Filipino teachers in Kuwait work in schools across the country, usually in private and international schools, and they send balikbayan boxes home like every other OFW. Their situation differs in a few ways. Their schedules follow a school calendar. Their days are fixed by timetables. Many have children of their own in the Philippines who are in school while they teach other people’s children abroad. And they have a skill that shapes what they send: they know exactly which books, supplies, and learning materials will help a child.

This guide covers how teachers in Kuwait can plan around the school calendar, what to send, how to pack educational materials, and how to make a box useful both to your own family and to relatives who teach back home.

Working Around a School Schedule

Pickup timing. Teachers are in the classroom for most of the day, so a standard weekday daytime pickup can be hard to attend. When you book through WhatsApp (+965-55913895), state your availability up front, for example “after 3pm on weekdays” or “Friday or Saturday morning.” Kuwait’s weekend falls on Friday and Saturday, so these are often the easiest days. Confirm the window with the Jeezan team the day before.

School-provided accommodation. Some teachers live in accommodation arranged through the school. If your building has restricted access or a security desk, tell the Jeezan team the exact entry procedure when you book, and let building security know in advance that a cargo team is coming.

Coordinate with colleagues. If several Filipino teachers at your school or in your building are sending around the same time, one coordinated pickup is easier on everyone’s schedule. One person books, everyone has their box ready, and the team collects them in a single visit. Group sending also makes it easier to meet the minimum order for the Regular Carton (3 pieces), L Carton (2 pieces), and Jumbo Carton (2 pieces).

Planning Around the School Calendar

Your teaching year gives you natural sending anchors. Exact dates vary by school and curriculum, so check your own school’s calendar.

The summer break box. If you travel home during the long summer break, send a box four to six weeks before you leave. It can carry the heavier things you would rather not put in your suitcase and have them waiting at home when you arrive. Count back from your travel date through the full transit cycle, which is typically six to ten weeks to onshore destinations, and add a buffer.

The back-to-school box for your own children. The Philippine school year typically opens in June. A box with school supplies, bags, and shoes should leave Kuwait between January and March. Send it earlier for provincial or island addresses.

The Christmas box. Send in September or October. School calendars get busy in the first term, so book early rather than leaving it until you are marking exams.

The end-of-contract box. If you are finishing your contract and returning home, send a comprehensive box four to six weeks before you leave. It can carry books, teaching materials, and personal items you have accumulated.

What Teachers Commonly Send

For Your Own Children’s Education

You know better than most what a child needs to learn well, so use that knowledge.

Books at the right level. Graded readers, chapter book series, and age-appropriate reference books. Confirm each child’s current reading level with their teacher or your family before buying.

Workbooks. Math, English, and science workbooks. Confirm they match what the child’s school is teaching so they support the classroom rather than confuse it.

Quality stationery. Pencil sets, geometry sets, notebooks, highlighters, and pens from Jarir, Lulu, or Carrefour often cost less and last longer than the basic options available locally.

School bags and shoes. Confirm sizes before buying. Children grow quickly, so ask the guardian for current measurements.

Educational games and learning aids. Puzzles, math games, and building sets that make learning interactive.

A device for study. If a child is old enough to need a laptop or tablet for schoolwork, it is one of the most useful single items you can send. It needs full electronics packing (silica gel, bubble wrap, center-middle placement away from liquids) and a specific entry on your packing list with serial number.

For Relatives Who Teach in the Philippines

Many teachers in the Philippines buy classroom materials with their own money. If you have a sibling, parent, or other relative who teaches, a box of classroom supplies is a very practical gift:

Markers, chart paper, manila paper, colored paper, and craft supplies. Flashcards, picture cards, and alphabet and number charts. Stickers, stamps, and reward items for students. Whiteboard markers and erasers. A set of storybooks suited to the grades they teach. A laminator pouch set if they already have a laminator.

Ask your relative what they actually need. Teachers know their own classrooms, and the most useful items are specific.

For the Wider Family and Community

Some Filipino teachers in Kuwait also collect children’s books, school supplies, and bags for a nephew, niece, or a small school or barangay library in their home community. If you plan to send a larger quantity for a community project, contact Jeezan Cargo first. A large number of identical items can look like commercial stock, and a very large donation may need separate arrangements.

