The International Schools Review Forum

I think we would all be interested in any info you can get about Aramco. It seems like a lot of the info is the stuff of rumor. Some places say starting salary would be 6 figures. Some say $70k range. I've heard rumors of $7500 travel allowances each year, but again don't know if that's true. Aramco seems to be the Big Foot of the international teaching world.

@KellyGuy

No they have a high school, that has a boarding option, though the program is small. Many families can afford and do send their high school age children off to boarding schools around the world, US, UK, Switzerland and France are the popular choices.

@ajedigecko

The tax is almost nothing, its around 1%-2%, this is one of the very few ISs where you will technically exceed the limits on the Foreign Income Tax Credit, though you only pay above the difference between your salary and the cap. Most people under report their salary, and dont pay USA taxes anyway.

@WiscoKid

They recruit through Search Associates, but you an find teacher vacancies on other general job boards.

@antitravolta

$90K-$110K is typical, and the norm. Technically you could have a salary in the high $70K range, but at that experience/qualification level your not really competitive and they wouldnt be interested in recruiting you.

The travel allowance is closer to $10K, Its $5,000 per adult and $2,500 per dependent. Depending on if both spouses are contracted employees.

@scribe

Thats my point, school and sports thats a fishbowl with a little castle to swim around. Its a very, very sheltered life.

I was hoping to ask you if I could inquire as to how you contacted the school...would you be willing to email me privately? My name is glenn and I can be reached at gbr1964@aol.com. I would appreciate any information you could help us with. My wife and I want to apply and are looking for the best approach. Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

The head at a school I previously taught at was at Aramco for 10 years. He said he now got a pension from them for life.

The holidays are not normal school holidays and I think you have to work extra to gain more time off. You will have to check if that is true. However he recommended it in general for families.

That's the real golden parachute, you can put in 10 short years, get a nice pension and still have a cool million in the bank when you leave. For a teacher that's dream money for only a decade, you can't get that anywhere else. Even DoDDS can't beat that.

[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.

[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.

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="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.

As the OP and originating post discussed, the issue was professional growth and development as it relates to what is being taught. This is a teacher coming from an American school based curriculum to a school with an American curriculum. As opposed to some other national curriculum, or one of the international curriculums, such as IB, or IGCSE.

Thank you for the clarification though, I don't always write with an understanding of all potential POVs. Thank you for pointing out that clarification and precision was needed.

[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.

Its a significant distinction, and I Thank you for the correction, and clarification.

@expatteacher99

What would be the best way to get my information to Aramco to get them to notice me before the fair. They have jobs for both my wife and I, though there are no descriptions, and I would love to send my materials to them so they could review them before I see them in person. Thank you.

Expat teacher99,

You wouldn't happen to know Eddie Mendoza by some chance?

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.