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Fact Sheet
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Introduction
This fact sheet is designed to help you better understand our
school, the benefit package and conditions of employment.
BBS was established in 1977 as the first bilingual school in the
Arabian Gulf area, and is still today the foremost institution
of its kind in Kuwait. The school's two campuses are located in
contiguous suburbs of Kuwait City, well served by highways connecting
them to all major areas in the city and country. BBS "founded
in 1977, is a non-profit Arabic-English university preparatory
educational institution, which fosters an environment for students
to develop the intellectual qualities, ethical values, and positive
attitudes required for effective participation in the overall
development of Kuwait and the rapidly changing world." BBS now
educates approximately 1827 students from Nursery to High School.
All-school planning is within a strategic planning framework.
Curriculum development is carried on using the Atlas Rubicon curriculum
mapping software within which the curriculum is based upon the
acquisition of sequenced core understandings and skills, in all
subjects, at each grade level. Policy allows a maximum of 25 students
per class. In fact, classes are usually smaller, especially in
the High School. The school divisions are organized as follows:
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Division |
Age/Grade |
| Nursery |
3 |
| KG 1 + 2 |
4-5 |
| Elementary |
First – Fourth grades |
| Middle |
Fifth – Eighth grades |
| High School |
Ninth – Twelfth grades |
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SCHOOL CAMPUS
BBS is housed in two spacious and well-equipped facilities. The
Pre School (Nursery, KG 1 and KG 2) is situated in the Jabriya
suburb of Kuwait City, while the Elementary, Middle School and
High School are based in the Hawally suburb about fifteen minutes
away. Expatriate teacher housing is located near the Hawally Campus.
All three divisions on the Hawally Campus are housed in newly
constructed facilities. However, the MS is, nevertheless, located
in what will later be the school's Pre School facility. As soon
as the new Middle School is completed, the MS will move to its
new location on the same campus. The campuses are well equipped
with small and large theaters, four gymnasiums, clinics, ten science
labs, computer labs, and four media centers.
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PROGRAM OF STUDIES
BBS's English program is generally US in orientation, utilizing
American teaching materials. Students follow a partly departmentalized
program from the early grades. From Grade 1 to approximately the
end of the first semester in Grade 4, students will, for example,
study Arabic, Religion, some PE, some Music and all Math in Arabic.
Their other classes - English, Science, Art, some Music and some
PE - will be taught in English. Math will also be taught in English
beginning with the 2nd quarter of Grade 4. Teachers are expected
to teach only approximately 24 to 26 periods of a 40 period week.
Thus, there is ample time for curriculum development, lesson preparation,
grading, department and grade level team meetings. Depending upon
the exact time schedule for each ES grade, teachers will be scheduled
to teach more than one section of a grade level, even at the elementary
level. For example, Elementary English Teachers teach two different
class sections of students, and some English sections in every
grade level will be assigned a fully qualified and certified teacher
and a fully qualified co-teacher to facilitate instruction. Science
teachers in grades 1 to 3 will generally teach their own section
of the grade level, although Grade 4 Science is taught by one
teacher. Elementary School periods are 40 minutes long.
In the Middle School 60% of the instructional process will be
in English and 40% in Arabic. Some co-teaching is also scheduled
for English classes as in the Elementary School. Class periods
are 50 minutes long in the MS. In the High School 70% or more
of the instructional process is in English, and the rest in Arabic.
In High School, PSAT, TOEFL, SAT, Advanced Placement examinations
and a limited program of standardized testing are administered.
All students in grades 1-12 receive regular writing workshop classes
in Arabic and English taught by specialists and language generalists.
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TEACHING LOAD
The Mission, Philosophy and Objectives of Al-Bayan Bilingual School
are interpreted by the Board of Trustees to allow more than the
"normal" amount of preparation and meeting time for BBS teachers.
The Board believes that this interpretation is an important part
of the exceptional educational program that BBS provides for its
students.
In the Elementary School a full load for teachers is 24-25 periods
per week. The full load for teachers in the Middle School and
High School is 12 periods per 3 days cycle. Those who teach more
than a full load will receive additional compensation.
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ACCREDITATION
BBS has three full accreditations from:
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New England Association of Schools and Colleges [USA]
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The Council of International Schools [UK]
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Kuwait Ministry of Education
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SCHOOL HOURS FOR STUDENTS
- Elementary School: 7:15 am - 2:25 pm
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Middle School/High School: 7:15 am - 2:30 pm
The work week is Sunday to Thursday.
