Pros
A good place if you’re looking to gain experience and grow your career. I joined with a lot to learn and was given opportunities to take on bigger responsibilities fairly early on. The Dean was probably one of the best things about working here. In the short time hes with the faculty, he managed to make positive changes and improve relationships among staff. He was approachable, supportive, and genuinely listened to people. The colleagues were what made the job enjoyable. Most faculty members were friendly and helpful, and because everyone was dealing with the same challenges, there was a strong sense of camaraderie. I made some good friends during my time here. Good lunch sessions too. Annual increments were usually around 6%–10%, which was decent compared to some other universities. Bonuses were typically around one month’s salary depending on your KPI. The students were also great to work with. Many were friendly, respectful, and genuinely interested in learning, which made teaching much more rewarding.
Cons
Toxic and unprofessional behaviour gets tolerated for far too long, and when concerns are raised, not much seems to happen. After a while, people just stop speaking up. There is also a culture of favouritism. Some people are expected to follow the rules while others seem to get away with almost anything. It can be frustrating watching hardworking staff pick up the slack while certain individuals face little to no consequences for their actions. Only because, he played basketball with the founder, he gets a free pass and cannot be reported. Administrative work is unnecessarily painful. There is no proper CMS or intranet, so the same documents and information are requested repeatedly in different formats. A lot of time is wasted on documentation that could easily be streamlined. Last-minute requests are a constant occurrence. What should have been planned weeks in advance often becomes an urgent task for faculty members at the eleventh hour. Micromanagement is another issue. Staff are questioned over small things while bigger problems within the faculty are ignored. Basic professionalism and respect can be lacking, with some faculty staff spoken rudely or dismissively, creating an uncomfortable working environment. The university is heavily focused on student recruitment, particularly from China. While many students are hardworking and pleasant to teach, there were also cases where students struggled to communicate in English despite being enrolled in English-medium programmes. This created challenges in teaching and assessment and often left lecturers having to bridge the gap. It was also not uncommon to deal with complaints about grades from students who had little participation throughout the semester. We were constantly reminded that we are just a business entity, which is demotivating. The most disappointing part is that there are genuinely good people here. Many lecturers work hard, care about their students, and want the faculty to do well. Unfortunately, office politics, poor systems, and inconsistent leadership often get in the way.
