Moving to Kuwait...please help!

Hello Kate and welcome to the forum.

I will try to address your concerns.

First question is a bit too general. Most people will say it is boring, but I am a kind of person who can entertain himself. There are things to do if you scratch below the surface. I would say the life is initially frustrating and challenging until you adjust to the amount of red tape to do anything. However after getting the civil ID card and drivers license this becomes mostly a non-issue. I would describe life as being quite laid-back, unless you are on the road and behind the wheel. Then it becomes a fight for your life.

If you like crowded urban areas, then Salmiya is your cup of tea. Salwa is probably a whole lot nicer, but pick your area of residence based on the location of your work and your children schools.

There are a handful of schools that are considered "best", but best means mediocre and they are charging arm and leg for the tuition. Hope your husband is getting extra funds for these expenses. Search through the forums and you will find the info on schools, our son is still too young for school and to be honest we are hoping to get out of here before that time comes.

Best way to connect with others? This forum is a good start, but there are many interest groups that you can join. It will take a bit more effort than what you are used to, but it is worth it. There are many really interesting individuals from all over the world to be met in Kuwait.

Ah! My wife is having riding lessons and there are a couple of very nice riding centres. According to people from Europe who work there they are of higher standard than the average riding center in Europe. Transporting a horse is probably a lengthy and costly affair, I did meet a family who left their horses in Turkey as it wasn't practical to get them over here. There are three centres that I am aware of, Kuwait Equestrian Club (huge venue, government owned I believe), Kuwait Riding Centre (Fancy one) and Messila Riding Club (Less fancy one, but still nice). Google them out, they can probably answer your questions better than I can. They are all located next to each other.

I wouldn't go as far as to say I am enjoying it, but there are far worse places on this planet. The biggest problem for my wife is definitely driving...ummm...habits. It is downright dangerous, you need to be super-careful, but it also depends what are your routes. Read through the forum and you will get a better idea about the upsides and downsides of living here.

Alcohol is completely illegal. Make weekend visits to Dubai to get your fix.

It is possible to bring the dog. We have brought two cats with us.

Here are a few things from my point of view:

There are things to do here but during the summer almost everyone stays indoors as the temp reaches 50c plus and with humidity it can be awful. Winter time you can go to the parks, museums and desert. There are things for the children to do but everything has a price.

There are expats all over Kuwait it would depend on where his job is located as it is easier to stay in an area close to his work as to avoid traffic.

If your husband's employer will offer school funding then you will have no problem enrolling the children however if he is funding it you will spend a large amount of his salary on it. From 2500 KD upwards for British schools plus transportation and uniform fees. The quality of education is minimal at best, I have put 3 kids through school here, 2 have graduated and one has 2 years left. The IGCSE tests are horrible and a lot of children end up failing because they weren't taught properly and it runs about 700 KD just for the testing. BSK is the best British school.

This is a completely dry country unless you have access to your embassy, they have gatherings and serve alcohol.

As Ribosom stated there are 3 places to ride horses and I don't think the hassle and money is worth bringing your horse here. You can join the clubs as there are riding competitions happening during the cooler months.

Quality of life, well I've been here almost 12 years and it is not improving. The cost of living rises continuously and the salaries are stagnant. Making money is the only reason people stay here and a lot of the expats are having to send their family back home due to the rent prices. The schools fees rise annually yet the quality of teaching remains the same. Everyone is paranoid of being deported and the ministry is slow in getting documents done. Everything needs a stamp, red signature, green signature and wasta. They say UAE is the top destination for Western expats as the quality of life is much better there.

Hi Ribosom,

Thanks so much for your detailed reply. I have looked online at the riding centres you recommended and have sent them an email to see if its possible to bring my horse over...I'll be lost without him! But will obviously have to see if its worth it.

With regards to the schools, we're looking at BSK and The English School but I have heard from people that in Kuwait a lot of the international schools are overpriced for what you get. His company will be helping with the school fees. But on the website these schools look nice and the results are good. I'm hoping to visit in the next two weeks to get a better feel of the place.

Thanks so much for your help.

Hi Kuwait 411,

Thanks for taking the time to reply to my post.  I'm very nervous about the schooling as I've heard what you say from other people too, the prices are high and the quality can be poor. Did your children go to the British schools? Is everyone paranoid about being deported due to the country trying to reduce the number of expats there or is there another reason?

Thanks for your help,

Kate

Thanks for the heads up. If the ban is still in place it'd be impossible for me to bring him over...I'll ask my vet.

Does your wife Show Jump? Also, can people swim in the sea?

Well, she is only few months in her training, so it is hard to say whether she will ever get there, but she is enjoying it very much.

I don't dare swimming anywhere near the city as supposedly the sea is very polluted. Even if that weren't true the public beaches are full of trash. You can pay to access the hotel beaches that are kept tidy, or you can take a 30 minute trip away from the city where the sea is clean and beaches are mostly deserted during weekdays, and that is what I am doing. My skin didn't peel off, so I guess it is safe (unless you get run over by the inconsiderate barbarians on jet skis).

Riding is completely addictive! She'll be jumping in no time!

Why is there so much trash? Do people just not pick up after themselves? How come your based there?

I'm coming out in the next two weeks so I guess I'll get a clearer picture...I'm even more nervous now! I was hoping I'd hear it's like a smaller Dubai but I think I'm being naive!

Thanks so much for all your insights!

Many are growing up with domestic help that will clean up after them, and on top of that many parents are not involved with their children so they never learn that throwing trash around is not ok even if you have an army of low income laborers cleaning after you. My 2 yr old son knows to throw the thrash in the bin, so it definitely isn't rocket science.

