The International Schools Review Forum

Has anyone lived (or know anyone who has) in Kuwait ?

What is life like there ? Is it similar to the lifestyle in the United Arab Emirates ?

Not by a long shot.
No legal alcohol, which increases drunk driving and a drinking culture among expats.
Women are at a much greater risk. Continual harassment, being followed when you drive or (God forbid) walk anywhere.
Schools are lower quality overall. While the UAE has several credible, worthy schools, Kuwait has none.
I've lived in the gulf for many years. Kuwait is awful. I wouldn't go back. I'd happily return or move to most other gulf countries.

Really? None? I got offered a job at one of the big schools in Kuwait a couple years ago. Should I be happy I turned it down?

Sid-
I would imagine that there must be some similarities in terms of both cultures or am I totally wrong ?

No, and no. The UAE is for Islamic men who want to live Islam 'lite'. Its the still go to mosque without the hardship and consequences of not living the faith.

Yes, some cultural similarities, but expat lifestyle is very different. And I stand by no really good schools. Some ok, but that's about it. I taught at one that was considered elite in Kuwait, and it was mediocre by my standards. Other gulf countries do much better.

I would have to agree with what everyone has said so far. I got offered three jobs at three different schools in Kuwait and after doing my research, I turned down all of them. I had a family member that lived there for the past 2 years (albeit in the military) and I took a lot of what she said to heart. I also spoke in depth to a number of people at the Cambridge fair about their experiences there, even those working at the "better" schools didn't have much positive to say about it -- the schools and the country.
Example, during one of my interviews with what I'm assuming is considered the "top" schools, one of the selling points was that you can order food from a delivery app and "if you want fries from Burger King and pizza from Pizza Hut they pick it all up and bring it to you". ...yea
with that being said, you can make/save a substantial amount of money

I have never worked there but my wife has and hated it. by no means is it like the UAE. The infrastructure is crummy, it is tediously boring and the locals have the worst attitude in the region (from her experience and what i have been told by others). Salaries are pretty low compared to other countries in the ME and there are a lot of exceptionally bad schools. I haven't heard anything about Kuwait that would tempt me there.

Kuwait is the equivalent of the late, dump job fairs.

If you're in Kuwait it's for one of two reasons"

1. You're a new international teacher, and want your foot in the door.
2. You're not new, but you're not the biggest catch for whatever reasons. Dependents, perhaps.

I've had many people extol working in Saudi Arabia to me.
I've had many people extol working in UAE to me.
I've had many people extol working in Oman to me.

Nobody has ever bigged up Kuwait. The "best" schools are still all profit, and not good places to work. I have that from a number of colleagues that worked in them. Go there, do a few years, and move on to somewhere better.

I have heard mixed things about all ME countries except for Kuwait and Oman. Kuwait all bad and Oman all good.

Omani salaries are not as high as other parts of the ME but the living conditions are said to be better (in general). From the reviews here at ISR there are a handful of schools worth considering. Oman's proximity to Yemen may be a concern at the moment. Kuwait sounds grim, my wife worked there and it is the last place she would want to return to.

I worked in Kuwait at arguably the best school in the country, many years ago. Then, the sponsor died, his son moved in as the "sponsor", which in Kuwait means he is the owner, stripped the accounts of several million dollars to build a mansion in Florida, but to be fair, honored to the letter every contract that was out there. But...the contract has been degraded from the time I was there, and the salary is actually lower than what I made - and that is around 20 years ago!

I currently live and teach in Kuwait but have never lived in the UAE and only had a sort visit there so I can't say much for that comparison except that I have talked to lots of people who have been to both.
If things like alcohol and pork are an important part of your life then Kuwait isn't going to be your favorite place. People make their own beer and what not, but I find that a lot of people who need it in their lives take weekend trips more than I would ever think about.
My wife hasn't ever been t harassed, even when out without me. None of the female teachers at my school have complained about it either and I've heard a few comment on how safe they feel. There are parts of the city that I've heard are different like Mabulla (spellings vary), but they are getting yelled at by non western expat men, not Kuwaitis it seems.
If you like spending a lot of time in malls then Kuwait is good. I think as far as other things to do you might find the UAE better. Kuwait is small and pretty flat so you can go to a beach (if you drive you can get to beaches outside the city that are better than the ones in the city) or you can go to the mall and not a ton more than that. I know that there are also some really horrible schools in Kuwait too.
School wise I think you can find bad schools in both countries. I certainly know that not all of the schools in the UAE are great. My school here (one of the bigger ones) is pretty good. I have no complaints about that.
All that said, my family lives a pretty happy life here and when we have longer holidays we travel. It's not the best place in the world, but it's not the horror story people make it out to be.

There is really no comparison. UAE beats Kuwait in every way except for one. In Kuwait you can save some money but in Abu Dhabi and Dubai you will have a much harder time saving.

Kuwait doesn't have a tier 1 school. Al Bayan Bilingual, American International School, American School of Kuwait, Universal American School, British School of Kuwait, and American United School are all variations of low end tier 2 schools. All the other schools are complete garbage.

hmm, i found it fairly easy to save in abu dhabi. i think it just depends on lifestyle - do you brunch every friday? do you live in dubai? do you 'need' a car to get to school or they pick you up? did you find your own housing?

there are definitely ways you can leave abu dhabi with some decent savings, even as a single.

v.