June
2010
INFORMATION SHEET
This
information sheet is designed to help you better
understand our school, the benefit package and
conditions of employment. KBS was established in 1998 as
the first bilingual school in the Al Jahra City in
Kuwait, and is still today the only institution of its
kind in the city. KBS “ is a non-profit bilingual
educational institution”, KBS now educates approximately
820+ students from Nursery to grade 8.. Policy allows
for 25 students per class. In fact, classes are usually
smaller, especially in the middle School. The school
stages are organized as follows:
|
Stage |
Age/Grade |
|
Nursery 3 |
3 |
|
KG 1 + 2 |
4-5 |
|
Primary |
First – Fifth grades |
|
Intermediate |
Sixth – Ninth grades |
|
Secondary |
Tenth – Twelfth grades |
SCHOOL
CAMPUS
Currently,
KBS is housed in a spacious and well-equipped complex.
The Kindergarten (Nursery, KG 1 and KG 2) occupy the
ground floor, while Primary and Intermediate occupy the
first and second floor of the school building.
Expatriate
teacher housing is located near the Campus. All
expatriate teachers are housed in newly constructed
fully furnished facility. The school facility includes a
theater, 3 small sports rooms/gym, 2 clinics, three
science labs, one computer lab, and a media center.
PROGRAM
OF STUDIES
KBS
English program is generally US in orientation,
utilizing American and international teaching materials.
Students follow a partly departmentalized program from
the early grades.
In the
Primary Stage (Gr. 1-5) 50% of the instruction is in
English and 50% in Arabic. Students will, for example,
study Arabic, Religion, Social Studies, Civics, and Math
(up to Gr. 2) in Arabic and also in English. Their other
classes – English, Science and Art and PE and IT will be
taught in English. In Gr. 3-5 Math is taught in English
only. Teachers are expected to teach only approximately
25 periods of a 40 period week. Thus, there is ample
time for curriculum development, lesson preparation,
grading, department meetings and grade level team
meetings.
Depending
upon the exact time schedule for each Primary grade,
teachers will be scheduled to teach more than one
section of a grade level, even at the Primary level. For
example, Primary English teachers teach one class as
classroom teachers up tot grade 3, while in grade 4 and
5 each teacher teaches two different class sections of
students. Science teachers in grades 4 and 5 will
generally teach only science to several sections.
Primary Stage periods are 40 minutes long.
In the
Intermediate Stage 60% of the instructional process will
be in English and 40% in Arabic. Class periods are 40
minutes long.
TEACHING
LOAD
The
Mission, Philosophy and Objectives of Kuwait Bilingual
School are interpreted by the Board of Trustees to allow
more than the “normal” amount of preparation and meeting
time for KBS teachers. The School believes that this
interpretation is an important part of the exceptional
educational program that KBS provides for its students.
In the
Primary stage and Intermediate Stage a full load for
teachers is approximately 25 periods per week.
Those who
teach more than a full load will receive additional
compensation.
ACCREDITATION
KBS is
accredited by Kuwait Ministry of Education, and is
seeking authorization as International Baccalaureate
Primary Years Program School, IB-PYP, and later is
planning to seek Middle Years program authorization and
followed by IB Diploma authorization, thus becoming an
N-12 IB world school.
SCHOOL
HOURS FOR STUDENTS
|
Nursery |
8:00 am – 12:30 pm |
|
Kindergarten KG1 & KG2 |
7:30 am – 1:15 pm |
|
Primary Stage |
7:30 am - 2:30 pm |
|
Intermediate Stage |
7:30 am - 2:30 pm |
The work
week is Sunday to Thursday.
SCHOOL
CALENDAR
When you
accept a contract with KBS, you will be provided with a
copy of the following year's school calendar. Each year
is slightly different because of the movable holidays in
the Islamic calendar. Teacher orientation begins during
the last ten days of August, and classes for students
generally start in early September and end in mid June.
Kuwait Bilingual School observes all of the traditional
Islamic holidays throughout the year. New Year holiday
is also observed, but vacations commemorating this
holiday is set as per the Ministry of Education
calendar, usually one day.
FACULTY
KBS has
over 80 faculty members drawn from the Middle East, US,
UK, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand,
Philippines, India, Pakistan and Europe.
KBS is
searching for teachers with the following qualities:
-
Commitment to making
the Mission of the school a reality
-
Commitment to school
values and direction
-
Commitment to
serving children’s needs in a selfless manner
-
Dedicated to
professional standards and open to change
-
Pride, consistency
and initiative in carrying out all professional
responsibilities
-
Involvement with
children during and after school hours
-
Involvement in
professional development, school and staff
development initiatives, committees and workshops,
strategic planning and curriculum mapping
-
Commitment to high
standards of professional behavior and communication
-
Commitment to
attaining clearly articulated standards for
understandings and abilities; teaching for meaning;
stressing higher order thinking skills, not ‘basic
skills’ alone.
RECRUITMENT PROCEDURES
KBS
accepts applications from well-qualified teaching and
administrative staff with a minimum of: BA (MA
preferred), Teaching License/Certification, and at least
two years teaching experience in the specialty for which
they seek a position. The school normally hires single
teachers or couples with no children since KBS’
bilingual program is usually not suitable for the
children of expatriate teachers.
