Cheated by AIS Egypt

jbuofo · Post by **jbuofo** » Wed Jul 02, 2008 8:16 pm

Last year at this time, several of us who had been at the American International School in Egypt for fairly long periods were informed by the Business Office that we would not be paid our housing allowance, as stated in our contract. We protested loudly but to no avail. They figured, correctly, that they could get away with it because we were all leaving the country.

[b]My advice: steer clear of these people. They will cheat you if they think they can.[/b]

mishmumkin · Post by **mishmumkin** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 12:20 pm

I'm very surprised by this news. AIS has been in operation a long time. Many people I know who've worked there have never experienced anything like this. What's changed?

specialed · Post by **specialed** » Thu Jul 17, 2008 6:36 pm

I agree that I've never heard about this either. There wasn't much information given so it's hard to understand the problem. What month/months did they cheat you out of? According to the contracts, they pay housing until the end of June if you are leaving. Did they not pay your May/June housing allowance, or other months?

While the school has had some issues in various areas, I've never heard the cheating of money part.

doublejointeddonkey · Post by **doublejointeddonkey** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 7:25 am

If this is owned by Wahlid Abu Shakarie (spelling??) you need to talk to him. He is an American living part-time in Michigan from what I can remember from friends. But if it is in the contract then I don't know if you where actually cheated...it was part of the deal?

But then again I was once told that contracts are only as good as the people who are signing them and this might be the case...for both the teacher and the school, honoring what is expected is more important than what was written in a contract.

But he actually went after a Saudi prince for not making tutoring payments for a very good friend of mine and I was extremely impressed...as well as some major 'wasta' for a director in the Gaza Strip - the kidnapping of his American Director - he was returned unharmed very quickly (read in on-line newspapers about 2-3 years ago) . He is a very intelligent man and understands the importance of reputation.

specialed · Post by **specialed** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 8:52 am

"But then again I was once told that contracts are only as good as the people who are signing them and this might be the case...for both the teacher and the school, honoring what is expected is more important than what was written in a contract. "

I would watch saying that on these boards! There are many who feel contracts are one-way streets and that the teachers can break contracts for "whatever reason". I agree with you, but many, many others don't see it that way.

I checked around, people were paid up to their June housing. They were not cheated They wanted housing paid past June - which is not in the contract if you are leaving. AIS-Egypt is far from perfect and 2 years ago there were legitimate personality conflicts, but no one was cheated out of money.

jbuofo · Post by **jbuofo** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 7:15 pm

Under the contract, we were to be paid housing allowance until August 15. We were only paid up to May 15. This decision was delivered by Wahib Girgis, Walid Abushakra's business partner, and certainly represented his position as well. As I said earlier, forewarned is forearmed.

mishmumkin · Post by **mishmumkin** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 7:27 pm

I guess I've never known an employer in Egypt to not arrange my depature at the end of the school year, hence the need for summer housing (or the expectation) was never there.

mobydick · Post by **mobydick** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 2:18 pm

So where exactly are you supposed to live while you see out your contract before moving on in August or September for your next job. If a contract includes housing or an allowance surely it should be for the duration of the contract. If you are talking supply/cover/substitute work then that's a different story but if you hire staff overseas for a contract of x years then the housing should be for the same duration. This isn't rocket science - and the small print means very little - anyone who employs me and then tries to take advantage of me will be directed to the "small print" of my CV that indicates that I accept contracts at shools that treat me with a level of respect in keeping with the standards of the profession. Every school is different as is every expat deal but the employer, like the employee, is surely bound to fulfil certain duties.

specialed · Post by **specialed** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 3:20 pm

Mobydick -
The contracts state that housing is covered until the end of school if you are leaving - which is the end of the contract. There is no fooling or cheating anyone. If you are leaving, the housing is up after school is out. They also pay people right before they leave for the summer (last day of school for teachers) instead of waiting until the end of the month - is that bad too? Housing is not paid out in June if you are leaving because you pay for housing one month in advance. If they paid out housing in June, that would cover rent for July if you were leaving. You pay first and last month's rent when you first get your own place so you don't pay rent your very last month. Have people never rented before? People want an extra month's rent because they can't do the math.

