Job Discussion Forums

[netnat]

whoops... that should read ALPH. Sorry mate!

[ajnabiya]

Hi,

Just a few more questions about this company.

1. In their terms and conditions they state that staff may be required to work weekends. Does this actually happen on a regular basis?

2. In terms of accommodation how close is it to the college and what is it like?

3. Can annual leave be taken when wanted or is it restricted to over the summer?

4. What are the students like?

5. AND FINALLY: What are start and finish times and what are the average teacher hours? The terms state 30 but is that the norm?

Would appreciate answers to the above questions, minus the negativity.

Thanks

[bje]

[Grejoh]

I would like to see the answers to those questions too, negativity or not.

[bje]

[Grejoh]

Well feel free to expand on that!

[netnat]

Sorry if I'm too late in response to your questions but here's what I can tell you..

1. Work weekends? Not normally.

2. Accommodation - about 20 minutes drive in normal (heavy) traffic, I was placed in 'new' accommodation but it was small, cheaply furnished and located on 'restaurant street' which is really the favourite drag strip/hang out for the local lads. I requested to be moved to the old accommodation, same area but better furnhised and bigger. In short you would be better off finding you own.

3. Annual leave is usually only approved for over the summer break - basically because of staffing problems during the semester.

4. Most students are pretty cool, however you do get some that are only there because it's co-ed or because the family thinks they need to be there. ACK has often been accused of being powerless in enforcing disipline, this is because some students have lots of money or influence. Consequently, cheating is a big problem and it is not uncommon for teachers to be threatened with little recourse.

5. Times vary but are basically 7 - 4, however I now believe they have night classes in some areas. Teaching hours sounds about right but for certain areas (engineering in particuar) the lack or poor quality of resources means long hours after work. They also seem to generate a lot of student record keeping and admin which also takes up a lot of time.

Hope this helps. I left ACK some time ago but I'm still in Kuwait and still have contact with staff - basically, it has not changed since my last posting.

Cheers.

[Time4me]

Netnat is mostly correct, however, I can add a little more up to date and accurate information.

I have been there for a year and have never been required to work a weekend. I am not aware of any teacher who has.

The accommodation is OK, you are not obliged to stay there, but it is probably wise during the initial settling in period at least.

Annual Leave - the paid leave can usually be taken when requested, many teachers have taken leave during semester in my time. The additional unpaid leave is generally expected to be taken in summer when classes are reduced.

As for the students. No matter where in the world you are, there are great and not so great students. There have been some tougher expectations placed upon students in this last semester which seem to be working quite well. In my experience, the types of issues that individual teachers may have, are often a reflection of the teacher rather than the students.

Teachers are required to be on campus 8 hours a day, though the contract says up to 30 hours contact time, it is more in the vicinity of 22-25. In times of shortages, and when other teachers take leave during the semester (for example) a few more hours may be needed. This is part of being a 'team'.

Though in a teacher's first semester they may find themselves doing some preparation in their own time, once you are familiar with what is needed, the workload is more than manageable in the allowed 40 hours. Some teachers, by nature, spend more time on prep than others. Each semester it gets a little easier as more and more resources are accumulated.

Some teachers at ACK have been there since the beginning. All of the teachers who started around the same time as me have re signed for at least another year. The money is comparable for the Gulf (higher than many), we would all like more paid leave, but from my research, this is accounted for in the salary. Life is full of trade offs. There are some places with better packages, it comes down to choice, and whether or not these higher paying places have positions.

Netnat did not have a good experience when he started at ACK, but that is just one area of the college, as the faculties become more established, it gets easier. Obviously my experience teaching there has been better.

If you would like more information, please PM me.

[dhtml]

Hi all, I had phone interview from two girls for about 30 minutes I passed that level. Final stage they required to contact two supervisors who had viewed my teaching.At my last position there was only one peer supervisor so I told them goodbye.HCT only has one supervisor to check your teaching.Stupid ask.We are professional and must look after each other.

