Thinking of taking teaching post in jedda knowledge school - any info?

Hi,

I'm currently living in Qatar but just accepted a job at JKS yesterday.

I have some friends living in Jeddah already who have informed me that it is one of the best schools in the city.

Hope that helps. Maybe I'll meet you in September.

Hi Teacher 123 & Hi Becks 75,

I am in England, but also accepted a contract at at JKS yesterday

So what subjects are you going to be taking? I am humanities. It will be my first posting overseas, so loads of excitement and questions.

Looked at some general posts and they all seem positive about the school, the compound also looks good. So when are you thinking about arriving?

Tazz.

well I am in jed and i think dont wait just send confirmation cause best scholl in Jeddah. If you need any information pls let me know. see u soon in saudi se u soon take care bye
keith
[email protected]

1967 Tazz,

Nice to meet you. I will also be teaching Humanities but in the girls section of the school.

I grew up all over the world with my family and this move to Jeddah will be the second one on my own. Please let me know if you need any advice. I just accepted your friend request so if you have any questions feel free to pm me.

It is a really good school and the compound will be amazing, so much better than where I am living now. I'm really looking forward to it. I have had a number of friends over the years that have lived in Saudi and some that have lived in both Riyadh and Jeddah. General consensus is that Jeddah is much more laid back and an easier place to live and that compound life has a lot of advantages.

Becks

Can someone please tell me more about the expected salary/ package offered at JKS for a PYP Class Teacher or in general?

welcome to all the new teachers to Jeddah

I may be taking a post at an intl school in Saudi. Can anyone who is there aleady tell me the cost of living  if house and most of utl are paid?  ie...groceries per month/ taxis/ etc.  Dental Care, Co pays for general meds and precrip meds if needed with local insurance and BUPA. ???
How do you get around the compound if you don't want to drive or invest in a car?
golf cart?

Al Adel wrote:

Can someone please tell me more about the expected salary/ package offered at JKS for a PYP Class Teacher or in general?

Hi Adel,

How are you? Did you ever find out the expected salary at JKS for a PYP teacher? as my wife is considering applying for a post there as a PYP teacher herself.

See you in September.

Roy.

lalala wrote:

I may be taking a post at an intl school in Saudi. Can anyone who is there aleady tell me the cost of living  if house and most of utl are paid?  ie...groceries per month/ taxis/ etc.  Dental Care, Co pays for general meds and precrip meds if needed with local insurance and BUPA. ???
How do you get around the compound if you don't want to drive or invest in a car?
golf cart?

Hi Lalala,

If its JKS that you are talking about then I am told, (as I too start there in Sept) that the compound is called Sharbatly Village (its on the web) and it is first rate and that the easiest way to get around the compound is by driving a golf cart, that as its private both sexes are able to do without a problem.

Take care.

Roy.

lalala wrote:

I may be taking a post at an intl school in Saudi. Can anyone who is there aleady tell me the cost of living  if house and most of utl are paid?  ie...groceries per month/ taxis/ etc.  Dental Care, Co pays for general meds and precrip meds if needed with local insurance and BUPA. ???
How do you get around the compound if you don't want to drive or invest in a car?
golf cart?

Haven't you addressed this in a separate topic as well?

keith_sanders097 wrote:

well I am in jed and i think dont wait just send confirmation cause best scholl in Jeddah. If you need any information pls let me know. see u soon in saudi se u soon take care bye
keith
[email protected]

Do you have any idea of School jobs ?

I know one lady (from my family)
She asked me for a job in school, do you know any procedure or else

I just finished a year with this so called school, it was the worst school I have ever worked in!

Honestteacher wrote:

I just finished a year with this so called school, it was the worst school I have ever worked in!

You've said this on a couple threads now, but you need to explain why you say this (without defaming any particular person; in other words, don't name names). Just tell what happened to you.

You are right, it is a terrible place. In 2 years they have lost 11 out of 14 teachers in the boys school. You have to ask why! Any teacher should ask what their options are... A road sweeper would be s better job.