There are many issues with AIS, but they do follow their contracts and I've never heard of anyone getting cheated. If you are coming back, housing continues as your contract is continuing. They do follow the contract that people willingly signed. We can argue whether or not they should pay more, offer more benefits, offer longer housing terms, etc. but they do honor their contracts. I can also tell you that this is the standard contract, and trust me, they do not bargain very much when offering contracts. The only thing that changes in contracts is local hires, and salary. I say again, AIS is far from perfect, but I have never heard of them cheating anyone. The original poster has posted a review before, so why write something over a year later? Why not write this right after it happened. You knew about this website while you were at AIS, so you can't use that as an excuse. Why wait and then try to stir the pot? Does it make your post more believable if you wait longer? If you had a bad experience, learn from it, and move on. Why burn bridges? I honestly liked everyone who left in 2006/2007, but there were some (emphasis on some) very burned out and/or bitter people that left that year.

mobydick · Post by **mobydick** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 4:18 am

I would guess the reason for posting a year later is no to burn bridges. Yep, I'd figured all that out about when they pay your housing up to and realised it is "stated in the contract". That was not my point.

specialed · Post by **specialed** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 8:33 am

Mobydick - The person said they were cheated. That's what I was talking about. Being cheated out of money is not the same as what you would like, or expect someone/a company to do do. I would love to see longer housing stays, more pay, more benefits but if it is not in the contract is it right for me to say I was cheated? I can assure you that it is not written in the contracts that people get housing allowances up to Aug 15 when they leave. These guys are shrewd negotiators and they just don't do it. Trying to negotiate with ESOL is like trying to get blood out of a turnip - Good luck!

Saying this a year later is just very suspect to me. At the end of last year, or maybe after a few months - okay. Not over a year later and at the start of the next summer. ESOL does not blackball anyone for leaving. We even had a teacher leave, and come back after he decided to leave after only one year (he did give notice and all). They don't hold a grudge at ESOL.

mishmumkin · Post by **mishmumkin** » Thu Jul 24, 2008 7:42 pm

I've done a lot of k-12 gigs overseas, and I have never received housing through the summer upon completing a contract. The exception: people who do summer school.

Mobydick asked:
[quote]So where exactly are you supposed to live while you see out your contract before moving on in August or September for your next job. [/quote]

This is not an employer's responsibility. They brought you over, they provided housing, they gave you the end-of-contract funds as promised. If you want to stay the summer and work elsewhere you now become responsibilty of a new employer.

mobydick · Post by **mobydick** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 10:28 am

Interesting. I've done 5 gigs overseas and had housing for the duration of the x years contract with 4 of those. Every job that I turned down alos offered it. The exception was a school in, yes, Egypt - not one of the top schools I must add, that all provide housing for the duration of the contracted period.

mishmumkin · Post by **mishmumkin** » Fri Jul 25, 2008 10:40 am

I base this on my experience with 2 employers in Egypt and 3 employers in the UAE. If actual housing is provided they want old teachers out to start maintenance and prepare the home for the next teacher who typically arrives in early to mid-August. That just doesn't jive with those who want to stay through the month of August-typically the end of 1 full year in Egyptian schools For those who receive actual allowances, it's simply a matter of saving money on the part of the employer. I've never heard of anyone providing the housing or an allowance through the month of August. Too many teachers leave the country at the end of the contract. Giving everyone allowances would be, in the eyes of admin, like throwing the money away at people who didn't need it. Even Cairo American College, one of the best gigs in Egypt, would not allow their teachers to stay in their provided accommodation through the month of August. They'd have nowhere to place the new teachers.