Job Discussion Forums

[riyadh1974]

As an ex-TEFLer who left Kuwait to work in Saudi for double the salary I was getting, I still cannot believe what an insult the salaries for TEFL teachers are in Kuwait!!! Putting the wastes-of-space that plague the Gulf TEFL world aside, there are actually many well-qualified and professional TEFL teachers out there who are just not paid enough.

From 1997-2003, my salary in Kuwait went from 650-780 KD...BIG DEAL!!! I was astonished to see an ad on TEFL.com for an outfit called 'JLC Consultancy' only paying 700 KD a month and, wait for it..... an extra 50 KD if you happen to have a PhD.....Please, what a P*** take! For such a rich country, they can obviously see TEFLers coming! I think anyone accepting that job, even though it may be tax-free, should really consider how much they value their work and dignity!

For God's sake, Kuwait is by no means cheap. A starting salary should be at least 1000 KD, with free accommodation, ticket OR TWO. If no accommodation is provided, than at least a 300 KD rent allowance, with a generous furnishing allowance.

I'm sorry TEFL teachers are not valued enough. TEFL actually provides the bread and butter for many a cowboy institute!

[15yearsinQ8]

wow - i see you're quite passionate here

take a deep breath and stay with me here
IMHO
700 would be acceptable for a bach. degree holder
masters and phd of course should demand a higher salary
the bulk of the teflers i've met are bach. holders.
the public tenders for english education (kuwait oil company, kuwait military, various other PUBLIC tenders) are getting more competitive. case in point IPETQ lost the Min of Def contract they held for so long and i hear other companies are gunning for the lucrative kuwait oil company job.
this increased competition is driving DOWN the price of a contract to teach 1,000's of students . winning companies thus prune the budget for teachers - by wanting south african teachers who accept a lower salary, by accepting fewer masters and phds as opposed to bach. holders, etc
and this has driven DOWN some tefl salaries in kuwait
public institutes (who have classes for the masses off hte street) also have salaries lowered because institute owners want to pocket more of the gross
kuwait uni. has only recently given a , i hear slight promotion, the first promotion for eng teachers since the 80's
so, yes, salaries have by in large not increased in kuwait considerably or at all
but 1,000 kd for a bach. holder? no, i don't think that was even true before the invasion

[riyadh1974]

Well I still think they deserve a minimum of 1000 KD, but I take your point about increased competition, teachers accepting lower salaries etc.

Good luck.

[sheikh radlinrol]

riyadh1974
the answer might be that Kuwait is twice as good as Saudi. Or maybe Saudi is only half as good as Kuwait. Just think of all the great things both countries have going for them.
Regards
Sheikh Radlinrol

[hakbs]