Job Discussion Forums

[Dedicated]

Monkey breath and newly-joined BK64 :

How much more constructive can these postings get? They have acted as a catalyst and revealed the true situation to the world, and to people thinking of applying for a post. So many people have commented " If only I could have known this last August before I travelled half way around the world". Now they are stuck and scared to lose their jobs. They feel like indentured servants.

As VS said (24/12) " Until a place in unable to get teachers, they won't change the system". Monkey breath insists "some people have been criticising the way ACK operates for a long time" yet there is no sign of their constructive comments. They only joined this board to defend themselves, not alert others.You state you rejected the TAFE CSWE lll as "being rotten", yet in the same breath rush to justify yourselves by saying " the Level 3 is being validated by TAFE". Very confusing.

At least now, everybody in the place knows who you are and what EAP means. They have witnessed the favouritism and total lack of management and direction. This has brought together the Engineering, Business and Foundation Programme in a sense of camaraderie, a common enemy, a source of great hilarity, as one by one people leave, as the sycophants huddle on the stairs for a quick ciggie, and everybody else sniggers in the staffrooms.

The more you protest, the funnier it becomes, and this is keeping everybody going. Long may it continue.
(I'm reporting this from the UK, where I really feel I'm missing a great sit-com)

[BK64]

[Home_Owner]

Ok now I am just mad.

Number 1

The English department is not doing its job! If the students can not speak, read, write the English language then they don�t pass that simple. I for one am tired of explaining English to the students I have. I know the ones who can�t speak it cause you never hear anything from them at all (btw I am ranting again going to stop being nice). If the English HOD can not pull his head out long enough to see that his students are not getting the English skills then a change is in order. I am tired of hearing people defend the system in one breath and kill it in another. If I have to hear from one more English instructor about the HOD favorite teacher and how she is the ants pants it will be too soon. This is supposed to be a team effort people lets get on board and force the changes thru there are more of us than them. make English a priority

Number 2

H.R. get off your bums and do something they new instructors are coming soon and I am almost positive that they do not want to go thru 6 months of uncertainty before they get the basics of living sorted most of them will only want the process to be painless and expedient not to much to ask I think.

Number 3

Student. If we can not process the cheats and the ones who don�t want to be here and the ones who will not make it in the field of study out then what are we to do? This is utterly dumb that students hold power over the staff here and more retarded that management doesn�t even look at the student before tell the teacher to leave. maybe we as teacher here need to get on a bandwagon across departments and have a common approach to the students and stand like a brick wall and if one of the students does something dumb then we all hit them like a ton of bricks in short all teachers do the same thing to cheats tardiness and malcontents maybe that would work better than the current policy (don�t work at all)

Number 4

Management.

Start off by taking better care of you staff all of them not just the ones that kiss your bums. I am so sick of one department getting and others missing on important training and teaching tools because they are not liked by senior managers. Also look at the students that make complaints before you just ask a teacher to leave I know that would involve work but you don�t just get paid to stand there and take the students word. In most cases the students who complain are the one that are failing and the teacher has cut them more then one breaks thru the semester. if that is not what you are doing them start can you afford to send 100 plus staff thru the civil id process every year if it takes 6 months or more for a 2 year id card only to have them leave 6 months later!!!!!! Where is the intelligence in that?


Ok rant over having a bad day
Happy new year to you all

[Dedicated]

Home Owner,

Your anger, frustration and disappointment at the current situation at ACK are evident, and there are many who would totally sympathise with you.

Let's acknowledge what is happening there for what it is and at least support each other when questionably and subjectively qualified people start using words like teaching and professionalism.

Teaching English, or anything, at ACK is NOT a career. Anyone who comes to ACK hoping to improve their career prospects is going to be disappointed. This is TESL - Teaching Entertainment in Student Lessons - anything that makes the student (ie. customer) happy, otherwise they will complain about you, and management always listen and support the students. You will be threatened with dismissal, as several have been this week, or lose your job. If you can cope with that possibility, then stay and fight, otherwise move on before you have a heart attack or a breakdown.

