known universities, even in the UAE. In fact, (quite unsurprisingly) it is not listed anywhere. As a result, you will seriously hurt your career prospects if you make the unfortunate decision to join them. 

7. They have, on numerous occasions, sacked several faculty members over disputes with female students, even when it was clear that the students were at fault. So don't expect any fair or equal treatment and consideration from the HCT management if there is a conflict, and avoid teaching in female campuses, unless you really have to. 

8. In summer, all faculty members are expected to work thirty hours per week, whereas other government universities are off for summer break. In fact, HCT is the only educational institution that forces its lecturers and teaching staff to work during the summer. 

9. Look at the picture above: HCT faculty do not have offices, not even shared ones! All HCT lecturers have to work in an open office environment, similar to the cube-style desks that exist in call-centres. This creates a very noisy environment with absolutely no privacy. Even worse, the students can enter the 'halls' and walk among the cubicles freely. 

10. At HCT you will always hear (or rather, read in tiresome emails) about the need to inspire and feel happiness. Indeed, I believe there is even a Director of Happiness at one unfortunate campus! Yet no one is happy with the upper management, who willfully ignore the needs of the college's greatest assets: its teaching staff. If you have ever read George Orwell's 1984, and gulped at his Ministry of Love & Peace, you will have a good idea of exactly what I mean; if you haven't read the book, do so now!

11. There is no feeling of belonging at HCT, and no sense of security. Any simple mistake can result in a warning letter; a perceived infraction can even lead to an immediate dismissal: it is quite simply a work environment that fosters fear and a culture of denial. In short, HCT's appalling management treats its highly educated and fully trained faculty members with utter contempt, as if they were slaves.

12. To conclude, this institution is doing very well in demoralizing teaching staff and putting them down. The upper management constantly lies to its lecturers and practices every technique of manipulation known to humankind. HCT's senior managers can modify the contract at will, which reflects negatively on the allowances paid. Faculty members have recently lost a lot of their allowances (travel, schooling tuition) due to changes that were imposed post-contract. Unfortunately, the deans, division chairs, and program coordinators have no control or say, and remain as meek as lambs for fear of displeasing their Emirati masters. As a matter of fact, administrators have more authority and influence than any faculty members at HCT, which really outlines just how twisted and corrupt this 'college' actually is.

If you have any respect for yourself, your chosen career and your years of experience, don’t join this place. Just don't!