Job Discussion Forums

[fayefidalgo]

Good day all,

I'm hoping to glean some knowledge from all of you with plenty of international teaching and living experience...

I am a 32 year old single mom with two 8 year old boys, and I am hoping to work my way to the Mid East within the next year or so. I am looking mostly at UAE, but am open to several other countries (Lebanon, Syria, Palestine/Israel, North Africa, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain etc). I have some travel experience in the Mid East (Palestine/Israel, Jordan, UAE) so feel like i know a little of what to expect in terms of being a single mother/woman etc. But not much at all in terms of working there.

I have a combined degree in Spanish and Anthropology (I know, I should probably go to a spanish speaking country....) and will have a TESOL certification from an accredited American university in the spring. I will have logged about 100 volunteer hours of teaching/assisting, and will have completed a three month student teaching practicum. I also will have completed 2 full years of arabic language study at the university level.

I think that covers my qualifications, now my question is, will I be qualified to teach in UAE? I realize each country has its differences, would I be more suited to another country? I see many listings for private and public schools, universities, corporations etc, and wonder what my options are. Is it far fetched to think that I could work in a school where my kids could get partial or full tuition covered? And these posts that offer airfare, accomodations, transportation, bonuses etc, are they just looking nice, or following through? I've read that recruitment companies should generally be avoided, is that true?
Is it a better idea to try to arrange work online, or travel to the country to get myself set up, if possible?
Is there anything I haven't considered that is really important??

Any answers and advice will be appreciated! And good luck to you all as well....
Thank you so much
W

[Harvey]

Your chances are zero.

[fayefidalgo]

How about an explanation?

[Harvey]

no EFL experience
no teaching licence
no relevant BA
no relevant MA
nobody cares about your voluntary stuff
nobody cares about your language skills
no tertiary experience
cannot share accomodation
having a kid really complicates things
no husband
cost of health care and scholing for two kids

[santi84]

fayefidalgo, please check out the UAE forum for details.

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewforum.php?f=30

[Harvey]

and they will tll you the same

unqualified with 2 kids in tow - what do you think- how would a mexican with no relevant qualifications and 2 kids wanting free accomodation health care and schooling and flights and good pay fare in USA?

[fayefidalgo]

[Justin Trullinger]

Harvey is possibly being a *beep*, possibly on purpose, for all I know.

There's probably some truth in what he's saying, though.

What attracted you to the UAE in the first place? The UAE, and a lot of the middle east in fact is pretty sought after work by EFL teachers, even though the cultural adaptation can be hard, hard, hard. It's a rewarding region in a lot of ways, though, especially if you like your rewards to have dollar signs attached to them.

These rewards enable the UAE, and other middle eastern destinations, to be pretty picky about qualifications. I've not spent time there, understand, but have been considering it- the good jobs I see usually require at least an MA in TESOL or similar, 5 - 10 years experience, and prefer tertiary level teaching experience.

And to support two kids, you're going to need a very good job.

Just my opinion- At this point, you're not really in a position to consider the UAE. If your interest in this area is strong and lasting, get some experience elsewhere, and an MA.

If it was just a passing interest, or based on having heard that conditions are good, I'd say that it's probably not a great option- salaries ARE good there, but by the time you've invested in the MA and spent a few years getting necessary experience...there are just easier ways to make a buck, you know?

Lastly, I don't want to pry, but there may be a cultural issue that will get in your way. You identify yourself as a single mother. Are you widowed? Divorced? Never married?

You'll want to do some cultural research on this, but there are plenty of places on earth where only the first answer is a socially acceptable reason for single motherhood. The other two, depending on where you are and who you're interacting with, can get you dirty looks, social sanctions, the cold shoulder at parties, prison sentences, and in some extreme situations, executed. There are also plenty of places where single parenthood is so normal and common that nary an eyebrow will raise.

I'm not judging your single parenthood. To many people, though, it is an issue. You'll want to be ready, and frankly there are places that I wouldn't consider, based on their attitudes towards single parenting, if I were you.


Best,
Justin

[fayefidalgo]

Thanks Justin, thats pretty much what I was expecting to hear - I appreciate your thoughts put nicely.
As far as the single mother part, I tend to not advertise that openly when traveling in that region, though other than suprise and astonishment, I never really encountered any difficulties in that arena. I do wonder what sort of discrimination I might face when seeking work though.
Thanks for your thoughts, good luck with your own.
W

[denise]

Harvey was a bit harsh, but I have to agree with him... at least for the Gulf. There are some places that will hire BA holders, but you would still need a couple of years of full-time teaching experience. You said you wanted to work your way over here within a year--it would take a bit longer than that to get qualified for the good jobs.

And yes, the schools do follow through on their offers of housing and airfare. The quality of the housing and furnishings varies, though. And some schools will offer partial tuition subsidies for children.

d

[naturegirl321]

Your Arabic speaking abilities, probably, won't help you.
The fact that you are a single mom, might be held against you.

I've never tuaght in that region, just from general experience, knowing the L1 of your students isn't often a requirement to teach there. And if you've got kids, there are extra things to worry about. Such as who will watch them while you work? and where will they go to school=?

WHat they want is: teaching experience and/or an MA.

If you're serious about teaching, try getting an MA; takes a while, at least PT, but you could teach as well. then you'll have BOTH an MA and teaching experience.

You could also apply. There's no harm in that. And if you can get a job now, then more power to you. Good luck.

Lastly, get the work visa BEFORE you arrive

[denise]

[Chancellor]

[naturegirl321]

[Justin Trullinger]