1967tazz wrote:

You are right, it is a terrible place. In 2 years they have lost 11 out of 14 teachers in the boys school. You have to ask why! Any teacher should ask what their options are... A road sweeper would be s better job.

Can you explain WHY it's such a terrible place?  WHY so many teachers left?  (I'm asking 'why,' as you suggested lol).

Lol Alliecat you would make the purr-fect student. The problems they face are sadly of their own making. Teachers are an independent lot and do not appreciate being handed their lessons for the next week and told how to teach them... For me the final straw came when I was challenged over my marking of the first terms exams, and was told "you will start to count at 70, no one scores less than 70% at JKS..." For me I had taken a lot of 'interference' but this was to much. If a pupil deserves 80% they should get that mark, if they they deserve only 25% this should be their mark, despite have rich parents... Sorry but we had to part company 😕

Being forced to inflate grades is a common complaint all over KSA.

Inflating grades is an issue everywhere. U.S. public schools do it also as well as to a point requiring you to teach what they want, because you "teach to a test"

stressedmom wrote:

Inflating grades is an issue everywhere. U.S. public schools do it also as well as to a point requiring you to teach what they want, because you "teach to a test"

A result of 'no child left behind' ?

yep & now the new Core Standards. I wish they would just let teachers teach....

stressedmom wrote:

I wish they would just let teachers teach....

Agreed.  But here, the inflated grades are due to wealthy parents putting pressure on the schools and the schools, in turn, pressure the teachers.  I understand it's the same way in Korea.

Hi,

I am also flying out to Jeddah on the 19th Aug to start a new teaching role at JKS as a Humanities Teacher also.

Wish you all the best Shaun, Jeddah is z great place, but there are easier schools to teach in.

1967tazz what you have said about this school is very interesting. Could you please send me a brief JKS survival guide?

If you thinking of going to this school i strongly advise you to read what previous/current staff have written on international schools review.

Honestteacher wrote:

If you thinking of going to this school i strongly advise you to read what previous/current staff have written on international schools review.

Links?  (I suppose you have others besides Dave's ESL Cafe?).

Hi Alliecat

http://www. internationalschoolsreview.com/ is a great site that reviews international schools world wide! you do have to pay though, its about 29 USD per year, trust me once you have full access it is worth the read!!

I've been to that site in the past but when they wanted $29, I admit I balked (as do most people, I'm sure).  But you say it's worth the money?

Did you join after teaching at JKS?

Yes I did. I,also didn't want to make the same mistake at my new school , so I thought I would do my home work this time round and the reviews of potential schools in the region

honestteacher would it be possible to share some of the information on international schools review ?

sharing is caring

No probs mismatch - would love to.

Basically all comments put on there by former staff are negative and warning people not to accept contracts. I, as a former teacher there would also asvise you to look else were for the sake of career and sanity,

If you have specific questions about the school please send me a pm, would be happy to answer them for you.

Hi Honestteacher,

It will be great if you can share the informations here on the Jeddah Forum. It might be helpful for other members too..

Thank you

Maximilien
Expat-blog Team

HI 1967Tazz, What compound have you been allocated? When do you fly out?

Dear Maximilian

Here is the first comment written by a former teacher about jeddah knowledge school. If you want me to post more let me know. It will give you an idea of what teachers would expect once they signed for jks.

Comments: Warning! TOXIC ENVIRONS, GRADE FIXING, LACK OF RESOURCES, WITHHOLDING OF INFORMATION, LACK OF PRINTERS, SHIFTING OF TEACHING POSTS, EXTREME UNPROFESSIONALISM AND MASSIVE MISCOMMUNICATION!!!!

I took this post thinking that since it was an IB World school it would be somewhat professional, organized and satisfactory. I was wrong. I arrived to find my classroom bare of promised materials and resources. There was also confusion as to what classes I would be teaching. I was told one thing before arriving, but ended up teaching something completely different to what I am certified for. In my department, the old-timers (any teacher who managed to hang on more than 6 months and who returned that fall) were not helpful in providing important information that was essential to begin. It got to the point where information was being withheld in an effort to undermine me. This was curious since it was well known that these very staff had such a hard time when they began at the school, only a year or less before.

