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A_Canadian_Teacher
Joined: 20 Jan 2007
Posts: 10
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 Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 4:58 pm Post subject: King Faisal School |
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| I see that King Faisal School is advertising on here. The package looks good. Anyone work there or know anything about the school? Any information appreciated. Thanks. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 1:24 am Post subject: |
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Try a search...
VS |
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ootii
Joined: 27 Oct 2005
Posts: 124
Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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| Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 2:35 am Post subject: Re: King Faisal School |
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| A_Canadian_Teacher wrote: |
| I see that King Faisal School is advertising on here. The package looks good. Anyone work there or know anything about the school? Any information appreciated. Thanks. |
A friend of mine was sending his kids there. It's the usual Saudi curriculum except that the kids are there ALL DAY. I think they got home around 5:00 pm so, considering you will be there by 6:30 AM it sounds like a really long day.
The wages and benefits are pretty good. I knew someone who worked there for one term and packed it in because of the "little prince" syndrom. It's one of the more expensive schools in Riyadh and attracts royals and hangers on. Saudi kids are generally spoiled rotten and these are on steroids. They recruit regularly, so turnover might be a little high. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 2:34 pm Post subject: |
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... a little high? 
It is one of those places where people start bailing out in the first couple weeks...
For the thick-skinned and desperate... or so I heard from a friend who was there a few years back and have since read on threads here . I doubt that much has changed...
VS |
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ootii
Joined: 27 Oct 2005
Posts: 124
Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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| Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 3:14 pm Post subject: |
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| veiledsentiments wrote: |
... a little high?
It is one of those places where people start bailing out in the first couple weeks...
For the thick-skinned and desperate... or so I heard from a friend who was there a few years back and have since read on threads here . I doubt that much has changed...
VS |
I forgot to mention that it is an Arabic medium school with an almost totally Saudi student body. If you're interested in that, Madaaras al-Riyaadh is also looking for English teachers. A Saudi friend of mine is working there on recruitment. He said that they wanted "native speakers" but that most expat teachers would flee pretty quickly. That school, even more than King Faisal, is full of little princes. I used to work nearby and the number of Mercedes and Cadallics double parked outside the school was staggering. There is a student car park but it is not directly in front of the main entrance, and who could be expected to walk fifty yards to the door, even with a servant to carry your bags, and your iPod. |
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ALPH
Joined: 18 Jan 2006
Posts: 87
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| Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 4:01 pm Post subject: |
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| yes, Riyadh Schools, a similar set up, is also full of the Princely little ones. Though they have problems fitting into their Lamborghinis and Porsches. They do as they please. Those failed in Exams will eventually be passed by the Powers that be. I once had a little charmer's parents on my case when they discovered the word 'girlfriend' in a text I was using. Written apologies were in order. I have yet to forgive myself the oversight |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 5:16 pm Post subject: |
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| even with a servant to carry your bags, and your iPod. |
So the male students do this too?
Even after all these years, I am still amazed (and not in a good way) when I see students wordlessly hand over their little handbags and textbooks (but never their mobile phones) to the ever-patient Indonesian maid. I had assumed it was a girl thing. But maybe I'm wrong. |
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ootii
Joined: 27 Oct 2005
Posts: 124
Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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| Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 5:59 pm Post subject: |
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| Cleopatra wrote: |
| Even after all these years, I am still amazed (and not in a good way) when I see students wordlessly hand over their little handbags and textbooks (but never their mobile phones) to the ever-patient Indonesian maid. I had assumed it was a girl thing. But maybe I'm wrong. |
That's not all the maids do. My wife told me about a girl who'd brought back a particularly good piece of homework. When she praised her she said: /mo ana! al-khadaama illi sawaytah!/
"It wasn't me! It was the maid who did it!"
With that tyical mincing whine that says, "And what a jerk you are!"
Oh. The guys need help with their bags too. I've seen big strapping lads throw heavy school bags at skinny Asian drivers like they were medicine balls. |
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Kepler
Joined: 08 Jun 2007
Posts: 18
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| Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2007 8:35 pm Post subject: |
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In case anyone is interested, the King Faisal School in 2007-2008 is 6.30-3pm and runs the IB from Grade 1-10, G11 and 12 will follow the following year. The kids are still spoilt but with increasing numbers of professionals joining the fray the school has managed to drum some sense of responsibilty into the student body. King Faisal has some of the best students in Saudi, if not the region, and also some of the worst. My hope is that we can cull some of the worst behavior and replace it with sweetness and light.
In my years at King Faisal only one western teacher has left due to his dislike of the students and the school was happy to see him go. There are now many westerners in senior positions at King Faisal and they help to compliment the Arabic staff.
Fascinating, huh... |
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Stephen Jones
Joined: 21 Feb 2003
Posts: 4124
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| Posted: Sun Jun 10, 2007 11:24 pm Post subject: |
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| In my years at King Faisal only one western teacher has left due to his dislike of the students |
What did the others who left dislike 
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| There are now many westerners in senior positions |
When King Faisal School started the headmaster, and I believe all the academic administration, was American. The gentleman was a great believer in meetings and committees. It was when he set up a permanent committee to deal with the problem of student litter in the canteen, that people began to lose faith in the great American Education system. |
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trapezius
Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 1670
Location: Land of Culture of Death & Destruction
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Kepler
Joined: 08 Jun 2007
Posts: 18
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| Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2007 9:14 am Post subject: |
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Eye-opening in so far as confirming that there really are some asses involved with international education. Sour grapes over not getting a job, it seems to me...that radifiyah bloke seems like a twit.
As for Stephen's comment about reasons for leaving; 50% of new teachers leave after one year (ie after their contract). Staff turnover is high because married teachers have wives who mostly detest Saudi, and single teachers can't get a date (the social kind rather than the fruit) or a beer very easily. These guys leave after their contracts; hardly anyone leaves during a contract, though they could if they wished.
Saudi Arabia is not Thailand, so i wish people would be realistic in their expectations. Why is international education full of moaners and nutcases? Go home, I say, leave the real teachers to get on with the work.
And Stephen, I am sure you would rather have American touchy-feely administration rather than yet another round of dates and arabic coffee... |
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