[Home_Owner]

Vs,

Thanks for your concern over my health. you are right I shouldnt stress so much!!!! ok had a nice relaxing weekend. ok now for the constructive side of my last post (mom said if your aint part of the soultion you are part of the problem).

Number 1.

english department

completely develop a skills test that takes into account all aspects of english(dont know how this would work sorry). one suggestion i have is to dump this 95% rule of students passing make an standard pass mark for all assessment that is inflexable and will not allow for cheatind (easier said than done i know) in the engineering department we have a industry expectation that we have to meet normal it is about 75% depending on the industy. maybe it is time to stop treating the students like clients and more like students. what good are we doing them if they just get thru the program and still cant speak english how do we fix it i admit that the S1 and S2 are getting heaps better.

number 2

Hr

if you need more people get more. make the civil id process a bit faster when you get new teachers in dont let it take 8 to 10 weeks just to get them out for medicals. I know that the goverment of Kuwait is not to helpful in this but there has to be something that can be done to speed the process along a bit 6 months to get a 2 year civil id and them leave for good 6 months later seems to me a little silly and a big waste of money.

number 3.

students and managment

it is time for the management and students to understand that just because we (teacher) are here doesnt me we can be walked all over. management needs to act swiftly and decisively when a student is caught cheating. the punishment must be severe to deture any futher attempts. stand behind your teachers and let them not have to worry about if the student complains they are going to get the sack back them up and investigate student complaints on teachers i am sure that most teachers here would be happy to be investigated especially if they havent done anything worng and the students just complain cause the teacher makes them accountible for their actions. futhermore management needs to be alot more approchable as most of the new instructors have never had this type of treatment before.

in conclusion i feel that the stress level here is coming downa bit. i have definalty worked for more stressful companies and yes this is a stressful place but is it worth it? i think it is but only if alot of change happens i would like to be a part of it but i also will not put up with being treated as i have seen some here treated. that is a bridge that i will have to cross when i get there

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."

"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing."

Quotes from Albert Einstein

[veiledsentiments]

I'd guess from the posts here that the majority of the teachers there know the problems and the solutions... it's not exactly rocket science.

This has to be discussed with the supervisors... all the way to the top. Posting here allows people to vent, but the cure is in the front office, and I doubt that they come here to get educated.

As most people here have probably noticed, I have never been shy about my opinions... and sometimes I even have some good ideas. If my supervisors didn't appear to be taking me seriously, I would go above their heads. If they all chose to ignore me and all of the other teacher's opinions and ideas when we had a serious problem, it was time to decide if one wanted to continue teaching there under the circumstances.

But, all too often, these organizations will not make changes until they are forced to... when they can no longer get new teachers to come because of the bad reputation.

VS

[Dedicated]

On December 3, Monkey breath argued

[Astoria]

Monkey-breath lays the blame for the English programme at the feet of "Arab management". Their role is endorsing the recommendations of their in-house expert, the head of the Foundation Department. Since its inaugration the Foundation programme has been unable to develop a programme that has any plausible academic basis. Each semester brings another new method, but one thing remains relatively constant - the locally-developed entry test which barely changes and can be easily copied from one intake of students to the next. The result is a false entry grade and the students have a false sense of their own ability. "Arab management" also has no involvement here.

One can't help but be incredulous that this situation has continued for so long. Where management is to blame is for allowing the Head of the Foundation Programme to continue this utter farce.

There is new senior management and, one hopes, they will recognise the real issues and listen to the complaints of qualified, experienced professionals over the clique of favoured teachers who have brought this programme to its knees.

I do believe there is hope. To those who are interested in coming to Kuwait, there are some exceptional staff here who are making progress in the other departments and within their areas of the Foundation Programme. Don't write ACK off just yet.

[expatladi]

I have been following this thread and thought it was about time I added my two dinar.

The business department has escaped a lot of comment by posters on this forum probably because this is an esl forum. But while the education issues are different, and there are many, the management and contract issues are not. Life in the business programme has been getting progressively worse for several semesters. Life for ack teachers has been going down hill for several semesters.

