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bigdurianthesecond
Joined: 16 Jan 2016
Posts: 62
Location: The Base
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 Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2016 8:27 am Post subject: |
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Was out at Ranco last night, not been there in quite a while. IKIS have built a massive new school right next to Ranco, so presumably there are many jobs going there. Or will be in the future.
No idea what the place is like, but all these Saudi international schools are much the same.
Full of rich young brats with a tendency to be lazy in the extreme. Having said that, I worked in one for a few years and my experience was positive on the whole. I found Saudi teenagers a good laugh to be with.
Just remember, never ever take the job seriously!!! |
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izmigari
Joined: 04 Feb 2016
Posts: 197
Location: Rubbing shoulders with the 8-Ball in the top left pocket
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| Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2016 2:02 pm Post subject: |
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I lived on the Ranco Village compound back in the 90's when it was call the O-3 Compound and we were subcontracting to Boeing. This place was built by the US Army Corp of Engineers back in the 60's and the waterlines were buried so shallow that during the summer, the water came out of the faucets boiling. Had to fill buckets with it at night and sponge bath in the morning before work nine months out of the year.
We demanded to be moved to a newer compound and got our wish. Is the compound any better or is it still a collection of ancient double-wides complimented by newer (90's) concrete villas?
Are you saying that it is mainly inhabited by rich Saudis? If rich, why would they chose such a place to live? Walls between them and Saudi Arabia? |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2016 4:10 pm Post subject: |
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| izmigari wrote: |
| This place was built by the US Army Corp of Engineers back in the 60's and the waterlines were buried so shallow that during the summer, the water came out of the faucets boiling. Had to fill buckets with it at night and sponge bath in the morning before work nine months out of the year. |
Most places I lived in the Gulf had the water in a tank on the roof. In the summer, you don't turn on your water heater and use it to store your "cold water." The water from the cold tap would be too hot for a shower even early in the morning, but one used the cold water from the "water heater" to make it bearable.
Nothing to it... worked very well.
VS |
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izmigari
Joined: 04 Feb 2016
Posts: 197
Location: Rubbing shoulders with the 8-Ball in the top left pocket
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| Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2016 4:20 pm Post subject: |
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VS, that worked very well in the concrete "blocks" that you probably lived in. By the time they were designed, the 'heat' factor had been figured out. THESE were tricked-out double-wide mobile homes that had been brought over to the Kingdom when they were just starting to build compounds.
Either by faulty design or incompetence, this was a layout based on a typical American neighborhood, albeit surrounded by 16-foot walls. They simply did not dig the trenches deep enough before laying the pipe.
After the majority of contractors indicated that they would not sign on to a follow-on technical contract keeping the AWACS and F-15Ss in the air did they agree to move us over to a (yet to be completed) different compound. Still no water tanks on top of the now two-storey villas, but they had learned how to "lay pipe" by the late-90s!  |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2016 3:41 am Post subject: |
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I would assume that you had water heaters in these units? You could have done the same thing as those of us with tanks on the roof did.
VS |
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izmigari
Joined: 04 Feb 2016
Posts: 197
Location: Rubbing shoulders with the 8-Ball in the top left pocket
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| Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2016 4:06 am Post subject: |
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I, we, were not that sophisticated.  |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2016 5:02 am Post subject: |
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| bigdurianthesecond wrote: |
IKIS have built a massive new school right next to Ranco, so presumably there are many jobs going there. Or will be in the future.
No idea what the place is like. |
However, given that the most recent job seeker was offered a monthly housing allowance of 1350 SAR/mo, it's very unlikely IKIS teachers live there. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2016 4:16 pm Post subject: |
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| izmigari wrote: |
| I, we, were not that sophisticated. |
How exciting... I'm sophisticated. 
Do you mean that you had no water heater in your flat... or it just didn't occur to you to do this?
VS |
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izmigari
Joined: 04 Feb 2016
Posts: 197
Location: Rubbing shoulders with the 8-Ball in the top left pocket
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| Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2016 8:46 pm Post subject: |
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It occurred neither to us nor the 500 or so other residents, many of whom were aerospace engineers who were responsible for maintaining and upgrading some of the most powerful airborne search radar in the world.
