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TQLS

 
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Lulu29



Joined: 04 Jul 2010
Posts: 24

PostPosted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 4:11 pm    Post subject: TQLS Reply with quote

can anybody give me an idea of what it is like to work for this company. i mean, how many hours a day do you teach, do you have to be there all day, are the office spaces OK. I've read all that stuff about firing etc. so I am warned Smile

also, given that there are no bars and so on, is there much of a scene at all for expats to meet?

any feedback much appreciated
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BlueRainbow



Joined: 26 Dec 2009
Posts: 13
Location: Jeddah, KSA:)

PostPosted: Fri Nov 18, 2011 8:58 pm    Post subject: tqls Reply with quote

LuLu,

You have to be there at 7 and classes start at 8. You have to stay all day until 3.
You get your own desk in the teachers room.

As for a place for expats, you gotta network and find friends and places to go. Movies, malls and restaurants.

Regards,

Blue
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sharter



Joined: 25 Jun 2008
Posts: 878
Location: All over the place

PostPosted: Sun Nov 20, 2011 7:01 am    Post subject: My 2 bob. Reply with quote

TQLS have different contracts. I've been here 10 weeks and they are fine. I have nearly 2 decades of experience. The students are, some might say, surprisingly Smile friendly. We are paid OK and on time. Working hours are 7am till 3pm. Most teachers are in class 4 hours a day but you can teach 6 depending on intakes. It's a good job and the housing is nice.

The Achilles heel of the whole gig is the area in which we live as there's very little to do there. Most people are internet addicted.....seriously. You really need a car and they're expensive and you can't rent one until you get a civil ID. In general, Kuwait is expensive for most things. A coffee in Starbucks starts at around $5 and a curry from a local place...I mean Third World local place is around $5.....at the food court you'll pay about $12. Electrical goods are not as cheap as Dubai either.

As for the expat scene, well....you'll have to try really hard to find it and with no transport you're stuck. There is an Irish society, which is good I've heard.

There is a weird 'dating' scene which often involves money Smile ha ha
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Knaved



Joined: 27 Jan 2010
Posts: 34
Location: Earthquake zone

PostPosted: Wed Nov 30, 2011 3:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sounds good to me if it's the ladies who are paying!
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middeastgirl



Joined: 31 May 2010
Posts: 45

PostPosted: Fri Dec 02, 2011 3:07 pm    Post subject: Re: My 2 bob. Reply with quote

sharter wrote:
. You really need a car and they're expensive and you can't rent one until you get a civil ID. In general, Kuwait is expensive for most things. A coffee in Starbucks starts at around $5 and a curry from a local place...I mean Third World local place is around $5.....at the food court you'll pay about $12. Electrical goods are not as cheap as Dubai either.


You can rent a car without a civil ID, as long as you have a driver's license. (6 kd a day, or $22.00 )
A taxi from Mahboula to Fahaheel is 1 kd ($3.60)

I've been in Kuwait for 8 years, and I've never paid more than 1 kd for a cup of coffee at Starbucks.

An Indian curry dish at any of the local places is 750 fils to 1 kd.

I just had lunch at Avenues with the family, and all 4 of us ate for 4 kd.

Kuwait is not that expensive.
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sharter



Joined: 25 Jun 2008
Posts: 878
Location: All over the place

PostPosted: Fri Dec 02, 2011 6:38 pm    Post subject: what? Reply with quote

I have 3 menus in front of me from local takeaways. Just the pilau rice is 750 Fils and the boneless chicken Jalfrezi is 2kD 750 Fils. I've just had dinner in the Avenues with 4 friends and it was 20kD with the tip (40GBP). What do you live on? Samosas? A medium Americano in Al Khoot Starbucks is 1.250...5 bucks. I didn't dream these figures up...the taxi tonight cost 8 KD return.....Salmiyah-Mangaf. My HP mini cost 110KD reduced from 136KD....that isn't cheap.
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BlueRainbow



Joined: 26 Dec 2009
Posts: 13
Location: Jeddah, KSA:)

PostPosted: Fri Dec 02, 2011 8:28 pm    Post subject: what?! what!? Reply with quote

Mideast girl,
I lived in Kuwait for years. Just left Dec 1, 2011. If you ate at the mall with three other people and the total bill was 4KD, I'll eat my hat.
Did the prices change in just one day?
Sharter is quoting correct prices. Kuwait IS expensive!
Kind Regards,
Blue
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It's Scary!



Joined: 17 Apr 2011
Posts: 823

PostPosted: Fri Dec 02, 2011 11:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Folk, she never said that she actually PAID those prices, just that it was the cost. The 4KD for the lunch at Avenues with the family was probably just "guilt" money left behind on the table as everybody, discreetly, when for a visit to the loo!

It's probably what happened considering the prices reported!
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middeastgirl



Joined: 31 May 2010
Posts: 45

PostPosted: Sat Dec 03, 2011 3:19 am    Post subject: Re: what? Reply with quote

sharter wrote:
I have 3 menus in front of me from local takeaways. Just the pilau rice is 750 Fils and the boneless chicken Jalfrezi is 2kD 750 Fils. I've just had dinner in the Avenues with 4 friends and it was 20kD with the tip (40GBP). What do you live on? Samosas? A medium Americano in Al Khoot Starbucks is 1.250...5 bucks. I didn't dream these figures up...the taxi tonight cost 8 KD return.....Salmiyah-Mangaf. .


