The International Schools Review Forum

Hi,
As a previous teacher at AIS I wanted to let teachers in Kuwait know that QSI is holding it's second job fair in Kuwait in less then 3 weeks. If you want any information about QSI please feel free to write us. This is our 5th year working for this organization and we love it. I know there are alot of teachers in Kuwait that may be recuiting and I did not want anyone to lose the opportunity to work for such a great organization.
Just go to www.qsi.org and apply. There is only room for 10 or 12 interviews so apply online soon if you are interested.

It would be great if QSI was interested in all qualified teachers, but they aren't. They only want married couples or singles. So all you good, stable, happy, committed professionals, that have a non-teaching spouse and possibly a kid (you know, a stable family unit), well I'm sorry to tell you, you're just too expensive for QSI. Don't waste your time speaking to them because as the man says, there's only room for 10 or 12 interviews.

Having had experience with QSI I would recommend you get more information before accepting a position with them.

See my post under Job Open. I would like to hear more general comments, "beenthere", so I can understand their behavior better. They have current openings, so I am not surprised they are having two fairs in three weeks. They want married teaching couples. Singles are a last resort.

Hello,
It is true the organization still has some openings but mainly due to unexpected growth and thats all. At our school we have numerous singles working with full benefits. Some have been here for 5-9 years. Yes they prefer married teaching couples because of the housing situation. They are interviewing singles this year for math, science and administration jobs. I have worked for several international schoools and QSI has been the best. They are increasing the pay next year to become more competetive. I have 14 kids in my class, a nice house, a car and we are saving half our salary. If anyone wants more specifc info please write me personally at llpaz12@yahoo.com

We also have many teachers here that have spouses that work as assistants in the building. We have friends in another country and his spouse works in the business office. So there is opportunity for employment for non teaching spouses. Generally they have no problems finding teaching couples. There is only room for 10 - 12 interviews because they will be at the New Park Hotel for only 2 days and each interview is 90 minutes long. It is worth applying just to talk to them and see if is good fit. They are paying 300 dollars to each person who signs a contract. So thats 600 a couple. Last year a couple flew in from Saudi and this would have been great to offset the cost. But if you in Kuwait you still receive the stipend.

They are only having one fair in Kuwait . This is the 2nd fair held in Kuwait. The first one was last December.

These observations are mine and are based on experience with QSI.
You also need to know that I know many great teachers seemingly happy working for QSI. If you are interested in working overseas and maybe wanting a little more security or to teach in a country a little bit farther off the beaten track then QSI might be for you. However, I would urge you to become informed and to ask the right questions.

Where do we begin, ok how about the positives
-schools in small, unique countries,
-the ability to transfer from school to school and maintain senority,
-pension plan, but only after 11 years,
-overseas allowance that increases each year,
-end of year $2000 bonus,
-great colleagues,

Having said all of that though I don't think their financial package is as good as most schools. Other jobs that were offered to us started higher and had many of the same bonuses etc.

and then the negatives,
-small schools in unique countries,
-textbook driven curriculum,
-lack of supplies,
-top down policies that reduce a school's independence,
-large ESL populations at all levels, including high school,
-low beginning pay, even with an apparent pay raise next year,
-little thought or strategic planning for the future,
-inflexible, payroll options,
-a twisted idea of how Mastery learning should look like and be practiced(this is a big problem)
-unrealistic outcome expectations,
-inadequate facilities in some locations,
-small school sizes leads to lots of demands on teachers to fill too many roles,
-idiotic hiring policies which place unqualified teachers in the classroom,
-communication or the lack of was a big issue,


As for the singles-couples issue, I don't think its a big issue for QSI. We had both hired and fired during our time with them.

I woudl like to respond to a few of the negative comments below. Where did you work within QSI. I have worked at 2 schools and have never heard of any of these issues and we have been with the company 10 years.
I know everyone has their own opinion but people need to know this school you were at because it is not the norm for QSI. I have friends in Almaty, Baku, Bratislava, Yemen, China and none of them would agree with most of your points.

I will respond to a few points below...
Lack of Supplies...................I have so many supplies in my classroom that I have no where to store them. They ordered thousands of dollars in toys, games, puzzles, learning cetners and they spent an additional 45,000 on the new guided reading books. So I can say there is no lack of supplies. When I worked at AIS there were very little supplies and no curriculum.

We have a small ESL population. We are 25% american, 25% Ukrainian, and the rest are a mix of all nationalities. Of my 14 kids in my class 3 are ESL. In Bratislava the same was true.

Inadequate Facitlities - We have a brand new 70.000 playground, a swimming pool that is indoor, 2 cafeterias, a soccer field and large areas for the kids to play. Sure the building is older but we are in the Ukraine. This place looks like a mansion comared to the facilities my kids had to attend at AIS last year.

If anyone else has had a good experience with QSI please post. They are a great organization and is trying very hard to be the best. We are getting a large raise next year. I am saving more then half my salary here and I have three kids so the pay is not low at all. With the raise next year my husband and I will be taking in almost 7,000 a month.

As far as textbook driven, All I can say is it is not a PYP school. yes there are textbooks and good teachers know how to teach and not just use the textbook. I see a variety of teaching styles at our school and honestly can say that I have not seen any textbook driven teachers.

Hi,
I am a teacher in Kuwait. I find the that teaching here is very difficult. The parents are obnoxious, treat their maids like dirt and have no respect for teachers. I would like to know what the parents are like for the most part in QSI Schools. Do they all have maids doing everything for them?
Can someone tell me what a teacher with 6 years of experience would make with QSI? I make about 29,000 here and have to tutor just to get by.
Any info would be great.

Hi,
I am a teacher in Kuwait. I find the that teaching here is very difficult. The parents are obnoxious, treat their maids like dirt and have no respect for teachers. I would like to know what the parents are like for the most part in QSI Schools. Do they all have maids doing everything for them?
Can someone tell me what a teacher with 6 years of experience would make with QSI? I make about 29,000 here and have to tutor just to get by.
Any info would be great.

Hi,
I do not have the salary scale for the 2008-2009 school year but I know what step 2 pays......for next year it would be 26,000 plus a 2,000 bonus at the end of the year and a cola of 1600. If you add that up it equals more then your Kuwait salary and thats only with 2 years of experience. Step 6 should be 29,200 plus the 2,000 bonus which would equal 31200 plus cola. Also you get airfare every year, nicely furnished housing,( we have had to buy a shelf only) an interest free car loan, and excellent medical insurance and free tuition for all 3 of our children. This is the best medical coverage we have had so far in any country including the USA where we had to pay 300 a month for family coverage. I had a scare this summer with a breast lump and everything was covered and I received top care in the USA with QSI medical insurance.
I would be happy to answer any other questions that I can....

Well that is the first time I have ever heard Sweet Lou defending a school.
So Lou what History jobs are opening? You know me: big redhead with beard.

Shoot, I am going to be in Cairo that weekend. Oh the Gods have cursed me!

Hi,
It is Lori writing on the forum not Lou. Although Lou is really happy with our school here in Kiev. We did work for QSI previously so we knew what to expect.
Hope you are enjoying your school year.
Lori