I'm assuming, had it been possible, it would have been worked out...
...they were, after all, responsibie for the highest-grade sid floating around Riyadh. 
P.s.- Unlike the British-dominated Emirates, Sowdy doesn't, readily, have "flats"...or "blocks" or "tyres" or red-light "jumpers" or dune "bashers" or "rubbers" to erase their spelling mistakes! |
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plumpy nut
Joined: 12 Mar 2011
Posts: 1652
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| Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2016 2:36 am Post subject: |
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| paul.conlong wrote: |
I actually applied for this school, got an offer but I feel as if it's on the low side.
They said, if I remember correct:
8,100 BASIC
1,350 HOUSING
850 TRANSPORT
TOTAL 10,300 SAR
I have 3-4 years experience, an unrealted BA and CELTA. A british citizen. Not sure if anybody else has been given a similar offer.
Are offers from International schools generally this low?
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It's a shady offer. Offers from true International Schools are not like this. You're apartment will cost you 3500. You will net 1600 US a month. What a whopping good salary for being in a shithole. Also you won't get much respect for teaching at this place, not if you're making that much. Every other school will look to hire a sucker for a low salary. Their total estimation is fraudulent. I mean you will get that amount, but even crappy academies pay you that amount for a basic salary and then give you money on top to share an apartment, which is not fun in Saudi Arabia, believe me. |
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izmigari
Joined: 04 Feb 2016
Posts: 197
Location: Rubbing shoulders with the 8-Ball in the top left pocket
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| Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2016 3:14 am Post subject: |
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This school, as are many, is "International" in name only. What "international" means to them is: We'll accept any student regardless of nationality."
If you are foolish enough to "accept", we'll be hearing from you within weeks. |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2016 9:27 am Post subject: |
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| Working for a place like this is a sure route to a nervous breakdown or other psychotic episode. |
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bigdurianthesecond
Joined: 16 Jan 2016
Posts: 62
Location: The Base
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| Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2016 10:20 am Post subject: |
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| izmigari wrote: |
I lived on the Ranco Village compound back in the 90's when it was call the O-3 Compound and we were subcontracting to Boeing. This place was built by the US Army Corp of Engineers back in the 60's and the waterlines were buried so shallow that during the summer, the water came out of the faucets boiling. Had to fill buckets with it at night and sponge bath in the morning before work nine months out of the year.
We demanded to be moved to a newer compound and got our wish. Is the compound any better or is it still a collection of ancient double-wides complimented by newer (90's) concrete villas?
Are you saying that it is mainly inhabited by rich Saudis? If rich, why would they chose such a place to live? Walls between them and Saudi Arabia? |
I meant that these types of schools are inhabited by rich Saudis, not Ranco.
The compound is a mix of the villas, which are okay, some bungalows, a bit on the small side, and the apartments built around the pool. Ranco is probably at the lower end for compounds but the pub there is okay and people are pretty friendly. |
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bigdurianthesecond
Joined: 16 Jan 2016
Posts: 62
Location: The Base
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| Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2016 10:24 am Post subject: |
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| nomad soul wrote: |
| bigdurianthesecond wrote: |
IKIS have built a massive new school right next to Ranco, so presumably there are many jobs going there. Or will be in the future.
No idea what the place is like. |
However, given that the most recent job seeker was offered a monthly housing allowance of 1350 SAR/mo, it's very unlikely IKIS teachers live there. |
I never said they would be. I only said it was next to Ranco to put it on the map as it were. Most people know where Ranco is.
A local landmark. |
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izmigari
Joined: 04 Feb 2016
Posts: 197
Location: Rubbing shoulders with the 8-Ball in the top left pocket
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| Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2016 4:16 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| ...and the apartments built around the pool. |
We referred to it as the "Motel 6".
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| Ranco is probably at the lower end for compounds |
The front door to our villa was so weathered and worn that sunlight would seep through in a half-dozen places.
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| but the pub there is okay |
Hush! Pubs don't exist in the Great Sandbox! |
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