Site Search:
 
Get TEFL Certified & Start Your Adventure Today!
Teach English Abroad and Get Paid to see the World!
Job Discussion Forums Forum Index Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!"
 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

Uni Positions in GCC / TESOL Arabia Conference 2014 advice
Goto page 1, 2  Next
 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> United Arab Emirates
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Bowden_PSM



Joined: 23 Jun 2004
Posts: 9
Location: outside Abu Dhabi

PostPosted: Sun Feb 02, 2014 6:24 am    Post subject: Uni Positions in GCC / TESOL Arabia Conference 2014 advice Reply with quote

I am a 33 year old Canadian and hold an MEd. (Second Language Education - Toronto/OISE). In addition, I have a 250/50 hour (theory/pract.) TEFL Ontario accreditation, a 100 hour Online TEFL (Korea) and the following 10 years experience:

Post M.Ed

2 years - Canadian Public College (part time) - Academic Writing
1 year - International Language School (Canada) - Academic Preparation/University pathways preparation (many GCC students)

Pre M.Ed.

2.5 years - Korean University - EFL Communication, limited AP, teacher training
1 year - Middle School (Korea) - Conversation
1 year - Private Business School (Japan) - Conversation
2.5 Years - Private after-school academy (Korea) - Conversation

I have booked a trip to Dubai/Muscat in early March and am registered for the TESOL Arabia conference. I would like to live in Oman, but my wife cannot easily get a job there (works in luxury hotels), so we are aiming for Dubai.

Here are my questions:

1) What are my chances of landing a uni job with a reasonable salary and benefits? I am not looking for 20,000 and would be fine with 13,000 and housing; more would be better if it was offered. I have read that competition is tight, but have not read any anecdotes to determine how competitive it is on a scale. I find it quite competitive in Canada for good jobs. Are 100 applying to 1 position like in Korea and Canada?

2) What should I be doing to prepare for the job fair at the conference? What aspects of my CV should I be tweaking? I have noticed a few posts about emphasizing the technological for example.

3) Assuming I get what I come for and land an offer, what happens next? Do they inform you of potential offers during the conference, or do you wait until far later when they get back to you.

I understand people post questions like this all the time on here, but I was looking anyway for some advice that matched my personal situation.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Sir Better



Joined: 21 Aug 2010
Posts: 8

PostPosted: Sun Feb 02, 2014 1:32 pm    Post subject: Getting a job Reply with quote

I'd say you're in with a chance, but your experience and qualifications don't quite hit the nail on the head. A TEFL diploma and an ELT Masters would be better qualifications and they'd prefer to see more EAP teaching experience. I'm pretty sure you'd get a job in Oman and easily in Saudi. There's also a Kuwait job on the TESOL Arabia job board right now that might suit you.
Getting a job in Dubai will be quite a lot harder. You also have to be very careful about housing, as rents are accelerating hard while housing allowances are shrinking, so you could lose a big chunk of your salary to pay for the rent. You may well also have to pay agents' fees, municipality taxes and a large deposit for utilities. Take nothing for granted and ask lots of questions all the time. If you get a job here it won't make you rich! Somewhere like IAT might be worth a shot.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
MuscatGary



Joined: 03 Jun 2013
Posts: 1364
Location: Flying around the ME...

PostPosted: Sun Feb 02, 2014 1:35 pm    Post subject: Re: Uni Positions in GCC / TESOL Arabia Conference 2014 advi Reply with quote

Bowden_PSM wrote:

I have booked a trip to Dubai/Muscat in early March and am registered for the TESOL Arabia conference. I would like to live in Oman, but my wife cannot easily get a job there (works in luxury hotels), so we are aiming for Dubai..


Why not? There's loads of 5 star hotels in Muscat. Tell her to check out bayt.com
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Sun Feb 02, 2014 4:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I second MuscatGary's comment as to your wife's chances in Muscat.

Also, your CV is better suited for Oman jobs which are easier to get. Of course, one glitch may be that most of their jobs on offer are not in Muscat.

Your pre-masters experience will be of no use and your post-masters is... not quite what will please them (part-time + language school). Write your application stressing your experience in teaching Academic Writing and university prep... and that it included Arabic speakers. Experience with various educational technology should also be there. Be sure to have "letters of employment" and recommendation letters from both of these.

Being at TESOLArabia will allow you to sell yourself and your experience and certainly improve your chances. As to being immediately informed of an offer? Maybe... but probably not. Many of the employers also attend TESOL in the US and go through all the applications from both and make their decisions after both of them. They are notoriously slow... can be very nerve-wracking.

VS
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Bowden_PSM



Joined: 23 Jun 2004
Posts: 9
Location: outside Abu Dhabi

PostPosted: Mon Feb 03, 2014 3:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you for all the comments so far; they have been helpful.

I am again looking at work in Oman as well as U.A.E. It does not look as promising financially, but the lifestyle seems more interesting. Regrettably, we're looking to build up a down-payment, so U.A.E. remains the focal point.

I passed on the website to my wife. Speaking of her, I have another question. She was born in the Philippines, but emigrated at 17. She is an Australian citizen. Being that there are many Filipinas working in the GCC under less than advantageous conditions, I wounder how she will be treated. At times, reports come up about some of the negative treatment East and South Asians receive. Will she be treated as a second class person in general? Or, will it be a non-issue? I have not read anything definitive either way.

I have looked at some of the HCTs and done some research. They seem hit and miss but likely the best I could be offered. I am unsure what IAT means.

Is it generally advisable to apply to all the individual schools in advance over the internet or wait until the conference for the direct in-person? Is the hiring on right now? As in this very minute, or is the conference the general starting point.