I am based here because at some point in my life I wanted a change without particularly caring where it would take me.

No need to be nervous, give it a go and see what happens.

Hi Kate , first don't be nervous at all . the country here is good for living and working . also good for your kids as it is safe and calm . schools here are a lot and you have many choices so don't be rush .
as Ribosom  said UAE is the top of western destination that's right but just if you have a very good salary because cost of living is very high in Dubai compare to Kuwait .
I am here from long time and other friends from 20 years here and living as well .

Take it easy and be calm ..

regards

alex

Hi Alex,

Thanks so much for getting back to me. I'm actually coming to Kuwait on the 18th August and my husbands company has arranged for me to see the schools-BSK and The English School in particular and to see the main expat areas to live, so I am hoping i'll get more of a feel for the country.

One option I am thinking, is for the family to live in Dubai, as I already have a lot of friends there and my husband, David to work in Kuwait during the week then in Dubai at weekends/holidays. Do you think this is something feasible? Is it easy to go from Kuwait to Dubai?

I'd really appreciate any feedback on this,

thanks so much,

Kate

Excellent idea

You can travel and enjoy weekends in Dubai.

Hello Kate433, I think it will be a stress for your husband to travel every weekend, stay just for 1-2 days maximum and then travel again and stay alone for 3-4 days, then travel again to Dubai for the weekend. You may very well be affording it but it is not too good for the family as a whole.

Please do not try to make a monster out of Kuwait. There is no denying that there are some grave issues here vis-a-vis the driving and the traffic etc. But there is nothing that you guys cannot overcome and take care of if you guys stick together and be there for each other.

AS far as schooling is concerned, I think BSK & TES are very good schools and have a good track record. The Gulf English School in Fahaheel is also a good school. You can try any of these and I am sure they are matching the standard in Dubai and must be cheaper because Dubai is the most expensive city in the Middle East.

Just calm your horses and have a belief in yourself that if other Westerners and people of all other nationalities are living and working and enjoying life here, there is no reason why you guys cannot do the same. Good Luck!!

Dear,
i think its possible because sometimes fly dubai offer really cheap prices, i used to fly alot to dubai
dont worry, i think u will like kuwait, we will help you

Thanks so much for your replies. I'm really looking forward to coming to Kuwait to see it for myself & then I guess all doubts will go!

RowanMo thanks for the tip of The Gulf English School, in my research I hadn't come across that so I shall look into it...thanks for the heads up!

Kate

Hi Kate , about travelling to Dubai from Kuwait its very easy and I did this before for 2 years going and back every weekend its just 1 hour by plane . if you like to live close to seaside so these area are good for you (Fintas - Mahboula - Mangaf - Salwa ) alot of Europeans and Americans living there .

There are some properties are good prices and in nice area with swimming pool and gym.
when you come you can see it by yourself .

regards

alex

Hi, think very seriously before you install yourself and kiddies in Kuwait. I made a personal condition to let my husband work for 18 months before going ahead and moving, and now I am so glad I never joined him. You may think your husband's salary is good, but it will not go far if you and family are there with him. And if your husband's employers decide to stop helping with school or change any other conditions of his employment (as happened to my hubby), you are all in the poo. In general the cost of schooling, rental accommodation, transport, shopping, horse pensions and riding lessons will leave nothing in your purse at the end of each month. Better you either stay in England and enjoy your life and horse there, where you know you have a far better level of education for your children, or move to Dubai (just a hop skip etc for your hubby - and cheap flights). The money you will save not living in Kuwait will be astounding. Kuwait is dirty, the sea is dirty (my husband complained that his skin always stinged painfully even when swimming at "clean" beaches) and things are not as smooth running as you are led to believe. PLUS - THIS IS A FACT once a horse goes into Kuwait, it can NEVER leave. The ban on horses leaving should have been lifted more than a year ago, but as with everything else administrative................ There is no where for you to hack outside, (in fact 2 of the clubs forbid you to leave the facilities) so you are limited to riding inside the club. The constant dust storms and extreme heat in the summer combined with the alarming humid and cold conditions of winter seriously affect the breathing of even the heartiest of horses and 5000 euros is the cheapest price we have ever paid when shipping horses into Kuwait (from Germany). And when you leave Kuwait, what will happen to your horse??? There is no retirement for horses in Kuwait, they go straight to the butchery factory outside of the city. The working life expectancy is very much shorter due to lifestyle/weather conditions/being kept in an air-conditioned box without paddock time -  so not exactly a top level quality of life. Take my advice to heart - Think carefully before uprooting your family to join your husband. The only thing that counts is what money you are able to put aside monthly for your future. We have found that there are better places to live and work for a heck of a lot more money. Kuwait opened a lot of doors for us, and now we have moved on to a much better life, so for that, we are truly grateful. Best of luck to you.

  After the gloom and despair from the above poster, if you still feel like moving with kids, consider a couple of schools more - New English School and Kuwait English School. I believe that they are rated better than BSK.

Cheers

Hi all,
I am moving from Muscat to kuwait, got an offer in Al Ghanim Trading. and the project location given is Subiyah Power plant, and residence location is left on me where ever i can choose.

my queries are,

1) how can we differentiate the expat lifestyle as compare to muscat,
2) whats family culture in kuwait, in case of daily travel from kuwait to subiyah.
3) what are the suggested indian schools in kuwait,
4) can we immediately jump inside kuwait if get an better opportunity?(its not possible in OMAN)

thanks for reply in advance,

regards,

Naveen