A Survey of expatriate teachers in Kuwait

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to understand why qualified American and Canadian educators left their home country to teach overseas and more specifically, why they decided to live and work in Kuwait. Fifty-one participants took part in the study. Each was asked to complete a 30 question survey followed by 5 open-ended questions. In addition, demographic information was sought in order to place the data into context. The study followed a conceptual framework adopted from research conducted by Richardson and McKenna (2002) who examined the motivation of expatriates. The findings for this research were placed into context using these terms as the framework from which to operate. The findings in this study suggest that many of the participants were dissatisfied with their current situation at home, usually job related, and decided to seek opportunities abroad. This dissatisfaction was coupled with the desire to see different parts of the world and to earn a comfortable living. These participants were not interested, for the most part, in advancing their careers or enhancing their skills. They were not interested in providing their services for little or no money. The group of explorers saw an opportunity to earn a tax-free salary, a comprehensive benefit package, and opportunities for travel and adventure. These were the reasons these teachers taught overseas and more specifically, these were the reasons they chose Kuwait.