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Updates on KIMEP Kazakhstan?
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Dorry



Joined: 05 Aug 2009
Posts: 12

PostPosted: Fri Jul 16, 2010 9:39 pm    Post subject: Updates on KIMEP Kazakhstan? Reply with quote

There was a lot of negative commentary on this institution's failure to meet the terms of their contracts, failure to get visas etc a few years ago. Does anyone have any more up to date info on KIMEP and their employment practices?

Thanks very much.
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ddraig64



Joined: 10 Jul 2010
Posts: 18

PostPosted: Thu Aug 05, 2010 1:16 am    Post subject: KIMEP Kazakhstan Reply with quote

Looks like a fairly reputable govt sponsored place. But you never know.
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slaqdog



Joined: 29 Apr 2003
Posts: 211

PostPosted: Thu Aug 05, 2010 8:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

failiure to get a visa is a fairly common problem in KZ-if the bribe is not paid...or the paperwork not done....or the day has an a in the word.....or the expats go local....or the wind blows.....
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kazpat



Joined: 04 Jul 2010
Posts: 140
Location: Kazakhstan

PostPosted: Wed Sep 22, 2010 12:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am not at KIMEP but this article was forwarded to me today.

Quote:
Kazakhstan: Trouble Brewing in Cutthroat World of Academia
By Joanna Lillis
As one of Central Asia's most prestigious universities runs into trouble, conspiracy theorists are wondering if the Almaty-based establishment's problems could be linked to a rivalry with a new university that�s opened in Astana � and just happens to bear the name of President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
The Education and Science Ministry has suspended the license of the Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics and Strategic Research (KIMEP) for six months and warned that it could face closure, ministry official Nayman Kalabayev said in an interview with the Vremya tabloid.
The Almaty prosecutor�s office found several violations at the university, he told the newspaper. �One of the most serious observations is that KIMEP does not issue diplomas of the state standard, although every higher education establishment that has a license is obliged to award students this sort of diploma,� Kalabayev said.
�As a result KIMEP graduates going abroad to other countries cannot prove that this higher education establishment exists.�
Some observers are questioning the sudden emergence of this problem for a university that�s been legally operating in Kazakhstan since 1992, but Kalabayev insisted the government had been pointing to it for a decade. He said there were also health and safety issues at KIMEP, and that the student-teacher ratio was too high at 20 to 1 and should be 8 to 1.
�KIMEP categorically does not agree with this decision and this week is going to appeal these decisions in court,� KIMEP said in remarks e-mailed to EurasiaNet.org. The university added that it was �working closely with the Ministry to rectify this situation.�
If it doesn�t manage to do so, the decree suspending its license will come into force on September 26, but there�s still a glimmer of hope: Kalabayev said all the points could be put right.
KIMEP � which is currently seeking accreditation in the United States � is run by Dr. Chan Young Bang, a Korean-American professor who acted as an adviser to Nazarbayev in the early years of independence. It has long enjoyed the support of the president, who�s visited the university many times over the years.
KIMEP�s still faced its fair share of troubles, though: last year it made staff cuts in the face of a $6 million budget shortfall, and it�s also been splashed over the media with allegations of mismanagement, questionable decisions in the awarding of tenders, and sexual harassment. KIMEP denies any wrongdoing; university insiders point to disgruntled former staff members behind what they see as a smear campaign, according to Eurasianet.
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slaqdog



Joined: 29 Apr 2003
Posts: 211

PostPosted: Wed Oct 20, 2010 12:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Is the place open or closed?
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kazpat



Joined: 04 Jul 2010
Posts: 140
Location: Kazakhstan

PostPosted: Wed Oct 20, 2010 3:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Open

Quote:
A Statement from the President



October 6, 2010

Today, KIMEP received an order from the Ministry of Education and Science that its license has been reinstated. The order, No. 1455, states the following:

Based on the materials presented that clarify the elimination of violations identified by the Prosecutor's Office of Medeu District during their investigation of the Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics, and Strategic Research, I order:

To reinstate the general license of the non-profit institute KIMEP to conduct all educational activities.
I task myself with the implementation of this order.
KIMEP looks forward to further collaboration with the Ministry to develop a system of education that will help the country achieve its goal of becoming one of the 50 most competitive economies in the world.


http://www.kimep.kz/
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expatella_girl



Joined: 31 Oct 2004
Posts: 248
Location: somewhere out there

PostPosted: Wed Oct 20, 2010 9:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

kazpat....

Cool Nick. Smile
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Dorry



Joined: 05 Aug 2009
Posts: 12

PostPosted: Sun Dec 26, 2010 3:19 pm    Post subject: Thank you! Reply with quote

Thanks so much for the information. How is KIMEP post reinstatement? Any after effects?
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Dorry



Joined: 05 Aug 2009
Posts: 12

PostPosted: Sun Dec 26, 2010 3:22 pm    Post subject: thank you! Reply with quote

Thanks so much for the information Kazpat. How is KIMEP post reinstatement? Any after effects?
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danmbob



Joined: 03 Jun 2009
Posts: 71

PostPosted: Tue Oct 04, 2016 1:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

update?