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SCHOOL CALENDAR
When you accept a contract with BBS, 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 1/3 of August, and
classes for students generally start in early September and end
in mid June. Al-Bayan Bilingual School observes all of the traditional
Islamic holidays throughout the year. Christmas and New Year holidays
are also observed, but vacations commemorating these holidays
are somewhat shorter than those normally scheduled in other international
schools.
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FACULTY
Al-Bayan has over 180 faculty members drawn from the Middle East,
US, UK, Canada, Australia, South Africa and Europe.
BBS 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.
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RECRUITMENT PROCEDURES
BBS accepts applications from well-qualified teaching and administrative
staff with a minimum of: BA (MA preferred), Teaching License/Certification,
and at least two years experience in the specialty for which they
seek a position. The school normally hires single teachers or
couples with no children since BBS' bilingual program is usually
not suitable for the children of expatriate teachers.
Each year the Director attends several of the international recruitment
fairs organized by International Schools Services (ISS), Search
Associates, University of Northern Iowa (UNI), Council of International
Schools (CIS), and Queen's University at Kingston. In addition,
advertisements are placed with The International Educator (TIE),
ISS Newslinks, and CIS. Shortlisted applicants are invited for
interview by appointment at an appropriate location in the USA
or Canada between February and May. In some cases, interviews
can also be conducted by telephone, in some cases with video links.
Our recruiting schedule at fee-paid fairs frequently looks like
the schedule below. However, this year, if you are interested
in a position with BBS, contact the school directly and visit
our web site at www.bbs.edu.kw
. We have cut back our recruitment at fairs and greatly increased
the number of candidates hired through telephone contacts and
video conferencing. Note that this year the Director will only
interview in the fairs shown in bold-italics below.To
attend one of these recruiting fairs contact the fair organizers
directly.
Fee Paid Fairs:
| ISS, Bangkok |
January 6-10 |
| Search, Bangkok |
January 10-13 |
| UNI Waterloo, Iowa |
January 28-February 1 |
| Search Associates, Toronto |
January 30-February 1 |
| Search Associates, Cambridge |
February 5-8 |
| Queen's University, Canada |
February 6-8 |
| ISS San Francisco |
February 8-12 |
| AAIE Conference, San Francisco |
February 12-15 |
| CIS/ISS Philadelphia |
February 16-19 |
FEE-SAVING OPPORTUNITIES - interview
by prior appointment - : If you are interested in a position at
BBS, and are prepared to travel at your expense to Bangkok or
San Francisco, where a fee-paid fair or fair and conference is
being held (see the city list above), you are invited to contact
the school directly to attempt to arrange an interview before
a fair/conference begins, after it ends, or outside of fair's
hours while a fair/conference is going on. This recruiting method
will NOT require you to pay a recruiting fee to any organization.
Openings available during non-fair hours in Fair/Conference-Cities
(Bangkok or San Francisco) should be arranged directly with the
school. Visit the school website starting November 15, 2008 to
learn what the openings will be for 2009-2010. Note: these vacancies
may change during the period from Nov. 15 to Jan 15, so keep track
of the changes by visiting our web site frequently during this
period. Those interested in applying for a position at BBS and
interviewing in Bangkok or San Francisco (but not taking part
in a fee-paid fair) should e-mail a letter of application and
a current CV/resume, including a minimum of three references to
the address below before January 25. Shortlisted candidates for
Bangkok or San Francisco interviews will be contacted beginning
in December by email to schedule interviews at a hotel in one
of the cities
Brian L. McCauley, Ph.D./Director
Al-Bayan Bilingual School
P.O. Box 24472
Safat 13105
Kuwait
Fax: (965) 2265-6423
Email:bbsjadm@bbs.edu.kw
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SUMMARY OF THE OVERSEAS SALARY PACKAGE
Salaries are calculated using the following monthly formula:
Exchange rates approx.as
of October 27, 2008: 1 KD: USD @ .270; CAD @ .209; Pound
Sterling @ .415; Euro @ .335 (Divide the KD number by the
factor given) |
| Basic Mon. Salary: |
KD 520 |
1925 USD |
| BA Degree |
KD 30 |
110 USD |
| T.Diploma/Cert. |
KD 30 |
110 USD |
| MA Degree |
KD 30 |
110 USD |
| PhD Degree |
KD 30 |
110 USD |
| Expat. Allow |
KD 190 |
704 USD |
| Other Allow |
KD 103 |
380 USD |
|
Experience Payments |
| 1 y. = 15 KD |
2 y. = 30 KD |
3 y. = 45 KD |
| 4 –5 y. = 60 KD |
6 – 7 y. = 75 KD |
8 – 9 y. = 90 KD |
| 10 - 11 y. = 105 KD (10 y. Max.) |
12 – 13 y. = 120 KD |
14 – 15 y. = 135 KD |
| 16 – 17 y. = 150 KD |
18 – 19 y. = 165 KD |
20 – 21 y. = 180 KD |
| 22 – 23 y. = 195 KD |
24 y. = 210 KD (Max. Credit) |
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(1 y. experience credit for each full year experience teaching.)
