Job Discussion Forums

spanglish · Joined: 21 May 2009 Posts: 742 Location: working on that

I'm in Tripoli now. It's better than you might expect, not quite apocalyptic. And yes, the people are very friendly as long as they aren't killing each other and the students tend to be quite decent.

I wouldn't recommend it for more than 6 months and definitely wouldn't recommend any teaching job I know of in Tripoli. This place makes a man out of you, you gotta be strong or you go crazy. I'm just finishing up a year living here full time. I left the country 6 times in the last year and that was nowhere near enough.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

For anyone who has done a stint in Qassim, Hail, Jaizan or other provincial towns in Saudi Arabia, Tripoli is EASY. Compared to Riyadh, this place is like Paris !

spanglish · Joined: 21 May 2009 Posts: 742 Location: working on that

Yep, there are plenty of coffee shops and the view of the sea is nice. Certainly, there are plenty of worse places in the world. That said, it's a tough place to live.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Perhaps Spanglish only had experience of Pasadena and San Francisco before committing himself to Tripoli?

spanglish · Joined: 21 May 2009 Posts: 742 Location: working on that

You don't have to be nasty.

I spent the previous six years living and working in the developing world, inner city San Salvador, rural, urban and conflict areas of Colombia, etc. That said, it's my first experience in the Muslim world so it's been a big adjustment.

Regardless of my experience Tripoli is a very tough place to live. There are very few foreigners here right now and of the few who come many can't hack it for more than a few months.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

6 leave tickets in 12 months. You must be on rotation with an oil company ! I know people teaching in schools in Tripoli who get two leaves a year.

What is so tough about life in Tripoli ?

dragonpiwo · Joined: 04 Mar 2013 Posts: 1650 Location: Berlin

I've lived in Saudi and Libya, so have some perspective here. The very worst of Saudi is a million times better than Tripoli. Disregarding the gun fights and kidnap threat (read the FCO advice) there's just nothing to do there and very few opps for social meets etc. There are no decent gyms to pass the time and the net is pathetic. I think everyone agrees that their favourite place in Libya is the airport. It doesn't help that companies are becoming increasingly more racist...with locals reaping all the rewards of this revolution that so far has changed very little. Unlike our colleagues we haven't got a dollar extra. Libya is about earning and nothing more. Forget travelling around the country....it's unsafe and the companies usually have your passport for admin reasons anyway. I don't believe anything anyone tells me here anymore.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Can't you leave ?

dragonpiwo · Joined: 04 Mar 2013 Posts: 1650 Location: Berlin

Not easy to leave no...especially if you have residency.

dragonpiwo · Joined: 04 Mar 2013 Posts: 1650 Location: Berlin

Read 'The Libya Herald' if you want to know how unsafe the place is.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Are you being held captive ?

randm · Joined: 24 Nov 2011 Posts: 9

Who do you work for? and why do you have residency?

dragonpiwo · Joined: 04 Mar 2013 Posts: 1650 Location: Berlin

Been in Libya ages...come from Albion and work in the 'field'. We have one year residents permits.....always have had. We need an exit visa.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

So you are a captive of the Moors ?

dragonpiwo · Joined: 04 Mar 2013 Posts: 1650 Location: Berlin

Ultimately I choose to do this job. However, in all the years I've been in this country.....the general consensus is in our company that things have never been so bad. Maybe they want the expats to all leave....who knows. That would require a plan and they seem to be in short supply these days.