thinking of moving to Kuwait

• Hi, I am a canadian my family and I are thinking of moving to Kuwait and accepting a job there. I have 3 kids, 14,12 and 10 yrs old, two boys and the younger one being a little girl. I would love to get some feedback on what it is like to live in Kuwait.
  What if any are the security concerns? What are the schools like? Any recommendations for schooling? What are the beaches like? My wife would like to know what are the restrictions on clothing at the beach?
  I look forward to hearing for everyone.
  Will
  

  25 Sep 2006, 07:29 Anonymous

Replies

• ANSWERS TO SUMMER

  ANSWERS TO THOSE THINGS I KNOW ABOUT:
  
  DON'T KNOW ABOUT HOME SCHOOLING, BUT THERE ARE AMERICAN AND ENGLISH PRIVATE SCHOOLS HERE FOR HIGH SCHOOL LEVEL.
  
  Can we bring our two dogs (Rottweilers) with us if we live in an apartment in Salmyia or Salwa? YES, AS LONG AS YOUR LANDLORD IS OKAY ABOUT HAVING DOGS IN THE APARTMENT. NEED TO CHECK IT BEFOREHAND. I KNOW LOTS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE BROUGHT IN PETS, BUT DON'T KNOW THE DETAILS - ASK THE COMPANY YOU ARE JOINING TO GET YOU THE DETAILS OF THE MINISTRY THAT LOOKS AFTER THIS.
  
  Does Kuwait have activities for the teens such as BMX racing? Swimming? Ice Skating? Ballet? Dance instruction of any kind? Piano lessons? Drum lessons? Etc DON'T KNOW ABOUT BMX, BUT THERE IS A DECENT ICE RINK (WAS USED AS A MORGUE DURING THE INVASION AS I FOUND OUT RECENTLY) THE BRITISH SCHOOL OF PERFORMING ARTS HAS DANCE/BALLET CLASSES AS DOES THE HILTON; I HAVE FRIENDS WHO DO PIANO LESSONS FOR THEIR KIDS...NO IDEA ABOUT DRUMS.
  
  I understand that most Kuwaiti’s have what I call “household assistants” (ie; maid, cook, nanny, etc.) Is this common for Expats as well? What could you expect to pay for such a service? EVERYONE HAS A MAID!! (WHY DO YOU OWN LAUNDRY/CLEANING??). WHETHER THEY LIVE IN OR LIVE OUT AND WHETHER FULL OR PART TIME DEPENDS ON YOUR NEEDS. WE HAVE SOMONE WHO COMES IN 3 TIMES A WEEK FOR CLEANINGS AND DOES BABYSITTING OCCASIONALLY. FRIENDS WITH BABIES/YOUNG CHILDREN HAVE FULL TIME LIVE IN. A LIVE IN IS CHEAPER (FROM 60-150kd A MONTH); LIVE OUT FULL TIME IS NORMALLY 80-150KD; LIVE OUT PART TIME IS 60-80KD PER MONTH. EXPATS TEND TO PAY HIGHER THAN LOCALS.
  
  Internet (Broadband) Service in Kuwait? Plans & Prices? YES - COSTS ABOUT 250KD PER YEAR...THERE ARE PLANS WITH MAJOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS PROVIDERS WHERE YOU CAN PAY BY THE MONTH OR AS A ONE OFF PAYMENT.
  
  Household electrical plugs? Will I need some type of converter to use my own appliances as well as the kids Nintendo and XBOX gaming units brought from the United States? Ours are all set up for 110volt here in the United States…NO IDEA...THE VOLTAGE IS 220V HERE...SO YOU'LL PROBABLY HAVE TO CONVERT...
  
  How much do you pay for cellular phone service? What are their plans like? Can you direct me to a website with plans/prices? WATANIYA AND ZAIN ARE THE MAIN PROVIDERS (GOOGLE THEM). i HAVE A PREPAID CARD AND HOW MUCH YOU SPEND DEPENDS ON HOW MUCH YOU CHAT...I NORMALLY SPEND ABOUT 20-25KD A MONTH (BUT DON'T TELL MY HUSBAND!!!)
  