Because of some staff leaving recently with not enough replacements in sight, there are many of us now doing 28 hours a week plus to cover the short fall. No overtime is paid as we agree to this in our contracts and are told during our interview that it rarely if ever happens.

Staff are leaving in droves, and management continues to do nothing to encourage us to stay or make ack a better place to work. No recognition of extra effort, extra hours, extra study, more appropriate accommodation, re-signing incentives or even keeping up with local inflation and devaluing dinar. More and more teachers are realising that ack is not a career move and is an abysmal place to work.

The 'culture of care' does not extend to staff, with one staff member who left suddenly last month after being physically assaulted (not while at work) having her indemnity withheld in lieu of sufficient notice, even though they were aware of the incident. The college has actually made money with this instructor leaving because they are saving the wages, haven't paid the indemnity and are not paying any more to the teachers who are doing the extra hours. A true 'culture of cash'.

There are plenty of reasons why ack should be avoided like the plague, most of which come from inept and asinine management and the impact of the decisions they implement that negatively impact upon their teachers. They will always manage to get teachers to exploit, with the churn and burn philosophy being acceptable and promoted.

I would warn anyone who is thinking about working here to think seriously whether this is the type of organisation you want to be a part of. Most of us who stay here do so because we feel a responsibility to our students and we have made ourselves a life outside of ack with our only option to stay in Kuwait being to stay with the college because there is a 12 month ban on working locally for any competition for everyone who signs.

That is my two dinar.

[grapejuice]

**Kuwait in da house.**

The fact is that teachers are not being well treated, are not safe and are disrespected by HR and HOD's!
All of you who are colleagues at ACK can think of many examples. Teachers are not content, and others simply leave.

You do not treck to Kuwait to sort proper living arrangements on your own. Must I remind you of the shitty apt., the poor summer leave options? 4 weeks paid, 4 weeks not paid, to be taken within 1 of 2 summer 7 week periods! No school for your kids. No regard for your families. Mmmm, do the math. Feeling @#$% yet?

Oh, ACK has a consultant on the scene! Thank you, but I'm here now and feeling @#$%. Rest assured nothing will be done until your present contract is due. Let's get a few more months slave labour before we do what's considered fair, normal. Forget ethical!

Fired on the eve, left to rot over Christmas, oh, made a mistake, please stay, we need you. (This happened to a teacher because a student wasn't happy and had connections) Enough is Enough.

Happy New Year.
Did I stir the pot? Take a good wif.
This will give the engineers something to mull! Business you really get the short end of the working stick. Work 'til you stroke, oops, been there done that. POST something! ESL, you are a dime a dozen, is that why you are being underpaid compared to everyone else. Tomorrow when you walk in the parking lot and see that Lambo or Hummer, remember...ACK is about $$$. Respect is in order. Did you work Christmas eve, Christmas day? Up for Easter? Respect is mutual.

Hang in there mates. Management is fleeing 'cause heads are gonna role, things will get better.

There's always that job in Oman or Qatar.

Respect, Peace Out, LOL

On a positive note, I do think ACK has an exceptional staff of teachers, Foundation, Business and Engineering. It is too bad they're pissing them away. I would like to name names, but... iz not cool.

[R2D2]

Just read the postings by Grapejuice, expatladi and others. It casts a very negative shadow over ACK. As someone who is currently working here - Let me tell you - IT IS NOWHERE NEAR AS GOOD AS THAT! That is not a typo. It pays on time but that is about all I can say positive.
Why do you think we are constantly losing teaching staff, another President, another Head of Management and the Academic Director this month. Sadly all it is is a money making operation.

[Astoria]

At least one of the people you mentioned caused a lot of the problems. And I'm not talking about the Head of Management (Business). Good luck to her and good riddance to the others.

[Dedicated]

Students are part of an academic community, not just customers receiving a service. Saying the college should " listen to their customers" entails a fundamental misunderstanding of what a college's work is. Yes, we provide a service - knowledge. However, in providing that service students have an obligation to take that knowledge, understand it, and use it appropriately. ACK has a right and responsibility to make sure that happens.

