Turkish Muslim Cult - Zaman
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Turkish Muslim Cult - Zaman
Zaman International School is certainly a misnomer if there ever was one – the use of INTERNATIONAL in its name is fundamentally false advertizing. There is nothing INTERNATIONAL about it.
The teaching staff isn’t international with merely one native English speaker on a staff of 80 teachers. The rest of the English Department is Turkish Muslim and speak awkward stammering English similar to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s silly cadences in the Terminator movies, (“I’ll be back” sort of thing). Not only that, the English Departmental meetings are 75 percent conducted in Turkish since the teachers’ listening recognition skills are so weak they don’t understand the issues when conducted in English. The blind leading the blind. To say that the students’ English facility is lacking is an understatement. With teachers that are ill equipped to recite even a simple sentence fluently in English you can’t really expect more. When the teachers aren’t fluent, it bodes ill toward instilling fluency in the students.
The Zaman curriculum isn’t international. It’s a self professed Gulen School, following the educational philosophies of the Turkish Islamic theologian Fethullah Gülen. The Gulen schools are believed by many seasoned educators to have sinister underpinnings. Implied is that the students get a thorough brainwashing in Islamic doctrine instead of a well-rounded education. That view is proved true at Zaman. The administration has totally banned traditional liberal arts subjects like Art and Music which are standard in international school curriculum and replaced them which a mandatory 4 years of Turkish language studies. Since the entire student population is composed of Cambodian students who are Buddhist it’s rather odd that the students are forced to learn to speak Turkish. Outside school, in their daily life they have absolutely no need for Turkish speaking skills.
Islamic teachings and Islamic codified behavior reign at Zaman. The Koran dictates all teaching and all behavior there. Classes are segregated, staff rooms are segregated, student dining area is segregated and teachers dining area is segregated. In the school environs everyone is forced to become a de facto Muslim.
The administration is out of touch with accepted international curriculum and if they have had any contact, they haven’t a clue as to how to develop it or implement it. Without a modicum of English speaking proficiency any curriculum they attempt to implement is doomed to failure.
The school building, classrooms and facilities are not up to international school standards. The classrooms are under equipped. No interactive whiteboards, no comfortable furniture and the too many of the projectors are broken down or otherwise inoperative. They cram 35 to 40 students into classrooms that were designed for a maximum of 25. Factoring in the steep tuition, one wonders why the facilities are so inadequate. Parents are not getting their money’s worth.
As for administration support – the Turkish Muslim teachers get a plethora of support, they even hire the Turks wives with weaker English skills to teach 7th and 8th grade English while the lone native English speaker gets zilch. Treated like an infidel and looked upon with suspicion.
The school provides no assistance in finding housing or any information, not even a map – to assist the one NES with the acclimation process. It’s sink or swim for the NES infidel.
The students at Zaman come from very wealthy families and most have their own late model car to commute to school. They are spoiled; the school is definitely a “for profit” organization, so the unstated philosophy is pay for your grades. The male students tend to challenge authority and are physically abusive to each other. Discipline is inconsistent and whimsically administered. Some of the young Turkish teachers appear to be intimidated by the 11th and 12th grade male students. Classroom discipline verges on chaos. The administration, with their eyes glued to the bottom-line tend to ignore the students inappropriate behavior even though as cited in the student handbook there are dozens of offenses that could require disciplinary action but are disregarded. To sum up the student population, the majority are sheltered rich kids that feel their parents’ money entitles them to do anything they want. Teachers are lowly peons. Administration does not back teachers who attempt to impose some form of discipline on the unruly bunch.
The salary is like the majority of other things at Zaman- inadequate. For Phnom Penh it is not enough money to make ends meet. The teachers have to be at the school at 7:30 AM, cannot leave school compound for lunch, and are required to be on school premises until 4:30 PM which is 9 hours, 45 hours plus per week and many times half a day Saturdays for remedial tutoring.
Zaman is a fake international school with a fake curriculum that is more concerned with promoting the teachings of Gulen than providing a decent education to the students.
Beware of the Turkish Muslim cult. I would recommend a job as a trash collector before teaching at Zaman. Trash collector has more dignity.
The teaching staff isn’t international with merely one native English speaker on a staff of 80 teachers. The rest of the English Department is Turkish Muslim and speak awkward stammering English similar to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s silly cadences in the Terminator movies, (“I’ll be back” sort of thing). Not only that, the English Departmental meetings are 75 percent conducted in Turkish since the teachers’ listening recognition skills are so weak they don’t understand the issues when conducted in English. The blind leading the blind. To say that the students’ English facility is lacking is an understatement. With teachers that are ill equipped to recite even a simple sentence fluently in English you can’t really expect more. When the teachers aren’t fluent, it bodes ill toward instilling fluency in the students.
