The wife cannot sponsor the husband in Kuwait. The husband will have to get a new tourist visa every 3 months (I think). To do that he'll have to fly out and stay a day or 2 in Dubai, Bahrain, etc then come back in to Kuwait on a new tourist visa. At least that is how it has been explained to me.

[quote="intlskipper"]Housing is definitely covered, including utilities. Transportation to and from work. Yearly flights for both me and husband. Health/Life Insurance. VERY generous settling in allowance of 1000kd. Shipping allowance of 250KD. Contract renewal and end of contract bonus.

The package, in my opinion, is excellent.

I've heard that it is still dirty, as is many places in the ME. But you are probably right, it probably is less dirty than here. It may very well seem very clean in comparison to certain areas around Cairo.

I am sure Kuwaitis are different in their own way compared to Egyptians. I have read a lot about grade fixing and Kuwaitis expecting certain grades and teachers just having to give them. Also, about the Kuwaitis not being happy with their students be disciplined..... Is this really as common as it seems? Are you happy/satisfied at the school you are working at?

Also, I heard that food there is actually quite a bit more expensive than it is here. We currently spend about 2300le per month on food, which is about $340. We pretty much eat whatever we want, but we do shop at markets for veg/fruit, etc to save. Would we be able to continue spending this amount, or would it increase, do you think?

Thanks for all your help![/quote]

Your settling in allowance is 5X's what my school gives and the shipping allowance is 50KD more than what we get too. Starting salary is similar to my employer too.

You and your husband can eat well for $400 a month if you shop at the local co-op stores. However, if you shop at the big chains (Sultan Centar, City Center, Giant, Carrefour) then you will spend double.

I can only speak for my experience here but I signed on for a 6th year and could easily stay for another 5. As I've said many times I really like the school I work for and the kids I teach. My job, the salary, and the kids keep me here.

I hear about grade fixing all the time but I honestly haven't seen any of that at my school. If kids can't pass, or make high enough grades, then they are usually out of the school after a year or two. However, I do hear about grade fixing at other schools. Who knows unless you are actually asked to do this. I've never been asked or lead to believe I needed to change anyones grades.

Kuwait isn't for everyone. Not being able to legally drink here and no night life is a killer for many expats. That is why I'd suggest Dubai or Abu Dhabi be their first ME job attempt. However, if you don't need it then Kuwait is great.

As far as my school goes I'm very satisfied with it. As I said, I'll stay here for a while longer and would only consider leaving here if I could land a job at one of about 20 other schools world wide.

If you are going to be paid $37K a year and your husband gets the low end, say 450KD per month then you will be bringing in around 1300KD per month. Housing will almost certainly be provided by the school and you should also have free electricity and water. That 1300KD/month will be tax free. I don't know what your bills are but if you are making 1300KD a month and have no bills then you will be able to save at least half of what you make per month, eat whatever you want, and travel on breaks. Even if your husband can't get a job you can still live well off of 800KD a month since everything else is paid for. Me and my wife live off of 1/3 of my salary and we are very comfortable here.

Sabah Al Salem is an up and coming area. Not as dirty or crowded as other areas where the bulk of the schools are located.

Kuwait is, IMO, much cleaner than most of Cairo but it is relative. The areas where the Kuwaiti's live are much cleaner than where most expats live but I don't think anywhere in Kuwait is as dirty as the area around the Pyramids in Cairo. Driving here is dangerous but again not nearly as bad as Cairo.

One thing I failed to mention is that Kuwaiti's are different than Egyptians in much the same way American's are different than Europeans. Many look similar but have different mind sets. It is something to consider/remember if you come here.

What kind of salary are the offering you? Where is their housing located? Where in Kuwait is the school located? Will you and your husband be working at the school? The thing about working at a new school is there are going to be growing pains.

[quote="PsyGuy"]I do not like the ME, and want to let everyone know.

@vitaminz

You can love your school and your students in MANY, MANY other places without the drawbacks that exist in the ME. Again, another very ordinary benefit, worded to sound special. When people dont like their school or their students they leave and go somewhere else, a lot more of those issues come from the ME then any other region.

Whats your next overhyped benefit of the ME, they pay you money to stand in front of a group of children and pass your knowledge on to them?

@Cindylouwho

Great moneys not important to you, so you give your salary back to them every month? You would teach for free?

