Job Discussion Forums

[the_thinker]

Hi all,

My wife and I are considering a year or two in the Middle East. We are both British EFL teachers with about 7–10 years of teaching experience, with relevant BAs (either English Language/Literature or Linguistics), both with MAs (both Applied Linguistics – gained after several years of teaching) and CELTAs (gained at beginning of teaching career). I have several academic publications, some ELT publications with major ELT publishers, experience teaching at universities in Europe, and also, most recently, experience lecturing in linguistics at university. My wife's experience is all in private language schools, mostly teaching adults. We have a one-year-old daughter.

Would Kuwait be a good choice for us? Honestly, we would be coming primarily for the money. Would it be possible to find work at the same institution, and be able to arrange some kind of child care? What kinds of salaries could we aim for?

I'll also post this question in the Oman, Qatar, UAE and Saudi boards.

[middeastgirl]

With the qualifications you both have, you should have no problem finding work at a British international school. BSK, The English School, Kuwait English School, to name a few. Salaries for those schools are usually the highest in Kuwait for international schools (1200-1400 kd per month +++) The problem you're going to have is with the nipper. Some, schools do have a licensed nursery, but not all. You can go the daycare route, but I'm not sure at what age they start. The other alternative is a live-in nanny, which many people do. There is an on line magazine dedicated to Kuwait expats that you should subscribe to. EEK Magazine. It's free. Just do a google search and ask for a free subscription to be sent to your email each month. Keep in mind, schools start recruiting in January for the following school year. It is possible to get lucky and get a last-minute gig, but I wouldn't count on it. You're going to have to jump through some bureaucratic hoops before you come. Degrees attested, police check, medicals, etc, etc... I would suggest doing a google search for international schools in Kuwait, and fire of your CVs. Good luck

[Corton1]

I disagree with Middeastgirl on the nipper... nannies are a dime a dozen in Kuwait. Most Kuwaitis have at least one, some one per child. Most of the ex-pat teachers I know with small children have a nanny (part time, contracts exclude live in help).

As always around these parts (and the world), multiple personal recommendations for domestic help are a wise idea.

Prices? I haven't hired one, but I've heard everything from 30KWD/mo to 100KWD/mo, depending on hours, conditions, and extras (like cooking and cleaning). I don't have prices for live-in nannies.

[middeastgirl]

[3xlucky]

Greetings,

I was in Kuwait for 5 years and we had both of our children. Surprisingly, Kuwait can be a good place for young kids because everyone there loves babies and kids...especially Western ones.

We had a day nanny. She would come in the morning, do laundry and cleaning when kids were napping. Just like anything we only hired people with references. You will pay based off of experience and language. Our nanny was phenomenal, she spoke English, potty trained our oldest, taught her the alphabet, read her books...so we paid her well 200KD which is double what most get. But she was worth it. As soon as you start interviewing you will know. But be prepared to move on and keep looking till you are happy. Not everyone in the world is privileged to not both be working, especially in Kuwait, life on one salary for a family of 3 can be tight.

Good luck.