Schools in Saudi Arabia

One of the problems faced by expatriates working in Saudi Arabia is that of schooling for their children. Government-run schools in the kingdom are exclusively meant for Saudi and Arab children. The only option left for expatriates is to try in the so-called "International" schools.

Westerners usually prefer to educate their children in schools which follow either British or American system of education. School fees are quite expensive in such schools and I would advise you to include educational expenses for your children as part of your employment contract, or else it would put a big hole in your pocket.
Almost all of these "International" schools are co-educational, and are concentrated in bigger cities like Jeddah, Riyadh, Jubail, Al-Khobar, etc.
Non-westerners usually have their own national schools, each following the syllabus in their respective countries. The Ministry of Education monitors the running of these schools by having an observer for each of the community schools.
Primary education is not much of a problem here, but expatriates working in Saudi Arabia must take into account the risks of secondary education in the kingdom. Typically, as the child moves into higher classes, he or she moves away from the "real" world back home, in the sense that the competitive spirit required for higher education is almost absent. This could be quite a problem when the child returns home and faces competitive examinations.
There is also the problem of high turnover of qualified and experienced teachers from schools in Saudi Arabia. Almost all the female teachers in the kingdom are dependent on their husbands, i.e., they are not sponsored by their schools but are dependent exaptriate wives and so when the husband leaves the country, so does the teacher. This could be quite a pain, particularly for higher classes. You should not expect a high standard in the schools here as in your home country.
Getting admission into any of the private schools is quite easy. The usual custom in International schools in the kingdom when you join your child mid-way through the academic session, is to charge you from the beginning of the academic year, so please be prepared for this too.
Qualified and experienced teachers are quite scarce, and you must be prepared to shell out money for private tuitions, in case your children are in higher classes. Westerners usually charge on hourly basis while non-western teachers generally charge a monthly flat fee for private tuitions. In almost all cases, it is a one-to-one arrangement between the parent and the teacher. It would be worthwhile to bring the required books and CDs from your home country, as they may not always be available here all the time.
There is always a demand for qualified and experienced female teachers, but I would advise potential teachers to be choosy about the schools where they teach. The best way would be to enquire with fellow expatriates about the reputation of the school where they propose to join. Remember that cultural differences among different nationalities could sometimes be quite stressful for the teacher.
Finally, you as an expatriate working in Saudi Arabia must make a judicious decision considering all these factors.