Job Discussion Forums

[Chris P. Bacon]

Sigh, a sudden end to the tumultuous history of the SALTS gig in Jeddah AND Taif. This one lasted for years and paid well partly due to the ongoing teacher harassment that ebbed and flowed, and partially due to corrupt business practices. Where are we instutionalized swillers going to find ourselves next? Some of the religious con men made a watertight lifestyle for themselves for years and years and faked a very good game, but the Saudis knew all along what they were not getting for all the dough they were paying Raytheon for and finally pulled the plug on the good for nothing misfits!

[Grendal]

hee hee hee

CRISPY PEAMALE BACON

enjoy

Grendal

[BajaLaJaula]

The last of the money.....I actually feel sorry for the teachers that are now being offered peanuts to stay on. I say peanuts because the new salary is almost 50 percent of what they used to make.

The Saudis have finally realized that the cadets at ADFI were never going to learn English anyway. So why not pay half as much for the same product (cadets who still can't answer, What did you learn in class today?...after 9 months of English instruction). Their response to any and all questions posed to them in English....Esh? Followed by...."Inglizi," "me no like, teacher."

Teachers were dedicated...We had some really top-notch teachers come through the ADFI. Yes they made a lot of money, but they worked hard and enduring a lot of sh@t for it.
ADFI students are the worst students. They won't learn because they don't want to learn and no matter how qualified the teacher is...it won't make any difference.
At least now the severely unqualified Saudi management will be able to say that they pay a lot less for their teachers. Teachers that they have always detested.
Gone is the gravy train....at least I got to enjoy being a member of the Rayville country club while it lasted.

[hash]

Raytheon/SALTS may be history but Raytheon/Raytheon in KSA isn't......not by a long shot. Take a look:

http://www.raytheon.com/news/feature/raytheon_saudi_arabia.html

and

http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/lockheed-martin-boeing-raytheon-are-the-big-winners-saudi-20786

among many others of similar ilk.

Surely somewhere in this massive buildup there will be room for at least a small ESL unit. I'll be the first to apply.

.

[scot47]

Friends who worked there told me horror stories. These included tales of how the Cadets at Air Defence were recruited. Teams of Saudi recruiters went around the "less urban" areas of the Kingdom and interviewed fathers who were prepared to sign over their sons for cadet training. One can only imagine what the results were.

I was lucky - I taught bright and motivated students in KSA. Maybe that is why my salary was always lower than those teaching on military contracts.

[BajaLaJaula]

@hash

Yes Raytheon will still be there to train ADFI on missile defense...but the esl portion of the contract will be run by another subcontractor....the lowest bidder. If you are former military with a background in missile defense you can still make dough...but I am guessing that you are a TEFLer so, nope, you don't qualify.

GONE IS THE MONEY...for teaching or policing cadets for 6 to 7 periods a day.

@scot47

They recruited from the sticks....they would go to the rural villages and would shake the bushes...whatever fell out....sign them up for ADFI. It was and continues to be a social works program. Keep em off the streets and busy sleeping in the classroom so they don't cause trouble for the country. Many of students looked like they had never even sat in a chair before, let alone learned anything in a formal setting. Teaching there was pure hell at times. The money was the only thing that made it worthwhile.

If you still want to do the same poopy job for the same money you could make as a public school teacher in the US.....GO FOR IT.
Heaven knows....life in Saudi is enjoyable enough without having to be paid a bucket full of money.

ENJOY....over and out...and never going back.

[Grendal]

[siologen]

[Foo_Fighters_Dave]

What does ADFI mean?

[BajaLaJaula]

a quick google search revealed....



ADFI

Acronym Definition

ADFI Average Daily Feed Intake
ADFI Arizona Department of Financial Institutions
ADFI Association for the Defense of the Family and the Individual (France)
ADFI Air Defense Forces Institute (Saudi Arabia)

[cnthaiksarok]

[BajaLaJaula]

Yes. The teacher does all the feeding. Students, when not trying to sleep or play grab *ss with their buddies, require that the teacher force feed them the vocabulary or simple present tense verbs.

Most do not ever master simple present and can in no way move on to simple past tense. But, then again the program is only 10 months long. Not nearly enough time to learn the complexity of English grammar verb tenses.

"Teacher, go bathroom."

"Teacher, go pray."

"Teacher, esh yagoul?"

"Teacher, why?"

"Teacher, teacher."

"Teacher, no good."

Pretty impressive, right? These are samples from the top students. The lower classes can't even be bothered to produce any English at all.

My guess is that they don't bother to use subject pronouns because it is a given that they are speaking in first person. After all, is there anyone else that should concern them?

That about sums up the learning that takes place after 10 months of English instruction at the ADFI.

[Chris P. Bacon]

Some of my students could not tell the difference between X T and sometimes L.

Generally they are good hearted and one does not find malicious students so very often, but they come along enough to make our lives miserable. I hope to hang on in this gig until the end of December, but everything is slowing down though I don't really want to go to work in the morning the other guys don't want either, but we do. The non salts guys are really feeling arrogant lately which remind me of yesterday year,,,,,,,,,,

Years ago they were great rumors coming out of the Eastern province (Tins) Era rumours that the teachers being hired from extremist mosques in Washington DC, I was told they were extremely hateful especially during 9/11.

[BajaLaJaula]

Well....from what I have been told...the old timer SALTS (former Raytheon) teachers have fought the good fight. They have taught their guts out, always trying to do the impossible with the ADFI cadets.
All good things must come to an end, but I think you can feel good about all the hard work you have put in there. You were well paid...but certainly worked hard for that money.
What will the new group of less qualified teachers be like? If the rumor is true, they won't have nearly the same qualifications except that they will much more sympathetic to the short-thobed, long bearded, miswak chewing culture that is highly encouraged there.
If you can't fight em, join em. Especially if you like living there.

[Hemlock32]