Job Discussion Forums

[sharter]

I've never taught in Kuwait as the money always looks poor and everyone tells me that the locals are really arrogant.

What are the pros and cons of working there?

I currently teach in Libya on a 6 and 3 rotation and I love it. Good money and lots of holidays. A few jobs are going for Brits right now as it happens.

I taught at Qatar Petroleum for a long time and also did a stint in Saudi. Unlike Libya, the Gulf seems to attract a lot of odd people. As for the students, there is no comparison.

[Rommel]

[veiledsentiments]

[sharter]

I was just browsing through job ads and thought I'd pose the question.

There's no way I'd leave my current job despite the fact that there's no booze here. It's actually quite refreshing given the amount of leave and therefore indulging that we all do when back in Europe.

I thought Kuwait was just a backwater where Saudis and Qataris go to 'get married' at the weekends.

[15yearsinQ8]

bahrain and dubai are the marriage spots

different people stay in q8 for different reasons - and there is no 'legal'booze here

[veiledsentiments]

[sharter]

Not confused at all.....Bahrain was my weekend haunt when I lived in Eastern Province.

Just that my Qatari buddy told me that dowries are cheaper in Kuwait than Qatar and I remember my Saudi students talking about going to Kuwait for weekends to find love....not sure if that was man love or woman love though.

You know what they are like.

[sheikh radlinrol]

[miski]

Oh dear here we go again..................

Kuwait is not a sleepy backwater, hicksville whatever. Yes some of the locals are ''arrogant'' but many of the Brits here are too and I remember a few years back waiting for a car space , indicating, waiting patiently and then an American man swept into the space. When my husband ( ''arrogant' local ) pointed out that we had been waiting for the spot, the ''not arrogant'' American said ,''Come on man , after all we done
( gr?) for you in the war!'' Mmm, that's arrogance.

We have about 30 cinemas I think, one of the biggest shopping malls in the Middle East and several others to boot, where you will find a mixture of High Street stores mingling with high fashion D&G, Chanel,YSL too.

We have literally a starbucks every 500m ( and a new one don at the 'chalet' area near Bneidar). I much prefer Coffee Bean and tea Leaf. You can choose from sea food, Lebanese, Sushi, French,greek,Chinese,Kuwaiti food- the list of restaurants is endles.
There are many gorgeous beach clubs
( new ones, the Corniche Club, Marina, Palms, Hilton ). Hire a jet ski for an hour near Shaab or go 'buggying ' in the desert,visit the aquarium, the Imax cinema, the fun fair, either of the two aquaparks or chill out on the beach.

There is a top rate golf course here now, horse riding academy and shooting range. You can join the rugby club or go ice skating too.

You can fill your four wheel drive for $15 and drive away laughing.....but don't take my word for it.

If you want to see what the young people of Kuwait are all about these days go to :

http:// www.248am.com
http://safat.kuwaitblogs.com/

PS dowries here are going for between 4,000 - 12,000 KD ( $36,000 ) for the middle classes- if you are Qatari or Saudi and want a bedoun, or another desperate nationality( Syrian, North African) you will 'get one for free'....................No Kuwaiti woman with nationality would marry a foreigner ( except for real love!) as her kids would not be entitled to any state benefits.

Hope that clears up a few misconceptions

[middleastman]

Hi all,

[The_Hanged_Man]

I have to agree with Middleastman after just finishing a two year stint there. Kuwait doesn't offer anything you can't find in most any location these days (Cinemas, Starbucks, Shopping Malls), but it is severely lacking in terms of nature, entertainment, and the arts.

In my mind there is only one reason to go to Kuwait as an international destination and that is to make money. The restrictive lifestyle just isn't worth it otherwise, and there are far more interesting locations even in the Gulf you can find work in.

[sheikh radlinrol]

Miski
We've had this discussion before, haven't we? Why draw attention to the fact that Kuwait has CINEMAS? Kuwait has Starbucks! Well, I'll be d*****!
You might as well broadcast to the world that Kuwait has ROADS, TELEPHONES and even DOCTORS!
It isn't a bad little place but.... even you would admit that it lacks something.

[miski]

I know Sheikh but my point was just this :

It is a ''normal'' place to be with cinemas ( showing new releases- unlike my local 1 room cinema in the UK...... ) , coffee shops, sports facilities, beaches , parks blah blah blah. Kuwait is about the size ( pop ) of a large UK city. It is not a metropolis and never claimed to be.

What the hell do these people want ? Ahhhhh I've got it, vodka, lager,rum,whiskey, in abundance, on tap and bars bars bars.

WE DON'T HAVE THEM . GET OVER IT. GET OUT. DON'T COME. SHUT UP DEMANDING SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY.SOMETHING WE NEVER CLAIMED TO HAVE OR BE.

OK- I would now like people to tell me what exactly they can do in say......Trieste........Italy ( APART FROM DRINK ,SNOG, IN PUBLIC ) that they CAN'T do in Kuwait.

Go for it.

[middleastman]

[miski]

Answer my question middleeastman: what can you do where you are now, that you couldn't do in Kuwait? (Apart from drink, snog in public).

I'm waiting.

Re arrogance : ''Early in life I had to choose between honest arrogance and hypocritical humility. I chose honest arrogance and have seen no occasion to change.''