The Zaman curriculum isn’t international. It’s a self professed Gulen School, following the educational philosophies of the Turkish Islamic theologian Fethullah Gülen. The Gulen schools are believed by many seasoned educators to have sinister underpinnings. Implied is that the students get a thorough brainwashing in Islamic doctrine instead of a well-rounded education. That view is proved true at Zaman. The administration has totally banned traditional liberal arts subjects like Art and Music which are standard in international school curriculum and replaced them which a mandatory 4 years of Turkish language studies. Since the entire student population is composed of Cambodian students who are Buddhist it’s rather odd that the students are forced to learn to speak Turkish. Outside school, in their daily life they have absolutely no need for Turkish speaking skills.
Islamic teachings and Islamic codified behavior reign at Zaman. The Koran dictates all teaching and all behavior there. Classes are segregated, staff rooms are segregated, student dining area is segregated and teachers dining area is segregated. In the school environs everyone is forced to become a de facto Muslim.
The administration is out of touch with accepted international curriculum and if they have had any contact, they haven’t a clue as to how to develop it or implement it. Without a modicum of English speaking proficiency any curriculum they attempt to implement is doomed to failure.
The school building, classrooms and facilities are not up to international school standards. The classrooms are under equipped. No interactive whiteboards, no comfortable furniture and the too many of the projectors are broken down or otherwise inoperative. They cram 35 to 40 students into classrooms that were designed for a maximum of 25. Factoring in the steep tuition, one wonders why the facilities are so inadequate. Parents are not getting their money’s worth.
As for administration support – the Turkish Muslim teachers get a plethora of support, they even hire the Turks wives with weaker English skills to teach 7th and 8th grade English while the lone native English speaker gets zilch. Treated like an infidel and looked upon with suspicion.
The school provides no assistance in finding housing or any information, not even a map – to assist the one NES with the acclimation process. It’s sink or swim for the NES infidel.
The students at Zaman come from very wealthy families and most have their own late model car to commute to school. They are spoiled; the school is definitely a “for profit” organization, so the unstated philosophy is pay for your grades. The male students tend to challenge authority and are physically abusive to each other. Discipline is inconsistent and whimsically administered. Some of the young Turkish teachers appear to be intimidated by the 11th and 12th grade male students. Classroom discipline verges on chaos. The administration, with their eyes glued to the bottom-line tend to ignore the students inappropriate behavior even though as cited in the student handbook there are dozens of offenses that could require disciplinary action but are disregarded. To sum up the student population, the majority are sheltered rich kids that feel their parents’ money entitles them to do anything they want. Teachers are lowly peons. Administration does not back teachers who attempt to impose some form of discipline on the unruly bunch.
The salary is like the majority of other things at Zaman- inadequate. For Phnom Penh it is not enough money to make ends meet. The teachers have to be at the school at 7:30 AM, cannot leave school compound for lunch, and are required to be on school premises until 4:30 PM which is 9 hours, 45 hours plus per week and many times half a day Saturdays for remedial tutoring.
Zaman is a fake international school with a fake curriculum that is more concerned with promoting the teachings of Gulen than providing a decent education to the students.
Beware of the Turkish Muslim cult. I would recommend a job as a trash collector before teaching at Zaman. Trash collector has more dignity.
- Falcon Randwick
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First post axe-to-grinditis.
I'd like to hear a balanced view; from my limited understanding, the reason the Gulen sect is controversial in Turkey because it's deemed TOO SECULAR. I'm also led to believe that Zaman pay better than almost every other school and university in this country. I find the OP to be too biased and personal to take seriously.
I'd like to hear a balanced view; from my limited understanding, the reason the Gulen sect is controversial in Turkey because it's deemed TOO SECULAR. I'm also led to believe that Zaman pay better than almost every other school and university in this country. I find the OP to be too biased and personal to take seriously.
I came, I argued, I'm out
- Uncle Monty
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I agree that this stinks of first post bitching syndrome.
Dictated to a slave and sent by carrier pigeon.
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They pay $1,500 per month, for 10 month contract. minus $200 per until completion.
Check the stats, one NES- staff member, mandatory Turkish - down the line every statement is verifiable.
Sounds outrageous, but sadly true
Check the stats, one NES- staff member, mandatory Turkish - down the line every statement is verifiable.
Sounds outrageous, but sadly true
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The pay is $1500 per month for 10 month contract - minus $200 with held until completion. All stats are verifiable. Read'm and weep.
I will say, I've pretty much heard various stories to back up most of these points, and this post seems to sum up the "atmosphere" that I've heard about there pretty well.andyinasia wrote:.... I'm also led to believe that Zaman pay better than almost every other school and university in this country....
The ONLY thing I haven't heard of is it being a low paid job. Maybe the OP is a qualified teacher and actually thought the "international" in the name actually meant something?
I also thought that the Western teachers weren't even invited to the "secret" staff meetings, which is a mixed blessing because you don't have to waste your time listening to Turkish, but you're obviously missing out on some info.
