Any Teachers currently working in Kuwait?

I'm surprised there hasn't been a response to this yet.  There are several teachers on the forum and I think they even had a thread going,  (I think it's fallen back a few pages by now).  Hopefully one of them will chime in.

July is going to be HOT.  I'm sure you knew that already but I thought I'd warn you again.  Not a lot happens outside in the summer months (instead, the fall, winter, and spring is when everyone is outside doing things). 

When you land, most of the activities you're going to find are going to be indoors.  Go check out the avenues mall and spend the ENTIRE day exploring (there's an ikea there as well).  Check out the marina mall one evening and as the sun sets head over to the marina crescent for dinner and go check out the swimming area and park.  For late morning activities go check out the friday market for an hour or so of shopping (think arabic swap meet)  or head to Souk Al Mubarakia and grab a bite to eat near the misting fans they have set up (nice and cool).  there's also a park at the Souk where the kids can run around.   There's a walking path that goes from the science center to the marina crescent as well if you guys were wanting to stretch your legs.  Watch out for bikes though.  And for bonus points most malls have gigantic arcades, complete with kiddie rides in them (at the marina mall it's on the second floor by the food courts near the toy store).

I have two boys (currently 2 and 5) here are a few things I didn't know: 
- The parks are going to be dirtier than what you're used to.  Both litter, and crap on the big-toys.  It doesn't bother me much, but I can tell it drives my wife crazy.  Some of them are broken or have fallen a bit into disrepair.  It all depends on the park you're at.
- The kids here have a lot more freedom and are much more accepted than what we were used to in the states.  Seeing kids on bikes/roller-skates/scooters on populated walking areas (especially the marina crescent) is completely normal and tolerated.  Feel free to let your kids run around and be kids, it's not going to bother anybody.
- People are going to go out of their way to be really nice to your kids and it took me a minute to get used to (especially to our youngest who has light curly hair).  Waiters, shop keepers, maids, you name it.  They've all played with my kids while I was shopping/eating/playing in the park, and you just get used to it (by now my youngest thinks he's a celebrity).  Some of the other people I work with report having a person buy candy for their kids in stores (chocolate bars, etc) but that hasn't happened to me yet.
- Teenagers here are teenagers.  I dont think that rule ever changes no matter where you go.
- Daycares are cheaper for us here than in the states, schools are EXPENSIVE.  Your mileage may vary but hopefully your job helps pay for tuition.  School transportation is "different" (our daycare bus is a minivan with car seats.  Our school bus is much nicer)
- There are parks all over the place.  And I really mean all over the place.  Salwa and north of there have the nicer parks (better kept up with), but where I live in Mangaf there are about 5 parks within a stones throw and two beaches (not counting the beaches at the parks).  All are about the same.  Grassy areas with trees, big toys and sometimes a beach.
-Kuwait takes work.  You'll see what I mean.  There's a lot here that will make you want to stay indoors and do nothing (ie:  the driving here is crazy, the litter bugs the heck out of me, parking/traffic REALLY sucks at the popular places like the avenues mall, and so on) but there's a LOT of really nice things about Kuwait at the same time.  If you find yourself miserable and indoors, you might try taking a little time to think of ways around the parts that bother you.  For instance, the aforementioned swapping of the seasons to keep cool.  We do our grocery shopping around 8am on Fridays when the stores are absolutely empty and so are the roads   My commute to work isn't the shortest distance between the two points, instead it's the path with the least clogged roundabouts, and the least clogged highway exits (but maybe has a few more stop lights).  We dont go to the nearest beach because that one attracts SUVs that drive like crazy, but the one 5 minutes away is well kept and SUV free.  That sort of thing.

Anyhoo, hope this helps and good luck with your new adventure!

Thank you so much for your reply! It is incredibly helpful.
A little disappointed to hear about the condition if the parks but I'm sure the boys will still enjoy.
Any suggestions for youth sports like soccer, rugby, swimming, American football, etc??

For swim lessons, Aqua Tots is highly recommended by a British friend of mine.  She has a similar aged daughter, but I have yet to check it out.  https://www.aqua-tots.com/locations/kuwait/kuwait-city/

For recreational swimming I think most people go to a resort/spa/gym that has a pool.  Which R/S/G you decide to go to will probably depend greatly on the area you live in.  The closest to me is the Hilton in Mangaf.  The big hotels like the Tropic, The Radisson, and the Hilton all sell memberships.  Basically you pay a yearly fee to use their grounds and then you have access to their pools, beaches, gyms, sports areas (mostly volley ball, racket ball, basketball, and the such).  Or there's always the beach.  Up in Salmiya there's the marina crescent where a LOT of people swim in the evenings (have picnics, ride bikes, walk, etc)

I'm not sure about the other sports, but I would say that 99% of the time there is an organization out here SOMEWHERE doing something you're interested in.  The hard part is sorting through the results to find an active organization.  A lot of them run for a couple years and then fall to the back pages.  Most of my best results have come from asking co-workers what they do.

Also, I think instagram is the social media of choice for organizations out here...  I can't say for 100% as I'm a bit of a curmudgeon.

You are amazing!!! Thanks so much for the information. It's gives me a great starting point. Can t wait to checkout the resorts and spas..lol
Thank you again!