  What is the cost of purchasing a large SUV to drive while living there? TRY WWW.Q8CAR.COM FOR AN IDEA OF CAR COSTS. YOU CAN ALSO LEASE ONE ON 1, 2 OR 5 YEAR LEASES FROM 99KD - 300KD PER MONTH (INCLUDES INSURANCE, ROAD SERVICE, REGULAR SERVICING)...
  
  Is there a subscription satellite television service there? (ie; Dish Network, etc.) SHOWTIME AND GLOBAL ARE THE TWO MAIN CABLE PROVIDERS...AGAIN LOTS OF PLANS TO CHOOSE FROM
  
  Can you answer what you know for me? Feel free to add anything I may not have considered. Much appreciated!! ) HOW OLD ARE YOUR CHILDREN? THE MAIN SCHOOLS FOR TEENAGERS ARE:
  AMERICAL SCHOOL OF KUWAIT WWW.ASK.EDU.KW
  BRITISH SCHOOL OF KUWAIT WWW.BSK.EDU.KW
  NEW ENGLISH SCHOOL WWW.NES.EDU.KW
  KUWAIT ENGLISH SCHOOL WWW.KES.EDU.KW
  AND FOR LITTLE ONES UP TO YEAR 8 WWW.TES.EDU.KW
  
  BEST OF LUCK!!

  SDEE 08 Nov 2008, 09:52 - Report

• reply to summer about living in Kuwait

  I'VE ADDED ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS AS BEST AS I CAN BASED ON WHAT I KNOW AFTER LIVING HERE WITH A YOUNG FAMILY FOR ABOUT A YEAR NOW.
  
  Are there any currently “Homeschooled” American kids living in Kuwait? NO IDEA, BUT IF YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SCHOOLS, LET ME KNOW WHAT YOUR KIDS AGES ARE AND YOUR SPECIFICATIONS AND I'LL GIVE YOU A RUNDOWN OF THE RECOMMENDED SCHOOLS.
  
  Do people in Kuwait play XBOX 360 Live? HMM....SORRY...DON'T KNOW.
  
  Can we bring our two dogs (Rottweilers) with us if we live in an apartment in Salmyia or Salwa?
  YOU CAN BRING ANIMALS WITH YOU, BUT IN TERMS OF LIVING IN AN APARTMENT, YOU NEED TO AGREE THIS WITH YOUR LANDLORD BEFORE YOU MOVE IN. I HAVE FRIENDS WITH BOTH DOGS AND CATS IN APARTMENTS, SO IT'S DEFINITELY DONE, BUT AGAIN LIKE ANYWHERE YOU NEED TO GET THE OKAY FROM YOUR OWNER.
  
  Does Kuwait have activities for the teens such as BMX racing? DON'T KNOW ABOUT THIS Swimming? DEFINITELY - OFTEN THROUGH SCHOOLS Ice Skating? THERE'S A REASONABLY GOOD ICE RINK (WAS USED AS A MORGUE DURING THE INVASION AS I'VE JUST FOUND OUT!!) Ballet? THE BRITISH SCHOOL OF PERFORMANING ARTS AND ONE OF THE HOTELS BOTH HAVE DANCE CLASSES WHICH INCLUDE CLASSICAL BALLET, JAZZ, HIP HOP ETC. Dance instruction of any kind? SEE PREVIOUS Piano lessons? I HAVE FRIENDS WHO SEND THEIR KIDS TO PRIVATE TUTORS FOR PIANO, SO DEFINITELY EXISTS, NORMALLY EXPATS WHO RUN LESSONS FROM HOME Drum lessons? AGAIN, NO IDEA...BUT DO YOU REALLY WANT THIS??? HA!! Etc
  