Thank you again in advance.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Gulezar



Joined: 19 Jun 2007
Posts: 483

PostPosted: Mon Feb 03, 2014 4:05 am    Post subject: IAT Reply with quote

Institute of Applied Technology
[url]
https://jobs.abudhabi.ae/en/company/institute-of-applied-technology-1152899/[/url]
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Bowden_PSM



Joined: 23 Jun 2004
Posts: 9
Location: outside Abu Dhabi

PostPosted: Mon Feb 03, 2014 3:14 pm    Post subject: Re: IAT Reply with quote

Gulezar wrote:
Institute of Applied Technology
[url]
https://jobs.abudhabi.ae/en/company/institute-of-applied-technology-1152899/[/url]


Thanks Gulezar. This could be a good place to start and at least get my foot in the door.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Mon Feb 03, 2014 4:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bowden_PSM wrote:
I passed on the website to my wife. Speaking of her, I have another question. She was born in the Philippines, but emigrated at 17. She is an Australian citizen. Being that there are many Filipinas working in the GCC under less than advantageous conditions, I wounder how she will be treated. At times, reports come up about some of the negative treatment East and South Asians receive. Will she be treated as a second class person in general? Or, will it be a non-issue? I have not read anything definitive either way.

She will encounter various levels of racial discrimination around the Gulf. Before all the Russians and Chinese showed up, most of the hookers were Filipinas, usually freelancing during their spare time from their contract job. She will be regularly propositioned... as are all the rest of us females that meet the qualification of breathing. (not sure if all of the men actually require that either) That is just a fact of life that presumably she has dealt with before if she has been working in the hotel trade.

She will find fellow Filipinas at all sorts of jobs there from maids to clerks in stores to entertainers in the hotels to secretaries. If she is mature and has some common sense (don't be alone on the streets late at night... take care with taxis at night... etc), there shouldn't be a big problem.

VS
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
auhruh



Joined: 01 Aug 2013
Posts: 37

PostPosted: Tue Feb 04, 2014 5:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

veiledsentiments wrote:


She will find fellow Filipinas at all sorts of jobs there from maids to clerks in stores to entertainers in the hotels to secretaries.
VS


..As well as doctors, engineers and even teachers. Rolling Eyes
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 3:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

auhruh wrote:
veiledsentiments wrote:


She will find fellow Filipinas at all sorts of jobs there from maids to clerks in stores to entertainers in the hotels to secretaries.
VS


..As well as doctors, engineers and even teachers. Rolling Eyes

Sorry to say that I never met any Filipinas in any of those positions in the 10-15 years that I was there, but obviously am happy to see that the Gulf has expanded their hiring in this positive manner.

So don't strain anything rolling your little eyeballs.

Sadly, that fact won't stop the local males from acting like a s s holes.

VS
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
rtm



Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 1003
Location: US

PostPosted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 7:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

veiledsentiments wrote:
auhruh wrote:
..As well as doctors, engineers and even teachers. Rolling Eyes

Sorry to say that I never met any Filipinas in any of those positions in the 10-15 years that I was there, but obviously am happy to see that the Gulf has expanded their hiring in this positive manner.

I've also seen quite a few Filipinas working in professional roles -- teachers, librarians, doctors (though more nurses), dentists, pharmacists, etc. That said, these people are usually still paid less than a westerner would be for doing the same job.

Also, I don't doubt that it happens, but I asked my wife and she's never been propositioned. Still, I agree that it's good to be aware that it might happen.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 4:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Does she never go out on her own? One does learn to ignore them after a few years of the aggravation. It helped that I would take my walks during the normal "nap time," but it never seemed to matter how conservative one dressed or the fact that I was old enough to be their mother or even grandmother. The most offensive were the locals who would drive up in their big expensive car and try to pick you up when their wife was in the back seat with the kids. My Egyptian street Arabic helped get rid of them...

VS
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Geronimo



Joined: 11 Apr 2007
Posts: 498

PostPosted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 6:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Last night I made the mistake of watching
a splendid episode of "Life on Mars" -
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2007/02_february/01/mars.shtml on OSN directly after reading one of VS's posts...
Spooky!!! Laughing

Anyway, escaping back to 2014...

You and your wife might be interested in the "Kabayan Weekly"
Bowden_PSM - as it covers the U.A.E. news and developments from a Filipino/a perspective:-
www.kabayanweekly.com and https://www.facebook.com/KabayanWeekly

Geronimo
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
rtm



Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 1003
Location: US

PostPosted: Wed Feb 05, 2014 7:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

veiledsentiments wrote:
Does she never go out on her own? One does learn to ignore them after a few years of the aggravation.

She has commented on the stares she gets, and how that (initially) made her a bit uncomfortable, but she's learned to ignore that, and she's never been approached. She does go out on her own. She drives herself to work and shopping, and to meet friends at cafes. I suppose she doesn't often go out walking along the side of the road by herself (though she has on occasion), which might explain it a bit.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Bowden_PSM



Joined: 23 Jun 2004
Posts: 9
Location: outside Abu Dhabi

PostPosted: Thu Feb 06, 2014 1:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Geronimo wrote:


You and your wife might be interested in the "Kabayan Weekly"
Bowden_PSM - as it covers the U.A.E. news and developments from a Filipino/a perspective:-
www.kabayanweekly.com and https://www.facebook.com/KabayanWeekly

Geronimo


Thank you. I will pass the links on to my wife. Oddly, though she is aware things may not be so rosy all the time, she is still inclined to go more than I am at times.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Job Discussion Forums Forum Index -> United Arab Emirates All times are GMT
Goto page 1, 2  Next
Page 1 of 2

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling.
Contact Dave's ESL Cafe
Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved.

Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group

Teaching Jobs in China
Teaching Jobs in China