Homeschooling (as an American) in the Middle East

[5wolfcubs]

My dh's company is part of a bid on a contract in Saudi Arabia. If they win, the company will be moving a group of people to Riyadh for about 3 years.

 

Anybody homeschooling in Saudi? Or know someone who is? This is probably a year down the road, but a real possibility for our family.

:svengo:

[NavyWifeandMommy]

if you don't have family stateside to mail items to you, try to take all you will need in the science department of homeschooling. I have had to get creative with our science because the companies I use don't ship to us (I do have a US addy) and I cannot read the language so some local stuff is out of question because of that. Elementry age isn't so bad overseas but with my middle schooler who needs a bit more advance stuff it's tricky. I am on hold in our science due to the fact my stuff is being sent to family and then to me.

also I would pick a curriculum with books like Sonlight or similar curriclum. It' my plan for next year because our library is so small and we have pretty much read what we wanted from their limited selection.

I am not in Middle East but we are not too far away from the area

[Bayt ul-Hikmah]

You might want to PM Kate in Arabia if she doesn't respond to this thread. I think she's in the Emirates.

[desertmum]

My dh's company is part of a bid on a contract in Saudi Arabia. If they win, the company will be moving a group of people to Riyadh for about 3 years.

 

Anybody homeschooling in Saudi? Or know someone who is? This is probably a year down the road, but a real possibility for our family.

:svengo:

 

 

Hi. I'm not in Saudi but the Emirates. However I know Aramex, the arabic equivalent to FedEx has a shopping services where you pay $50 and get an address in the US and the UK so companies can mail items to that address and then forward them to your country in the Gulf (they charge per weight). Here's the link: http://www.aramex.com

They also have an office in Riyadh!

 

Failing this, you can organise yearly trips to the US and have everything purchase in advanced and shipped to a friend's house, ready to pick up.

 

Hope this helps.

Eli

[nd293]

Hi,

 

We were in Oman, but I second Aramex as being a solution to your shipping problems. Rainbow Resource and Book Depository are two options for shipping homeschool books overseas, but they obviously don't stock everything. Most companies will pay for education at an international school if you are working overseas. If you wish to homeschool, I'd strongly suggest you get this put into your dh's contract, with it noted that they'll pay for books plus postage. I know an American homeschooler here in Australia who has her dh's company pay for their homeschooling supplies rather than an international school, but because it's uncommon it did cause some headaches, as I recall.

 

I wouldn't completely discount the option of sending your kids to school if you are doing an expat stint. You have a mini classroom of kids, but when I had one, it was very lonely homeschooling. There were very few homeschoolers where we were. Much of the social interaction seemed to centre around the school. In Oman we didn't live in compounds, though; social issues might be not be relevant if you live in a compound, which I assume you would in Saudi. In addition, the experience dd had at the school was fabulous. I'm not denying some of the usual "school problems", but I simply could not have replicated the international experience of the school - dd's class has 22 children with 15 languages spoken, the school had celebrations or special assemblies for African Unity Day, UN Day, Diwali, Oman's National Day and an annual not-to-be-missed International Food Fair. My goal, if I can convince dh, is for us to be living overseas in 6 or so years time so dd can complete her education at an IB school overseas.

 

Try Googling "homeschooling in Saudi" - a few links did come up, maybe you'll have luck tracking down a homeschooling group or family that way.

 

Good luck!

 

Nikki

[Chris in VA]

My dh's company is part of a bid on a contract in Saudi Arabia. If they win, the company will be moving a group of people to Riyadh for about 3 years.

 

Anybody homeschooling in Saudi? Or know someone who is? This is probably a year down the road, but a real possibility for our family.

:svengo:

:toetap05:

Now just a minute, Missy--you just moved to my neck of the woods and haven't even visited yet! Now you want to go off and move? Nah uh, you don't get to do that...:D

[5wolfcubs]

Thanks, everyone! Sounds like it is doable!

 

I pm'd Kate in Arabia! But I won't leave until we've gotten together, Chris! :D

 

Actually, this isn't a done-deal at all. But I want to know what we *could* be getting into... The other option would be for dh to go alone, flying back every 3 months for 2 weeks (or some such).

[Guest]

My dh's company is part of a bid on a contract in Saudi Arabia. If they win, the company will be moving a group of people to Riyadh for about 3 years.

 

Anybody homeschooling in Saudi? Or know someone who is? This is probably a year down the road, but a real possibility for our family.

:svengo:

 

Oh my goodness!