  I understand that most Kuwaiti’s have what I call “household assistants” (ie; maid, cook, nanny, etc.) Is this common for Expats as well? What could you expect to pay for such a service? YES, EVERYONE HAS A MAID OF SOME SORT...THE NUMBER AND THE FREQUENCY DEPENDS ON INDIVIDUAL NEEDS. MOST PEOPLE WITH VERY YOUNG CHILDREN/BABIES HAVE FULL TIME HELP, OTHERS HAVE SOMEONE THAT COMES IN TO CLEAN. AGAIN WHETHER YOU HAVE SOMEONE LIVE IN OR LIVE OUT DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU WANT. WE HAVE A LADY WHO COMES IN THREE TIMES A WEEK (A WONDERFUL LUXURY) AND WHO BABYSITS FOR US AS NEEDED. A FULL TIME LIVE IN MAID WILL COST 60 TO 130KD PER MONTH; A FULL TIME LIVE OUT IS MORE EXPENSIVE AT 80 TO 150KD MONTH; A PART TIME LIVE OUT MAID IS 60-90KD A MONTH. AS NEEDED BABYSITTING IS ABOUT 1.5 TO 2kd AN HOUR. WHEN YOU DO THE MATHS, IT'S STILL NOT VERY MUCH FOR THE BENEFIT OF HAVING SOMEONE AT YOUR BECK AND CALL. SOME PEOPLE ALSO HAVE DRIVERS, ALTHOUGH MOST EXPATS WILL JUST GET ON WITH IT AND LEARN TO MASTER THE INSANE TRAFFIC. DRIVERS ARE 70-120KD A MONTH DEPENDING ON HOW OFTEN YOU WANT THEM.
  
  Internet (Broadband) Service in Kuwait? Plans & Prices? YES, ABOUT 250KD PER YEAR SPEED 510KBS BUT THERE ARE MONTHLY PLANS...DEPENDS ON YOUR DOWNLOADING NEEDS...(OR WHATEVER THE TERM IS)
  
  Household electrical plugs? Will I need some type of converter to use my own appliances as well as the kids Nintendo and XBOX gaming units brought from the United States? Ours are all set up for 110volt here in the United States…
  THE VOLTAGE IS 220V SO YOU NEED TO CHECK WITH AN ELECTRICIAN ON WHETHER THEY'LL WORK HERE OR WHETHER THEY NEED SOMETHING DONE TO THEM.
  
  How much do you pay for cellular phone service? What are their plans like? Can you direct me to a website with plans/prices? YOU CAN GET A PLAN OR YOU CAN GET A PAY AS YOU GO (PREPAID) CARD - HOW MUCH YOU SPEND DEPENDS ON HOW MUCH YOU CHAT! DON'T TELL HUBBY BUT I'M SPENDING ABOUT 20-25KD PER MONTH.
  
  What is the cost of purchasing a large SUV to drive while living there? TRY www.q8car.com TO GET AN IDEA ON PRICES. YOU CAN ALSO LEASE ONE FOR 1,2 OR 5 YEAR PERIODS FROM 169 - 300kd A MONTH WHICH INCLUDES INSURANCE, SERVICING AND ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE.
  
  Is there a subscription satellite television service there? (ie; Dish Network, etc.) YES, SHOWTIME AND THERE IS ANOTHER ONE...HAS ALL THE USUAL CABLE TV CHANNESL SO YOU WONT'MISS SHOWS!
  
  Can you answer what you know for me? Feel free to add anything I may not have considered. Much appreciated!! ) LET ME KNOW IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW.

  ESSDEE 08 Nov 2008, 06:32 - Report

• reply to summer about living in Kuwait

  Just wanted to answer this one Question ((Do people in Kuwait play XBOX 360 Live?))
  
  Yes they do .. also, you can find the latest games (before the official realease dates) in Rihab Mall located in Hawalii.