I order Indian food, on a regular basis from a local chain called SAS, two chicken dishes+ soup, and flat bread 2 kd 500 fils.
My comment on the meal for 4 kd was at a food court. (McDs, Taco Bell) and for two adults and two kids, the bill was 4 kd 300 fils. Sure, if you're eating at PF Changs, it'll cost you 20 kd, or more, but at a food court, it's not that expensive.

You can get a tall coffee from any Starbucks for 950 fils to 1 kd. (and no, 1.250 is NOT 5 bucks)
And if you paid 4 kd ONE WAY to Salmiya, sorry but you got taken. I've never paid more than 2 kd for a one-way to Salmiya.
sharter wrote:

My HP mini cost 110KD reduced from 136KD....that isn't cheap.



Driving a mini in Kuwait?
Smart. Rolling Eyes
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middeastgirl



Joined: 31 May 2010
Posts: 45

PostPosted: Sat Dec 03, 2011 3:21 am    Post subject: Re: what?! what!? Reply with quote

BlueRainbow wrote:
If you ate at the mall with three other people and the total bill was 4KD, I'll eat my hat.

Enjoy your meal.
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sharter



Joined: 25 Jun 2008
Posts: 878
Location: All over the place

PostPosted: Sat Dec 03, 2011 6:56 pm    Post subject: tosh Reply with quote

Last time I had Thai at the Al-Khoot food hall it cost 4.5 KD.

The coffee is just under 5 bucks but add the water and the cake it's much more...I was there just last week.

A sheesha pipe is 2.5KD.

I've been to Salmiyah 4 times and never paid less than 3 and that was with someone's regular driver. Even M who lives in Salmiyah pays 4. Maybe it's your feminine charm!!

But be fair-SAS is the crappiest takeaway in our area by a country mile. One of our colleagues had a curry in Marina Mall last night and it was 18KD for two....that's 40 quid for 2 curries.

The prices in Zultan Centre go up weekly.

It ain't cheap unless you network your way into freebie situations Wink.

It's different for women out here; don't pretend it ain't.
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BlueRainbow



Joined: 26 Dec 2009
Posts: 13
Location: Jeddah, KSA:)

PostPosted: Sat Dec 03, 2011 9:39 pm    Post subject: what?! what!? Reply with quote

Ok, Kuwait is not expensive at all Rolling Eyes
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middeastgirl



Joined: 31 May 2010
Posts: 45

PostPosted: Sun Dec 04, 2011 2:38 am    Post subject: Re: tosh Reply with quote

sharter wrote:
Last time I had Thai at the Al-Khoot food hall it cost 4.5 KD.


A combo meal at Marina Thai is 2.25 kd. If you ate two of them, then yes, you spent 4.5 kd.

sharter wrote:

The coffee is just under 5 bucks but add the water and the cake it's much more...I was there just last week.


Go to ANY Starbucks and ask for a TALL house blend coffee. It will cost you 950 fils, or 1 kd, depending on the branch. Now, if you want a fluffy, chick drink, sure you can spend 4.5 kid, Alice.

sharter wrote:


I've been to Salmiyah 4 times and never paid less than 3 and that was with someone's regular driver. Even M who lives in Salmiyah pays 4. Maybe it's your feminine charm!!

Any of the brown and white taxis to Salmiya are 2 kd. 2.5, max. If you are paying more, you have "sucker" tattooed to your forehead.

sharter wrote:

But be fair-SAS is the crappiest takeaway in our area by a country mile. One of our colleagues had a curry in Marina Mall last night and it was 18KD for two....that's 40 quid for 2 curries.

That's it, dis the quality of the restaurant to make your point. Rolling Eyes
I don't dispute the fact that there are expensive restaurants in Kuwait, They are everywhere. But if you're buying 9 kd curry dishes at Marina Mall, when you can get the same dish ANYWHERE FOR a tenth of the price, then you're a fool.

sharter wrote:

The prices in Zultan Centre go up weekly.



If you're shopping for groceries at "Sultan" Center, you're throwing your money away. If you've been in Kuwait more than a week, you'd know there are much cheaper places to shop for the same items.

If you want to pay premium prices in Kuwait, there are plenty of places to do so. If you want to throw money away, drinking fluffy coffee drinks for 3x the price, shop for groceries at the most expensive supermarkets, or eat 9 kd curry dishes at high-end shopping malls, then go ahead throw your money away. You don't have to, and it has ZERO to do with the person's gender.
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sharter



Joined: 25 Jun 2008
Posts: 878
Location: All over the place

PostPosted: Sun Dec 04, 2011 4:39 am    Post subject: ha ha Reply with quote

You sound like one of the numerous penny pinching know-it-alls I spend my life avoiding out here. I'm not gonna haggle a poverty stricken TCN down over a dollar.

Work-gym-the odd meal out-sleep....that's my routine.

Who would want to stay in Kuwait? It's full of unhappy, bored nutjobs because there's seriously nothing to do unless you like malls.

And, I've spent 10 years in the Middle East.
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