Teaching in Kuwait

Kuwait Week

Every now and then we like to have a bit of fun at Edvectus (while still doing our jobs) and we have dubbed next week Kuwait Week.

We all feel that Kuwait languishes in the shadow of its more famous Gulf neighbours Abu Dhabi and Dubai, yet for teachers looking to work in the Middle East, it has so much to offer. 
Here’s the top 6 reasons why Kuwait should be on your radar when looking to teach abroad:

1. Savings. Schools in Kuwait typically pay 20% more than schools in Dubai, for the same quality of school, and the cost of living is lower allowing you to save more money.  
2. 1 year. Schools in Kuwait often offer 1 year contracts. This is great if you want to try out international teaching, and allows you to get your end of service gratuity after only 1 year. It proves to future employers in the Gulf that you can successfully work within the culture and context of Middle Eastern International schools.
3. Flexible. Kuwait schools can, if they wish, take teachers with fewer than 2 years of experience. Most of the UAE along with China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Oman and Egypt (etc) now require at least 2 …and sometimes more.  Schools in Kuwait tend to be more nationality agnostic, allowing teachers to gain valuable experience in International US and UK curricula and allowing teachers to learn best practice from other countries.
4. Social life. Because there are no nightclubs or pubs in Kuwait (it’s a dry country), the social life revolves around expatriate clubs and societies, allowing you to more quickly connect with like-minded people. From the nationality clubs (Irish, American, South Africans, British ,Aus/NZ etc) to clubs based on special interests such as theatre, desert biking, diving,  rugby or  beach clubs,  you will find a friendly and welcoming group of expats to accompany you.  
5. Modern. Kuwait is a modern and evolving city, similar to others in the Gulf like Qatar and the UAE. You will find modern air-conditioned shopping malls, taxis, expatriate-style apartment buildings and parks
6. Safe. Kuwait is safe place. If you look at crime and safety rankings, Kuwait ranks just below New Zealand  (and well below the UK, Ireland and US) on the crime, and almost on par with Luxemburg (and is considered safer than Australia, Sweden, US and Italy) on overall safety. Kuwait was a British protectorate from 1899 to 1961, and has had a very strong relationship with the US as well.

Educational requirements:
Wanting to raise standards, the Kuwait Ministry of Education has set out some strict requirements to teach in international schools which are roughly similar to those in Abu Dhabi, so before you apply make sure you meet the essential criteria (usually listed on our jobs under ‘visa restrictions):

• For Early Years and Primary teachers, Bachelors of Education are preferred.
• For Secondary teachers, a degree in your teaching subject and certification/qualification/registration is required.
• Women cannot easily sponsor visas for their husbands or children. Housing is provided by the school but is quite expensive so schools may not be particularly family friendly in any case so it’s best for singles and teaching couples.

Neil, in our Middle East office, has recently returned from his second trip to Kuwait in as many months, and next week you will find lots of new jobs appearing. If you are interested in trying out teaching in this culturally rich and welcoming country, please let your consultant know.
 
Have a peek! here's our jobs in Kuwait now: 
All Jobs in Kuwait