  Talal (Kuwait) 10 Nov 2008, 12:25 - Report

• Moving to Kuwait

  Hi
  i am moving to Kuwait in a couple of months because of my job,i am from Italy.I am very interested in discovering what living there means.I am looking for a house in Mangaf...anyone knows something more about this place?
  Thanks
  [email removed]

  Alberto 20 Nov 2008, 03:29 - Report

• Lining in Kuwait

  I arrived to Kuwait on early July. So far, i have been living in Kuwait almost 5 months. What i can describe about Kuwait is this country is an uncivilized country. The Kuwaiti are rude, uncivilized and looking down on some nationalities, especially asian.
  Now is winter time, you will see they like to have BBQ anywhere, near the beach, garden, park, even beside the road! And the restaurants full up especially during weekedns. So, basically the arabs here just love to eat, and eat and eat.
  Besides of these, the road traffic here are bad, accidents are number one in Kuwait. Alhough they have rules, but you will see how crazy the people drive here, NO RULES, the incident of accidents are extremily high in Kuwait.
  Overall, Kuwait is not a very nice country to live in, this is what i felt, especially for those who are single, worse for single expat ladies. My company security are very strict, if any asian girl have boyfriend/fiance/husband here, they will think of this girl is doing prostitute out there.I notied that maybe Kuwait is still a very closed and uncivilized arab country, therefore people here are very closed-minded, and always stereotyped on asian girl, and it is worse if this stereotype thinking towards on those highly-educated asian girl who are working in Kuwait!!
  Overall, i higly not encourage those asian expat come to kuwait and work here, if you feel really want to work in gulf, dubai is better.

  Gnome 22 Nov 2008, 04:05 - Report

• Kuwait Kuwait Kuwai

  first Kuwait is open country , you can play xbox live in Kuwait my Gamer tag is entra6,,, then the whither is hot in summer around 50 , but in winter it will be 5 to 10 most, there is English school and American school, the beach is nice but if you wanna feel free you can go to palms beach or Hilton hotel beach , there is big malls in Kuwait like : AL-marina , Avenues , sharg market , AL-fanar , and most of the western people living in AL-mangaf , and AL-fontas, also there is so meny amaircan restrant in kuwait like : chilies , T.G.I. Friday's , buffalo , and so so meny you will like in kuwait, if you wanna see pictures of kuwait visit Flickr.com and see

  abdul aziz 26 Nov 2008, 02:09 - Report

• ANSWER

  HI IM ENGLISH I LIVE IN SALWA IN KUWAIT I GO TO NEW ENHLISH SCHOOL OF KUWAIT ITS REALLY NICE AND THE PEOPLE ARE GREAT IF YOU WANT A REAL GOOD SCHOOL FOR YOUR CHILDREN ITS A.S.K AMARICAN SCHOOL OF KUWAIT ITS FREE ITS JUST LIKE ANY WESTREN SKOOLS IV BEEN THERE ITS REALLY GOOD BUT I WANT TO AN ENGLISH SKOLL BECAUSE IM FROM LONDON

  NOONA 09 Jan 2009, 04:06 - Report

• Answer

  Noona, Are you really English? I think either your typing or spelling could do with extra tuition in school. Good luck to you anyway and I don't mean to be rude but there is so much more opportunity in the world for anyone who speaks and writes good English and other major languages. I agree Kuwait is what you make of it and enjoy the culture and the adventure and when its hot think of Northern Europe in Winter!
  Ma'a salaama all!

  Traveller 23 Jan 2009, 03:51 - Report

• Kuwait

  Wow that was negative wasn't it...talk about take no prisoners!! I am glad though & I really do appreciate it as I am looking at taking a job in Kuwait. I am a fashion designer of womeswear. Since the recession has hit the UK I am seriously having to consider speading my wings. Seeing as this recession is now global I'm thinking that the tax-free salary might be the best route as I have a mortgage in the UK to consider!! So long as there are gyms there for a night time/weekend social life I'm sure I will survive. I have read that the gyms are ridiculously expensive. Can you help me on this matter?

  Anonymous 26 Jan 2009, 07:26 - Report

• What's it like in Kuwait

  It's a total dump!

  Richard Barker 31 Mar 2009, 02:52 - Report

• Moving there as well...