Be warned, it was reported that over 25 staff left at Dec. holidays last year and did not return! The students run the school and are disrespectful to teachers. It is well known that once we submit grades at 1/4 or Semester breaks, that they come back to the students and are "magically changed" as one returning teacher put it. Students are "not allowed to fail" meaning that they are allowed to take tests over and over until there is a passing grade which is also changed. The IB program was new and being assessed the year I taught at JKS. I am shocked, actually, that the school passed the assessment. Many of the teachers are encouraged to teach via power point lectures. The sage on the stage type of teaching is embraced here. Out of the box creative thinking, teaching, and learning is not. The heads of department are always fighting amongst themselves, ordering directives that contradict another's, resulting in mass confusion in an already morbidly chaotic school culture. There is no such thing as communication here. Only miscommunication. There are not enough computers for each teacher. The email system sometimes does not work and we were not allowed to print things for our lessons. Teachers were told this was for a new "paperless" system but that they still had to submit study guides for students. (Thus, it was suggested we buy printers for our villas and do printing and copying at home!)

There is a negative vibe throughout the school. Teachers do not seem to encourage students, but yell at them. Smiles are rare. Positive feedback or support from anyone is rare if not impossible to find. The situation is toxic. If you are thinking JKS is a good place to learn IB and get experience, think again. It is a trial and set of traumas to get through. IB training is not provided until the second year of your contract so you have to wing it the first year...that is--if you get through it. Most teachers find this school posting via TES, Joy Jobs, or TIE online. However, why SA and ECIS continues to sponsor JKS is a mystery to us teachers. WIth so many leaving, such corruption, grade fixing, etc....SA, ECIS and ISR should have had warnings to prospective candidates. That they currently do not is very odd to say the least. It just does not make sense at all that it has gone unreported.

Honestteacher wrote:

That they currently do not is very odd to say the least. It just does not make sense at all that it has gone unreported.

When I see things like this happening, it almost always means that money has crossed hands, if you know what I mean.

Honestteacher wrote:

Be warned, it was reported that over 25 staff left at Dec. holidays last year and did not return!

Let me explain something that the newbies won't understand.  Usually a contract includes one round-trip ticket to return home per year.  The teachers mentioned above pulled what is called a 'runner.'  They acted as though they were going home on Christmas holiday, and then never returned.

People do this to eliminate all the BS involved with trying to resign here (because many times,  when you try to do it the *right way*, the Western way--ie. letter of resignation, giving notice--management makes your life miserable, won't let you leave until you reimburse them for expenses they say they've incurred, blah blah blah--hence the popularity of the 'runner').

Unfortunately Alliecat is right im afraid. Many teachers would just prefer to do runners during the holidays than tell their employer and be honest about like Alliecat pointed out. This happened to a colleague of ours at JKS just last month.

This colleague chose to do the right thing and tell the school he wanted to resign and just finish his first year and not return for the second year. However honesty does not pay at JKS, they decided to dock him 3 months pay and threatened not to issue him an exit visa to leave the country.

The teacher was devastated because if he had decided to just do a runner he would have been 6k better off. The sad thing was this teacher was excellent in the classroom and his behaviour management was awesome, he had saudi boys on lock down, and it was nice to see.

When this teacher actually began his contract his family were supposed to fly out with him but their visas were messed up by the school so they were stranded at the airport, the teacher decided to show commitment and flew out to saudi without them - yet this is how they repaid his commitment.

The rest of the staff decided to do a whip round to collect money for him just to get him by the last few weeks he was at the school.
After this incident happened 3 teachers who were thinking of resigning just kept quiet, took their money and wont go back to the school.
THIS IS A TRUE STORY!

Honestteacher wrote:

THIS IS A TRUE STORY!

I totally believe you.  I know of similar things happening at other schools.