Job Discussion Forums

[straining]

Hello everyone, this is my first post here and I'd like to begin by saying that this community is incredible for its wealth of great advice and information. Now a bit about myself:

I'm a married 32 year old male from the USA with a BA in Government and a minor in Spanish. I'll be attending graduate school next year to earn an MA in ESL. I also tutor English to Latin American immigrants locally and will begin teaching ESL classes this summer - so by the time I finish my MA I should have at least 2-3 years of experience under my belt. Upon completion of my degree I'd like to begin working abroad, and from what I've heard so far the UAE sounds like a great opportunity.

Taking the above info into consideration, I was wondering what I could realistically expect in regards to securing a position shortly after I receive my degree. How difficult would it be to get a decent assignment? What sort of salary range should I expect? What types of organizations would I be attractive to? What kind of wait time from application to actual arrival in UAE should be expected?

Also, are there any opportunities for spouses to get work? My wife has a Master's in Social Work. Are jobs in that field available for foreigners in the UAE? If so, are there any good resources for locating them? And what types of salaries are commanded in this field?

Is it possible to bring a pet (cat) along? How are the veterinary services in that region?

And finally (for now), we will both have large student loans to pay off. Our lifestyle is very modest, and our main goal for the near future is to pay these loans down (which is why the UAE sounds so promising). Is it possible to earn and save enough teaching ESL to pay off student loans? How much on average could we expect to be able to save annually? I'm willing to work up to 40 hours per week if possible.

Also, how does the tax situation work out? Both in country and back in the USA?

I realize a few of these questions may be redundant and general, especially regarding the money aspect, and I have read all the posts on this board, but I'm hoping to get some advice targeted to my specific situation, as well as some anecdotes from people that started off in similar circumstances.

Thanks in advance, and I look forward to reading the replies!

[veiledsentiments]

Hi Straining,

I can answer some of your questions. Like, for instance, I know that you can bring the cat, but I don't know about the advisability of putting an animal through that horrendously long flight. There is decent vet care available.

One point is that once you get that MA, they pretty much ignore any experience before it. The best jobs tend to require the MA plus 3+ years after. I can tell you that there are no taxes in the Gulf area, and the congress just allowed the foreign income exclusion to continue. I doubt that your wife would find any type of job related to her major. She may be able to pick up office work or language school teaching.

But as to the rest of your job related questions, you are talking about 2-3 years from now?? That makes it almost impossible to answer with any accuracy. How much you can save is so individual that it is also difficult. But, unless you go out to a hotel to eat and drink nightly, you should be able to pay loans and save.

I suggest you wait until you are ready to start applying and then come back with questions. Another good idea is to go to the TESOL convention. Back when I was a Newbie to the field, I picked up so much useful information there. It is a great place to network about jobs and conditions. You can also talk to various recruiters from the Emirates and dozens of other places.