FAQ - CLASSROOM ISSUES

Any chance to teach ESP classes? How many students in a class? Are students mostly Kuwaitis, or do they come from other countries as well? How would you rate their motivation to learn English?

Lots of ESP teaching at the university. I'm in the medical faculty teaching med/science English. You can do the same in Health Science, Engineering, and Science. Business is where most of the students lacking goals go and there it tends to be more general English. Motivation runs from absolutely not giving a flop and attempting to bribe the teacher to get a better grade (as often occurs in the business faculty) to those who attend classes regularly, ask questions, do extra work, and understand that their future depends on a mastery of English (as in medicine). Most of the students are Kuwaiti, except for a handful of mainly Arabic-speaking foreigners (Egyptians, mostly).

What's the deal on curriculum? (i.e. is stuff available? is there an established curriculum?) The job description indicates 15 teaching hours. Do they stick to their word, or do staff end up with more contact hours?

At some faculties they don't have enough teachers and you are "requested" to put in extra hours, but for additional compensation. Most have established curricula, but revision is an ongoing process and there is always room for improvement and new ideas. If you have something you'd like to work on or implement, bring it along.

EFL books - any in particular you wish you had brought?

Not that I can remember. The one I found most useful was a writing text that included lots of editing exercises which we could copy off and give to the students for homework. Unless you have a favorite book, I wouldn't worry too much about it. On the other hand, you may want to consult with others on their opinions of the matter.

I understand that just about everything one might need is available at school. But are there EFL books, medical dictionaries, medical books, etc. that one can bring home for a protracted period of time to use at home?

We have multiple copies of most texts, as well as lots of reference texts at your disposal. The latter would have to stay at the office most of the time, but you could certainly haul them home over the weekend.