"I suppose we have very different experiences, none of the kids seemed really happy there, parents seemed happier about their kids then their kids did"

Oh, so you've been here? To Saudi Arabia, to an Aramco camp?

"there is NOWHERE to go and NOTHING to do"
"Even the small town america fishbowl experience is an experience that you can hop in a car and go somewhere else 30 minutes away. you cant do that at Aramco"

Another incorrect assumption, I'm afraid. People seem to think that there's nothing to do around here, and that Aramcons just sit in their compounds all the time. I even thought that before I arrived! My own incorrect assumptions have since been shattered. There are plenty of places to go to and things to do. I'm not going to sit here and brainstorm (and list) every single fun or adventurous thing I've done in the past few years, but I'll list several common activities for the benefit of people who are considering Aramco.

On a typical weekend (or weeknight if you're so inclined), people: Go desert camping, go to the beach (Aramco private beaches and also non-Aramco beaches), go to museums, bmx/mountain bike, go to the malls, go to the souq, go out to eat at Middle Eastern/Asian/European/Amercian restaurants, go 4 wheeling, picnic, sit at Starbucks and relax, go to the same sprawling kids' play centers/mini amusement parks that you find in almost any city, go to the yacht club and sail their boats, go horseback riding, shop, shop, and shop some more. :D The list could go on and on. True, there's no bars, movie theaters (except on the compounds), or prostitutes, so if that's what you're looking for, Aramco will not provide the lifestyle you want.

As for hopping in the car and going somewhere else in 30 minutes, we do that ALL THE TIME. Most Aramcons have cars and frequently leave the camps. There are small villages, medium-sized towns, and huge cities that are accessible to Aramco camps. For the majority of Aramco employees, live in the biggest compound (getting close to 15,000 people), we can not only be in a city in less than 30 minutes, we can also be in another country in 30 minutes if the traffic is light. Bahrain is a mere bridge away from Saudi, and people frequently go there for bars, nightlife, and bacon. :D

There are plenty of questions about Aramco that would have me be the first one complaining! But lifestyle and range of activities is definitely not one of them.

Do you have teaching certification? In what area(s)? If you want to teach PE in an international school, you most likely need to obtain certification in PE. I've worked at schools that periodically hired non-certified teachers, but it wasn't a good situation. At your age, I would work to get certified (if you're not already), then you will have many more options in the future. Good luck!

Yes, it is a small town experience. No one ever claimed it was a big city experience. If parents like the "fishbowl" small town vibe and want that kind of childhood for their kids, it can be a great place to live. If parents prefer big cities and want that kind of childhood for their kids, then no, it's not a good choice. Teachers need to think long and hard about whether it would be a good fit for them, just like they do with all schools.

I'm not arguing that Aramco is great and it's perfect for everyone. There are people who would absolutely hate it here. I'm simply letting interested teachers know what it is really like. In referring to the other poster's 5th grader, you said "there is NOTHING to really do, NOWHERE to really go, and NOTHING to really see." As an Aramco employee and international teacher, I feel it is my duty to let fellow international teachers know the reality...that there is in fact plenty to do, especially for kids and families. Saying there is "NOTHING" to do is gross error.

"We just disagree expatteacher99."

That we do. You are entitled to your opinion. But I will continue to keep other teachers informed, based on my experiences actually living here, teaching in an Aramco school, working with children, and talking to them about their feelings about living in an Aramco compound. You are free to keep making your assertions based on.......whatever it is you're basing them on.

Congrats on the successful interview, ajedigecko. Hope it works out for you. Did you get answers to your questions about leaving the country due to a family emergency? If not, let me know and I can shed some light on that.

As for bringing your 5th grade daughter with you, I strongly disagree with the earlier comments about Aramco compounds being such a miserable place for your daughter, and that you'd be robbing her of a her childhood. Having lived here, I can say how absurd that assumption is. The compounds seem to be a dream for kids! Family life and having happy kids is one of - possibly the top - reason why so many families stay here. Sure, the money is great, and that is often a top factor for teachers. But for other employees, such as engineers, Aramco is not the top paying company in the world. Some of these people could make more money elsewhere, but they stay because it's a nice place for their families. The compounds really are child-centered environments. Neighborhoods are all built around parks, and there are way more parks than needed for the number of children. There are special events for kids happening all the time - carnivals, sports teams, swimming/dance/karate lessons, parties, children's movies, games, bike rides, etc, etc, etc. Your daughter could have something going on every night if she wanted to. There are youth centers where the kids can go to hang out after school and on weekends. If you end up at one of the small schools, your daughter will have more opportunity to participate in sports, drama, clubs, fine arts, and student government than she would at most schools.

My huband I don't have children, but being here almost makes us want to. That's how great of a place it is for school-aged kids. It's the adults who sometimes get bored. :D Like any place, it is what you make of it.

In the years I've been here, it's always been someone from the school system who attends the job fairs. It's not the Aramco corporate recruiters, if that's what you mean. The school district handles its own recruitment. If I'm remembering correctly, last year it was one of the building principals and the assistant superintendant. I haven't heard who will be attending this year.

Well, teaching couples are very desirable here. Singles and men with non-teaching wives are hired as well, though. Women can't sponsor dependents (as per Aramco policy), so a female teacher could not bring her non-teaching husband with her.

