Any positive reviews of EdEx
 

Hello everyone....

Myself and my wife are planning to work for EdEx (Education Experts) in Saudi Arabia as EFL tutors, we are not sure where we will be located as its based on the needs of the company but our preference is Jeddah, we will find out where we will be located once we arrive in Saudi which will be at some point in August this year.

I have read some negative reviews of EdEx but i am sure there must be some positive ones as well right, i am sure they have around 600 tutors working for them? So I'm looking for those EFL tutors who are working or have worked with EdEx who are having/had a positive experience working for them?

Any feedback or comments will me much appreciated.

Many thanks

Ruhel

Re: Any positive reviews of EdEx
 

1) Are they guaranteeing you both 90 day single entry work visas that can be turned into iqama's incountry?

2) Have you got a 'pathway' degree for the changes rapidly overtaking the field?

3) Have you read up on them on DavesESLCafe? (multiple threads covering work for them, changing pathway degree requirements, etc, etc)

4) Your 'Identity' matters here with regard to jobs in certain locations. Are you aware of this and does it affect you?

Re: Any positive reviews of EdEx
 

1. Yes they have said we will get an Iqama Visa after about 2 months
2. Please can you explain this point in a bit more in detail? We both have BA Hons degrees which are not teaching English related. We both have 140 hours TEFL certificates and EDICert TEFL (equivalent to level 5 and also accredited by UK Government Office)
3. Yes i have read some of the reviews on Daves ESL Cafe and i know they are mainly negative, hence i am asking are there any positive reviews working for them? Please can you explain in more detail 'changing pathways degree requirement'?
4. We both are British Muslims, we prefer Jeddah but are aware thar we may not get it and be located elsewhere. we are aware of the culture and what to expect in Saudi.

Re: Any positive reviews of EdEx
 

Pathway degrees are English (there's something in there about being 70% pathway orientated modules), English Language and Linguistics, or Education.

Are you aware if you come over and don't fit the "white, native speaker" image that working at certain physical locations may be out of your reach if you're coloured, have an untrimmed beard for religious purposes, etc, etc?

Re: Any positive reviews of EdEx
 

I've not come across it where we have to have 70% English pathway degrees and its the first time i have heard of this?

What are you basing it on the fact that we are not "white native speakers" that we may struggle, i have known other non-white teachers coping fine in Saudi as EFL tutors so it would be good to know what you are basing this point on?

Also, are any of the point directly related to EdEx or are they general comments?

Re: Any positive reviews of EdEx
 

Amongst the points was a direction to where conversations are going on about the situation with EdEx tutors currently in the Kingdom. The other points I make are just things I've noticed over time. I haven't said you won't cope, Just supplying you with information you may find useful. There are many truths and untruths about living and working here, looking in from the outside.

Re: Any positive reviews of EdEx
 

I know there are some very bad experiences with EdEx but i was just wondering if there are any positive ones as well, surely if they have more than 600 tutors under them there must be some really good stories as well?

No problem, your comments are much appreciated.....

Re: Any positive reviews of EdEx
 

High turnover. Low morale. You will be treated as inferior to WASP teachers.

Re: Any positive reviews of EdEx
 

Hi, i'm also employed by Education Experts. Just got the contract. Im also British and wish to join in Jeddah. There are many negative feedbacks on EdEx but I have spoken to someone who worked for them and had a great time. People who have had no problem with EdEx do not usually come on forums, its those who have not been taken care of well come. There are 500 teachers employed by them, so they some time manage to make mistakes with salaries etc.

I was also told that Saudi students respect their teachers, its what they have been taught, its in their culture to show respect to elders.

I think you would be okay there. I might even meet you there, im also starting this August. Hope this helps

Re: Any positive reviews of EdEx
 

Haha, so much win in one first post the connotations lean towards remembering the recruiter in Private Benjamin

Re: Any positive reviews of EdEx
 

I have had my medical and signed a contract, we are supposed to be in Saudi mid August but its still not confirmed yet, what stage are you at?

Yes there are good and bad reviews with all, i know people who are with EdEx and he has given me the positives and negatives so i am content and know what to expect i think!

Re: Any positive reviews of EdEx
 

Iv only just signed the contract. My visa process has started, just waiting for it. I havnt had my medical yet, maybe next week. As soon as that is sorted I have to fly out after two days.

Re: Any positive reviews of EdEx
 

Posts on Dave's ESLCafe are overwhelmingly negative. I understand that there are those who will take any opportunity to get to Saudi Arabia so that they can do Hajj and/or Umrah on the cheap. My advice is stay away from EdEx and all those other dodgy educational contractors.

Re: Any positive reviews of EdEx
 

Yes, but you will still suffer from culture shock, I knew many Muslims who ran during a contract. The Muslim brotherhood aspect doesn't really exist there. Indonesian maids and Bangladeshi street cleaners are treated like dirt over there. If you are not Saudi then you are treated like everyone else, Muslim or not.

I remember at the university I was at, when 5 Jordanian teachers fled on a midnight run - they hated the place and they were Muslim and Arabic speakers - don't make the mistake of thinking you are going to be immune from a culture shock.

As for EdEx - if you don't have the masters degree - sometimes you have no choice, but the positive reviews are absent for a reason, and that is because they are pretty awful. The obvious stares you in the face when you are looking for answers sometimes.

Re: Any positive reviews of EdEx
 

Worked with them for two years and with other employers in Saudi Arabia as well. Some things to consider: 1. when I was hired, the contract stated that I would be placed at Imam Mohamed University in Riyadh. I never even saw the place. I was bused to Qassim the day after I arrived, a place I had never ever heard of before. 2. The hotel they kept us at was dangerous. They had armed intelligence officers posted by the prince in the lobby of the hotel to watch over us. 3. We were prevented from going out with locals when we first arrived. 4. Edex often moved me and other people to new locations with less than 24 hours notice. This was to hide the move from the schools, who didn't want teachers turning over so much. Sometime people had just rented new apartments and brought their family, then found they were being moved the next day or month. They were not reimbursed for the rental costs. 5. Edex won't give you the full vacation pay, and you may not get a ticket home, unless you are signing on for a second year. 6. The first year they often did not pay on time. Both years, salary was paid in large stacks of cash in smoke filled, dark hotel rooms. 7. The accommodation was unsafe. A hotel worker broke into our room at 3 a.m. with a pass key. Another teacher was assaulted by a local who came up to his hotel room past the hotel security. An older teacher was killed, walking in front of the hotel.

The students are not respectful. Go to another country if you are looking for that. They are often playing cards in the back of the class, coming to class stoned, or making excuses for not attending and asking the teacher to lie and say that they did attend. They get more money if they actually attend class.

If anyone has had a positive experience with Edex, they are pretty lucky. Most likely you won't. My other employers were much better. And students at places other than KSU, Qassim, and places Edex has on their list, are better.