Job Discussion Forums

[MahaGala]

Hi all,

I have seen several job ads for the Gibson Schools in Addis Ababa, and even found their seemingly new official website:

http://www.gyaschool.net/

(Didn't see it previously! )

Anyhow, as I am in the process of choosing a country to teach English from January 2014, Ethiopia is one of the 3 locations that I'm considering (the other 2 are Saudi Arabia and Brunei Darussalam - both of these purely for money's sake).

I am a white male, Australian national, raised and educated in both Australia and UK.

Credentials:
* BA Degree in a non-education field
*4 years of teaching experience in China, Thailand and Cambodia.
*Postgraduate Diploma in Education (Major: English)

My questions are:

1) Does anyone here teach or has taught for Gibson Schools previously? If so, what are their requirements in terms of teachers' qualifications/experience? Are they a good company to work for? What's the pay like?

2). Are there any other reputable schools in Addis Ababa? If so, what are they, etc.?.....

3). Is it best to apply in advance, or is it better to just arrive and start looking for work on the ground?

4). What's the visa situation in Ethiopia like? What visa would one most likely enter the country on in the first place? Do reputable schools in Ethiopia provide foreign teachers with work permits?

5). Do schools provide accommodation? If so, is it shared/decent/single etc?.. If not, how much is renting a basic studio/apartment in Addis Ababa cost?

6). Any other important info that a teacher relocating to Addis Ababa should be aware of?

I know that's a lot of questions, but unfortunately I 'googled' endlessly to find out the above info with zero success. I'd actually like to hear from someone who has lived/taught there.

Many Thanks in advance!

Kind regards,

MG

[Mr. English]

There are some comments here:

http://www.eslfocus.com/forums/showthread.php?124-Gibson-School-in-Ethiopia

I would swear there was at least one fairly long thread here at Dave's as well; I have a memory reading it and I thought I posted as well but I can't find it now. My memory is that most, though not all, of the comments were negative due to both pay and work conditions. I began the application process several years ago but stopped because my sense of the woman I was dealing with, who I believe both owns and manages the place, was that she had an attitude of "you should consider yourself lucky if I find you worthy of working here" (this gained from a few emails).

There is a list of schools here. I don't think there is a lot of work in Ethiopia, and I think whatever there is does not pay great, but there might be something and culturally it might be a worthwhile experience.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_schools_in_Ethiopia

[MahaGala]

[MahaGala]

JUST A BRIEF UPDATE.

I have received a response from the lady-boss of the Gibson School, in which she informed me that they are in need of new educators on an all-year-round basis (got me slightly suspicious), asking when would I be considering making the move to AA. I said, Jan/Feb 2014, said we'd 'stay in touch'.
From a few sources I've read on the net about GYA, the pay appears to be dismal even for Ethiopia.... Hence, I made the decision not to go ahead with the plan of relocating there for the time being. I need to save a decent amount of money within the next 2-3 years.

After careful thought, I figured that I'm not cut out for a life in an Islamic State either (that's regarding my plans to seek employment in KSA or Brunei).
I've now decided to seek employment in either a).Japan or b). Korea

So see ya on the Japan/Korea forums!

Also, need to complete this degree first.