Job Discussion Forums

shebab · Joined: 17 Sep 2003 Posts: 168

Anything about this place to report? It's in Abu Dhabi, and salaries range from 12k-14k a month, including housing allowance. Isn't that kind of low for the UAE???

Gus Barkley · Joined: 26 Aug 2010 Posts: 78

The pay is low. Given that it is Kaplan you can expect the hours to be long and the demands for performance to be completely unrealistic. "Take this kid who knows no English and get him to a 5.0 proficiency in 6 months."

secretsquirrel · Posted: Sat Nov 19, 2011 8:25 pm Post subject:

Kaplan are the Walmart of education, and should be avoided by any teacher who is even the least concerned about quality.

If you do a search for their nickname, 'Krapland', you'll see that they have appeared quite a few times on Dave's!

PS: the salary is not just low, it's the lowest I've seen for many years!

shebab · Joined: 17 Sep 2003 Posts: 168

22k a month total, INCLUDING housing allowance. Sounds strange that housing is paid monthly, when you are expected to pay housing every year.....Still not sure if this is a good salary or not...

Gus Barkley · Joined: 26 Aug 2010 Posts: 78

Hmm. Housing in Abu Dhabi is now the highest in the Emirates. Based on second-hand knowledge the cost is 60,000 for a small flat to over 100,000 for a two-bedroom.

That means take home pay of 13-17,000 which is higher than I would have expected for Kaplan.

Are they expecting year-round work? Pay for return tickets once per year?

It's possible they realized they couldn't attract decent teachers for 11-12,000 like they were trying to get away with last year.

I'd still consider them a last resort employer. The corporate mentality is pervasive and if you want to be treated like a disposable cog you can find better pay at HCT.

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

Does anyone know how much could I realistically save in a month from the Kaplan salary package, once accommodation has been paid for?

I can put up with all kinds of mismanagement in the workplace, if the financial rewards are good!!

Gus Barkley · Joined: 26 Aug 2010 Posts: 78

The standard reply is that the question is only answerable if you know what kind of lifestyle you want. Alcohol is relatively expensive. If bars and nice restaurants are your scene you will be spending most of your income. How about having a maid clean your place or a gym membership? Buying a decent car will cost Dh 20 - 30,0000. New will be 3x that.

I have met couples living on Dh 4000/month or less. I know one couple who prides themselves on living on Dh 3000. I guess it is a badge of honor but it looks like a boring life to me.

So the super-frugal might be able to save Dh 9-10,000. Realistically, I'd say 7000.

Does Kaplan pay a moving/furniture allowance? Good employers pay in the ballpark of Dh 30,000 - a sum that is forgiven over the life of a contract. Leave early and you are penalized.

I hope this helps you make your decision of whether or not it is worth it.

andrewB · Joined: 29 Jan 2008 Posts: 2

They offer annual flights, Dh 20k relocation allowance, up to 60k on school fees and 9500 for accommodation, for families (7000, I think for single teachers).

I've just turned them down and have to say that the recruiter wasn't happy. Just from their second interview (with the AD office) I could tell that it was a bad bad job. Good luck though.

republocrat · Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2011 4:05 pm Post subject:

You've really got my interest there, AB, with your remark about the interview revealing the Krapland position to be undesirable: "I could tell that it was a bad bad job".

Could you do us all a great favour and provide us with some of the evidence that led you to making that conclusion?

It's not that I wish to dispute it - far from it, in fact. It's just that I have a colleague who is also considering making an application to Krapland, and despiteb my imploring him not to, he has rejected my comments as being based on rumors rather than facts.

So, a few of your 'key facts' would be more than welcome!

PS: feel free to pm me the info if you'd rather not go public.

Mushakil · Joined: 16 Nov 2011 Posts: 35 Location: UAE

I don't think the job is necessarily a bad job. They have a lucrative package.

They are interviewing now for positions in Abu Dhabi. However, be prepared they are very aggressive with interviews.

GriffinParka · Joined: 16 Dec 2010 Posts: 41 Location: West London

There's nothing 'lucrative' about their package at all - in fact,,it sucks, and big time too!

Even worse, they have no real interest in their students or their education, only a keen eye on the bottom line and in making large profits.

Avoid this place at all costs!

johnslat · Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2011 3:48 pm Post subject:

Dear GriffinParka,

Since there seems to be some dispute about the definition of "lucrative," can you (or anyone else) post what the contract terms of the package actually are?

Regards,
John

GriffinParka · Joined: 16 Dec 2010 Posts: 41 Location: West London

In broad terms, this; but the devil's really lurking in the details here (in no way can less than 14k per month be called 'lucrative'!!

Compensation:
Salary and Benefits:

Contracts are available for single status, married and families.

The IAT offers a competitive tax-free salary plus

Substantial housing allowance
Medical plan for employee, spouse and up to 3 children if applicable
Subsidized education for children if applicable
Air fare to nearest airport to home address for employee + one dependent
Generous relocation allowance (if deployed from overseas)
Successful candidates will be appointed at Grade T4 with salary range between

AED 12,198 - 13,696 monthly tax free salary plus benefits.

Salary level awarded will depend on qualifications and experience.

Previous applicants need not apply.

Oreally · Joined: 23 Nov 2008 Posts: 39

A friend told me that they make people wait for months for deployment. And some of those people waiting months on end never end up in a post. So There are HR problems as well. Can anyone comment on that?

mesenjah · Joined: 03 Oct 2011 Posts: 13

I sure can confirm theses allegations.... Just happened to me last week.. after 6 months of back and forth, After going through all the security clearance issues and other hoops which needed to be jumped I got an e-mail last week advising that the principle refused to sign the contract which meant they could not acquire a visa, also I was told that the actual issue was that they had an issue with some ministry that was with holding visas for IAT and Kaplan. I know of a number of teachers who this has happened to in gthe past couple of weeks. The issue which is most annoying is the fact that they kept on changing the deployment dates, from the end of August to 20th of September, then paper work went missing which meant that it had to be resent. The process had to be restarted from the beginning. Dates were once again changed to the 14th of October as the proposed arrival date, changed again to mid December, then 4th of Jan and finally the e-mail to inform me of the issues with the visa. 6 months of time wasting and wasted opportunities.

My advise - listen to the old wise ones... (tip my hat off to you gentle folk)