Job Discussion Forums

[sensei]

This ad was placed on another web site. What do the local Kuwait based ESL teachers think of this ad? I think the company is ITEPQ ( or something like that).

Open contract (single status)
Working directly for Kuwait?s leading training provider ? an ISO certified company and joint venture between a Kuwaiti and UK training company
Location: Various training centers throughout Kuwait ? Not in the desert!

Package/Salary: 700 KD/month ? (98,000 Baht) tax-free
Fully- furnished 2 bedroom flat ? All bills paid
4 weeks paid holiday + all public holiday
Transport to and from the place of work (max 30 minutes)
Return annual air tickets to Thailand or home country
End of year bonus ? paid upon completion of service
Local health insurance
All visas paid + flight, hotel and expenses for visa run to Bahrain
??.but we also want your best in return!

Is it safe Kuwait? How much are food and laundry each month?
Are there any hidden expenses to working in Kuwait? Do people hire maids? How much does live-in help cost? Any comments, tips or suggestions would be appreciated.

Domo arigato

[veiledsentiments]

Sensei,

Did you do a search? ITEPQ has been around awhile and seems to be always hiring. Most of the talk on here has been negative, but they are not the worst employer in the Gulf.

That is a very standard pay and benefit package for the Gulf. Pay is a tad low and vacation days are few, but probably standard for these language schools. It says single status and with that pay and benefit package, I would be able to save about US$2000 a month, but I live a quiet life.

Live-in maids? I never knew any single status people with a live-in - perhaps someone to come in once a week to clean. Laundry? People have a washer and dryer and do their own. Food costs depend on whether you cook or choose to eat in 5 star hotels.

Safety? Depends on what the yahoo in White House decides to do. If he invades Iran, Kuwait sits rather in the middle. Other than that I'd say that it is safer than most urban areas of the western world.

VS

[Vesuve]

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[veiledsentiments]

Vesuve,

Housing is provided, so all you have is food and entertainment. If you are as boring as I am, you can save almost all of it. There are no taxes in Kuwait, so you only have your home country laws to deal with. This is not a 'third world' country, so banking is completely integrated into the world system. The KDinar is pegged to the dollar.

VS

[Vesuve]

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[veiledsentiments]

Yes, you can send your money to the US and of course, by US law you must file a tax return. If done correctly and on a timely basis, you will not owe any tax on the Kuwait income. (salary + value of housing + value of provided tickets) For fun and pleasure, read all about it on the IRS website.

VS

[Vesuve]

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[H5N1]

I've read through a couple pages of threads on this Kuwait topic.

Can someone save $3,000 USD per year in Kuwait, in general.

Thanks in advance.

[veiledsentiments]

H5N1

Since you have not mentioned what you will be doing or what you will be paid or what kind of lifestyle you lead, how could we possibly answer that?

I can tell you that I saved more like US$25,000.

VS

[H5N1]

^ I made a mistake in my post. Oops.

I meant say per "month" not year.

My intention in Kuwait would be to save. I would not spend a lot. Teach English. I have the qaulifications and the experience.

Wouldn't go out and spend a lot of money, but want a modest, (small is OK) apartment.

Let's see: $25,000 divided by 12 = about $2,000 per month *saved* after housing allowance.

[veiledsentiments]

Ah, I wondered about that or whether you meant $30,000. There are not many places that would pay a teacher $3000 + housing, if there are any. My amount saved was after rent and buying a new car. Basically, in all the gulf countries, with my quiet 'boring' lifestyle, I lived on about $300 a month for food, entertainment, and such. Does that help? (this number could go up if you wanted to have decent satellite TV which comes with a high monthly charge... didn't have internet either...)

VS

[localkuwait]

Hi Sensei, your topic has gone off on a tangent.... to get back to your point- It looks like a good package. Ask if it is one or two shifts. They probably train local groups of military or companies in morning hours- 9-1 and in the evening do students or other groups from 5-9. If it is both shifts, you might get tired of it. If it is one shift, cush job! Kuwait has lots of local holidays- Sometimes Eids last 4- 8 days depending where they fall.
You can save money here, or if you wanted, you could probably tutor quietly on the side and make even more. People pay 10-15 kd an hour for private tuition. You couldn't get a live in, but could have a lady come clean as often as you need. Dry cleaning is super cheap here. I think you could do five, maybe more shirts for a dinar, depeinding where you go. If you get a housekeeper, she will cost 30 or 40 kd a month to come in about 6 hours a week. Or aprox a kd an hour.
I think the people that are saving soooo much money here can do it since they are on the internet sooo much on this chat site!!!! VS, you keep busy on here. I am out on Failika and going to movies, Starbucks, Hard Rock Cafe and not saving as much, but having lots of fun! I only get on here about once a month.
If I were single, coming from SE Asia, I would think it is a good package! And it is not so humid here!

[veiledsentiments]

Hi again localkuwait

Actually I think we answered his question and you notice that he never even bothered to come back... so he was merely 'fishing' back in February. (plus if he had bothered to do a search, ITEPQ has been discussed extensively on this board)

Me? Spend too much time on the internet? I guess I shouldn't tell you that I am daily on 3 other discussion boards (I wouldn't consider this 'chatting' actually - more like sharing information). But then I am retired, so I have plenty of free time.

VS