Last edited by danmbob on Sat May 06, 2017 7:02 pm; edited 1 time in total
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hiua25



Joined: 02 Dec 2016
Posts: 2

PostPosted: Sat Dec 03, 2016 5:46 am    Post subject: KIMEP Reply with quote

I have worked at the Kimep language centre within the last five years.

Well, the Minister of Education who suspended Kimep's license was moved on from his position. Since then Kimep passed an onerous ministry inspection in 2013 and has also received several accreditations from international bodies.

These international accreditations are incredibly important to Dr. Bang, the founder and president, as he seems to see the success of Kimep as his legacy. When I was there they were talking about making the business school a top 250 in the world school and getting international accreditation for all its programs.

In terms of the job at the LC, well it's long hours. You'll be expected to teach academic reading and writing courses which students find incredibly difficult and you'll be expected to work very hard giving feedback on awful, awful student papers. That said, the students are great and you'll be working with very interesting colleagues. There's a lot of energy around the place.

In summer last year the government stopped supporting the national currency in the markets and it fell by something like 30%. If you go to Kz be aware of the instability of the tenge. If you could get paid in dollars it would be much better.

What else do you want to know? There's a limit to what I can say because I don't want to give away my identity.
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balqis



Joined: 30 Jul 2006
Posts: 373

PostPosted: Sat Dec 03, 2016 11:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

So how much do they pay? Is accommodation provided by the uni? If not, do you get a separate housing allowance? You say ''long hours''. How long are they? How much holiday time do you have in a year?
And the LC faculty, how many people to they on average employ?
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hiua25



Joined: 02 Dec 2016
Posts: 2

PostPosted: Tue Dec 06, 2016 11:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, salary obviously depends on your experience and qualifications. As a relatively inexperienced member of staff with a master's I earned about $30,000 a year (at the exchange-rate at the time) before tax (which was about 5%). A Ph.D. holder with experience was getting more than double that, but that was before the massive devaluations. I'd imagine salaries are quite a bit lower now when you convert them into foreign currency.

The uni doesn't provide accommodation or an allowance. But I did get a generous one-off resettlement payment.

Well, there was no clocking-on, clocking-off system and nobody keeping track of when you were in the office. Also the workload was far more in the week before the essay deadline than at the start of the semester. You just had to do what you thought you should in order to best help the students. All I can say is that I was grading papers until nine or ten at night and at the weekends quite regularly during the semester.

Holiday time was very, very generous. I had something like thirteen weeks off in the summer and three weeks for Christmas plus two 'reading weeks' during the semester. All paid.

The LC had around 60 staff when I was there, most of whom were locals. I have no idea how many people they currently employ.

Lastly, I am happy to answer other questions, but try to think about how you come across when you ask. Your post was quite 'direct'. Smile
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coffeespoonman



Joined: 04 Feb 2005
Posts: 512
Location: At my computer...

PostPosted: Wed Dec 14, 2016 5:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Hiua25 (or others),

A few questions from me if you don't mind. I'll ask them out here, but feel free to PM responses to anything you don't want to answer publicly.

Based on your description, I think I'd like KIMEP. The currency worries me, but other friends of mine who work for similar establishments are now paid in dollars (or at the dollar equivalent), so I'm hoping KIMEP does the same. I can ask that to them directly if no one knows.

I'm mainly wondering a bit about living in Almaty, so I'll just ask a few short questions if you don't mind.

- Since the devaluation, how is the cost of living? I know it used to be fairly high, but some sources are now saying everything has become quite reasonable. But then I have difficulty trusting expat websites anyways (I don't consider a pool villa standard accommodation). So, specifically, approximately how much would it cost to rent a good quality, 2-3 bedroom furnished flat in a good area of town (considering commute and proximity to entertainment/shopping)? What about a few beers and a mid-range meal at a local pub?

- Any idea about employment prospects for my wife? She's Turkish, which could be an advantage or a disadvantage. I understand there's a sizable Turkish population there which could make it easier for her to find some work in her language (though probably not her discipline - psychology), but she also won't be as "Western" as she is here in China, and it will probably be much more difficult for her to find backup work teaching children. Thoughts about that?

- Overall, is it an enjoyable place to live? I lived in Turkey for 6 years and China for almost 6. Turkey was fun but a bit mental, and China is boring but super convenient and comfortable (where I live, anyways). My impression is that Almaty would be somewhere in the middle? Is it easy to maintain a good quality of life? Fun place to be? Any info you could share would be great. Yes, I've looked at plenty of websites, but I think the perspective of someone who works in the same sector as me would be much more useful.

Thanks again for any information you can give!

CSM
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kazpat



Joined: 04 Jul 2010
Posts: 140
Location: Kazakhstan

PostPosted: Wed Dec 14, 2016 8:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You should check out the facebook expats in Kazakhstan group for questions re: the Almaty lifestyle. A lot of the members are teachers. I will also PM you a website of a colleague of mine (not ESL but a teacher) who just did 4 years at a university in Almaty. I'll ask him to be on the lookout for your post and if possible I will ask permission to send you his email address.
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