Job Discussion Forums

[murray1978]

Hello everyone,

I did a search on this site but didn't find much about them. They are a U.S. based company that teaches military cadets. It seems like a decent job living on a compound and the salary is quite good.

Has anyone ever worked for them and be willing to talk about their experiences?

Cheers,

MurrMan

[hash]

Your typical USA (military) contractor in KSA, similar to Vinnell, Raytheon and so on. Teaching Saudi Air Force personnel in Dhahran (Eastern Province) KSA. The following is from their website (under “Job Opportunities”):

"ELT Instructors shall have an 8-hour duty day five days a week based on the TSI’s training week. The Contractor shall provide IMSs with a total ELT immersion (English language in the classroom) in the American English language."

"All academic days shall consist of six (6) 50 minute class periods followed by a ten-minute break. An instructional week shall consist of five consecutive days. The remaining instructor work hours shall be used for lesson planning, professional development, remedial, and ELT administrative duties. Lunch will be for one hour."[/color]

See their website at: http://www.blueforceinc.com/

Note the doxological and somewhat retro usage of the term "shall". This is done, of course, to embue the job description with a gravitas it would not ordinarily be associated with on its own.

.

[desertfox]

I have no direct knowledge of Blue Force
but I work for BAE also in Dhahran on the military base.
I assume it is the same place as Blue Force are advertising for.

My experience here is not good. Yes, the compound is fine but the actual job
ranks as the worst I have had in the Kingdom.

The cadets are difficult to control, very low levels, very short attention span, lots of remedial classes which are in many cases unmanageable.

I broke up a fight in class the other day.

The teaching staff are demoralized and are just clinging on for the money (not unusual admittedly).

Overall, not for the faint hearted.

But, if you need quick cash, fully understandable.

My honest view...

Just to finish, the days I find longer than in other jobs I have done in the Kingdom. The starts are very early indeed...

[hash]

Heed desertfox's words: He's right there. This is a "young" man's game. I would say 40 is the cutoff age.....after that, you're going to age 2 years for every year you put in.

[2buckets]

I worked for US military contractors in Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. I had few problems in any of them. Pay was good and another benefit was, there were never problems with visas or any other host government bureaucracy. The American DOD has a lot of "wasta".

Students could be a problem, I didn't have many though. It depends on how serious the officer administrators are and how well they enforce the rules and how dynamic your teaching style is. In Iran, the students were gathered every morning to receive the OD, orders of the day. Students who were reported for disciplinary infractions were called up and slapped a few times.
Not for the faint of heart.

The American or British administrators are usually competent and are not there because of nepotism.

Students are often motivated by the prospect of follow on training in the USA or the UK, sometimes even France. (Students would show me photos of friends in the USA in a new Camaro convertible with two blonds and a beer in hand).

If they are using the DLI curriculum (aka the barking dog method), it's usually five or six hours, but two of them may be language lab where one teacher has three classes in lab, so on alternate days you only teach four hours. With DLI you have no preparation as everything is laid out by the minute. It does take a lot of energy to do it right.

Also, there are rarely any meetings, and no silly workshops like the "silent way etc."

That being said, if you see yourself in the role of "serious professional", it's probably not for you. A lot of "professionals" look down on the DLI methodology, but it works in what it's trying to achieve. Some may say it looks bad on your CV, it didn't affect my post DLI career. It's not preparing students to eventually be writing a PhD dissertation, but it's preparing them to work in a military environment where they will be technicians servicing aircraft and other military equipment. If successful, they will have marketable skills that can be used outside the military. How many graduates of academic institutions will have that?

[izmigari]

[RustyShackleford]

I don't know how functional the DLI methodology really is. It seems often like it's just training the kids to pass their tests, similar to the Japanese way, independent of actual comprehension.

[revilo]

[desertfox]

Revilo - Your friend should stay where he is if he values his health, well being and mental stability.

If he is a contented 55 year old in Saudi, then he is a very lucky guy.

There are too many poor lost souls who are mezmorized by money in the Kingdom. Too much human wreckage.

[scot47]

Revilo, tell your 55-year-old buddy to stay where he is. The worship of Mammon will exact a terrible price.