Personal Items and Gifts

Quality professional clothing for a graduate or a young relative starting a teaching career. A good watch, a bag, or a fragrance. Arabic dates and Gulf specialty items, which families who have received them tend to request again. A handwritten letter for each family member.

Packing Educational Materials Correctly

Books and paper products need specific care for a humid sea voyage.

Moisture first. Seal books, workbooks, charts, and flashcards in zip-lock bags with the air pressed out. Add silica gel packets near the paper items. Do not place paper at the bottom of the box.

Weight. Books are denser than they look. Twenty books can weigh 10 to 16 kilograms. Weigh your selection before packing and spread the weight evenly across the base of the box. For a heavy book load, consider splitting across two boxes or using an L Trunk or XL Trunk.

Posters and charts. Large charts can crease. Keep them flat inside a sturdy cardboard sleeve, or roll them loosely inside a cardboard tube. Do not fold laminated sheets sharply.

Flashcards and small items. Keep sets together in labeled bags. Small items fill gaps well and protect fragile things.

Art supplies. Pack paints, glue, and any liquids using the three-layer method (cling film under the cap, tape around the neck, a zip-lock bag), and keep them away from paper and books.

Electronics. Laptops, tablets, and projectors need moisture protection and center-box positioning. A projector with a lamp is fragile and a high-value item, so declare it specifically and consider whether it needs more protection than a carton gives.

Keep school property out. Only send items that belong to you. Do not include textbooks, equipment, or materials owned by your school.

Copyright and photocopies. Send original books and workbooks you have bought, not bulk photocopies of copyrighted material.

Packing List and Declaration

List books by title or series and approximate value, supplies by type and quantity, and electronics by brand, model, and serial number. For example:

“5 children’s chapter books, Magic Tree House series, value approximately 2 KD each”
“3 Singapore Math workbooks, Grade 4, value approximately 3 KD each”
“1 laptop, [brand and model], serial number [number], value approximately [KD]”
“1 pack whiteboard markers, 12 pieces, value approximately 3 KD”

Put one copy inside the box, keep one yourself, and send one to your recipient. If you send several boxes with high-value items in a year, track your total declared value against the ₱150,000 annual tax-free threshold.

Budgeting as a Teacher

Teachers often have a steady monthly income, which makes it easier to plan a regular sending rhythm. A few suggestions:

Set aside a fixed monthly amount for box savings so you are not caught short when school expenses peak. Keep your monthly remittance constant and send boxes from savings above that, rather than reducing the remittance in a month when you send a box. Choose the box size before you shop, so you buy what fits instead of overbuying.

Current Jeezan Cargo cash promo rates (onshore Philippine destinations): Regular Carton 22 KD (minimum 3 pcs), L Carton 27 KD (minimum 2 pcs), Jumbo Carton 30 KD (minimum 2 pcs), XL Carton 38 KD, Big Drum 35 KD, L Trunk 65 KD, XL Trunk 95 KD. Offshore destinations may vary. Confirm the current rate when you book.

A Note on the Emotional Side

Many Filipino teachers in Kuwait spend their days teaching other people’s children while their own children grow up at home. A box that arrives with books you chose for a particular child, a letter inside the front cover of each one, and a gift that reflects what you know about how that child learns, is one way to stay involved in their education from a distance.

Write a short inscription in each book. It takes thirty seconds, and it is the part the child is most likely to keep.

Contact Jeezan Cargo

To book your next pickup around your school schedule, or to ask about heavy book loads, electronics, or oversized teaching materials, contact Jeezan Int’l Cargo & Courier Services Inc.

WhatsApp: +965-55913895
Email: info@jeezancargo.com
Website: jeezancargo.com
Kuwait Office: Fahaheel, Block No. 7 Qasariya #1, 64024 Fahaheel, Kuwait
Philippines Office: Mare Angela Compound Bldg #2 M.L Quezon St., Casuntingan, Mandaue City 6014 Cebu Philippines