  My husband will be moving in the next few weeks. I'll be leaving in a few months so he can find housing and vehicle for us. I'm also expecting our first child which will be born there. Naturally I have questions. Any advise? Areas we should NOT move to, foods, etc. We're well traveled and not worried about the culture shock. Just don't want to offend anyone and want to make this a great experience for us and our baby. The company he'll be working for is to pay a majority of our expenses so hopefully we can afford comfortable housing and transportation. I'd love any feed back from anyone. Especially if you have/had children there. Medical facilities? How are they? Thank you.

  Stephanie 11 Apr 2009, 09:35 - Report

• Zainab

  Hey! i am sauna i like to join you to take an american teenager to be my sister i am the only girl i want to have a sister and i have 4 brother i came here to find an american teenager just like the age of 13 and i am 13 i would like to find a name of her zoe..
  so thank u..

  zoe 21 Apr 2009, 02:49 - Report

• Yea Life in Kuwait is Good....

  Compared to the life you had back in your hometown - its deffinitely good and better.....Quality life - though u pay a lot for Quality stuff...hmm
  
  Yea Kuwait is a nice place for families
  - and also for people who are singles - i.e.(if you know how to keep yourself busy and what to do with your spare time and spend it more usefully.....)
  
  If you are married and have kids - U will have more time for your family.....coz you will be working - less hours.....(coz thats the way the work life is in the Gulf..)...and thats one Advantage
  
  Hmm - But it is also nice to live a single life in Kuwait to have the feel of both - being single and also being married....
  
  U First need to know & make it Clear in your mind - the Reason - why you want to come to Kuwait ?
  
  Once this is clear in your mind - you will some how adjust to almost any situation.....
  
  People who first come to Kuwait - normally start from a small salary - then step up the ladder slowly......
  
  Hmm talking about a medium type of a job paying an Average Salary.....or around 125 to 200 KD
  
  If the purpose of you coming to Kuwait is for job and in turn to earn and save money........It wouldn't matter to you - if you are Single or Married.....
  
  If you are Single - you would be a little lonely but you wil have less expenses (as you would go in for a cheaper or sharing accomodation) - but you neednt be sad =- BE HAPPY coz at least your main purpose of coming to Kuwait is served...
  
  But if you are a person who cannot deal with lonliness - ited be better if you were married and if you are married (marriage has its own set of problems ) - u will have company of your Wife or kids but then Less Saving....coz you would have more stomaks to feed and would require accomodation of a full fledged single apartment.....Here you will have very less or almost no saving - but cannot help it you have to bear with the situation.....coz you cannot have the cake and eat it tooo....)
  
  Every one out there is goint through some Tough time of the other - though it may not have been made Public.....
  
  So What every situation you are in - dont worry - keep striving and working - and trying to better up on your weak points and try of ways in which you can better things in every possible way.....Go at a slow pace but Steadily...& all will be well........its only a matter of time...
  
  Plan your work - and then Work your Plan.....
  
  All the Best !

  Guess who i am? 07 May 2009, 08:54 - Report

• sweetzaygirl

  hi! i m here to choose a teenger who never had a family so far and i m thinking to choose a teenge girl whose age is 12? so one of you want to join our home, come and visit in kuwait and move in, ENJOY your day in kuwait!!!
  and i m 13 my name is zay and you're here 2 be my new american sister!!!!! i ,me one i want to have a sister will u reply me a message?

  zay ahmed 09 May 2009, 11:26 - Report

• looking for a job in Kuwait

  Hey,
  My name is John from Bangalore India, wish to move to Kuwait in persuit of job.
  
  I am a graduate in Business Management with more than 9 years of Experience in Sales and Marketing, which includes Channel Management/Development in various industries including Diesel Engines,Financial Services,Education and Health Care.
  
  Please advise if there are any good opening for me.

  J JOHN 09 Jun 2009, 11:40 - Report

• Life in Kuwait - the truth as I see it

  Interesting to see the variety of opinions on this topic. Here is my mid-2009 view after being here 20 months.
  