@expatteacher99

No I dont believe it, i have NEVER heard a new teacher who wants to teach abroad claim "I want to teach in the ME". Not once, guys want to go to Japan and woman want to go to Europe. Anything and everything else is a sales pitch.

if the ME is such an AWESOME place how come their lines are no where near as long as those in italy or japan, or france, or anywhere else for that matter. The ME schools especially the Saudie, and Kuwait stand around with their hands in their pockets?
The only school in the ME that is anyones dream job is Aramco, and thats because of the money.
Its disingenuous of you to extrapolate that very exception to the whole of the ME.[/quote]

It is obvious by your posts on the ME that you are either closed minded or that you taught here and it chewed you up then spit you back out. Of course I could be wrong on both accounts because you may have found the dream location [b]FOR YOU [/b]and never left. If that is the case then you have no business speaking on the ME.

Read all my posts on the topic and you'll see that I balance it out between the good and the bad in the region. I don't simply spew close minded hate about a specific area because what one person likes another may not. You speak out of your butt about nearly every single topic on this board because you think you are an expert on all things in international education yet every time you posts half of the responses do not agree with you so obviously you don't speak for all. To know as much about the international teaching world you would need to have been living this life for MANY years and lived in MANY regions or you'd have to be employed by one of the recruiting agencies that visits all these regions on a regular basis.

I love the school I work at and the kids I work with which is a combination I have only had here in the ME. I didn't have it in the USA and I didn't have it in Southeast Asia but I have it here. Many teachers have it here and that is why so many stay.

It does negatives which I've pointed out more than once in this forum but for [b]ME[/b] the good far outweighs the bad.

That being said, I don't think I'd want to spend more than 10 years in any location no matter how good it may be. Part of the international lifestyle is being international and working in different countries and cultures.

I came to the Middle East with the intentions of staying 2 years then returning to the USA or moving on to another international location. 6 years later I'm still here and it has nothing to do with an inability to land a job anywhere else. I stay because I love the school I teach at and the kids I teach. The package is a bonus as is my position. Yes, there are some cultural differences that I do not agree with and some behaviors that I do not like but you are going to have that anywhere. It gets wicked hot here 7 months out of the year but where I'm from in the USA sees summers with 100-110 degrees almost daily in July and August so again not a big deal. Anyway, I'm considering staying here for much longer as there are only about 15-20 international schools in the world that I'd consider leaving my current position for. I like it that much. If more people came in with an open mind then they might like it more too.

You have to take what you see on CNN with a grain of salt. If you have a chance to go work in Beirut then you should do it. It is an amazing city.

I'll also add that you are more likely to get shot in Houston, Dallas, or New Orleans than in Beirut, Dubai, or Abu Dhabi.

3xlucky is right. I've been in Kuwait 6 years and would only consider working for Al Bayan Bilingual School, American School of Kuwait, American International School, Universal American School, and maybe the British School of Kuwait. A new school in this country is most likely going to draw kids that can't handle the academics at other schools or are behavior problems. I'd avoid it.

Interesting that everyone has responded in such a positive manner. I signed up with SA 3 years ago and got in to the Bangkok fair. 1 month before the fair I was offered an admin position by my employer and I took it. When I informed SA the recruiter that got me the spot in the fair was angry with me. I have emailed her several times over the past few months to try to reactivate my account so I could get ready for the 2013/2014 fairs and she won't email me back. I called but she hasn't called back.

You need to make sure the person that hires you knows what they are talking about when dealing with importing a pet and not selling you a bill of goods. Not only that but depending on where you go the housing may not be owned by your school and that building may have a 'no dog' policy. That is the case in may places.

[quote="Cee13"] Thankfully I've already secured an overseas teaching position for next year, but there could be other single women on here who would benefit from reading a more positive/enlightened response. Anyone? Bueller....Bueller?

Anyway, to start off by saying "The USA" is kind of flip. Isn't it obvious that there's a strong possibility the poster is from the USA? Then you basically said to go to Italy for sex, Turkey for a man to use you for a Green Card, Northern Europe if you look like a super model, Asia don't even bother, and Tier II schools if you want a real winner! Hey, and maybe you're right....but to put it like that is just obnoxious! Sorry for that rant. Just had to say it![/quote]

Perhaps that is his positive/enlightened response. I am not a woman but think his take on it might be what some women need to hear rather than go about it blind and end up in a place where single older women are treated badly.

There are only a handful of schools in Kuwait I'd suggest anyone work for and Al Ghanim isn't one of them. Any school that would take away pay for a day of work that you have already performed should be avoided at all cost.

[quote="PsychBean"]Hello All,

II was looking at:
American Academy for Girls in Kuwait
American School Kuwait
Dashman Model School Kuwait
American Creativity School Kuwait
Kuwait Bilingual School

Just to name a few. If anyone has any experiences with these schools or any others to note please share.

