Invitation for Interview at KNPC – Real or Surreal??

Dear friends,

We have recieved emails from fellow Malaysians in Malaysia who have been offered interview with KNPC in Kuwait. However, the conditions of this interview invitation are:

1. Option 1 – candidate to pay all the expenses (flight, accomodation etc) themselves and then KNPC will reimburse when the interview is finished.
2. Option 2 – KNPC will send them the ticket and book the hotel BUT they need to deposit USD520 to an account as a refundable security deposit. This will be refundable after the interview.

It gets more interesting…

1. The candidate has been asked to credit an account in Public Bank in Malaysia under the name of Jamilah Abu Bakar.
2. The invitation for the interview was sent via email but there is no name given only the position.
3. The candidate is called (unindentified call ID) by a person (with Arabic English accent) asking the candidate to credit the money to the account who they claimed to be their representative in Malaysia.

A word of caution..

It is interesting to see that interviews are being sent out via nameless emails asking potential candidates to deposit funds into a Malaysian account for a company in Kuwait. Moreover, KNPC, who is one of the largest company in Kuwait, could only afford an individual as their agent but yet it is not this local agent that call the local candidates….hmm interesting.

From our personal and friends’ experience, employers in the Gulf pays all cost involved in bringing a candidate for an interview which include tickets, accomodation, transport and meals. We have not come accross any employers in the Gulf that have this policy of refundable deposit. Alternatively, there have been instances where employers went to Malaysia for an interview…that has happened.

Last thoughts to ponder….

The invitation for the interview may well be genuine..but with all this, all I can advise on a personal level…  please be cautious...do not credit any refundable deposit to anybody as you might not see that money again….If this is genuine then they will pay to interview you since they want you to work for them. In the words of Chef Skinner in Ratatouille….ALL THIS IS HIGHLY SUSPECT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Living In Kuwait – Food & Groceries

We have received a lot of emails asking about the standard of living in Kuwait..how much is the rent?…how much is the food…etc etc..or as some of my Arabs friends put it hakaza..hakaza.. These are surely all valid questions which were the same set of questions we had before deciding to relocate here. We were lucky coz we had some friends who were already here who helped us out…so we hope this will help some of the Malaysians (or whoever…) have a better light as to how much things would cost so that they may decide accordingly whether or not to come to Kuwait. Since there are too many aspect to cover…we just going to talk about food and groceries this time.

Where to buy groceries?

Groceries are typically sold by any small shop around every corner we call Bakala here in Kuwait. Actually macam kedai runcit back home. However, there are a few big supermarket chains which has everything..well almost i.e. Sultan Center, Carrefour, City Center, Cooperative Supermarkets and Lulu Hypermarket. These are the big boys of groceries and households in Kuwait.

Sultan Center in Hawally

What’s the difference?

Each of them of course differs in standards..and price. In general, Sultan Center is at the top of the ladder with all the best imported foods, the freshest vegetables and fruits, very nice settings and it opens 24/7. Shopping in Sultan Center sometimes gives you the feeling that you are in Europe…they even have UK newspapers sold there.

Second tier, I would say Carrefour and City Center. The cheapest ones in our eyes are Coop Supermarket and Lulu Hyper market. Lulu is a supermarket chain in the Gulf and owned by Indians…those guys are rich. Last year Lulu opened a new outlet and the premise is now almost Sultan Center standard.

Coop Supermarket are collectively owned by residents in the area (at least that is what I’m told) much like our Kedai Koperasi but super dupa bigger… In Kuwait you can find Co-op shop in every block of the housing area making your life so easy just to grab few things quickly and the price is relatively cheap.

The Coop Supermarket in Jabriya

Where do we shop?

We normally do our groceries shopping at Lulu Hypermarket in Subhan and it is way better that the Lulu in fourth ring road…that place is a traffic mess… Before this I have never seen any “Mat Saleh” or Kuwaitis shop at Lulu but with this new Lulu in Subhan you can see them flocking in especially in the morning to get their groceries.

Lulu Hypermarket gate 1

Lulu Hypermarket gate 2

Anyways below is a glimpse of the prices of the stuff here in Kuwait (Lulu prices) according to my better half ( me …what do I know..)

Butchery & Poultery:

• New Zealand beef cubes – KD 2.100 per kg
• Frozen chicken drumstick grade A (900g) – KD 1.050 per pack
• Whole fresh chicken (900g) – KD 0.850 per bird
• Frozen Mince meat 460g – KD0.590

Seafood :

• Prawns (medium) – KD 1.990 – KD 2.990 per kg (it varies depending on the season)
• Squid – KD 1.995 per kg (this may vary depending on the season)
• Crab – KD 0.995 per kg (this may vary depending on the season)

Vegetables :

• Carrots – KD 0.496 per kg
• cucumber – KD 0.320 per kg
• Beans – KD 0.995 per kg
• Tomato – KD 0.335 per kg
• Cauliflower – KD 0.595 per kg
• Broccoli – KD 0.995 per kg
• Big Green Chilli – KD 0.995 per kg
• Small Green Chilli – KD 0.795 per kg
• Beetroot – KD 0.695 per kg
• Yellow Onions – KD0.695 per kg

Misc :

• Basmati Rice (5kg) – KD 3.350
• Flour (2kg) – KD 0.240
• Oil (1.8l) – KD 1.100 – KD 1.500
• Coconut Milk (400ml) – KD 0.375
• Soft drinks (2.25l) – KD 0.320
• Mineral Water (1.5l x 12 s) – KD 0.696 – KD 1.500
• Canned Tuna – KD0.335
• Tray of Eggs – KD0.990
• Condense Milk – KD0.420
• UHT Milk 1l – KD0.295
• Sugar 1 kg – KD0.675
• Butter 400g – KD0.870
• Cereals 350g – KD1.185

Toileteries & Detergents:

• Syampoo 400ml – KD 1.095
• Conditioner 400ml – KD1.095
• Shower Gel 250ml – KD0.850
• Tooth paste 100ml/132g – KD0.650
• Persil washing powder 1.5kg – KD1.725
• Fabric Softerner 750ml – KD1.050

How much would it cost?

Typically for a family of seven like ours and with fast growing kids (3 – 16 years), it would be about KD240 for groceries and toileteries. Smaller family or if you are single will definately cost much less. You can use the above to estimate your basic household expenses but like anywhere in the world, prices of food are going up in Kuwait as well.

Well thats all folks…we do not guarantee these prices…estimate your budget at your own peril….muhahahaha

Till next time…