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KELT Surabaya
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mishmish5



Joined: 11 Apr 2015
Posts: 12
Location: USA

PostPosted: Sun May 10, 2015 6:04 am    Post subject: KELT Surabaya Reply with quote

I have an interview lined up with them next week and was wondering if anyone has had any recent experience with them? I've seen some reviews here and on other sites, but they are all from around 2010, so I'm looking for something more recent. I'm hoping no news means it's a good place that doesn't give cause for complaints, but just wanted to be sure.

Thanks!
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p1randal



Joined: 23 Jun 2008
Posts: 84

PostPosted: Mon May 11, 2015 12:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

What the job entails and benefits (without being to personal) also will help us tell you how good the job is..

Good luck!
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mishmish5



Joined: 11 Apr 2015
Posts: 12
Location: USA

PostPosted: Mon May 11, 2015 1:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ah sorry about that! I thought it was a well known organization in the EFL world so I thought most people would know about it or at least would've heard about it.

Here are the details:

-26 contact hours, lesson plans already prepared for you
-12 month contract, they will reimburse airfare after completion
-13,500,000 RP a month salary (about $1033 USD, but more for more qualifications/experience)
-pays all visa fees, provides health insurance
-provide shared accommodation (all bills, cooking utensils, bedding, servants included)
-2 sick days allowed per month, min 7 weeks holiday per year

All in all, it seems pretty good to me. I guess what I wanted to know was if anyone had any experience with the company in terms of management, whether they pay on time, how the rest of the teaching staff is, etc.

Any advice would be helpful, as this would be my first post-CELTA job abroad (I currently work locally in the US). Thanks! Smile
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mysterytrain



Joined: 23 Mar 2014
Posts: 366

PostPosted: Mon May 11, 2015 3:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

No personal experience but I have noted their job postings before, and compared with typical language training school jobs in Indonesia, it does seem to be better than average in terms of pay, etc. The salary you've quoted is considerably higher than EF or most other language "mills" in Indonesia, with the exception of Wall Street and maybe one or two others.

IDR 13.5 million plus free shared accommodation is not bad at all for a first job in Indonesia (though the conversion rate to USD would have sounded a lot better a few years ago). You might be able to save up to half (or even more) of your salary every month, depending on your lifestyle**, and you can use some of the savings for travel during your holidays. Air Asia offers cheap flights to Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, India, China, etc, and of course, there is all of Indonesia to explore as you like.

**(I am married to an Indonesian, which has altered my budget from what it was / would be as a single person, but if I was still single, even with current inflation, I could certainly live on four or five million per month (max), especially with free housing, in my current location which, like Surabaya, is considerably cheaper than Jakarta; of course, the more you drink - alcohol is not cheap in Indonesia - date, etc, the more you spend. Bottom line, you should be able to live quite comfortably on that deal.)
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Listerine



Joined: 15 Jun 2014
Posts: 340

PostPosted: Tue May 12, 2015 3:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Have you visited Surabaya before? I had the misfortune to spend a month there back in the day, and I kid you not at nights I'd actually lay back and dream of Calcutta. Unless the have any great draw to the place...for $1000 a month you'd be better to head to China. Just my 2 cents (or at current exchange rates 30,000 rupiah) worth. Twisted Evil
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ghost



Joined: 30 Jan 2003
Posts: 1693
Location: Saudi Arabia

PostPosted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 5:15 am    Post subject: Bandung Reply with quote

The poster who said that Surabaya is unattractive is right - I also stayed there and did not find it appealing at all.

I found Bandung a much more attractive destination in Indonesia, and I assume there would be opportunities to teach there.

Incidentally, I will be leaving my job in China next year, and if anyone is interested in taking over, please contact me by p.m. It is a decent job, with good vacations, easy schedule, and decent salary (for China) at around $1200 u.s. per month.

Ghost in China
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D. Amokachi



Joined: 15 Oct 2014
Posts: 60

PostPosted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 9:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Again, no direct experience but I do have a friend who worked there up until recently. From what he said the school was pretty professional and I think he enjoyed working there overall. As for Surabaya ... well he didn't hate it but I don't think there's a lot going on.
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jaybet3



Joined: 15 Dec 2010
Posts: 140
Location: Indonesia

PostPosted: Wed Jun 22, 2016 4:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

FYI: Surabaya may ban alcohol.

Check out this link:

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/14/islands-focus-surabaya-be-alcohol-free-city.html

I lived there a few years ago and even with alcohol I thought it sucked. Incredible traffic. Hotter than most places in Indonesia (even the locals say that).

And now some "brilliant" politicians want to ban alcohol. You might as well work in Saudi Arabia and get paid real money.

I agree with another poster who suggested China. At least you can get all the booze you want and pork.
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Tazz



Joined: 26 Sep 2013
Posts: 512
Location: Jakarta

PostPosted: Thu Jun 23, 2016 5:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

First of all they knock down 'gang dolly'-now they want to ban booze....what is the world, or Indonesia, coming to? Laughing
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bradleycooper



Joined: 12 Apr 2013
Posts: 310

PostPosted: Thu Jun 23, 2016 6:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

jaybet3 wrote:
FYI: Surabaya may ban alcohol.

Check out this link:

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/05/14/islands-focus-surabaya-be-alcohol-free-city.html

I lived there a few years ago and even with alcohol I thought it sucked. Incredible traffic. Hotter than most places in Indonesia (even the locals say that).

And now some "brilliant" politicians want to ban alcohol. You might as well work in Saudi Arabia and get paid real money.