As for your specific positions, I think that like all schools, it would depend on luck and whether there were openings for your positions. One potential issue could be that the schools go up to Grade 9, and depending on which school you're at, you might be required to teach middle school and Grade 9 math. I don't know if that would be a dealbreaker (you not being certified for 9th) - perhaps they would overlook that. I really am not sure. When you say that our wife has bilingual certification, do you mean ESL? There's obviously not an abundance of PE positions, but coaching is often valued, especially in the smaller schools where there are a limited number of teachers to coach and sponsor activities. I know of several couples who came in with just the husband teaching, and the wife staying at home or subbing. Then when a suitable position opened up, the wife went to full time.

There are 5 schools. Three are early childhood through 9th grade, and they are all quite small. Then in the largest compound there is a large elementary school and a large middle school that goes up through 9th grade.

There's less turnover than at other international schools I've worked at. People do leave of course, but on average people tend to stay longer. The families with children tend to stay because they feel that it is such a great place for their children. Most people either love it or hate it, so they stay for a short time or a very long time.

gbr1964: I know of him, but I don't actually know him. Aramco has 5 separate schools. Eddie is at the Abqaiq school, I am not.


WiscoKid: I honestly am not sure what you should do. Another poster mentioned in the other Aramco thread that he/she had friends who got hired by word of mouth. That seems to be common. Current teachers often recommend former colleagues, and that is a good "in." I got hired that way, and I have referred other friends. They seem to put a lot of weight into personal recommendations from teachers, as well as professional references and recommendations - which ARE generally checked thoroughly during the recruitment process. I have no idea how much the administrators review CVs from Search/ISS before the fairs. I guess I would just use the normal recruitment channels and maybe use the contact email address listed on those sites. Sorry I can't be of more help.

[quote="wntriscoming"]The other thing that I find is that a lot of the schools say, "35% American," "15% Canadian," but the students really aren't culturally American. By that, I mean that their ABC or CBC, or ABK, or whatever other acronym you have out there. A lot of kids have been living outside of the States/Canada their entire lives. So you go to these schools thinking you have a great diversity of students and in actuality you don't.
quote]

Yep, and another practice that can lessen a school's diversity is when a school uses only the father's nationality when calculating statistics. I have worked in cities where a lot of western men married local women. Children were born in the mother's country, grew up speaking that language, and have basically no cultural connection with the father's western country...but the students are still admitted as foreigners. That can make schools appear to be more diverse than they really are. Again, like you said, not necessarily a problem, but something to be aware of.

[quote="PsyGuy"]9th grade is high school, They also have access to a virtual school for upper secondary.

In the vast majority of states that split there secondary certification to be certified to teach 9th grade would require a high school level certificate, and if you read the OPS point referencing this that's what they were asking about.[/quote]

I understand that 9th grade is usually high school/secondary, and that the other poster may still be able to teacher for Aramco. However, you said that "they" (referring to Aramco, presumably) have a high school that has boarding options. I was clarifying that Aramco does not have any high schools. It is misleading to state that they do.

I have worked with a few single mothers and single fathers in the past, but like others have said, there doesn't seem to be an abundance of them in international schools. It seems that it really would depend on the school and their priorities. Like PsyGuy already mentioned, you're in a good position as a counselor because you are in demand. You would likely have a much harder time if you were applying for a job such as an elementary teacher or middle school language arts teacher.

Good luck!

[quote="PsyGuy"]
3) Your not going to grow yourself professionally, its an all american experience, and you probably already have that experience.[/quote]

As an Aramco teacher, my experiences have not been consistent with this statement. I don't consider it to be an "all american" experience. I find myself being challenged more as a professional than I have in my past couple international school jobs.

It is true that Aramco uses an American curriculum and teachers are North American. However, the study body is extremely diverse, in a way that I never encountered even in urban districts in the US. I have many more students who are non-Americans than those who are from the US. The students as a whole are also high achieving, and classes are very small, which allows for a style of teaching that is not possible in most schools. It is nothing like the experiences I had in the US.

That being said, most of the other pros/cons that have been discussed have been quite accurate.

[quote="antitravolta"]
You can't tell that you are in Saudi Arabia because that compound could be anywhere. I guess depending on who you ask, that could be a good thing, but I do want some kind of cultural experience.
[/quote]

I can most certainly tell that I am in Saudi Arabia on my compound. :D Granted, it is very different than the rest of the country, but there ARE cultural differences. I see men and women in traditional clothing every single day. I hear the call to prayer at times. We westerners dress more conservatively than we would back at home. There are still things that are restricted even on camp. There are both Saudi and Islamic cultural events on camp. Aramco is not at Americanized as it used to be. There is a goal to gradually replace foreign employees with Saudi employees - I don't see this affecting teachers for a very long time.

[quote]

No they have a high school, that has a boarding option, though the program is small. [/quote]

No, they don't have a high school. Aramco schools does not employ high school teachers. The schools go up through ninth grade. As someone already mentioned, ISG has a high school in Dhahran, but it is NOT an Aramco school.

I work for Aramco right now. (I've been a lurker for many years but decided to finally create an account so I could clear up some questions in this thread.)

[quote]
Its $5,000 per adult and $2,500 per dependent. Depending on if both spouses are contracted employees. [/quote]

The amount has actually gone up. However, there is not a set amount. It of course depends on family size, but it also depends on which airport is your home of record.