My son’s worst school interview
I’m back just to post about AIS and it’s not good. My son didn’t pass their impossible to answer questions, not that I liked the school it just bothered me that I didn’t see the signs before. I felt there was no place for my son from the start, they only went ahead with the interview so they can take our 25 kd interview fee.
They expected A LOT from my 3yr old son. I know my son gets distracted easily, I guess it’s normal with all kids my son’s age so it shouldn’t be a reason at all. He answered all his colours, shapes and numbers, in spite of him being ill, and that wasn’t enough for them. They wanted him to hop on one foot, he tried to, lost balance, his other foot came down. Plus he wasn’t able to draw a girl or boy, how many 3yr olds can draw? I still can’t draw! My cousin who is 10yrs, goes to AIS still doesn’t know how spell simple words!
The worst thing about all of this was the interviewer she had a strict face on her, she didn’t smile, very impatient, kept looking at her watch as though we were wasting her time, and to top all of this, her accent didn’t sound so great! I didn’t feel it was fair but thanks to God he wasn’t accepted in their school, I don’t want my son to be around such stuck up people.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 15th, 2009 at 9:14 am and is filed under School. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
April 15th, 2009 at 10:42 am
That sounds like the worst school ever!! What does AIS stand for anyways? Mind me I don’t know because i am not living in Kuwait so I really donno.. Hop on one foot lol!?!!
April 15th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
My neice wasnt accepted as well because she couldnt hop on one foot! They accepted my son for pre-kg, im still not sure should i pay the 100kd and hold his place there? I dont know what other school to take him, i would love it if the sunshine kindergarten accepted him but he is on the waiting list number 57! for now its either ais or continue in his current nursery
April 15th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
shosho, it stands for American International School. I think they were being picky and I strongly believe they wanted the extra cash …
Yara go ahead. you don’t have a choice, it’s the best out of the worst schools. Plus, KG teachers seem friendly enough and don’t base this on my son’s experience alone. And it’s very unlikely for schools that have a pre-KG program to accept kids from other nurseries unless they’re very bright or go to Bloomingdale. Your son has a very good chance of being accepted in KG next year, so why not put him in pre-KG. Give it a shot, you can always change schools later. good luck
April 15th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
don’t want stuck ups? then stay away from BBS.. their kids don’t even speak proper English. I personally went to NES as a child and I loved it. It was strict, yes, but it was fun at the same time. For high school I transferred to an American school (I couldnt keep up in the British system, and American is generally easier). I wish I never switched to American, my NES friends find university requirements much easier
Did you try ASK?
April 15th, 2009 at 11:08 pm
Hello….i don’t mean to be mean or rude so please don’t take my response as such. Schools, be it AIS or any other private one for that matter have specific exams tailored to test a child’s ability and range. My cousin’s kid, for example, was not accepted to BBS as a first grader even though she did well in the entrance exam but had a bit of difficulty. Private schools have a right to be choosy with their students and if they expect a lot then it is their own right. That said, I have heard of Bloomingdale and many have been very happy with the school. Give Montisouri (not right spelling) a try as well because I’ve heard good reviews from that school as well. Good luck:)
April 15th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
Oh very true! Who would want to be around stuck up people! Who could be mean to a 3 year old! How cold! If she did that to my nephew I would have sucker punched her! Really! lol
April 16th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
Is there a really good school in Kuwait? I don’t think so!
April 21st, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Pearl, nice topic I stumbled upon when looking for the website of nurseries in kuwait.
I’m thinking of enrolling my son next year Sept, 2009 in either Kortoba preschool or Kuwait Montosori in Jabriya. Cuz i’m looking for something good close to Surra.
My sister has her son in gulf Montessori in Salwa, and talks highly about them, and is very happy with their meals and teaching values, but for me it’s too far and out of my way to work.
As for the future of 7amad, we are looking into Bayan School, my mother in law, and my college friends (who are alumni of the school have) their kids enrolled already, and talk highly about their academic curriculum and all my nephews attend it as well.
Hope this helped you. Anyone have updates on SuperKids in Yarmouk? What about my choices above?????
Thanx
May 1st, 2009 at 10:28 pm
What does standing on one foot tell you?! Thats the most useless exam I ever heard! I did pediatrics last year and I can not even remember a doc asking a 3 year old child to stand on one feet! What the hell is that all about?!
June 2nd, 2009 at 9:54 am
You are SO SO SO RIGHT my 3 year old didnt got accepted let me tell you some thing thay didnt expect much but i feel that thair calsses are full already and thay dont want to tel you so …. so that you feel that your son is not god to enroll in AIS ……..AND YOU TRY AGAIN NEXT YEAR
i think that AIS is one of the best schools in kuwait .
