EAP benefits for large families (>4 kids)

Thanks for the info! I'd only have to fund Child 5 for three years. But yes, I hope it's a wonderful experience and we stay for many years. We have an ETA of late December and are just working through all of the contingencies.

Wutz,

Truthfully, I can't say I'm 100% sure about anything here at Aramco. My documents only clearly state that relocation benefits are eligible for two adults and four children. It also clearly states the the EAP is available for a max of only four children. Further, it doesn't actually address a limit on the number of children at an Aramco school. So I'll admit that the paperwork is greatly lacking in detail. But I've already figured out that some of what I was told was actually incorrect. So, if you find out otherwise, and get it in writing, then please let everyone here know. I'm not quite at the point where this issue is a problem for my family, but one day soon I may be.


-CT

For new employees facing the prospect of immediately putting one or more children in boarding school, be aware that things might not always work out as you planned. Kids raised in Aramco schools are programmed from first grade that boarding school is in their future and this is continually reinforced as they progress through the grades. By the time they reach 9th grade, most are excited about going. Even so, boarding school can be a big adjustment for a 14 YO. Some do not succeed and have to come back to Saudi but this is a small minority. Most do quite well. For 14 YO never having thought of boarding school and suddenly finding themselves in one might be a hard transition especially when they know their family is half way around the world. I have one daughter who really struggled her first year and another who hit the ground running. We had a guy who came to work here on very short notice and his daughter, who had planned to graduate with her class, suddenly found herself in boarding school for 12th grade and it was really hard on her.

My point is don’t just look at the economics. Also consider the human factors for both you and your children. Boarding schools are not cheap so having to take that hit on your own account right away may also be difficult so you might want more time to take that on even though it might cost more overall.

I believe it is generally good. The problem is that Dhahran does not have a lot to offer teenagers in their spare time and there is plenty of it. Idle hands and all that. It was hard for us to send our children away but I know it was the better option. When they visit and see old friends who stayed, they are happy about boarding school too.

About the only activities available for teenagers are golf and horse riding/dressage/jumping or whatever they call it. I think a horse costs in the range of $10,000 but there may be a long waiting list at the Hobby Farm as space is limited. It also costs something like $500/mo to maintain the horse there but this is probably one of the best things kids can get involved in. If this is something of interest, I recommend you get an associate membership at the Hobby Farm. No horse required and you can get on the waiting list or be first to know when a horse/stall comes up for sale.

Golf is also a great activity but I can count on one hand the number of kids that play seriously and practically live on the course. I think a couple of kids have gone on to Saddlebrook Prep School because they hope to turn pro someday. Living on camp makes it easy to buy a golf cart. Oddly enough a new one of those is also about $10,000 but used ones come up for sale occasionally. Unfortunately it is a seller’s market. Due to limited shed availability at the course, most carts are parked at peoples’ houses. Some people who live off camp park them at a friend’s house on camp. People less than 14 YO are not supposed to drive carts either on the streets or on the course but there is no enforcement of the latter as long as the child is being responsible and this is managed by Recreation. Driving on the streets to get to the course is managed by Security and they may or may not enforce it. Never driver a cart on the street in Dhahran without a golf bag on it. Even adults will be stopped for that. In the other communities, golf carts are just another mode of transportation and it is common to see a dozen or so parked at the commissary. Some people drive them to work in those communities.

Dirt bike riding is currently an option but the available land is disappearing quickly.

With regard to boarding school, if your child already has good study habits, they should transition easily. If your child must be constantly reminded to do homework, hard to wake up to go to school, etc. then they will have a much more difficult time. Most boarding schools do not allow tests to be retaken if the student flunked. That can be a wake-up call for kids used to the SAS system. A fairly large number of moms leave when kids get high school age and live with the kids who go to public or private school in their home country. Of course there is no EAP benefit but they prefer the holistic approach. Tough on dad though.

Dhahran High School is a college preparatory high school. It is a good school and they provide activities for the students who attend there, if the student will get involved. Those who don't get involved with the activities, find themselves without much to do, except the golf and horseback riding.

Although, there is a Recreation Center for high school students in Dhahran and Aramco has a full time employee who opens the center and runs activities for students in high school. Yes, it is very much more active when the boarding school students return for a visit, but it does have activities for those living here, again if they will get involved. The man who is over the student center is wonderful with the students. I know him personally and our boys and daughter were involved with the activities when they were here. (my 4 kids are all adults now)

Why don't more kids go to DHS? Prior to 2000, there were no high schools here. All expat students when they reached 10th grade, had to go to boarding school. The Jr. High School here in Dhahran and other Aramco compounds are all very good at promoting going to boarding school. DHS usually is also at the presentations, but boarding schools are really pushed. When we arrived in 2001, boarding school parents bad mouthed DHS without knowing a thing about the school, for whatever reason. This practice continues today, again for whatever reason. Yes, our older son went to DHS for a year, our friends' kids went to DHS and graduated there. They all received an excellent education and were accepted into the University of their choice - before our son went, I went to the school and saw where the entire senior class had been accepted into colleges and most of the kids were accepted into all the schools they applied to - private and public universities all over the world, Ivy League universities, etc.

[Since you will want to know why only a year: For us, the reason our boys did not both go there, was our youngest wanted to play baseball in college. That is the one sport here that stops at Little League age. We returned our boys to the U.S. TX public school system where they finished high school. (FYI: Yes, our son was recruited by a University to play baseball) Our daughter was in her Junior year (April) of High school, so the wife and kids did not follow until after she graduated the following year - it was the best choice for our family. Our oldest son was already in college.]

himni,

I highly question that five child limit in Kingdom (I would get a written verification of that). There are numerous families here exceeding that currently. The compound housing rules also don't support that. A 4 bedroom house is reserved for families with 4 to 6 children, and a 5 bedroom house is reserved for families that have 5 to 8 children. It's a clear and defined rule here. I have a hard time believing the 5 child limit. But I must say those 5 bedroom homes are very hard to come by...
-CT