But there is no such thing as a " good" student if they are linguistically too weak to function in the context they are joining. Academic study is, and should be, linguistically challenging, but unless students are close to the minimum required after the FP (ie. IELTS Band 5.5) they will be put at a significant disadvantage by the extra stress of the language challenge, of attempting to remediate and keep up with peers.

There are ramifications for the individual, the department and ultimately for the institution if students are admitted without having sufficient language ability, or are passed into their departments ill-prepared.

This week has been exam week at the FP. One look at the Level 3 reading exam paper clearly displays that the writer(s) know nothing about English for Academic Purposes, as the content is totally inappropriate informal chat (eg. Girl Stuff/Oh Yeah/cool) and the only vocabulary questions are phrases such as " doesn't turn up/rushes off/I was up". Answers to comprehension questions can be lifted from the text.This would be laughed at and binned in a real EAP Foundation Programme. This is a great disservice to the students who will pass to the Business/Engineering Depts. On top of that, the power(s) that be have decided that all Writing Journals should score between 18 - 20 (out of 20) regardless of content. This is to " compensate" for the 65% who failed the " difficult" mid-semester exam.These students will probably all pass, and arrive in their depts totally ill-prepared.

The newly-appointed Level 3 coordinator (the leader of the sycophantic, favoured group) showed her true colours by shouting at a colleague, reducing her almost to tears, in a moderation meeting - not the qualities one would expect from a "qualified, professional" at all. This is no more than playground bullying. However, the Head of the Foundation Programme goes along with her tantrums.This does not bode well for the future.

In the final analysis, graduates, families, employers and sponsors will be the judge of what these students have gained from this experience. Employability and communicative ability will be a key part of this in the global market for talent, and the long term impact of weak professional and other language skills will reflect on the institution's reputation.

We hope these " teachers" will be able to live with their consciences, though it is clear they have none. They are ruining young people's lives.

[15yearsinQ8]

ACK has fallen into the formula of most so-called 'universities' or 'colleges' in the Middle East.
It's more of an ultra-expensive training institute (think - Devry or Google it is you're British) than a place of deep seated academic learning. Yet, most teachers see the word 'college' and get all gung ho and envision students who actually care about their courses and take the effort to learn. Teachers, please, lower your expectations without getting cycnical. Administrators, PLEASE, stop requiring a Masters degree or desiring prior college/university teaching experience because, as other posters have said/inferred, one doesn't need those to teach what is being taught at ACK - or even to teach EAP which IMHO should dove tail the TOEFL.
2 Facts remain
At 'real' universities, foundation English (a definition is that English which prepares you for English 100 or ENG 101) is non-credit and those MA TEFL teachers who teach it most, most, most , most - yes read MOST - of the time do not have the qualifications or experience to teach any credited course.
So, at these so-called universities/colleges in the Middle East, you have a double charade - those sitting pretending to be 'college' students and those standing pretending to be 'college' teachers.....

[Dedicated]

Recent news from Kuwait is that a certain silence and calm has fallen over the place, mainly due, one supposes, to recent dramatic departures of key staff and the fact that management have apparently installed sophisticated software to try to establish who is writing to this open forum. That speaks volumes.

This forum has obviously generated anger and frustration amongst many staff at ACK in several departments, yet the very fact that people need to express their feelings on this forum , rather indicates they cannot do so successfully in the workplace without fear of reprisals.

Who exactly has oversight at ACK? Who can one complain to, or appeal for help if and when a teacher has problems or grievances? Any other reputable programme or institute of higher education has a tribunal, ethics committee, union grievance procedures and layers and layers of oversight and support. Where is ACK's?

Any real university has complete transparency - lists of department heads and positions that provide teachers with all the information they need. If there is real transparency, why have so many teachers left? Teachers have been dismissed for merely flagging up problems.

If ACK cannot respond to these complaints with any comparable substance, then they lack all credibility.