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mistajess
Joined: 16 Mar 2005
Posts: 4
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 Posted: Thu Dec 26, 2013 9:13 pm Post subject: ESL Jobs in Dubai |
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Hello everyone,
I'm sure this has been asked before but perhaps there is some new information that previous threads didn't mention.
I'm interesting in finding an ESL job in Dubai but have thus far been unable to find any solid leads. The few connections I thought I had (former colleague's brother, friend of a family friend) didn't pan out. I don't have a teaching certificate, I do however have an MFA in Writing and a considerable amount of experience in teaching and communication skills like writing, editing and public speaking in English (obviously). I'm curious if anyone here could point me to another job listing or board which may have some information on jobs available (preferably teaching adults but I do have experience with children). I've done the Thailand and Korea thing and want to see more of the world. If anyone sees this yes I posted a very similar message in the Bahrain board, I'm casting a wide net  .
Any help would be great. Thanks and happy holidays. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Thu Dec 26, 2013 9:26 pm Post subject: |
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| An MFA won't likely get you hired for teaching English because it's unrelated to TEFL. However, give New York University-Abu Dhabi a quick look; they usually post positions for their writing center. Also check out higheredjobs.com and chronicle.com for uni-level jobs focusing on writing. |
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mistajess
Joined: 16 Mar 2005
Posts: 4
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| Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 12:09 am Post subject: |
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Thanks. I'll definitely look into those. I should say though, I'm not just looking for writing-related jobs, so any other job boards for the region would be great as well.
Yeah, the MFA is much higher in academia, a terminal degree until there is a PhD in creative writing, and shows a dedication to language arts, but it's not specifically suited to ESL teaching and most people don't seem to understand what the initials mean if they aren't TOEFL or TEFL or some other specific certificate. Sigh. But that's what the previous work experience is for. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 2:58 am Post subject: |
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Of course, another problem for you is that your previous experience wasn't with Arabic speakers, so it won't spark much interest either. The Middle East is a very different market than Asia.
So, is an MFA only in Creative Writing? That is not related at all to 90% of the teaching in the Gulf. Writing means trying to wrangle them into using capital letters, punctuation, and the occasional grammatical one clause sentence... slogging along the way to actual paragraphs... with the end product after 2-3 semesters being an academic essay.
Picking up a CELTA might make you a bit more marketable in this part of the world.
VS |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 3:14 am Post subject: |
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| Just a very small two bits worth, but experience in Asia is valuable in Asia and other markets with a high percentage of Asian native speakers (such as some programs for immigrants or exchange students in Anglophone countries). Elsewhere, it's not highly desired. |
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D. Merit
Joined: 02 May 2008
Posts: 203
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| Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 4:39 am Post subject: |
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| veiledsentiments wrote: |
| The Middle East is a very different market than Asia. |
It amazes me how often on message boards I come across statements 'comparing' the Middle East and Asia.
The Middle East is in Asia.
And of course experience teaching English in Asia, or for that matter experience teaching English anywhere, is of some value to employers in the Middle East.
My first job in the Middle East was in Sharjah, where I worked after three years teaching in SE Asia. Of course that experience was of value. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 5:18 am Post subject: |
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Duh... of course, geographically. But not once in the 15+ years that I taught in the Middle East did any person refer to it as "Asia."
But the fact is that Middle East employers realize that experience in Korea or China or Japan... is nothing like what we are teaching in the Middle East. The students have near mirror opposite needs and skills. Too often teachers from the "Far East" (if you prefer) have taught nothing but conversation classes.
VS |
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rtm
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 1003
Location: US
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| Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 8:35 am Post subject: |
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| veiledsentiments wrote: |
| Too often teachers from the "Far East" (if you prefer) have taught nothing but conversation classes. |
VS, I think you hit the nail on the head here. I think what is more important than "teaching in Asia" and "teaching in the Middle East" is the content of the teaching. Based on my own experiences, teaching writing to advanced students in Asia, teaching writing to advanced students in the US, and teaching writing to advanced students in the Middle East were really not so different to the extent that teaching skills didn't transfer, and I know that my experiences in Asia helped me to get jobs at universities in the US and in the Middle East because that experience was in high-level EAP writing. So, rather than saying that teaching experience in Asia is not valuable in other places in the world, I think it would be more accurate to talk about what kinds of teaching experience are valued for jobs teaching specific skills at a certain level. |
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D. Merit
Joined: 02 May 2008
Posts: 203
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| Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 9:23 am Post subject: |
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| veiledsentiments wrote: |
| Duh... |
Well, quite.
| veiledsentiments wrote: |
of course, geographically. |
So the 'Asia' you refer to when comparing it to the Middle East is where, exactly?
| Quote: |
| But not once in the 15+ years that I taught in the Middle East did any person refer to it as "Asia." |
I don't remember ever referring to my birthplace as being 'Europe' either.
Your point is? |
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D. Merit
Joined: 02 May 2008
Posts: 203
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| Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 9:32 am Post subject: |
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| veiledsentiments wrote: |
Too often teachers from the "Far East" (if you prefer) have taught nothing but conversation classes.
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South East / East Asia.
Really not that complicated.
I taught in SE Asia (see what i did there) for more than 15 years and I think in that time I probably taught no more than 100 hours in total of conversational English.
In any case, I was not saying that ME employers give equal weight to SE Asia experience when compared to ME experience.
Merely that SE and East Asian experience was not dismissed as meaningless.
But hey, I only have 15 years experience in SE Asia and 10 in the gulf so I'm sure you remain the expert on this topic. |
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D. Merit
Joined: 02 May 2008
Posts: 203
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| Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 9:49 am Post subject: |
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| rtm wrote: |
| I think it would be more accurate to talk about what kinds of teaching experience are valued for jobs teaching specific skills at a certain level. |
Well put.
I spent 8 years teaching mostly IELTS at the British Council in Singapore.
Useless in the Middle East?
I think not.
Silly generalisations from people who've worked in probably Asia's most backward educational climate can be a little frustrating. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 3:44 pm Post subject: |
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Fortunately the only problem here your obsession, but feel free to vent.
VS |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 4:03 pm Post subject: |
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| rtm wrote: |
| So, rather than saying that teaching experience in Asia is not valuable in other places in the world, I think it would be more accurate to talk about what kinds of teaching experience are valued for jobs teaching specific skills at a certain level. |
It is up to the applicant - in any job application/anywhere in the world - to sell how their experience fits into the advertised job. Even if one taught university level, it doesn't mean that experience included more than speaking/listening classes.
But this thread was still in generalities... and not every detail gets posted in every post any of us makes. Not enough hours in the day. Stickies would be helpful.
VS |
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rtm
Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 1003
Location: US
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| Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 4:27 pm Post subject: |
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| veiledsentiments wrote: |
| It is up to the applicant - in any job application/anywhere in the world - to sell how their experience fits into the advertised job. |
Yes, that's very true. That's why I think advice that (and I'm paraphrasing here) "any experience anywhere in Asia is of little value anywhere else in the world" is a bit too general, and often inaccurate (as such general statements tend to be). Discouraging people (in general, not specifically this thread) solely because their previous teaching experiences were somewhere in Asia is problematic because it gives people the impression that experience in Asia is a black mark on their CV, rather than telling them the kind of experience they would need to have/get in order to be competitive elsewhere.
I agree with you that, in the end, each applicant needs to assess how their skills and experience fit the requirements of each job they apply for. |
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