  Anyone considering coming here should think very long and very hard about it, as it is not for everybody. As with any place it has its plus and minus aspects. Here's my take on things:
  
  Salary and benefits are good speaking personally (and tax free), but ask e.g. a poor Bangladeshi guy working for e.g. a cleaning company who gets told a pack of lies about what he will be paid etc, and then he gets here and finds out he has been conned, and then he doesn't even get any pay for months, and he might answer differently! You may be paid well, but bear in mind you are just the hired help with a contract that is barely worth the paper it is written on in the worst circumstances. Abrupt termination of employment for no apparent reason or grossly unfair reasons are not unheard of, so you never really feel that secure. This is even more true due to the economic downturn, with expats being terminated in droves.
  
  There is a strong emphasis on family life, which means that on the whole you can maintain a very good work life balance. Official working hours are not as long as e.g. Dubai ( I worked there too so I know), so that is definitely a positive. Ramadan offers very short working hours even to non-Muslims. However, the working culture can definitely drive you insane. Do not expect the levels of competence and professionalism you find in western countries (or even remotely close), and be prepared to be utterly bemused by things on a daily basis. Although you may be a generously paid expat, don't expect them to pay too much attention to what you recommend, and if you are proposing change, be prepared for some very clever and tenacious resistance and delaying tactics – after all you are just an expat who will eventually leave, and they will outlast you. Then the game starts again with the next guy who arrives. You will need immense reserves of patience. Things take at least twice and often 3 times longer than you think they should, and even then, don't expect them to be done that well. You will be obliged to have a proportion of Kuwaiti staff in most circumstances in some sectors of employment, and let's just say that there has never been a case of a Kuwaiti dying of overwork. Getting them to turn up on time or even at all can be a challenge in some cases, and once they are there, getting any meaningful work from them is not always easy. A commonly shared view here is that you should limit your stay here otherwise your CV will be damaged, and little by little you will find that you are being dragged down to the local level, which to put it kindly is not at all a good thing. Equally, you will have some experiences you probably would not get in many other places (both good and bad), and that will help you become a more rounded individual and manager. Basically bank your money, don't worry too much or take things to heart, and walk away richer in terms of bank balance and life experience when it suits you.
  
  It is safe...well sort of. Serious crime is relatively rare but not unknown, but I strongly suspect that there is a significant under-reporting problem (don't expect any scoops in the press), and a tendency for the authorities to want to sweep a lot of things under the carpet to perpetuate a good image. However, it has to be recognised that crime levels are not even remotely on a par with western countries (if you exclude the zillion driving offences you see every day!), and serious crimes are rare by comparison.
  
  It is safe...well sort of 2. If you are female, western, over 13 and don't look like the sister of the Hunchback of Notre Dame, be prepared for some serious and at times quite sinister unwanted male attention. Outright gawking is not considered inappropriate here, but that's the least of your worries. My wife routinely gets followed on foot and in her car. Our 14 year old daughter in the last 12 months has been followed 6 times when in a taxi by guys or groups of guys, and the driving can be hair-raising. NEVER let them follow you home. Best advice is lock the doors and drive to a police station or phone husband or male friend to rendezvouz somewhere with you. On the whole men native to this region appear to be at the developmental and maturity level of about 12 year olds when it comes to interacting with women. Be warned. If you have a daughter in the teen years, be warned that she will be a magnet for a certain type of Arab boy who knows he won't get far with most Muslim girls, and who has the impression that western girls are "easy". Again, be warned. It is by and large a safe environment though if you take the right sensible precautions.
  
  Kuwait - without doubt the most boring, featureless, uninteresting landscape I have seen, and I have been to over 30 countries. There is not that much to do activities wise, and the extreme heat for part of the year is a limiting factor in that respect too. Every Thursday there is a mass exodus at the airport to Bahrain and Dubai, the nearest places to have some fun and legal alcohol, and it says a lot that the flights are packed with younger Kuwaitis – even they can't wait to get out! You can forget public beaches unless you are male (and they can be quite filthy anyway depending on where you are), and the hotel beach clubs and gyms are damned expensive - about $3500 a year for a family of 3 like us. Restaurants are relatively plentiful but rather mediocre and certainly not cheap, and if you like a beer or glass of wine with food, obviously that is a non-starter. You can of course opt to pay nearly $7 for a mocktail or fancy fruit juice if you enjoy being ripped off. Service in any sort of retail or governmental situation is utterly atrocious. It is so shockingly bad you will be able to entertain your friends back home with stories they will find hilarious.
  
