Kuwait schools
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lifeisnotsobad
- Posts: 133
- Joined: Tue May 13, 2008 3:37 pm
Not really
Actually not really. I dont like being an admin, I miss the kids. A good administrator isnt so much about being "the lead" as it is about being in a supporting role. My job is to run interference with parents, so teachers can deal with lesson planing. Its too identify and address behavior issues early, before they become a distraction in the classroom. Its to advocate for my teachers and students with the board in the evening so that teachers can rejuvenate and rest in their after school hours. Its to take on the immense amounts of paperwork and documentation, so that teachers can mark students work. If an admin is doing their job well, they actually find themselves with a pretty easy job.
Re: Surprised
[quote="PsyGuy"]No i wouldnt be surprised that SOME people like Kuwait. Some people like fish sauce straight, some people like to be suffocated in the bedroom, some people like to cut them selves. It doesnt surprise me that there is a small group of people that like anything.[/quote]
sad to see how limited your imagination is.
and knowing that you have never been to Kuwait, i will not continue this conversation. Denmark will never be a country of MY choice and I had an opportunity to work there before (not at school though) and know about the comforts it has to offer.
sad to see how limited your imagination is.
and knowing that you have never been to Kuwait, i will not continue this conversation. Denmark will never be a country of MY choice and I had an opportunity to work there before (not at school though) and know about the comforts it has to offer.
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higgsboson
- Posts: 150
- Joined: Mon Jun 14, 2010 1:13 am
international schools in kuwait suck
I'm working in Kuwait now and the experience ranks way down there with teaching at inner city schools in America. I'd heard as much before I came but the savings potential was too good to turn down. And I have saved a bundle.
So having been forwarned about all the things that I have now experienced, I can see how someone who has never taught in Kuwait but knows people in so called "top tier" Kuwaiti international schools could form an honest opinion about what it must be like to live and teach in Kuwait.
For what its worth, PsyGuy is right about Kuwait: teaching here sucks, living here sucks and the only form of entertainment seems to be food.
So having been forwarned about all the things that I have now experienced, I can see how someone who has never taught in Kuwait but knows people in so called "top tier" Kuwaiti international schools could form an honest opinion about what it must be like to live and teach in Kuwait.
For what its worth, PsyGuy is right about Kuwait: teaching here sucks, living here sucks and the only form of entertainment seems to be food.
Comment
Ive written this before but the best school in the world doesnt make up for being in the worst place. No matter how good the school is you have to still live locally and in the region. I dont need to teach at any or every school in Kuwait, to have an opinion on working in that culture. Teaching is like any other work, its a job. When your not at your place of employment (work) your still in the country. I see this time and time again, if you live in a great city and have a great life but have a horrible job, well then your just like everyone else with a great life and a bad job. You work to live, not live to work.
Every year LOTS of people from the west go to Japan and they have horrible jobs, but they keep going because they get to live in Japan. The best job however is not going to make up for living in a bad place. When that happens your life becomes your job. You end up going home and going to work and thats it.
Lastly, who are we kidding, you go to the middle east for the money, or because you have no where else to go. There are no lines at the fairs going across the hall or out the door for schools in the middle east. They arent like the lines for the schools in Japan, London, Belgium, Italy, France, etc.
Every year LOTS of people from the west go to Japan and they have horrible jobs, but they keep going because they get to live in Japan. The best job however is not going to make up for living in a bad place. When that happens your life becomes your job. You end up going home and going to work and thats it.
Lastly, who are we kidding, you go to the middle east for the money, or because you have no where else to go. There are no lines at the fairs going across the hall or out the door for schools in the middle east. They arent like the lines for the schools in Japan, London, Belgium, Italy, France, etc.
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stellalocal
- Posts: 82
- Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2012 5:21 am
I was in Kuwait for a couple of years. I enjoyed it at the time, and met some great people, however I wouldn't return. The savings aren't that great, you can get just as good a salary (if not better) elsewhere. Also, I ended up spending most of my salary getting out of the country every long weekend and holiday as there just wasn't much to do there as a single woman. But, for 2 years it was fun, kind of like being back at uni with loads of house parties, and it was an easy way into international teaching with no previous experience.
Re: Comment
[quote="PsyGuy"]Ive written this before but the best school in the world doesnt make up for being in the worst place. No matter how good the school is you have to still live locally and in the region. [/quote]
Spot on with this quote. It is true however in my case it is not as bad as the quote makes it seem. I love my job and love the school I work at so it makes life much better. I too worked at inner city schools in the USA, rural school in the USA, and even a private school in the USA. I've worked in South Korea too. By far and away I enjoy working at the school I am at in Kuwait more than any place I've been. That is why I've been here for 5 years. There are good schools here in Kuwait. Al Bayan, ASK, AISK and BSK are all pretty good places to work. UAS and KES can be. I wouldn't bother with any other school here though.