I'm assuming this post was made by one of the recent people that started there and quit because of how strange of a school it is.
Are they still hiring ANYONE at the moment?
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The pay is $1500 per month, minus $200 per month is held until the end of the 10 month contract. All stats are verifiable - the statements may sound bizarre and over-the-top, though all are true. Read'm and weep.
One thing not mentioned, the contract states absolutely no drinking of alcohol from Monday thru Friday, even in the privacy of your apartment.
Praise Allah.
One thing not mentioned, the contract states absolutely no drinking of alcohol from Monday thru Friday, even in the privacy of your apartment.
Praise Allah.
I'll agree with that too.KL&fool wrote:I agree with Andy and Uncle. Zaman has every right to call itself an International School as it is an approved CIE (Cambridge International Examinations) Centre.
...
I almost cried. How do they do it?!lorena bobbit wrote:The teachers have to be at the school at 7:30 AM, cannot leave school compound for lunch, and are required to be on school premises until 4:30 PM which is 9 hours, 45 hours plus per week and many times half a day Saturdays for remedial tutoring.
Meum est propositum in taberna mori,
ut sint Guinness proxima morientis ori.
tunc cantabunt letius angelorum chori:
"Sit Deus propitius huic potatori."
ut sint Guinness proxima morientis ori.
tunc cantabunt letius angelorum chori:
"Sit Deus propitius huic potatori."
- vladimir
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I'm just waiting for lorena to sample the other (non-Turkish) delights in the education sector. She might be wishing she had never left.
ירי ילדים והפצצת אזרחים דורש אומץ, כמו גם הטרדה מינית של עובדי ההוראה.
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Judging by her username, I suspect this is a lady who likes a meaty vendetta ...
I came, I argued, I'm out
JohnBobbitt wrote:Are you talkin' to me?
Meum est propositum in taberna mori,
ut sint Guinness proxima morientis ori.
tunc cantabunt letius angelorum chori:
"Sit Deus propitius huic potatori."
ut sint Guinness proxima morientis ori.
tunc cantabunt letius angelorum chori:
"Sit Deus propitius huic potatori."
I got offered a job with Zaman - twice already this year (so yeah, they are willing to hire anyone). The first time they offered me $1500 pm, the second time $1600. They also pay for your visa after a year working there.
The reason I didn't take the job was because it just didn't 'feel right', nothing more than that. However, I did look at some of the classrooms and thought that they were fairly well equipped-for Cambodian standards.
And this is where I think you may come a cropper here in Cambodia. As has said before numerous times on this forum, just because it says international doesn't mean it is. No interactive whiteboards? Wow. I totally understand the point about non-native English teachers, but sometimes I'd rather have someone who makes the odd grammatical mistake rather than a native speaker who rolls in late stinking of booze from the night before. Nonetheless, I do understand and empathise with your point.
This is not to say I think that Zaman is a wonderful school, I've heard similar things to what you wrote. But to be fair, when it came to times etc, they were COMPLETELY honest about it in the interview and stressed it over and over again that you had to be on school grounds the whole day, that it was from 7.30 to 5 M-S and if you were lucky they may let you go early on the Sat. This is what they told me in both interviews. I think this may have been one if the reasons why it didn't 'feel right' but if I had accepted then it was on those terms. At least they were honest about it, and honesty is a virtue you seldom get in the Cambodian school system.
If this is your first school here, then I suggest there only a select few schools to which you should apply if you intend on staying, otherwise you may end up in a school that will make Zaman look like Eton.
As above, not trying to defend Zaman, not at all, just pointing out my experiences.
The reason I didn't take the job was because it just didn't 'feel right', nothing more than that. However, I did look at some of the classrooms and thought that they were fairly well equipped-for Cambodian standards.
And this is where I think you may come a cropper here in Cambodia. As has said before numerous times on this forum, just because it says international doesn't mean it is. No interactive whiteboards? Wow. I totally understand the point about non-native English teachers, but sometimes I'd rather have someone who makes the odd grammatical mistake rather than a native speaker who rolls in late stinking of booze from the night before. Nonetheless, I do understand and empathise with your point.
This is not to say I think that Zaman is a wonderful school, I've heard similar things to what you wrote. But to be fair, when it came to times etc, they were COMPLETELY honest about it in the interview and stressed it over and over again that you had to be on school grounds the whole day, that it was from 7.30 to 5 M-S and if you were lucky they may let you go early on the Sat. This is what they told me in both interviews. I think this may have been one if the reasons why it didn't 'feel right' but if I had accepted then it was on those terms. At least they were honest about it, and honesty is a virtue you seldom get in the Cambodian school system.
If this is your first school here, then I suggest there only a select few schools to which you should apply if you intend on staying, otherwise you may end up in a school that will make Zaman look like Eton.
As above, not trying to defend Zaman, not at all, just pointing out my experiences.
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