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Truth About MoD Kuwait and Al Marefa

 
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Kuwait Teacher



Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 7

PostPosted: Thu May 20, 2010 11:51 am    Post subject: Truth About MoD Kuwait and Al Marefa Reply with quote

I work here, so I'm biased. However, those slating the company and the school were fired or couldn't handle it, and are also biased.
So let's get started.
The accommodation is perfectly fine. It's brand new. Not exactly the Waldorf Astoria, but I wasn't aware that was the norm. The apartments are about 100 square meters and each bedroom is about 20. Granted, Mangaf is not exactly Mayfair, but we are 5 minutes away from Fahaheel which is very nice. We are a 10 minute walk from the beach and it's quiet. They come with a satellite tv, washing machine, microwave and 2 bathrooms. Problem? I have lived in way worse and have actually paid for it. If you choose not to share, you can pay 100 KD from your 700 to have it to yourself.
As to the BS about being watched, this is rubbish. How many entrances do you want to a building? Standard security is in place. It's there to protect you. The post that mentions taking women back to your apartment forgets to mention that the woman in question would probably be paid for her services, as it is practically impossible to find a girlfriend. If you do find a girlfriend, no problem, bring her back.
On the whole, the accommodation is above average, indeed pleasant.
The school is a military school and uses the American Language Course (ALC). The course is not the greatest course in the world, but it serves the purposes of the Kuwaiti military. It is worth remembering that we teach the military. When did the military ever do anything that leaves choice and creativity down to the individual? If you enjoy producing your own lessons, ie. photocopying Headway or one of its stable mates, don't come. Feel free to use your "creativity" elsewhere. Any teacher worth their salt will make the course interesting.
The students are some of the best you will ever teach. They are polite, disciplined and respectful. These people are mainly officers in the Kuwaiti military and are justifiably proud. They are, to a man, excellent people.
We are paid on time every month. We are home by 1:30pm every day. We are picked up at 6:15am.
The money we earn allows us to save at least 500 KD each month. This is about $1700. This would allow you to live quite nicely with 200KD. Kuwait is cheap if you avoid international brands.
The management are excellent people. These deluded rantings about them being bullies come from people who don't know anything about professional standards when working for the military. The entire management team are great to work with. They are hardly stressed by the workload! There may be some friction, but this is to be expected in a staff of 50+. On the whole, if you do your job properly, you're fine. If you come with delusions of grandeur ("I've got a degree and I did a one month teaching course, you should treat me accordingly."), then you might rub people up the wrong way. Standard everywhere.
The teaching staff are well qualified, balanced people who seek the same as everybody else; a quiet life, a decent salary and a stress free day. We all have our papers in order, they have been delayed due to a change in the law requiring a police background check that can only be acquired in person.
For those of you reading this post with a view to applying, then remember, the negatives you may also have read are posted by people who were fired or left under a cloud. On the whole, it's a good job, in a nice enough location. If you want palm trees, go to Thailand. And take the money they offer. If you like a stress free environment and home by lunch, it could be for you. It's definitely not a place for party people, but the rest of the world is open to you.
I'm not overjoyed at having spent valuable free time correcting the rantings of some vindictive losers, but it's about time somebody posted the positive side. It's worth baring in mind that it is invariably bad news which gets posted. Just think about it; the Kuwaiti military, one of the richest in the world, does not have to put up with crap.
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