  Accommodation - you can't buy a house or apartment here (quite frankly, who would want to anyway?), but compared to other Gulf states, Kuwait rentals remain relatively affordable, although like everywhere they have gone up sharply in the last couple of years. Interestingly though, it looks like rents are falling because of so many expats leaving after losing their jobs, so there are plenty of empty properties. Quite often utilities and (slowish) internet are included in the rent, and in the better apartment blocks you get a gym and maybe a pool. Villas are very expensive and often vast, way bigger than an average sized western family would need. An option is what is called a floor, which is as it suggests a whole floor of a building, generally the top floor of a Kuwaiti family house. This generally means that your landlords live below you. Be very careful with this, as it can be disastrous. Kuwaitis keep very strange hours compared to most westerners and have a very different attitude towards noise (i.e. they tend to make lots of it). Our first rental of a floor was a total disaster - we moved out after 6 weeks because of noise and other issues, and despite observing the terms of the tenancy to the letter, the landlady decided to steal our deposit, and let's face it, which expat is going to get justice in the courts here? We took the floor plunge again, and have landed in paradise – we socialise regularly with our Kuwaiti landlord and his family, they invite us to some of their extended family gatherings, they are kind, considerate, helpful, generous...they are very dear in our hearts and cannot speak highly enough of them. Just hope you are as lucky. When you do house hunt, check out your distance from the local mosques or you could find yourself frequently being woken up between 3 and 4 a.m. by the first call to prayer.
  
  Driving - the English language needs new adjectives to describe quite how bad it is here. To give you an idea - the Kuwait press recently reported that death in traffic accidents worldwide is the 9th most common cause of death. In Kuwait it is the 3rd most common. Standards are shocking, but not a surprise considering that some Kuwaitis get a driving licence without even passing a test, and many drive cars that are way more powerful than they can safely handle, especially the youngsters. A factor in the driving is of course that there are so many different nationalities here, but also that Kuwaitis are a remarkably arrogant people by and large (even other GCC Arabs warn you about this and tell you to beware, and the irony is that in the view of all non-Kuwaitis I have spoken to, the arrogance is completely without any foundation), and they drive like that too. In our experience it is largely the Kuwaitis and other Arab nationalities who are the most dangerous. A good rule of thumb is to expect people to do exactly the opposite of what they should do in terms of common sense and the law. Defensive driving is a must, as is a car/SUV with more of an emphasis on safety features than luxury. Carry a camera in your car, because you will see the most amazing smashed up cars regularly, and quite frankly friends back home will think you are exaggerating until they see the evidence themselves. It might be worth saving up for jaw surgery as well, as you will find your jaw hitting the floor pretty regularly at some of the most brainless, thoughtless, reckless, dangerous and insane driving you will see on the planet. I am not exaggerating when I say we barely go out at night – we just value our safety too much for that. My favourite memories are: while driving at the speed limit on the highway, I was overtaken by a fully-laden cement mixer; I was almost hit from behind by a guy (presumably) steering with his knees while he arranged his hair with both hands in the rearview mirror; and I sat at traffic lights and watched a guy coming from the other direction take a corner with a cigarette in his mouth, a coffee in his left hand and his mobile in his right hand. I am not making this up – seeing is believing. Hardly anyone wears a seatbelt, and the running joke is that cars in Kuwait come with an additional anti-theft device – they won't start unless the owner's mobile phone is in use. Both are of course against the law, but as you routinely see police driving around with no seatbelts, breaking traffic laws, using mobiles and even texting, what can you expect?
  