June 2nd, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Hi Pearls, I don’t know how old your son is but did tou ever try The Sunshine Kindergarten in Salwa across the road from The British School of Kuwait, Why not try entering your son there? When my daughter, Louise was 4 we registered her in KG and ever since she hasn’t had any tantrums about it. My other daughter now in Year 7 hated BSK (The British School of Kuwait) because she liked her other school in Scotland better and now she loves it and whenever my husband says we’re moving she’ll become sad. All the teachers are very nice, they’re all from the UK except the foreign language teachers and the school itself is rather pleasant! Their website is http://www.bsk.edu.kw if you want to have a little look.
All the best, Rebecca
July 15th, 2009 at 2:41 am
As a former IB girl, I would definitely recommend the program and the earlier the start the better
especially if he wants to go out of Kuwait for university later? Allah sahelha! 
July 20th, 2009 at 8:33 pm
If you attend the Evangelical church iin kuwait city they have an excellent pre-k and kg system called Lighthouse Academy. They even have older kids now though I dont know how high the grades go. It is almost impossible to get in if you dont apply with your 3 yo by feb as it fills up almost immediately. They take children from outside the church, but most of the seats are gone by the time the open enrollment starts. My friends have children at AIS that they tried to transfer to the academy but their kids were already too far behind academically. They were furious since it is almost $6000 US/yr at AIS and for what? I was lucky enough to get my daughter in the Academy. Good luck to you.
November 15th, 2009 at 11:10 am
Hi, Your post on this is very good as I’m a parent preparing for enrolling my 2.5Yr boy to KG next year. So I’m appreciating any updates from parents who are going through this process.
February 1st, 2010 at 2:18 pm
AIS is the worst school in Kuwait. This is coming from personal experience as I was a student there myself. Don’t even think of enrolling your child there. ASK is the best. My sister was fortunate enough to escape the horror of AIS when she was enrolled there.
As a new mom, I tried to find a good playschool for my 2 year old. The Sunshine Kindergarten came highly recommended from a few friends of mine who work in BSK. When I tried to enroll my son in the spring of 2009, I was told that there was a waiting list so long that I wouldn’t have a chance then. So, since the assistant head teacher pitched her school so well, I registered him for fall 2009. With all the swine flu mania that was going on and the school opening and closing every few days, my son didn’t start his first term properly till late November. He started ok, but the more the staff tried to physically snatch him from me while he bawled every morning, the more he hated it, holding a grudge against me for leaving him there. I noticed his defeated attitude every day when I picked him up from school. He is a vibrant and energetic boy, so when I’d see him sitting alone and staring off into space with a an almost sad look on his face, I started worrying. I asked to have ten minutes with him each morning when I took him to class, hoping to help him settle in better. Of course, I was told that I was upsetting all the other children, who really couldn’t have cared less. And so, I kept hoping that as they promised he would get over the crying fits eventually. He didn’t. And to top it off, he kept getting sick each week. I know that that is something to be expected when you take your child to school in the beginning. What I didn’t expect was to see at least two kids coughing their lungs out, straight into my son’s face. Still, when he would feel better, I’d take him back to the school, making sure he wasn’t coughing or had a runny nose since I really didn’t want any of the other children to catch whatever virus he had.
He’s been there for three terms now, and I’ve decided to transfer him to another playschool. At TSK, they do a good job selling you the idea of the PERFECT kindergarten. Once the money exchanges hands, that’s it. The head teachers are always running around avoiding more than a one minute conversation with you, that is if you can find them in the first place. The receptionist was rude to me twice already and I’m fed up. They only contact you when they require a payment. Otherwise, they just brush off your concerns and tell you that your child will eventually settle down. I’ve already spent 770KD and all I got in return was an upset son, who was sick week in and week out, a staff that doesn’t listen, a teacher that only wants me out of her class, and an assistant who doesn’t notice the sand covering my son’s face. Honestly, all they made me feel is that my son is weird because at two and half he doesn’t make eye contact and doesn’t sit and doesn’t seem interested in story time. And to top it off, they made me feel like I was weird myself for worrying about my child.
It’ll be another playschool for the rest of this year for my son, and I can’t WAIT for him to be three so I can enroll him in ASK. The options in this country are limited. Unfortunately, most schools have turned into businesses and the concept of an education always comes in second. How disappointing.
March 15th, 2010 at 9:49 pm
Hi, I am a junior in AIS. I do not agree with you. First, our teachers are all certificated teachers and all know how to treat kids. They might be tough sometimes, especially with sports, but common this is all for your son’s health and future. Second, AIS is the best school in Kuwait. It is the only school that offers full IB in kuwait. For your son, he would be applying for PYP (the IB principal years program). Third, it is not that easy to enter AIS in Kuwait. Three years ago, moving into Kuwait, coming for another AIS, I did the entrance test 5 times. I passed the fifth one, with a total of 51%. You should trying applying for your son again. PYP prepares your son for MYP (middle years program) which prepares him for taking the whole IB Diploma Program (DP).
No offence, but for the person who said their relative can not even spell simple words right. Then the kid should start studying, or he/she will not pass the year for sure.
Good Luck!
March 24th, 2010 at 11:42 am
AIS charge KD25/- for interview ? Sad