Job Discussion Forums

sharpy · Joined: 25 Jun 2003 Posts: 6

Dear M.E experts,

I am thinking about moving to either Saudi Arabia or to Oman for a teaching position. Here are my choices at the moment:

1) IPA (Riyadh? Dammam? or Jeddah?)

2) Sulatane Qaboos University, Oman

3) King Faisal University: Dammam

I have my Master's degree, TESOL certificates as well as 8 years teaching experience. Also, I am married and I have a son. I am presently doing well here in Japan in terms of money and vacation time, but I think it's time for me to move because here they do not pay schooling for my child, and I am getting fed up from the routine. Saudi Arabia seems all right in terms of money, but what really bothers me, is that ALCOHOL IS BANNED IN THE KINGDOM., and I am a social drinker.

PLEASE HELP and remember that your input is highly appreciated!

Paul in Saudi · Joined: 03 Mar 2003 Posts: 404 Location: Doha, Qatar

Alcohol is widely available here. Not to worry.

Getting a married-status job might be more of an issue.

Cleopatra · Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2003 10:13 am Post subject:

Paul is right: finding (home brew) alcohol is not a problem here. In fact, many people who rarely drink at home do so here because of the boredom.
Don't know anythign specific about the places you've applied for. A general rule would be to avoid Riyadh if poss. as it's the most convservative of the bigger cities - a pretty staid place,I can tell you. Jeddah is normally considered the most pleasant destination.
Is it true that getting family status is difficult for teachers? (I don't know because I'm single) Having said that, my teaching contract specifies "Family status" even though I'm not married. A male colleague has his kid's education paid for and so on.

andrew · Joined: 19 Feb 2003 Posts: 38

OK, let me get this straight. You want to move to Saudi Arabia for 2 reasons: schooling for your child and the need for a change and you are worried about no alcohol-right?
Well, I have worked in both Japan and the Royal Kingdom of KSA. Dragging a child and a wife to KSA is something you must consider VERY CAREFULLY. For me, my teaching in Japan was pure enjoyment; my teaching in KSA was dog**** but money was quite good.
I stayed in both places only for my 1 year contract. I , being a single old male, want to go back to both places but only under suitable working conditions. So that's it for whatever it's worth.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Think very carefully before bringing family to KSA. What is the housing like ? If they give you a housing allowance which is only enough for an apartment - do not bring dependants. They will be prisoners in the apartment. If you get reasonable housing on a compound then maybe. Will they pay enough for a reasonable (ie Western) school ?

Even if all is tickety-boo there this is a DIFFICULT place for dependants.

Oman might be better.

sharpy · Joined: 25 Jun 2003 Posts: 6

Dear all of you,

I would like to thank you for your honest responses, however I feel like I should have given more information (Andrew). Yes, you were right about the reasons, and I would like to inform you that I have just gotten divorced, thus as a single father in Japan, is no picnic. I feel that I am lonely, and my child is suffering at the moment. The other reason is that I heard that in the ME, there are tons of teachers who have mixte kids, therefore, mine will have a chance to socialize with them. On the contrary, in Japan where I live (SMALL TOWN), people most of the time do not accept mixte blood.

For Scott: I am thinking more about Oman that the KSA, BUT they offered me only 800 O.R, whereas in IPA, I could probably make twice the salary with overtime. In you opinion, is it better to work in Riyadh, Jeddah or Damman ? Why? PLEASE ADVISE!

Thanks again, and I would like to hear more.

Cleopatra · Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2003 8:13 am Post subject:

I don't want to sound negative, but if one of your main reasons for coming to KSA is to no longer feel lonely, then think carefully. Personally, I have never felt so lonely as here in Riyadh. True, I am a single woman and your situation will be different from mine. However, let's say you are put in an apartment block with a load of other ex-pat couples/ single men. These days, ex-pats tend not to go out of their way to be friendly to others, so don't expect to have a wonderful social life and a great social base. Of course, I am only speaking from personal experience - other people might tell you something completely different.

Idon't know about "tons" of people having children of mixed race here, but there are some. You should also bear in mind that due to recent "Security issues" the number of ex-pat kids here has dropped quite a lot over the past few years, so don't be overly optimistic about your son having a lot of other mixed race kids to socialize with: he might be lucky to have many classmates at all!

I know all of this sounds negative: I'm not saying KSA is an awful place - if you get the right job and situation, it can be fine. However, it is no longer a place to come for if you want to have a close circle of friends. Maybe other people will disagree with me - I hope so!

Most people dislike Riyadh because it is very dour and closed. Jeddah is meant to be much more cosmopolitan and laid back.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

I would say Jeddah BUT

Where would you be living ? What school would your child go to ?

These two questions are CRUCIAL.

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Sharpy,

Money isn't everything and now that you have described your situation, Saudi does NOT sound like the place to go.

I presume that the 800 OR is the offer from SQU. But, do they provide school fees? I know that there had been talk of stopping these at one time, but I hope it didn't pass.

Oman is very kid friendly and if you could get housing on campus it would be perfect. (which is difficult - but you could attempt to negotiate for one of the two bedrooms - though space is very limited on campus - and EFL teachers are, as usual, the bottom of the pecking order). There are lots of kids of all different nationalities and quite a few of them are mixed - not that this is much of an issue - a band of kids playing on campus normally presented a rainbow of hues when I lived there.

Oman is not exactly the place to go for a rip roaring social life, but you are also not as restricted as in KSA. Not to mention the safety factor. It is one thing for you to take a risk, but another to put a child in potential danger. Note that even many long time Saudi expats are leaving their families in home countries these days.

If you decide to go to SQU, send me a PM and I can give you more specific information.

VS

ohman · Joined: 09 Sep 2003 Posts: 239 Location: B' Um Fouk, Egypt

finding alcohol in Saudi is easy. Finding an AA meeting is not so easy.

khmerhit · Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2003 1:09 am Post subject:

Dear me, that's quite an avatar Shocked

Sharpy-- check out Cambodia. Very friendly after youve been there a while, lots of jobs and its a great place for kids. Go for it.