September is drawing near……….have you got yourself a job yet? Who have you signed with? What deal have you got ? If you haven’t been offered more than 400 then you are being taken for a ride.Let’s start with the ‘English Schools’. Who has anything to say about them ?
TEA- The English Academy………
This school isnt bad but you need to find out more about life in Kuwait before u decide to move here. There are many unhappy people here who go from school to school trying to fine happiness. Have had a good few years at this particular school. Worked at another school in Kuwait and in comparison it is much more relaxed and not as huge, overwhelming as some.Basically, if you are a good teacher you are left to get on with it. If you are not then it is not really the place for you [as some have discovered of late]and you will soon be found out. Staff turnover has been quite huge recently as there is abig clean out of the crap.I am in primary and love my kids. They respond well to someone who is actually interested – like most kids probably.That’s from the TES website.
Whatabout GES (Gulf English School) ? Gulf recently changed hands and location. It’s a bummer to get to in the morning, but in quite a good location if you fancy nipping out for a shop or a starbucks. Staff have a lot of planning to do-wander through the corridors and they are out frnt at a desk working ( what happened to nipping down to the staffroom for a fag and a coffee???).The ESL dept uses some cult-like approach t reading called ‘Phonograhics’- I believe the HOD sold her farm, car, grandmother to the cult to become one of their ‘trained instructors’…..I do know that at a training session I was forced to go to one day she :1) Had us sitting at tables and listening t her for 3 hours ( not a lot of moving around in her class I’ll bet)2) Informed us that ‘there was no such thing as dyslexia’ ( particularly insulting , I thought, for anyone who might be sitting in the audience suffering from it or with a child suffering from it)Don’t know much else about it………
BSK (British School of Kuwait)A lot of mixed reviews on this after their treatment of staff after the 2nd Gulf War. But it remains a top choice for parents and keeps its staff for longer than a year….which is saying something. It runs a lot of extra school clubs so there is a good opportunity for making some extra dosh. This is an Oak tree among schools in Kuwait which grew from a very little acorn. It can’t be denied that the owner is one of the most successful businesswomen in Kuwait.Most teachers are happy and the school has a great campus. But why don’t they turn that Big Red Bus into a creche?
ESG (The English School for Girls) Found in Salwa, this is ( as the name suggests) an all girl English medium school. The teaching staff is all female too. Salaries range from 400-800 KD . The conditions aren’t bad- not too much paperwork and one extra club per year, which you are paid for. As it’s a girls’ school, the behaviour level is great! Parents are supportive, parents’ evenings minimal- only hitch? No parking for your car-unless you are admin of course!!KIES-
less said the better, probably to be avoided at all costs. You never hear of people ‘making the mve’ from one school in Kuwait to here-unless they have done a runner. They employ from outside and lose staff at a rate of ‘noughts’….
KAS-
Well by all accounts this place seems a bit on the cookie side….for a start, very few people have heard of it. I know of noone who sends their child there, who has moved from there, or who has taught there ( maybe they never leave……..)Read this from their website…..oh my lord….
”At KAS children love coming to school, they are eager to learn and are reluctant to leave at the end of the day. Teachers and students together in a co-creative way generate a very positive and healthy atmosphere which is conducive to learning and growing” Mmm sounds ok.
Then,”Speaking in public from the age of four builds confidence and helps children to articulate their thoughts and feelings. As a consequence the children?s diction, presence and posture have improved. Their conflict-resolution skills have been greatly enhanced and they have also learnt how to accept differences in opinions whilst being sensitive and understanding towards the beliefs and ideas of other individuals.
We at KAS soon learned that nothing is perfect and that we, as individuals, are the constant as the world changes around us. We learned that how we react to change around us comes from within. As a school, we learned that it is all right to do well and all right to learn from mistakes. On one occasion a teacher was almost at their wit?s end with a child who just could not understand. Another child, spotting some anger brewing up, pulled the teacher?s finger and said: ?Remember to live your values!?” –So now warning bells are going off..are they not?
”Teacher:
?A testament of a good school is that the children don?t want to leave at the end of the day. They don?t!? ”- oh no! Is this a call for help? Are there teachers still locked in there since 1990…..?Dial 777.
And the parents’ letter :
”Dear Parents,
Greetings of peace. We know you love your children and are interested in exploring and developing values. You are the most important teachers of all.”
OH NO!! IT’S A CULT !! Get out ! Get OUT!
AAG- American Academy for Girls
Again, another all girl, all female staff. What is nice and reassuring is that they take your civil ID from you as you enter (if you are a visitor)- good security in this day and age. There doesn’t seem to be much socialising between staff, the staffroom is way up on the roof and a bit of a trudge to get to. Staff meetings tho’ are complimented by sandwiches brought each week by different depts!.The girls can get to be a bit of a handful as they reach the upper years- a bit ‘ana kuwaitiah, kefi’. The work is not difficult and the classes are in blocks.The school is small and cramped and the classrooms don’t give themselves to much moving around or decoration but the class sizes are small as one year group is divided into four sets-you can have as little as 8 girls in a class in the upper years.
