To My Dear Sisters,
Assalaamu alaikum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh.
Taif is located in the province of Makkah and within the boundaries of permissible travel for Muslim women without a mahram to be able to visit the Haram in the city of Makkah. And this is the attraction that Taif University plays on to try to recruit native speakers.
However, I am currently employed with them and can tell you first hand that working with them would not be a pleasant experience. I was deceived into accepting a position in my field that they knew didn’t exist, just to trap me into signing a contract after which I was shocked to find out that I would be teaching English and I am NOT an English teacher. This also happened to an American brother on the men’s campus.
Second, the main women’s campus is not a campus at all but just a mix and match of concrete and aluminum fabricated structures thrown together on the side of a mountain. It really resembles a refugee camp and that is not an exaggeration. Supposedly the men are moving to a new campus and the women will inherit theirs, but the date has not been determined.
Third, there is no transportation provided for the women teachers which means you would be expected to hail a taxi on a street corner if you want to get to work or find a driver that you hope speaks English if you don’t speak Arabic. And designated teacher housing is not provided either. However, you would receive a housing and transportation allowance to use to fend for yourself.
Fourth, the administration provides very little academic support for their women instructors. After three years of having an English language center, the teachers just got one printer to use in the staff room this year. And there is no Internet service or interactive white boards for those who are accustomed to teaching with technology.
So while we all would like to be close to Makkah please consider other options such as Ummul Quraa University, King Abdul Aziz University, Effat University or Darul Hekma in Jeddah. I am not endorsing them but just listing them as possible alternatives.
Written by Ummul Fidaa Zakiyyah