This was my situation this year 2015 with the school

Big Waring about Tashkent Ulugbek International School / TUIS

I really can't say enough bad things about Tashkent Ulugbek International School / TUIS. This school is currently in a situation of chaos. I was lied to many times over the visa process, which actually never happened due to incompetence, unorganization, and resulted in the school using the Uzbekistan bureaucracy as a constant excuse for all their problems. The Uzbekistan bureaucracy is fine and the school was simply lying. I have a friend working with the British Council International School and told me the Uzbekistan bureaucracy is okay.

I accepted a post at Tashkent Ulugbek International School in early September 2015 and was told the visa would be ready in about two or three weeks. I was travelling in India at this time. When my visa was about to expire in India, I contacted the school about the Uzbek visa and told it would be ready soon. I asked them if flying to Kyrgyzstan to await the visa would be a good solution to which they said it was a good option. So on their advice I flew to Kyrgyzstan on September 22 and was told the visa would be ready sometime near the end of September.

After arriving in Kyrgyzstan, I was then told by the application manager that the visa would not be ready until the beginning of October. At the beginning of October, I contacted the application manager again, who now stated that the visa would not be ready until the end of October and of course blaming Uzbek bureaucracy.

Around the middle of October, I was contacted by the visa application manager asking for a colour photo to be sent and I quote, “Can you send me a colour photo for future visa applications and permits.” That was the entire email. I had already submitted the colour photo twice to different departments as I had become skeptical of their organizational skills. This was the third time I sent the photo. It also at this time that I realized they had not even applied for a visa as they had stated in numerous previous emails. I contacted the school again after a few days and they assured me that the visa would be ready by the end of October.

When the end of October came around the application manager refused to respond to emails about what was happening with the visa process and this job. It was at this time that I realized the English academic coordinator in charge of finding teachers and who responds to emails seems to have serious personal issues. The week prior he sent me an email stating he had quit his job in frustration over the school's treatment of me and some other matters and would be taking up a new post at a local university in January. He later recanted this in another email when I mentioned I was in the process of writing this warning letter and stated that he wished not be mentioned as he was in background negotiations to take on a new and more powerful position within the school. He also stated to feel free to attack the administration specifically the visa manager. On October 30 just before midnight, I was sent yet another strange email from the academic coordinator that my visa had not been processed but there was a chance it could still be processed sometime after their autumn break which commenced the following week.

I wasted two months with this school and spent a lot of money for nought. The school gave me the runaround and as it turns out they were just lying. They got no finical gain from doing this. I was patient and courteous every step of the way despite bold face lies. There is some serious internal politics here compounded by some personal issues on the part of the academic coordinator. Looking back on all this now it is just madness.

Do not trust Tashlent Ulugbek International School / TUIS. They are very good at making excuses and lying. I really should have been more clever as they won't even let you see the contract until you arrive for reasons unknown. Maybe so they don't get sued. Maybe because they don't pay what they say they will pay. Who knows? Please feel free to contact me for more details or information concerning Tashlent Ulugbek International School / TUIS.