I agree with another poster who suggested China. At least you can get all the booze you want and pork.


The country is slowly turning into Pakistan or Yemen. Most of the sharia-inspired laws are done at the local level and there have been thousands of them passed now. It's illegal to celebrate Valentine's Day- a non-Islamic celebration apparently- in several cities including Bukittingi. It's illegal to blow paper horns on New Year's Eve in Aceh because it reeks of non-Islamic idolatory. In most villages in Java a de facto alcohol ban alread previals. You need to go into larger towns to get alcohol.

Having said that, the case of Surabaya is a worrying one. It's a big step backwards. After all, this is the second biggest city in the country with a busy port. Banning alcohol in a city of 4 million people is a big deal and it's a green light for other vote-hungry poltiicians to impose sharia law on Christians, Hindus and Buddhists elsewhere as well. In Malaysia, you only can't buy alcohol if you are a Muslim. They've taken it much further in Surabaya and no one at all can buy it. It shows the erosion of liberties and religious freedoms in those supposed democratic success tory.
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dan4brentford



Joined: 26 Jun 2016
Posts: 3

PostPosted: Fri Jul 01, 2016 4:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

From what I've read on here, Bradley has a tendency to blow things out of proportion. Pakistan?! Yemen?! A bit too far methinks. Let me try to set the record straight.

I'm not going to even bother denying the places or laws stated but these are on a VERY local level. Indonesia is a huge country with diverse cultures and political identities. Teachers, who, in the main will be based in the big cities in Java, won't have to suffer from 99% of these local laws. Aceh is widely regarded as extreme relative to the rest of Indonesia. They have their own Sharia status but their views do not reflect the status of Indonesia as a whole. Be careful not to tar with the same brush. In addition to this, alcohol has only been banned from convenience stores. Alcohol can still be freely bought from supermarkets, liquor stores, wine shops, cafes, bars and restaurants of which Surabaya has plenty of.

As a place, Surabaya itself is not particularly special, but the social aspect and the location are superb. Surabaya is the smallest big city going, if you catch my drift. There are a lot of people (4-5million) but the social circles for teachers, students, foreign nationals and English speaking locals are very small. The more this aspect is taken advantage of, the more exciting life in Surabaya can be. With regards to the location, it's really easy to make excursions to Malang, Bromo, Madura and around. Even Bali is only a dirt cheap 45 minute flight. These are regions of exceptional beauty and culture and are on the doorstep of Surabaya.

As for KELT, no-one could really ask for a better first job as an EFL Teacher. Most people stay for at least 1 additional contract. KELT are a small family-oriented set of schools in comparison to the franchised competitors. Teachers and students are valued alike with the good quality of teaching at the forefront of KELT's ethos. One of the most common complaints is actually that it is hard to leave KELT. This is especially valid if you remain in Indonesia because it is very hard to find another job that meets the mark elsewhere. This would be in respect to holiday, salary, housing and the general comfort of the job and people around you. This doesn't mean KELT is perfect although the pros heavily outweigh the cons.
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Tudor



Joined: 21 Aug 2009
Posts: 339

PostPosted: Sat Jul 02, 2016 9:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
There are a lot of people (4-5million) but the social circles for teachers, students, foreign nationals and English speaking locals are very small. The more this aspect is taken advantage of, the more exciting life in Surabaya can be.


Well, that depends on the individual really. Not everyone is a social butterfly - some prefer a degree of anonymity.

Quote:
This doesn't mean KELT is perfect although the pros heavily outweigh the cons.


Which - in the interests of balance - are?
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dan4brentford



Joined: 26 Jun 2016
Posts: 3

PostPosted: Sat Jul 02, 2016 10:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Having a social life doesn't mean one has to be a "social butterfly". You can have a perfectly balanced social life alongside a degree of anonymity. The options are there for all sorts of people. There are definitely teachers around Surabaya who are more than happy to stay a while, yet keep themselves to themselves. However, from experience, I believe that if you are new to teaching or new to living in another country, anonymity could make your new life difficult to adjust to.

There is one major gripe I had at KELT. This would probably be the system for internal recruitment for promotion or new opportunities. There is no due process and often, teachers with a good track record at the company are overlooked, without even any knowledge there was a position available at all. There is no internal advertisement or announcement about these positions and no apparent fairness in opportunity. Regardless whether you are the best person for the job or not, everyone who wants that job should be able to apply.

I'm pretty sure this is not the only problem, but, for me personally, the other cons are pretty much of a muchness.
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Tudor



Joined: 21 Aug 2009
Posts: 339

PostPosted: Sat Jul 02, 2016 2:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Some good points well made Dan.

I have known a couple of people who had worked for KELT and they were also mostly positive about it. They said that the shared accommodation was of a decent standard and far better than the fleapits that some schools saddle their teachers with.

I understand that KELT is just for young learners? I guess that could be seen as a negative by some plus if you're going to teach kids all day you may as work at a 'proper' school as they generally (although not always) pay more.

Still, overall, there's worst places to work as a first job in the country.
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dan4brentford



Joined: 26 Jun 2016
Posts: 3

PostPosted: Sat Jul 02, 2016 4:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

As a company, yes, KELT's main target market are young learners but they actually teach students of all ages, including adult learners. Probably 25% of my students were Senior High school and above, yet they got approximately 50% of my teaching hours, since they receive longer classes, including Cambridge Examination classes.

This does however vary depending on which school you work at(4 locations). I was lucky enough to be able to teach all ages and abilities relatively evenly, but that cannot be said of all locations.
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