Hi all,

I have just finished a contract working with Oxford International Academy’s affiliate company Oxford Training and Consultancy in Djibouti. I did my due diligence on this company before moving to Djibouti and came across the above post. Despite the post’s cautionary advice, I decided to take the job anyway. My experience working for Oxford seems to have been markedly different from that of the original post’s author. As such, I think that it may be beneficial to other prospective teachers to read my contrasting thoughts on this company:

The above post raised several red flags for me when I first read it. Naturally, I brought this issue up with the company’s management during the interview process. Oxford’s management was very transparent in acknowledging the existence of the original post and was happy to discuss it with me in detail. The management even provided me with the contact details of another former employee so that I could obtain an independent third-party opinion on what it is like to work for Oxford. It was on the overwhelmingly positive testimony of this other former employee that I eventually resolved to sign on with Oxford and I am glad that I did.

I personally found all of the directors’ pre-employment representations to have been truthful and working conditions, living arrangements, scheduling and pay to have been both very good and as stated in the contract. My personal assessment of Oxford’s management is also that they are certainly not the kind of people who simply lie to get teachers to come to Djibouti. After all, they will ultimately be the people who suffer the most due to poor press, or if staff leave prior to their contracts’ expiration dates due to dissatisfaction.

In my experience, wages were paid in accordance with the contract and all deductions from the contracted amount were clearly referenced within the contract itself. I can also confirm that I was paid for all national holidays and that these payments were in accordance with the contracted rate. The contract also refers to the deductions for the government mandated health insurance. I cannot though comment on whether or not this health insurance can actually be accessed if required, as I had no cause to utilise it during my time in Djibouti. I found that all basic living supplies (household furnishings etc.) were provided in accordance with the contract and were quickly fixed when any of these items broke down. Although I admit the utility prices (in particular electricity) may seem a bit steep in Djibouti, I believe that this is due entirely to the nationalised nature of all utilities and is in no way the fault of the company. All classroom stationary was provided by the company, free of charge, during my time working for it. I did though have to independently pay for documentation photographs, although I would not consider this to be a great expense and most travellers are advised to carry extra passport-sized photographs anyway. It is commonly stated that Djibouti has a relatively high cost of living when compared to the rest of Africa. However, having lived and worked previously in other parts of East Africa, I do not consider Djibouti to be that much more expensive than other places in the region. Indeed, prospective teachers should remember that Djibouti produces almost nothing domestically and so all ‘western items’ must be imported and that there will be an inherent additional cost incurred through this. Further, the ‘cost of living’ is to a large extent a subjective measure and I was personally able to save money during my time in Djibouti without making any major concessions to my lifestyle.

In regards to Djibouti’s security situation, although I understand that there was a suicide bombing in the area in 2014 (when the original post was published), at the time of writing (2018), I did not experience any sense of danger while living in the city. There are ample security forces present in all major areas and shopping centres and there is now a police depot in the heart of the city just ten minutes’ walk from the school. I do not think that the security situation in Djibouti is such that the school needs to take any exceptional precautions to ensure teacher safety and as a male, western teacher, I had no issues walking between the school and teacher housing at night. Although, I concede that this reality may very well differ between the genders and from person to person.

I do not think that the directors of this company are seeking to play the role of the ‘good guy’ or the ‘nice guy.’ Instead, I am of the opinion that Oxford’s management are genuinely good and nice people and so have no need to ‘play’ this role. I also do not believe that the directors’ amicable personalities are in any way in contradiction with their status as competent, qualified businessmen, effective managers and team builders.

In short, my experience working for Oxford Training and Consultancy was that it was a fair and rewarding exchange for my skills, time and competencies as an ESL teacher. Most importantly though it was also an enjoyable and enriching experience. I also found Djibouti to be an interesting and inviting country in which to live and work and I would recommend the experience to anyone. I am also happy to be contacted by other prospective teachers via the above email address should anyone require a further independent opinion as to what it is like to work for Oxford Training and Consultancy.