Job Discussion Forums

christmas · Joined: 27 Jul 2009 Posts: 49

Has anyone heard of this school?
What is it like to work in Kuwait? Do you need your degree notarized and authenticated? How does all of that work to be able to work there legally? I know it takes for ever in Saudi but I have no clue about Kuwait. Is it safe for a single woman? Thanks.

15yearsinQ8 · Joined: 17 Oct 2006 Posts: 462 Location: kuwait

the school is run by a lot of former ACA people/teachers
fairly Ok school - not tops - not worst

to get your degree authenticated you go to Kuwait MInistry of HIgher education in Kuwait in Shuwaikh free trade zone , fill out a request, buy some revenue stamps, adhere forementioned and they do the work of checking

re safety and working, consult former posts , no problems though

bedwiya · Joined: 24 Jan 2003 Posts: 66 Location: Kuwait

Are you sure about that? We had to send all our transcripts to DC last year. Then the embassy handled the certification and sent our employer their findings. Also not only are they asking for transcripts, but now required new staff this semester to produce their actual diploma.

Rommel · Joined: 01 Apr 2006 Posts: 121

15yearsinQ8 · Joined: 17 Oct 2006 Posts: 462 Location: kuwait

damn things change fast, i was not a year ago i was at the ministry....

rowntree · Joined: 21 Aug 2009 Posts: 55

Agreeing with 15 years here......any degrees need to be atested/authenticated/transcribed by a Kuwaiti Ministry ( in my case the Ministry of Higher Education) not a privtate language school , LOL.
Of course if your employer isn't actually providing you with a work visa and you don't really need real attestation, the ice cream man might do.

Rommel · Joined: 01 Apr 2006 Posts: 121

15yearsinQ8 · Joined: 17 Oct 2006 Posts: 462 Location: kuwait

i have 2 pieces of paper from the ministry of higher education
each written in arabic with their official stamp
each authenticating my degrees
universities have asked for these pieces of paper (and kuwait public institute for social security pays me more because of these papers)
i had to actually sign for these papers when i picked them up at the ministry

rommel, WTF does AMIDEAST provide?

rowntree · Joined: 21 Aug 2009 Posts: 55

LOL that;s right- your company must be spinning you a yarn Rommel.....
15 is right:

-your degree is already authenticated from your Uni/college
to get approval ( real approval) to teach here, you submit your degree to the MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION for authentication - they often return it to your University to get proof it is real and you didn't buy it in the Philipines or something........ and then it goes back to you with a translation in Arabic + a Ministry stamp.

OR

-your degree goes to the MINISTRY OF EDUCATION and is stamped and approved there. At no point do either AMIDEAST(USA degrees) or THE BRITISH COUNCIL (UK degrees) enter the equation....unless they are offering you a superfluous service for profit. How much do they charge for that ''authentication' ? You should submit it directly to the Ministry for authentication and the only ''legwork'' needed is getting up the stairs at the correct ministry dept.

Rommel, have you seen your Ministry approval letter???

Rommel · Joined: 01 Apr 2006 Posts: 121

rowntree · Joined: 21 Aug 2009 Posts: 55

Rommel.............retrace your steps......that's what I said:

1) you submit your degree to the ministry of ed,Q8.
2) they will ( probably) send off your original to your uni/college
3) your uni/college attest it ( via any kuwaiti dept in London or washington)and return it
4) Ministry get it back, approve it, authenticate it,return it to you
5) you get approval ( + a certificate/letter with a stamp and also saying
( now here's the rub) in ARABIC, what you are approved to teach from the Kuwaiti ministry ( check that on your approval letter, you might be in for a surprise)
6) you may also receive a certificate from the Ministry Equivalency Dept translating your degree and stamping it.

Now all of this is done way above board through your uni and the Kuwaiti ministry. No one said the Ministry of education was acting alone in approving degrees!

Interesting that AMIDEAST 'don't offer that service anymore'- probably because it wasn't worth the paper it was written on.....like most of the degrees it authenticated.

bedwiya · Joined: 24 Jan 2003 Posts: 66 Location: Kuwait

Last year when I changed schools I had to send all my transcripts, from all schools attended (whether I had graduated from that school or not) to the embassy in DC. They then contacted my new school with the verification.

New teachers at my school this year were also told they now need to show their original diploma in addition to transcripts.

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

bedwiya · Joined: 24 Jan 2003 Posts: 66 Location: Kuwait

Yea, I don't understand the preoccupation now with seeing an "original" of your diploma. I thought this was only requested in Asia. College transcripts are much more detailed - list of classes taken, grade for said class, overall GPA and whether or not one actually graduated and if a degree was awarded.

I know that my original diploma was matted and framed the summer I graduated and now hangs proudly in my parent's home. No way would I ever drop it off at a Kuwaiti minsitry! That would be the last I would ever see of it. I can imagine the condition it would come back in once 10 people had tossed it back and forth across their desks during tea time! I am not sure whether one could even get a duplicate/additional diploma from their original univesity. Is that possible - does anyone know?

rowntree · Joined: 21 Aug 2009 Posts: 55

Don't worry you get your original back in the same condition you handed it in!

re duplicates, most unis will do that, some for a fee, some for free.