What does one do when a very angry bitter person has sworn to continually post lie upon lie about you on the website working to discredit any good you do? These attacts are based on false information and are completely untrue. But when someone writes a positive about the school, this person writes again, restated the same information. What is most upsetting is that ISR keeps posting the letters not realizes it is the same person saying the same thing but from a different soapbox.

All is true.....stay away!

[quote="saam64"]I have been given an offer by A'Takamul International School and frankly I am a bit concerned by the reviews ... I have some specific questions ... would any one working there already or some one who is departing this year email me at saam64@hotmail.com ... your inputs will be of great value ... Thanks.[/quote]

I hope you haven't signed.
Let the questions roll......

[quote="carpaccio"]I have been offered a job at Future Bilingual School in Kuwait to teach Art. I have been offered 500 Kuwait dollars/month plus shared accommodation. Any words of encouragement or discouragement? I am a Canadian female.[/quote]

500 KD is a not an offer that should be considered. Most schools start at 700 KD with single housing and other benefits.

Be careful.

[quote="saam64"]Jeff by AIS do you mean A'Takamul International School?[/quote]

I have worked there. Be aware, school is run by a board with no educational experience and seeks advice from those whose main goal is to save money. Numerous departing teachers have filed lawsuits against the school because of settlement money not being paid in full.
Curriculum is a process in the making. Fudged an acreditation process, with beefed up documentation.

This has been a tough year working in Kuwait. Many labor laws and rules have changed, as well as the view of private schools. Numerous new schools are cropping up and there is a major teacher shortage, resulting in many teachers leaving the country for greener pastures.
What issues have you encountered and how are you dealing with them?
Many have run into unethical business managers who are shorting teachers out of their indemnity and return flights home. Some are giving settlement information at late dates, leaving departing teachers with no time to protest or seek ministry help. Has anyone encountered these situation? How did you solve your problem....did you solve your problem? What schools are honoring contracts and following Kuwait Labor Laws?

The key words in the article is "Kuwaiti" and "work". If you know anything about many of the nationals, they aspire to positions of responsibility and surround themselves with those who know the system (expats). Have no fear, there will always be a need for Western Administrators in Kuwait.

Thank you for posting the quoted from the Arab Times, which I have already read. ISR still needs to correct the warning they have posted which is what my initial posting was referring to.

Please International Schools Review go to the Arab Times and correct the quote you have posted on the website.
First you need to correct the fact that the Minister of Education is a "he", when in fact the minister is a very educated "she". It really affects the credibility of the website when something so obviously incorrect is posted.

Thank you.

I have a few points to make regarding the MOE decision, ISR, teacher do your research and why we are teachers.

I feel that if the MOE is about to enforce their new guidelines, the potential admin. would only be in name only. Many of the international accrediting organizations clearly state that the schools must be of specific nationality. If a school is working towards Middle States then the admin, must have a strong American team represented in the admin.
So be careful what some believe is happening in Kuwait.
Also as stated earlier, this is not a new policy. There is a law in Kuwait that states a minimum of 7% of any companies staff must be nationals.

The bottom line is, if one is moving to a new country to work, do your research. The ISR is an excellent resource but I have come to realize that should not be the deciding factor in.

Within this website their is an abundance of information: questions to ask your potential superintendent, questions to ask during your interview, make use of this.

Kuwait is getting a bum rap right at the moment and I fear for many schools as we will be struggling to attain good quality teacher thus affecting our ability to provide a quality education, which after all is why we have become teachers, isn't it.

It appears as both of you have gone completely off topic.
Katherine is free and because of a very powerful arrogant Kuwaiti father, is not allowed to re-enter Kuwait and has had to resign her position. A position she aspired to and worked hard at as a professional.
Now I think that is the topic at hand.
Teachers please realize that this is an isolated case. Having lived and worked in Kuwait for almost 10 years, I have never heard of any similar situation. As teachers and administrators we are safe in Kuwait. Open communication with parents, staff and students is a must and will help avoid other such situations.
I love my life in Kuwait, the people I have met are amazing, the culture is rich and the travel opportunities are abound.

I do support the actions of the ISR, feel for Katherine and her parents. I have also been following the incident since it began.
Please, we must be careful not to over react. This is an isolated incident. Having worked in Kuwait for over 9 years, and never having heard about any similar incidents, I feel safe in my position and that of my teachers.
As an administrator working with non-western and western teachers, all of whom have had to deal with difficult parents, none have ever been charged.
Many parents feel their child is above reproach and this can lead to difficult situation but hopefully worked out.
I use in-school suspensions as the second step in my discipline procedure and thus far have received support from my parents. Many, after being told their child has earned an out-of-school suspension, have requested I keep them at school in my time-out room.
Most administrators and boards work fairly.
This situation has nothing to do with the policies or procedures of private schools, but more with the power of an arrogant father who is attempting to use the situation to make a very sad point.
As international teachers we all must realize that "we are not in Kansas anymore".