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University Jobs in Kuwait
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izmigari



Joined: 04 Feb 2016
Posts: 197
Location: Rubbing shoulders with the 8-Ball in the top left pocket

PostPosted: Fri Feb 26, 2016 6:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

mashkif wrote:
EFL Educator wrote:
Kuwait is a dump...living costs are.expensive.....wages are LOW...and savings are minimal at best!






I don't know what happened to you in Kuwait to dislike it so much, and I'm sorry if you had such a negative experience that it tainted your view of the entire country. It does not apply to everyone though.

In my case, I had a job I loved, where I earned K.D. 1,400, plus accommodations allowance of K.D. 350. That translates into a tax-free monthly salary of $5,800+, i.e. $70,000 p.a. net. Taking taxes into account, I'd have to have been earning at least $90,000 annually in the States to clear that. From the $5,800, I used to pay K.D. 280 ($1,000) in rent, and up to K.D. 150 ($500) in cab fares. That left me with at least $4,000 of monthly disposable income. Now, groceries are comparably priced to the U.S. as are restaurants, whereas occasional purchases such as electronic devices are more expensive; however, I bought mine in America and had them shipped over. I got at least two takeouts per week (K.D. 15 on average) and didn't skimp on food. I did, however, mostly walk to places rather than take a cab and didn't go to spas and highfalutin resorts such as the Hilton. That left me a solid $2,000 (and I'm estimating conservatively here) to save every single month.

Of course, if one gets Johnny Rocket's takeouts every other day, buys fancy branded goods, goes to theaters, and takes taxis to malls and whatnot, the money won't last very long. Nor will it last if you screwed up your life so bad that you have huge debts or alimony, no savings, etc. And granted, T.E.F.L.ers' salaries are typically lower than mine by about $1,000-$1,500.

But to seriously argue that on a minimum of $2,500 monthly salary after rent(!) one can't make viable savings is nonsense in the absolute extreme.


mashkif:

If I were you, I'd take this pos(t)er's opinion on ANY Gulf nation with a grain of salt. Confused

I have it on VERY good authority that all of his opinions outside of Mexico and Thailand are purely anecdotal and designed to provoke. Idea

This pos(t)er has been known to me for years. Crying or Very sad

Don't forget, you can put anything you like in the "Location" notation (There is NOTHING in his writings that come anywhere NEAR him being a South African). For example, it might interest you to know that I am, in fact, NOT rubbing shoulders with an 8-Ball in a pool table's pocket! Laughing
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Saudi Archer



Joined: 03 Sep 2015
Posts: 7

PostPosted: Mon Feb 29, 2016 3:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Once again Mashkif, thanks for your honest opinion of Kuwait. I am genuinely very interested in working in Kuwait and appreciate the views of teachers that have worked there. However, unnecessary negativity is unhelpful and doesn't paint a true picture of what life is really like.
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Tue Mar 01, 2016 4:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Saudi Archer wrote:
Once again Mashkif, thanks for your honest opinion of Kuwait. I am genuinely very interested in working in Kuwait and appreciate the views of teachers that have worked there. However, unnecessary negativity is unhelpful and doesn't paint a true picture of what life is really like.

I spent many years in Oman... and also Abu Dhabi and Cairo. The only place I sincerely disliked was Kuwait. After one year, I didn't return. If the job at KU hadn't been such a disaster, I might have managed another one or two years, but I didn't find much to like... and did find it more than a bit of a dump. That isn't why I left. After all, I loved Cairo. LOL I was there waaaaaay back in '98/99.

Whether or not one likes a place is hard to predict.

VS
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mashkif



Joined: 17 Aug 2010
Posts: 178

PostPosted: Tue Mar 01, 2016 10:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Saudi Archer wrote:
Once again Mashkif, thanks for your honest opinion of Kuwait. I am genuinely very interested in working in Kuwait and appreciate the views of teachers that have worked there. However, unnecessary negativity is unhelpful and doesn't paint a true picture of what life is really like.





You got it, bro. Ultimately, positive and negative, all these are people's impressions. A place is what you make of it. It may sound trite but it's true. I liked Saudi Arabia but hated Bahrain: Imagine! Looking forward to returning to Kuwait down the line...

Good luck!
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mashkif



Joined: 17 Aug 2010
Posts: 178

PostPosted: Tue Mar 01, 2016 10:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

izmigari wrote:

mashkif:

If I were you, I'd take this pos(t)er's opinion on ANY Gulf nation with a grain of salt. Confused [...]







LOL! I hear ya! But hey, wouldn't be the first nor will he/she be the last pos(t)er on here who's a chip-on-the-shoulder agenda-driven dingaling. I often read these board for the many a chuckle they provide Wink
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sheikh radlinrol



Joined: 30 Jan 2007
Posts: 1222
Location: Spain

PostPosted: Fri Mar 04, 2016 1:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Saudi Archer wrote:
Once again Mashkif, thanks for your honest opinion of Kuwait. I am genuinely very interested in working in Kuwait and appreciate the views of teachers that have worked there. However, unnecessary negativity is unhelpful and doesn't paint a true picture of what life is really like.

I´ve lived and worked in Kuwait twice. It is drab and the weather in summer is something else but not unbearable, at least not for me. As a Brit I enjoyed the blue skies and absence of rain. Beaches and pools abound, there is now even a grass golf course. The variety of food is mindboggling and we all like to eat, don´t we? The Kuwaitis are pleasant.
Go for it. You´ll get over the initial shock of the ugliness of the place in two weeks!
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