Kuwait itself..... Well it is true. Kuwait is dirty. Partly because it is dusty but mostly because there are far to many cars here with far to few parking spaces. Construction garbage and plain old liter are everywhere. Locals (Kuwaiti's) get away with anything they want to get away with because of the wasta system. Driving is very dangerous. It hardly ever rains but that is to be expected. Laws seem to be for expats, no Kuwaiti's who I say again get away with everything. If you are a western woman and come here then get ready for looks from men that make you uncomfortable and cat calls. If you are a man then you won't have any issues.
For me, the school I work at makes all the difference in the world. I love it. I work and spend a lot of time at the school because of my position so there isn't much time for me to do social stuff. I wouldn't do it anyway because that isn't my personality. I am able to save a lot and still travel on every school break. The kids I teach love me which makes all the difference in the world because if they don't like you then you will be eaten alive.
Spot on with this quote. It is true however in my case it is not as bad as the quote makes it seem. I love my job and love the school I work at so it makes life much better. I too worked at inner city schools in the USA, rural school in the USA, and even a private school in the USA. I've worked in South Korea too. By far and away I enjoy working at the school I am at in Kuwait more than any place I've been. That is why I've been here for 5 years. There are good schools here in Kuwait. Al Bayan, ASK, AISK and BSK are all pretty good places to work. UAS and KES can be. I wouldn't bother with any other school here though.
Kuwait itself..... Well it is true. Kuwait is dirty. Partly because it is dusty but mostly because there are far to many cars here with far to few parking spaces. Construction garbage and plain old liter are everywhere. Locals (Kuwaiti's) get away with anything they want to get away with because of the wasta system. Driving is very dangerous. It hardly ever rains but that is to be expected. Laws seem to be for expats, no Kuwaiti's who I say again get away with everything. If you are a western woman and come here then get ready for looks from men that make you uncomfortable and cat calls. If you are a man then you won't have any issues.
For me, the school I work at makes all the difference in the world. I love it. I work and spend a lot of time at the school because of my position so there isn't much time for me to do social stuff. I wouldn't do it anyway because that isn't my personality. I am able to save a lot and still travel on every school break. The kids I teach love me which makes all the difference in the world because if they don't like you then you will be eaten alive.
Answer please
@vitaminz
Fair enough, but OUTSIDE school, whats the life like. More importantly, whats the social life like, and you know what I mean, by "social life", as in single guy in the city life? you cant say it compares to anything close to SK, especially Seoul?
Fair enough, but OUTSIDE school, whats the life like. More importantly, whats the social life like, and you know what I mean, by "social life", as in single guy in the city life? you cant say it compares to anything close to SK, especially Seoul?
Re: Answer please
[quote="PsyGuy"]@vitaminz
Fair enough, but OUTSIDE school, whats the life like. More importantly, whats the social life like, and you know what I mean, by "social life", as in single guy in the city life? you cant say it compares to anything close to SK, especially Seoul?[/quote]
No doubt, social life opportunities here are not good. It depends on what you want to do outside of work but in general, outside of going out to eat and to one of the over priced hotel health clubs, there isn't much to do.
Specifically I will address the life of a single guy here because I was single my first 2 years here. It is almost a given that unless you are muslim then you won't be meeting any ladies here unless you want to date other teachers or the Filipino women that work here. Want to go to a bar or night club? Then you will have to get on a plane and fly to Dubai.
Fair enough, but OUTSIDE school, whats the life like. More importantly, whats the social life like, and you know what I mean, by "social life", as in single guy in the city life? you cant say it compares to anything close to SK, especially Seoul?[/quote]
No doubt, social life opportunities here are not good. It depends on what you want to do outside of work but in general, outside of going out to eat and to one of the over priced hotel health clubs, there isn't much to do.
Specifically I will address the life of a single guy here because I was single my first 2 years here. It is almost a given that unless you are muslim then you won't be meeting any ladies here unless you want to date other teachers or the Filipino women that work here. Want to go to a bar or night club? Then you will have to get on a plane and fly to Dubai.
Kuwait and most Gulf Arab staes a re the worst.
Kuwait is for mercenaries and that is all. Maybe 1 or 2 schools are academically viable but the rest are terrible. You can save money and travel but life is horrible and the entire Kuwaiti culture is corrupt by western standards. It is a place to make money and that is all. If you look at it any other way, you will be highly diappointed.