Quality of American School in Bahrain and positions in education

Hello to all!  We are considering moving to Bahrain from the United States, with our 13 year old son and little baby.  His schooling option would be the 'American School in Bahrain'.  We are seeking a school with high expectations and 'real kids' (not jaded) of good character (kids being kids and growing up age-appropriately).  Does anyone have an opinion of the American School in Bahrain, both academics and impressions of the children's character development as a whole that they would be willing to share?  Basically, we would just like him to be a happy and stimulated kid for his years of adolescence, and hopefully be well prepared to go on to the next step in education.
I am a teacher here in the US; I would love to find a full or part time position in education in Bahrain.  Is there good child-care and does it seem like these types of positions are available?  (My background runs the gamut from university ESL to 4th grade general ed).
Thanks so much for any input on American school, childcare, jobs...--we are getting excited about the possibility of turning the dial for an overseas adventure.

Regards,
Kiora

I lived in Saudi Arabia for 9 years and I know of some people who had their children attend he school in Bahrain. There were all kinds of opinions. The main thing is to ensure your child hangs out with the right crowd. I have a 13 and 12 year old daughter and we will be moving to Kuwait in a few weeks from Houston. Our daughters will be attending the American School of Kuwait. Make sure your son is involved in extra curricular activities. Our daughters are very much into sports (swimming, tennis, golf, horse riding, basketball and volleyball) so that helps to develop friendships where there is a shared interest. I also have a 19 year old who spent her teenage years in Saudi Arabia. The main thing I watched out for was that as a western female they could become easy prey to boys who have access to fancy cars, drugs and alcohol. Since it seems that you will be very involved in the school, you should have plenty of opportunities to screen his friends. Always check with the parents as sometimes the parents are not very involved or knowledgeable of the child's whereabouts (this goes for locals and expats alike, and I have seen it in both cultures to my dismay)These kids have access to more money than they would here in the US and sometimes not enough supervision. That being said, I would not trade the chance to give my child an opportunity to explore different cultures for nothing. Good luck to you and your family in your adventure. I hope this answer helped you.

Hello !

Welcome to all new members on Expat-Blog!

As far as the job hunt is concerned, Kiora, you should have a look at the link below and post a message giving details about your qualifications and working experiences:

https://www.expat.com/en/classifieds/mi … t/bahrain/

Good Luck!

Sheetul.

Thanks to both of you; you put your finger on some of my hopes (and feelings of caution).  It does sound in the balance like a positive experience.  I hope you have a good return with your daughters to Kuwait.  If anyone currently has children at the American School in Bahrain, would love to hear from you!
Thanks!

Hi Kiora,
We have opened a new forum on Manama since today.
There is a topic there on schooling in Manama. If you get more on the schools, would you mind dropping the infor on that discussion?
Thanks a lot
Arlette

Hey guys :) when I saw this topic I got so intrigued. Well ok this my opinion and this is coming from a girl that has been exposed to the education in Bahrain and in America. Also my mother currently works in one of the " elite" private schools in bahrain lol. Ok so Education in Bahrain- to be honest it's a total joke. I mean it's just  pathetic. Private schools that say they are giving "American" curriculum. Pffff the public schools in America give way more challening things than the schools here. They have this twisted view of what American curriculum is, that really I feel like they're really embaressing us and disgracing our system by making people believe that our system is sooo easy. I'm a junior now, but last year OMG. I attended the school my mum worked in and ohh the work seriously felt remedial. I currently take online homeschooling classes because we truly feel my education will suffer if I keep going through with that. And one big thing is teachers " runaway" from the shcools in Bahrain .What I mean is that they come to their senses that the school isn't really  all cracked out to what it's suppose to be. So for us American, Brits, and Canadians we r known to "runaway" because basically our countries are more liberal and we don't take crap from ppl . So don't be suprised that if one day yur son or daughters teachers' name is Mrs. Herrington and the next week it changes to Mr. Boyle. And the kids really lack respect toward the teachers,  when I talk to the kids they don't have a since of care about their future career or what they r in life etc..... I hope y'all get my point cuz it can really help. Y'all can talk to my mum to about this topic too if u guys need more of a structured opinion lol. Cheers ! :)

hi dear
I am currently residing in UK and possibly moving to Bahrain in few months as my husband is working there... my daughters are studying in year 5 and in reception. I have no choice left but to get them admitted in one of the schools in Bahrain.I was searching on the internet since last week n came across to your blog that was very informative to me. I also read that your mother is or was teaching in one of the schools in Bahrain...Could she help me out in finding a good or reasonable British or American school in Bahrain in terms of environment and studies...AMA international School Bahrain is the nearest school to the place where my husband is living at the moment...Is it any good ?? other options are Sheikh Hessa Girls school, St.Christopher School, British School bahrain, Choiefat or any other school  ... please advise me in this matter..
thanx...
Mrs. Riffat Faisal
UK

As mentioned on your other post, list of educational institutions in Bahrain can provide you further information about schools in Bahrain. My personal recommendation would be St. Christopher's or British School in Bahrain.

Dear R Faisal,

Why not start a new topic for better visibility ?
You just woke up a thread that fell asleep one year and half ago  ^^

Cheers

Olivier

She actually did :)

Honestly, your best 3 choices for an American school in Bahrain are the Bahrain School, Ibn Khuldoon National School, and Riffa Views International School. In that order. Especially if you are American. As for the rest...the less said about them, the better.