Thank you.[/quote]


I have been in Kuwait for 6 years and am familiar with all of these schools having worked at 2 of them. The only one on this list that is worth anything is the American School of Kuwait and it isn't the top school in the country any more. It is more like number 2 or 3. Their campus is falling apart, classrooms are poorly resourced, salaries are low balled and their housing is a 30 minute drive from their campus. Their reputation from the last 20 years of the 20th century has carried them through the first 12 years of the 21st. It will continue to be the school of choice for Americans working in Kuwait thus stay near the top but it is no longer the top. It is one of only 4 schools in this country I'd considering working for. It has very good teachers and few behavior issues with their student body although these have gone up with the increased number of Kuwaiti kids attending this school.

Dasman Model School is a JOKE. It has a horrible reputation in Kuwait. There is no student control at this school. It is poorly resourced. They have huge turnover each year as teachers break contract after 1 year or leave all together after 2 if they can find employment elsewhere. I am surprised there aren't more horror stories about this school on ISR because all you have to do is ask around Kuwait to hear stories about this place. It takes the students that are kicked out of ASK, AIS, BBS, BSK.

American Creativity School is a large 2 campus school. Girls on one campus and boys on the other. The name is for selling the school only because there isn't anything American about it other than some of the teacher passports. They have a lot of very young teachers and some older ones that need to be retired. I would rather be a truck driver than work at this school or Dasman Model School.

The American Academy for Girls is not a strict school. Another joke of education in Kuwait that has gone downhill very fast. The influence of Dr. Charlene and very poorly managed school board saw this school lose 80 teachers a year for 2 years straight. Then they got rid of Dr. Charlene but the damage was done. They lost several very good teachers to other schools in the country and are in the process of rebuilding. It is going to be a long time to turn this school around but the new director seems to be slowly making progress. You will have a heavy work load at this school.

Kuwait Bilingual School is a mid-level bilingual school in Kuwait with little to know reputation other than they will take just about any student in to their program.

If you want to know the best schools in the country then keep reading.

1. Al Bayan Bilingual School
The Al Bayan Bilingual School is the elite school in Kuwait. Forget the Katherine Phillips incident. That is a one off event that could happen anywhere in a country where the locals have nearly unchecked powers and nearly happened at ASK at the end of last school year but they got the teacher out of the country within a day. It also nearly happened at AAG a year ago but they got that teacher out of the country within 2 days.
Al Bayan Bilingual School pays more than all of the schools listed above and it isn't even close. The salaries are higher, the stipends are higher, and the opportunities for making extra money are higher. It is the school that the Kuwaiti families want their kids to go to and caps the number of students they will accept per grade level. The majority of the 300 teachers on the faculty stay beyond their 2 year contracts. It has strong middle school and high school administration and department heads. The athletic program has taken huge leaps forward over the last 5 years. Nearly everything on the campus is less than 5 years old. IT IS A NOT FOR PROFIT thus is resourced well. The only real issues here are that you are teaching almost 100% Kuwaiti students at this school thus it is an international school with a national student population but this is the case everywhere other than ASK or BSK. Nearly every student that graduates from this school attends university with a very high percentage of them going to the USA or UK to do so. You will have 3 prep periods per day at this school but you will need them!

2a. American School of Kuwait - See above comments.

2b. American International School of Kuwait - Low paying IB school with a dated campus but in the process of constructing and updating their buildings. AIS has a wireless campus where all the students have ipads or mac books. Is the only school in Kuwait that routinely gives ASK a run for their money in athletics. Strong academics. Certified teachers. Solid administration. Good teacher housing that is within walking distance to their campus. They have a very high percentage of Kuwait students but also mix in a good many other Arab and western expat students. Heavy work load for teachers. The students at this school tend to be as well behaved as you can expect in Kuwait. I'd work for this school.

4. British School of Kuwait
This is probably the highest paying school on the list but be beware of that. The housing stipend is little to nothing and they will work you to death. The campus is old, classrooms are small, and it is not putting enough of the money earned back in to the school to keep up with the schools listed above here.

The school I work for in the ME has a mix of good and bad reviews. I can tell you from experience that it is an outstanding organization and superior to any US public school I have ever worked in. While each experience is different the vast majority of the 300 teachers in my current school have been there for 4 or more years. The quality of teachers is mostly high with the ones that are not up to par washing out or leaving after their first two years. The students, which seem to be bashed time and time again in the negative posts, are the best the country I teach in has to offer and not nearly as bad as the posts indicate. I find ISR to be more of a complaint board thus take each review with a grain of salt.

No matter where you go if you go in with a closed mind and not open to the quirks of whatever culture you step in to then you are going to be unhappy.

Saudi Aramco is the only school I have heard of that pays that kind of coin. Good luck getting a job there.

If you are a good middle/high school math or science teacher then you can pull in huge tutoring money in Kuwait and Qatar. That is on top of the $35-55k tax free salary you will be paid in these places. I've seen math teachers pull in double to triple their salary in tutoring alone in these 2 countries.