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SH_Panda
Joined: 31 May 2011 Posts: 455
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Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 3:24 pm Post subject: Possibly making a move out there... |
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Hello all.
I am currently working in China and I am thinking about making the move to somewhere in the Middle East within the next couple of years.
I wondered if you kind souls can help me and let me know what kind of job and salary I could expect (and which country may be best for me), taking into account the following:
- I am a 28 year old British male.
- I have a BA degree.
- By the time I move I will have had 5 years experience teaching a mixture of children and adults in Thailand, Korea and China.
- I have a CELTA qualification.
- I am married to a Chinese lady and we have a son.
- I want them to come with me!
Could the family part be a problem in the Middle East? Obviously that's the biggest thing for me to be sure of before I take the plunge. Mrs Panda has visited the ME before, so she already knows how she will have to dress and behave. I am mostly concerned by living arrangements for families in terms of housing/visas etc.
Absolutely any help that any of you can offer would be fantastic
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 11454 Location: The real world
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Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 4:37 pm Post subject: Re: Possibly making a move out there... |
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SH_Panda wrote: |
I am currently working in China and I am thinking about making the move to somewhere in the Middle East within the next couple of years.
I wondered if you kind souls can help me and let me know what kind of job and salary I could expect (and which country may be best for me), taking into account the following:
- I am a 28 year old British male.
- I have a BA degree.
- By the time I move I will have had 5 years experience teaching a mixture of children and adults in Thailand, Korea and China.
- I have a CELTA qualification.
- I am married to a Chinese lady and we have a son.
- I want them to come with me!
Could the family part be a problem in the Middle East? Obviously that's the biggest thing for me to be sure of before I take the plunge. Mrs Panda has visited the ME before, so she already knows how she will have to dress and behave. I am mostly concerned by living arrangements for families in terms of housing/visas etc. |
Frankly, your qualifications---not housing and family visa arrangements---will be your biggest obstacle to landing a job in the Gulf. Although you didn't state your BA degree focus or specific teaching experience, be aware that employers in this region generally want to see a related MA and years of relevant experience at the tertiary level. (Relevant experience could entail any of the following: curriculum design, assessment and test design, academic writing, technology in the classroom, etc. Experience teaching children and conversational English won't cut it.) This would be for direct-hire positions.
The closest you might get to working in the region is with a dodgy contractor in Saudi Arabia. However, they're a risky choice. Plus, you most likely wouldn't be able to have your wife and child live with you---you'd be lucky if you could even get visit visas for them.
Other parts of the Middle East tend to hire locally, which means reduced pay and benefits. And then there's the issue of the ongoing instability and socio-political rumblings in several non-Gulf Arab countries. |
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helenl
Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 1202
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Posted: Thu Aug 16, 2012 8:11 pm Post subject: |
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Your family isn't a problem except insofar as you don't qualify for the jobs that pay for them to come with you.
The better jobs require an EFL/ESL related master's plus a minimum of 3 years post grad experience. These jobs provide tickets, medical, housing and education allowances.
Get the Master's and get experience in writing and reading as a "specialty" those are the weak areas for Arab students. |
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spanglish
Joined: 21 May 2009 Posts: 742 Location: working on that
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Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2012 6:34 pm Post subject: |
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You're British so perhaps you could look at the British Council? They advertise jobs in the Middle East for people with your profile. |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343
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Posted: Mon Aug 20, 2012 6:22 am Post subject: |
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Employers often SAY that they want teachers with a Masters Degree. They still recruit those without. As my frind from Oklahoma was wont to say,"They want WHAT ? Well people in hell want iced water !" |
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SH_Panda
Joined: 31 May 2011 Posts: 455
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Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2012 4:39 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the responses guys. Much appreciated
To be honest I expected some answers like those from nomad soul and helenl, as I know I am not particularly well qualified for the more desirable positions over there.
What I would like to do is get a job that pays well enough for us to live whilst I study for and pay for my master's degree. Once I have a master's in progress and I am actually on the ground there I believe that I can search out some better positions in future. One of my friends lives in Riyadh at the moment and that's exactly what he has done. Admittedly he doesn't have a child though
Anyway, I am nothing if not determined and I believe if I try hard enough I will land a job in that region that suits us. I don't mind starting off on the bottom rung and working hard if there are opportunities in the future to move up the ladder.
Spanglish, thanks I will try the British Council. Good suggestion
Scot47, yes that's what I have found too, even here in East Asia. If demand outstrips supply then the ball is in the teacher's court Thanks for the encouragement.
Any more help or suggestions from anybody would be great. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA
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Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2012 1:18 am Post subject: |
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One caution... a problem with the lower level jobs is that they often do not provide an iqama. They do not make it clear that not only will they bring you over on a "work visit visa" or some odd nomenclature, they will have no intention of providing you with a legal work visa/iqama. Without one, you will not be able to bring your family.
Be sure to confirm with other teachers where you are hired that they are providing you with an iqama quickly so that you can bring the family. Even at best, it may take a few months. Be prepared for that.
Check this out carefully as recruiters and contractors are notorious for making promises that they have no intention of keeping.
Now if this detail makes you nervous (and it should), you may want to look at Oman. You would qualify for their entry level jobs in the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Manpower. The money is not as good, but the lifestyle will certainly be better for your wife. Many of the teachers that take these jobs do so with the intention of working on their MA online.
VS |
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SH_Panda
Joined: 31 May 2011 Posts: 455
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Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2012 1:21 am Post subject: |
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veiledsentiments wrote: |
One caution... a problem with the lower level jobs is that they often do not provide an iqama. They do not make it clear that not only will they bring you over on a "work visit visa" or some odd nomenclature, they will have no intention of providing you with a legal work visa/iqama. Without one, you will not be able to bring your family.
Be sure to confirm with other teachers where you are hired that they are providing you with an iqama quickly so that you can bring the family. Even at best, it may take a few months. Be prepared for that.
Check this out carefully as recruiters and contractors are notorious for making promises that they have no intention of keeping.
Now if this detail makes you nervous (and it should), you may want to look at Oman. You would qualify for their entry level jobs in the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Manpower. The money is not as good, but the lifestyle will certainly be better for your wife. Many of the teachers that take these jobs do so with the intention of working on their MA online.
VS |
Great advice, VS. Thanks a lot
Oman is a country I had never even considered, but from doing a little reading around it looks like a decent prospect. |
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