(Experience/Degree claims require validation within 60 days.)
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- All salaries are quoted in Kuwaiti Dinars - tax free and
transferable. Annual starting salary for teaching faculty
ranges from KD 9,960-KD11,220 (US$36,889-41,555) depending
upon qualifications and experience. Heads of Department, Counselors,
Team Leaders earn an additional allowance of KD 1200 annually.
- The 24-point salary scale is linked to years of experience;
a maximum of 10 relevant years of full time experience are
given to new appointees; after year 4 at BBS, additional experience
credit awarded every two years.
- 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 June.
- Fully furnished, single/occupied, climate controlled apartment.
- Compensation for employees offering extra periods, co-curricular
activities, coordinators, paid twice yearly.
- Annual IATA economy class round trip air transportation.
- Electricity and water paid by school. Free local telephone
calls; phone line installation @ KD 70 per year paid by employee.
- Baggage allowance of KD 200 per person reimbursed for receipts
at beginning and end of service.
- Settling-in allowance of KD 200 per person upon arrival
in Kuwait.
- Finder’s Fee – BBS teachers who recommend a professional
for employment at the school are eligible to receive KD 100
if the teacher is hired and completes at least one year of
employment.
- School supplied bus transport to work (AM, PM and late
bus home)
- Annual sick/personal leave.
- Up to six days (20 KD per day) of unused sick/personal
leave compensated at the end of each academic year.
- Visa related fees (photos, medical examination, police
clearance, visa fee charged by Kuwait Embassy, postage, etc.)
paid by school. (approx. KD 140)
- Payment of 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.
- Force Majeure action for the evacuation and repatriation
of the employee including three months salary.
Transportation
One-way IATA economy-class air ticket is provided to new and leaving
staff. Round trip IATA 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 telephone, electricity, water,
and soft and hard furnishings (see inventory), is provided by
the school for expatriate hired faculty. From the second year
onwards, an option to remain in school provided housing or an
allowance of KD 200 per apartment for singles and KD 300 for married
couples, is available when adequate notice is given.
Indemnity
At the end of contract an additional 15 days salary is paid for
each year of service at BBS. This benefit is increased to 30 days
after completion of five years of service. Per diem is based on
1/26. If an employee leaves BBS to work at another school in Kuwait
the employee is granted 1 month in which to obtain a transfer
or effect a cancellation of BBS residence before his/her residence
is terminated. Payment of indemnity will be made upon completion
of this procedure.
Baggage Allowance
Up to KD 200 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 200 per teacher is provided
upon arrival in Kuwait for the initial contract.
Annual Sick or Personal Leave and Bereavement Leave
Each employee receives up to six days of sick or personal leave
each year. This leave is convertible into cash each year (20 KD
per day) if unused. The school also sponsors a sick leave bank
that helps provide additional free sick leave in emergencies.
Bereavement leave is also available as per school policy.
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 division's periods, and for
different activities. These stipends are normally paid twice annually.
Health Insurance
BBS provides an international health insurance plan. BBS currently
contracts insurance from a well known, international insurance
company that specializes in worldwide medical insurance and the
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.
BBS staff may plan covered care in any country worldwide, except
the USA where insurance covers only 30 days of emergency coverage.
Planned care is available world-wide in other locations.
For further information check with the recruiting interviewer.
Force Majeure
If the Embassy of the employee communicates that its citizens
must evacuate Kuwait (for example, Stage III of the US Department
of State Evacuation Procedures), then an insurance policy held
by the school will be provided to cover force majeure action for
the evacuation and repatriation of the employee including three
months salary.
Other Payments
The cost of the employee's residence stamp and Civil ID in Kuwait
is paid by the school. Other visa related expenses, such as photos,
visa fees, postage, medical examination and police clearance will
be reimbursed by the school when supported by appropriate receipts.
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