Each year
the Director General attends few of the international
recruitment fairs. In addition, advertisements are
placed with The International Educator (TIE) and Serious
Teachers. Shortlisted applicants are invited for
interview by appointment at an appropriate location in
the USA or Canada between February and May. In many
cases, interviews are conducted by telephone and in some
cases with video links.
Visit the
school website starting November to learn what the
openings will be for the coming school year. Note: these
vacancies may change later, so keep track of the changes
by visiting our web site frequently during this period.
Those interested in applying for a position at KBS
should e-mail a letter of application and a current
CV/resume, including a minimum of three references to
the address below. Shortlisted candidates will be
contacted beginning in December by email to schedule
interviews at a hotel or via Skype/video conferencing or
phone.
Ghassan A.
Al Jilani
Director
General
Kuwait
Bilingual School
Email:
hr@kbs-edu.com
SUMMARY
OF THE OVERSEAS SALARY PACKAGE
Salaries are based upon
degrees and years of experience:
§
All
salaries are quoted in Kuwaiti Dinars - tax free and
transferable.
§
Depending
upon qualifications and experience. Coordinators, Heads
of Department, and Counselors earn an additional
allowance.
§
Initial
two-year contract; subsequent contracts are for one
year.
§
Salary is
paid for 12 months beginning September of contract year
through August of that academic year. Salary for June,
July and August is paid in normally paid in June.
§
Fully
furnished, single/occupied, air-conditioned
accommodation.
§
Compensation for employees offering extra periods,
co-curricular activities, coordinators, paid twice
yearly.
§
Annual
economy class round trip air transportation.
§
Electricity and water paid by school. Free local
telephone calls; phone line installation for KD 70 per
year paid by employee is optional.
§
Baggage
allowance of KD 100 per teacher reimbursed for receipts
at beginning and end of service.
§
Settling-in allowance of KD 150 per teacher upon arrival
in Kuwait.
§
Finder’s
Fee – KBS teachers who recommend a professional for
employment at the school are eligible to receive KD 100
if the teacher is hired and completes successfully the probation period.
§
School
supplied bus transport to work (AM, PM and late bus home
on meeting and club days)
§
Annual
sick leave as per Kuwait Labor law.
§
Unused
sick leave compensated at the end of each academic year.
§
Visa
related fees inside Kuwait are paid by the school. Visa
related fee outside Kuwait, that include photo, police
clearance, translation of documents if needed, medical
check up, Kuwait embassy fees are paid by the employee.
§
KBS pays
for Kuwait residence stamp and Civil ID in Kuwait.
§
15 days
indemnity paid at the end of the contract for each year
of employment up to five years; increased to one month
after completion of five years of service. The monthly
salary is based upon 26 working days.
§
International Health Insurance provided.
§
Support
for professional development, including Arabic for
non-Arabic speakers is provided for a nominal fee.
TRANSPORTATION
One-way
economy-class air ticket is provided to new and leaving
staff. Round trip economy-class air ticket is provided
to returning staff annually. Cash in lieu of determined
airfare may be given. This benefit is calculated at the
cost the school would pay for the ticket in question.
HOUSING
A
furnished apartment, including electricity, water, and
soft and hard furnishings, is provided by the school for
expatriate hired faculty.
From the second year onwards,
employees wishing to live outside school housing will
receive a cash
allowance of KD 150 per teacher, single or married,
employed by the school. Overseas hires
contracted in Kuwait
may utilize this option beginning in the first year of
contract.
Note:
The school provides bus transportation to and from
school to staff living in school housing only.
INDEMNITY
At the end
of contract an additional 15 days salary is paid for
each year of service at KBS. This benefit is increased
to 30 days after completion of five years of service. If
an employee leaves KBS to work at another school in
Kuwait the employee is granted 1 month residence in
which to obtain a transfer or effect a cancellation of
KBS residence before his/her residence is terminated.
Payment of indemnity will be made upon completion of
this procedure.
BAGGADE
ALLOWANCE
Up
to KD 100 is refunded, when receipts are produced, for
baggage shipment and customs clearance at the start and
completion of service.
SETTLING-IN ALLOWANCE
There
is a settling-in allowance of KD 150 per teacher
provided upon arrival in Kuwait for the initial
contract.
Annual Sick or Personal Leave and Bereavement Leave
Each
employee receives up to 15 days of sick leave each year
without deductions. This leave is convertible into cash
each year (KD 50, Attendance Bonus per day FOR THE
FIRST TWO DAYS OF ABSENCE ONLY total KD 100 per
year) if unused.
Payment for Co-curricular Activities
Employees
offering extra periods, co-curricular activities, and/or
willing to serve as coordinators are appropriately
compensated. Different formulas exist for each position,
and for different activities.
Health Insurance
KBS
provides an international health insurance plan. KBS
currently contracts insurance from a well known,
international insurance company that specializes in
worldwide medical insurance and that support of employee
well being. The company is established in a country
known for its high standards of living and social
healthcare and serves some of the world’s most demanding
clients. As a result the school’s insurer has provided
unrivalled international health insurance to people who
live work or travel abroad.
KBS staff
may plan covered care in any country worldwide, except
the USA. Planned care is available world-wide in other
locations.