Job Discussion Forums

[eslteacher2014]

Hello everyone

I am an american who currently teaches here in saudi for the past year at a technical college.

I was recently offered a job in kuwait. I am having a hard time deciding between coming back to my current job or going to kuwait.

Positive about staying in KSA
1. pay is decent 11500 SAR, housing/driving is 4025SAR a month
2. i basically live of my housing so i save most of my basic salary
3 i have an MA in tesol so i can go to other better places to teach in the kingdom after my contract is done

Negatives of KSA
1. management micro manages us alot. management always walks by our classroom and does observations.
2. i live in an extended hotel, (nobody rents to single guys)
driving is crazy
3. only 30 days vacation.
4. teaching students in vocational schools are kind of depressing.
5. i dont have a life outside of work here.
6. classes are 1.5 hours, gets very long
7. if you dont come to work on a rain day your docked a day salary( driving in the rain is impossible)

Positive of kuwait. ( i got a job in a grade school teaching high school English literature, so i will get out of esl)
1. the school has a lot of westerners in management
2. hours are somewhat better, only 45 minutes and thursday is a halfday
3. kuwait looks better than saudi
4. more vacation time, 2 months summer 3 week mid year
5. They will provide an apartment and busing to and from work
negatives
1. i have never worked with grade level students.
2. i heard that parents can get annoying.
3. i am afraid that kuwait will be the same as saudi, so what is the point of leaving my current job.
4. on yearly basis i will save like $2000 dollars less.

any thoughts?

[Grendal]

Kuwaitis are more condescending, patronizing and arrogant than Saudis. They really look down on all foreigners. They will block you in if you park too close to the curb. Just park about one car length away from the curb. that's something I learned here in Saudi. By parking I mean at a diagonal position. Don't worry about taking two car spaces, no one else does.

So let it be written, so let it be done.

Grendal

[cmp45]

Better the devil you know than the one you don't...???
what are your priorities...if saving money then stay in KSA ( as you stated you save more here) if you want a better quality of home life perhaps Kuwait ( you stated that you currently live in a hotel)
Seems like the job in KSA does not offer much for holidays and management seems off putting...maybe try Kuwait and if it tuns out badly you can always return to KSA ...

Better yet flip a coin: heads = Kuwait .... tails = KSA at either place you will not be happy, so...more savings or better home accommodation and more vacation time...tough call

[eslteacher2014]

[lcanupp1964]

The one thing I learned the hard way, was that the saying, "Bird in the hand" is very true when teaching in the Middle East. I can tell by your wording that you want to go to Kuwait, but here's something to think about: You will spend money and NOT make money while you are between jobs.

It took me 72 days to fully change jobs and they were both in KSA. It cost me around $5,000 if one adds up all the expenditures and the loss of income. Think about the cost of setting yourself up again in Kuwait. You said that your salary would be $2,000 less if you move to Kuwait. I've taught in Kuwait and I teach in Jeddah now. What's the difference? Not a damn thing. If they don't F with you on a daily basis where you now teach, I would stay where you are. Who knows - maybe the school in Kuwait has a bunch of A** holes running around. I found Kuwait City to be much dirtier (with a hell of a lot more homeless cats) place then Jeddah. The traffic is scary as hell. Every day, I saw at least one burnt out shell of a car still smoking from a wreck earlier that morning on the ring roads I took to the Kuwaiti National Defensive Language School.

I agree with Grendal. Some Kuwaitis can be dicks

[sicklyman]

[psychedelicacy]