[grapejuice]

There are many issues that upset the teachers in all depts. There was mention of research money. Ha, nice chance, don't go to ACK for that because it will most likely get denied! Your PHD will suffer. The issues that were posted are true. There was alot of talk about accademic issues and students however the main issue is you, teachers are treated poorly. They are told if you don't like where you live, move out, but give notice first. (Told rudely by management in an email response to any complaint, it's rare anyone will tell you anything in person.) This may seem fair. Let me point out ACK policy, all teachers are given a 100 day trial period before the contract is finalized. They can ax you with a days notice if they want. So most teachers do not complain out loud and stay quiet. The ones that don't are made to feel bad. Mutany I cry, but the fear of getting fired is real, ARR. In addition, ACK really drag their feet to get the teachers working visas, claiming every excuse except, we don't want to get your visa until we know you'll work out. So the new teachers that haven't left, are going on 3 months and may get the working visa by mid December! This seems illegal, is it? All this to make a point, "If you don't like where you live, move out!" That is the attitude at ACK. They know they've got the teacher's in a corner. It's difficult to rent an apt., car, get on with life without the civil ID which requires the visa. To make things worse there is a rumor that the school is skimming of the top with the rents! Who knows?

If you are coming for the money, maybe, but it's not that great considering the rents and other costs. Life here is boring and there isn't much to do. It depends on your situation I suppose. I like the staff, everyone is nice, the students can be hard to handle, but they are young adults. You'll want to consider vacation too. When we signed, we were told 1 month paid and 1 month no pay option, total two months. Yet another email came the other day, you can only request 1 of two 7week periods during the summer, and YOUR summer holiday can not straddle the two periods designated by management. mmm, makes me think of rollin' rollin' keep them teachers teachin' Hya, Rawww Hiiiiide!
If teaching is your career, you may also have a family, ACK doesn't help with anything concerning them. $$$ It will cost you alot. Tickets, living costs, school fees can be expensive, you may be better off somewhere with half the salary but family friendly.

Lots of little things to warn about but...more later.

[grab-bag]

Like I said, this place is a place to avoid for the moment. The workload is indecent. Teachers should never be required to teach more than 18-20 hours per week. The poor guys just collapse at the end of the day. How can they energize students when they have had all their energy sapped by so much work? No time to mark, to write worksheets or just to advise students. This place needs to get its act together and learn to treat teachers as professionals not as cleaning staff. Even the way they treat the cleaning staff is disgusting. Just another profit making institution busy exploiting the locals, the teachers and anyone else who works for them. The people at the top live the life of Riley while the rest of the people prop them up. Look elsewhere.

[Dedicated]

On behalf of a friend at ACK, I'm posting the latest news from there:

The long - awaited improvement in the Foundation Programme following the " departure" of the Head and the Director of Academic Studies has not happened. It can still be summed up as:

Poor Administration + Lack of solid Resources + General Disorganisation = Teachers Leave.

Teaching is not an appreciated profession in Kuwait yet, and in ACK students are often fine on a one-to-one basis, but males, in particular, can be badly behaved and rebellious in class - they continue to be demanding and threatening over being marked absent/present. The Management always supports them, and grades are changed by people higher up the chain, when " wasta" comes into play.

Things that seem fairly obvious to you (like having a curriculum and criteria) will be the invention of the century for those at ACK. You will work with people (often with minimal experience and qualifications) who reinvent the wheel, make up a curriculum that makes no sense at all, or might not even have a proper curriculum at all after 4 years, and you will wonder how they have managed for 4 years. They think by constantly changing the textbooks, that all will be resolved.Nobody bothers to do a needs analysis and establish goals.

Many problems stem almost exclusively from time-serving ex-pats who are terrified that their own inadequacy wil be exposed. Unfortunately, several of these people have managed to ingratiate themselves with Management, with the result that valuable, experienced , qualified people are ignored, so they have left and the standard of education provided by ACK has suffered - and is still suffering. The Business Dept have shed so many teachers, they are seriously overloaded, teaching up to 28 hours per week.

Definitely a place to give a miss to, if you intend signing up at TESOL Arabia.

[bje]