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Advice on Qatar EFL gigs
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substance



Joined: 15 Dec 2003
Posts: 38

PostPosted: Thu Aug 07, 2014 8:08 pm    Post subject: Advice on Qatar EFL gigs Reply with quote

Hi there!

I've got an MA in Applied Linguistics (TEFL) from a UK uni plus a CELTA, and I've been teaching in KSA since 2003/4. Did around 6 years at the British Council and I'm currently at KFUPM in Dhahran.

Question:

I'm getting fed up of KSA (so are my three teens) and want to try another Gulf country. Does Qatar have any decent positions (good pay, relaxed management, kids school fees paid) that I could get given my humble qualifications and experience? If so, where? My currently salary is touching 16,000 SAR plus 25,000 for kids schooling (capped) and housing/meds/etc.

Cheers!
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The Fifth Column



Joined: 11 Jun 2014
Posts: 331
Location: His habitude with lexical items protrudes not unlike a damaged pollex!!!

PostPosted: Thu Aug 07, 2014 8:15 pm    Post subject: Re: Advice on Qatar EFL gigs Reply with quote

substance wrote:
Hi there!

I've got an MA in Applied Linguistics (TEFL) from a UK uni plus a CELTA, and I've been teaching in KSA since 2003/4. Did around 6 years at the British Council and I'm currently at KFUPM in Dhahran.

Question:

I'm getting fed up of KSA (so are my three teens) and want to try another Gulf country. Does Qatar have any decent positions (good pay, relaxed management, kids school fees paid) that I could get given my humble qualifications and experience? If so, where? My currently salary is touching 16,000 SAR plus 25,000 for kids schooling (capped) and housing/meds/etc.

Cheers!


I'd be more fed up with working for "my three teens" tuition!

KFUPM is not known for being dependent-tuition friendly!
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rtm



Joined: 13 Apr 2007
Posts: 1003
Location: US

PostPosted: Thu Aug 07, 2014 8:39 pm    Post subject: Re: Advice on Qatar EFL gigs Reply with quote

substance wrote:
I'm getting fed up of KSA (so are my three teens) and want to try another Gulf country. Does Qatar have any decent positions (good pay, relaxed management, kids school fees paid) that I could get given my humble qualifications and experience? If so, where?

You could try the Academic Bridge Program at Qatar Foundation or maybe Qatar University.
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Thu Aug 07, 2014 9:23 pm    Post subject: Re: Advice on Qatar EFL gigs Reply with quote

substance wrote:
Does Qatar have any decent positions (good pay, relaxed management, kids school fees paid) that I could get given my humble qualifications and experience? If so, where?

Plan to attend TESOL Arabia's job fair next year---both Qatar U and the Community College of Qatar were there recruiting this past March.
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substance



Joined: 15 Dec 2003
Posts: 38

PostPosted: Fri Aug 08, 2014 3:35 am    Post subject: Re: Advice on Qatar EFL gigs Reply with quote

[/quote]

I'd be more fed up with working for "my three teens" tuition!

KFUPM is not known for being dependent-tuition friendly![/quote]

Indeed! The 25,000 KFUPM grant covers one kid in a pretty mediocre international school. The rest comes from my pocket and yes, I'm fed up with working for it!
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tmac-100



Joined: 23 Nov 2006
Posts: 137

PostPosted: Fri Aug 08, 2014 10:20 am    Post subject: Re: Advice on Qatar EFL gigs Reply with quote

substance wrote:


I'd be more fed up with working for "my three teens" tuition!

KFUPM is not known for being dependent-tuition friendly![/quote]

Indeed! The 25,000 KFUPM grant covers one kid in a pretty mediocre international school. The rest comes from my pocket and yes, I'm fed up with working for it![/quote]

There is NO utopia! With apologies to those who left Rhodesia, "When we" lived in our home and native lands, we worked and paid for our kids schooling - usually with after tax dollars! Millions of citizens in AU, US, UK, yadda STILL do, and are possible at least as sick of it as you allege to be.

Consider yourself to be "lucky" enough to have the flexibility to be an ex-pat ESL teacher. I have several graduate degrees and STILL pay taxes to my home country, but that is because I choose to do so - and yes, I still help my 20+ y.o. children with schooling expenses.

No flames necessary. Be thankful you are not on some leaky boat leaving a terrible situation for a hopefully better place. Perspective puts it in place ...
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The Fifth Column



Joined: 11 Jun 2014
Posts: 331
Location: His habitude with lexical items protrudes not unlike a damaged pollex!!!

PostPosted: Fri Aug 08, 2014 12:58 pm    Post subject: Re: Advice on Qatar EFL gigs Reply with quote

[tmac-100 tried to quote]
The Fifth Column wrote:


I'd be more fed up with working for "my three teens" tuition!

KFUPM is not known for being dependent-tuition friendly!


substance wrote:
Indeed! The 25,000 KFUPM grant covers one kid in a pretty mediocre international school. The rest comes from my pocket and yes, I'm fed up with working for it!