  Corruption/wasta – corruption is rife. The whiter the skin, the less you will find it affects you generally speaking, but you may still find yourself being asked to pay a “gratuity” to “expedite” processes in the public sector. If you need any sort of permit or licence for anything, don't be surprised if you have to flash some cash to get it approved in the same calendar year or at all. If you have a brown/black skin, be prepared to be failed repeatedly for no apparent reason other than you have a brown/black skin, although the colour of your skin seems to become irrelevant if the right amount of bank notes are offered (although we know of one poor Pakistani guy who after being maliciously failed 5 times running paid the exorbitant bribe and was still subsequently failed! We also know an Indian guy who was asked to parallel park between 2 cones, and smelling a rat, he paced out the space between the cones and then did the same for the length of his car. Guess which was longer?) Wasta, or influence, is effectively the reverse. You can have mountains moved in miliseconds if you have the right Kuwaiti connections. This also has a sinister side....
  
  Socialising and activities - this is not a great place for single people, or so many single people tell me. Although eating out is a national pastime (along with wandering aimlessly round shopping malls or spending inordinate hours in coffee shops doing nothing in particular), there is an active expat social scene through dinner parties as this allows alcohol (illegally) to be consumed. Methods of acquiring alcohol are as previously described in the thread. If you do like eating out or coffee shops, be prepared for the ever-present (and in our view disgusting) smell of tobacco smoke. Kuwait isn't socially advanced enough to have taken steps to ban smoking, and even if they did, everyone just flouts rules and laws here with virtual total impunity, so it wouldn't make much difference anyway. With the good work life balance, you actually have more time for friends and family, but your options are somewhat limited. Failaka Island is worth a day trip however, even if it is just to see how the Iraqis wrecked it and how the Kuwaitis haven't quite found the time (?) in the last 18 years or the money (?) to repair the place. Unlike the UAE where you can jump in your car and go to interesting places like Hatta, Dibba, Fujairah, RAK, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi and even Oman, your choices here are north to Iraq or south to Saudi Arabia. Do I need to say more? And the airlines, whether called low cost or not, are not that cheap, so a getaway is not cheap especially if you want to take a family, need hotels etc.
  
  Schools – I can't comment on anything but the British private ones. They are good on the whole, although as with anywhere there are some ropey teachers. Make sure you choose one with teachers mainly qualified in your home country. A good job will mean school fees are paid as part of your package. Our daughter has enjoyed school here and has thrived.
  
  So, for anyone who has read this far, I hope you got some benefit from this. It is my warts-and-all realistic view of Kuwait. At the end of the day I couldn't care less who comes or who doesn't come and live here – it's up to them - so I have no axe to grind like an employer who is desperate to only emphasize the good things. Despite its faults, overall we have enjoyed our time here and have benefited financially and in other ways, but we wouldn't like to pretend it is a great place. It serves a purpose for us, nothing more. When we leave we will miss the friends we have made, our Kuwaiti landlord's family, the nice working hours, but precious little else.

  Ben 01 Jul 2009, 09:43 - Report

• Message to Ben : Thank you for your description of Kuwait!!!

  Hello Ben,
  
  My English is not perfect so don't take into account my errors.
  
  I just wanted to tell you a great THANK YOU for your detailed and realistic description of how is life in Kuwait. I think that it will help us so much because we are thinking about moving there or another Gulf country.
  
  Being aware of the customs and habits of some arabic countries (but have no idea about the Gulf countries), I'm concluding that Kuwait is not so different and that it is finally petroleum which makes the country "live".
  
  However, can I ask you if possible to give us a comparison between working in Dubai and in Kuwait, seeing that you have also worked there?
  Do people work longer there?
  
  Thank you for your answer and thank you again for your first post which seems to be very serious.

  Qamar 10 Jul 2009, 01:39 - Report

• looking for job in Kuwait

  I am looking for a civilian job in Kuwait. If anyone has any information or can help me in any way please feel free to contact me at [email removed]
  Thanks in advance!

  Cassandra 19 Jul 2009, 12:28 - Report

• www,abcq8.com

  If you are, then see www.abcq8.com
  
  Its not a blog, just basic info that could help.

  Taz 26 Jul 2009, 12:02 - Report