There is NO utopia! With apologies to those who left Rhodesia, "When we" lived in our home and native lands, we worked and paid for our kids schooling - usually with after tax dollars! Millions of citizens in AU, US, UK, yadda STILL do, and are possible at least as sick of it as you allege to be.

Consider yourself to be "lucky" enough to have the flexibility to be an ex-pat ESL teacher. I have several graduate degrees and STILL pay taxes to my home country, but that is because I choose to do so - and yes, I still help my 20+ y.o. children with schooling expenses.

No flames necessary. Be thankful you are not on some leaky boat leaving a terrible situation for a hopefully better place. Perspective puts it in place ...[/quote]

Look, I, like you, now pay taxes for my youngin's schooling...but I DIDN'T put up with the easy life in the Big Sandbox to pay even one halala for my kid's education.

I turned down an offer with KFUPM primarily because they are notorious for exchanging mediocre students for very low pay and practically nil benefits outside medical, housing & tickets vs. the horrible ones (+ O.K. pay + great benefits + compound living I got) when I taught in the military.

I was horrified to read that the OP was paying for the education of three teens off of the pittance KFUPM offers for tuition. Hell! I got 75,000 for my one in the UAE vice the 25k for his three!

There's somethine REALLY wrong in those numbers!
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Fri Aug 08, 2014 2:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Based on what I have heard over the years from complaining parents, few (none?) university level employers pay enough of an education allowance to cover more than 1.5 - 2 kids to a good British or American curriculum international school. (in UAE and Oman) I knew teachers with 3+ kids who used the Filipino or Indian schools.

So... this is something that will need to be checked out carefully... both pay and allowance versus local international school tuition. Keep your calculator handy.

VS
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Fri Aug 08, 2014 3:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Alternately, look into home schooling. Two of my friends did while holding down teaching jobs in KSA---one has a teen who was recently accepted into a university in the US.
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The Fifth Column



Joined: 11 Jun 2014
Posts: 331
Location: His habitude with lexical items protrudes not unlike a damaged pollex!!!

PostPosted: Fri Aug 08, 2014 6:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

nomad soul wrote:
Alternately, look into home schooling. Two of my friends did while holding down teaching jobs in KSA---one has a teen who was recently accepted into a university in the US.


Yes, what is the name of the DeVry University team?

The Fightin' Dunces? Laughing
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Fri Aug 08, 2014 6:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sorry to burst your bubble, bud, but the young man got accepted into a state university. There's absolutely nothing wrong with home schooling as long as it's in compliance with state home education regulations.
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The Fifth Column



Joined: 11 Jun 2014
Posts: 331
Location: His habitude with lexical items protrudes not unlike a damaged pollex!!!

PostPosted: Fri Aug 08, 2014 10:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey! How'd you guess my name, Princess? Laughing
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substance



Joined: 15 Dec 2003
Posts: 38

PostPosted: Sun Aug 10, 2014 3:58 pm    Post subject: Re: Advice on Qatar EFL gigs Reply with quote

tmac-100 wrote:
Consider yourself to be "lucky" enough to have the flexibility to be an ex-pat ESL teacher. I have several graduate degrees and STILL pay taxes to my home country, but that is because I choose to do so - and yes, I still help my 20+ y.o. children with schooling expenses.

No flames necessary. Be thankful you are not on some leaky boat leaving a terrible situation for a hopefully better place. Perspective puts it in place ...


Hmm... Bravo to you. I was merely asking a question about opportunities in Qatar. Didn't expect this kind of response.

Listen, I do appreciate the fact that I am not paying taxes in KSA (nor back to the UK for that matter) and I am fortune to have a pretty easy job. My kids, however, are in a shi**y international school that charges us around 23,000 SAR per head.

I wouldn't mind doing extra work and all to pay for it if there was a clear benefit for them, but at the moment there isn't. One of the better schools in Dammam (ISG) is around 33,000 per kid now.

My fourteen year old sons are in a place that is predominantly filled with Saudi kids, most of whom are getting up to a lot of indecent acts in and outside the bathrooms. So when I say my kids are fed up I know what I'm talking about.
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Mon Aug 11, 2014 12:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Have you considered home schooling as Nomad Soul suggested? It has become quite well organized in the last few years and it is not all religious based if one wants to avoid that.

The internet has made it very feasible. Where I live in the US, there are now options for kids to do all of their studies at home over the net... and it is free since it is considered the public schools.

VS
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substance



Joined: 15 Dec 2003
Posts: 38

PostPosted: Mon Aug 11, 2014 8:59 pm    Post subject: Home Schooling Reply with quote

Yes I have. In fact I'm considering that now for my daughter who's about to start preparing for her IGCSEs next summer. She's due to go into grade 10 this September but ultimately wants to study in a uni outside KSA, either in the UK, Malaysia or somewhere else in the Gulf (depending on the fees).

She doesn't think she needs to stay at an international school merely to get the international school diploma, and wants to get her AS/A levels independently, so she's wondering about simply studying for her exams at home/online/with private tutors once or twice a week.

I haven't really had time to look at all the options yet to be honest, but I really don't think it's worth paying another 75,000 SAR over the next three years for her to go to school in KSA when she can still get into university via an alternative route.
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