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Above average salaries in the ME
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KingBen



Joined: 06 Oct 2012
Posts: 11

PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2012 5:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks to the OP, that was really nice of you!
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cairanya



Joined: 02 Jun 2012
Posts: 62

PostPosted: Sun Oct 21, 2012 5:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

nomad soul wrote:
cairanya wrote:
First of all, given the quantity of posts, it looks like the ME recruiters just can't find people to fill the positions. Granted, a large part of that is that their pay's a joke -- but it is a little above first year salaries in poorer US districts.

Those ME recruiters are constantly trying to fill positions because 1) some teachers (smartly) back out of the deal at the last minute due to either cold feet or a better job offer; 2) they have to replace teachers who were later deemed unsuitable for whatever reason and given the boot; 3) they can't find enough qualified victims... er, teachers to fill the demand; and 4) there's that revolving door factor in which new teachers need to be brought in to replace departing teachers who had decided they'd had enough of business visit visa runs and of the stressful uncertainty of working for dodgy contracting companies. It's all interconnected. By contrast, you rarely see direct-hire opportunities constantly advertised.

and wrote:
I think the people looking at TEFLing are college grads waiting tables because they can't get better jobs. But that's just a hunch.

Uh, maybe that describes you, but it certainly doesn't fit me as someone who transitioned into TEFL after a lucrative career in another field. I'm sure that's not the case for other EFL teachers in the region as well, especially since many of us have masters degrees, EFL credentials, and/or umpteen years of teaching experience abroad. In fact, that likely doesn't describe many teachers with minimal qualifications.

and wrote:
Yes, not everyone's cut out for the ME. But even the people who are cut out for it are stressed out by it, at least judging by the blogs which seem to be a better window on lifestyle issues.

Life is stressful regardless of where one chooses to live or do for a living. That was my point about doing some honest soul searching before deciding to leap into a very foreign culture; tolerance is key. And yes, I too get stressed out, but it's usually over the same things that irk me when I'm in the US. I just try to take everything in stride by finding the positives about living in the Kingdom and letting that outweigh the negatives.

and lastly, wrote:
Secondly, the after-tax pay winds up being the same as the untaxed position offered by ME recruiters, particularly for teachers who have been teaching for 3+ years. My cousin, aunt, mother, and sister currently take home $45,000--70,000 -- after taxes -- because they live in a suburbs of NYC, DC, and Boston. (To be fair, they're straight English and not EFL. But you catch my drift.) Just as you have to research your uni overseas, you have to pick your district in the US.

But another thing I've also noticed that's true is that people who are overly concerned about taxes should probably talk to a tax lawyer. In my experience, many of them are much more miserable than they have to be because they're being penny wise and pound foolish. There's no need to take a job overseas to get the income tax exclusion when you can pay $500 and have the lawyer write everything off. There are exclusions and deductions for everything.

You might reread my post---the focus of my response wasn't about taxes. It was to illustrate how an attractive, tax-free salary and employer-provided benefits like housing, transportation, and furniture allowances offer teachers in the Gulf more opportunities for saving than teachers in say, the US, where the net (after-tax) pay is further reduced by taxed purchases, rent/mortgage payments, high fuel costs, etc. Moreover, there are major differences between the better, direct-hire teaching opportunities and the lower-paying teaching situations with ME contracting companies.



All due respect, please re-read my post. Rolling Eyes
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scot47



Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343

PostPosted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 10:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Life is too short. Be short, sharp and succinct - or be ignored.

K I S S
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genericusername



Joined: 04 Dec 2012
Posts: 29
Location: Dubai

PostPosted: Fri Dec 21, 2012 4:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If that U.S. State Department job is a direct hire from State, all that income would be subject to U.S. income tax and most likely only open to U.S. citizens. It may a contractor position, possibly DynCorp because they have many of the State contracts, in which case it would not be directly taxed since they use a free zone subsidiary out of the UAE to make those hires.
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genericusername



Joined: 04 Dec 2012
Posts: 29
Location: Dubai

PostPosted: Fri Dec 21, 2012 4:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

carainya, not all of the jobs are low paying. Someone with a military or aviation background can earn close to 100k / year, not including housing and other benefits which could be another 50k in places like Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

You have to know where to look and how to market yourself for the "real" jobs.
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nomad soul



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

PostPosted: Fri Dec 21, 2012 4:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

genericusername wrote:
carainya, not all of the jobs are low paying. Someone with a military or aviation background can earn close to 100k / year, not including housing and other benefits which could be another 50k in places like Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

You have to know where to look and how to market yourself for the "real" jobs.

However, be aware those "plum" jobs target male teachers and not females...
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genericusername



Joined: 04 Dec 2012
Posts: 29
Location: Dubai

PostPosted: Fri Dec 21, 2012 4:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Most do target males. I worked at a UAE job that purposefully hired a mixed faculty for a military contract. We found that it helped.
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Ixchel



Joined: 11 Mar 2003
Posts: 156
Location: The 7th level of hell

PostPosted: Thu Dec 27, 2012 2:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

cairanya wrote:
nomad soul wrote:
cairanya wrote:
Contractors live off the compounds and earn about as much as starting teachers in the US do.

Given how stressful living in the ME can be, it probably makes more sense to just get a state cert and teach at home. From what I can tell, teaching in the inner citty for eight hours a day is about as stressful as living in certain ME countries 24/7. And if the pay's the same...

"If the pay's the same?" Seriously, if those taxed salaries in the US/UK/Canada are so appealing, then why are so many teachers and teachers-to-be eying the Mid East for jobs?


I'm not sure they are. First of all, given the quantity of posts, it looks like the ME recruiters just can't find people to fill the positions. Granted, a large part of that is that their pay's a joke -- but it is a little above first year salaries in poorer US districts. So I really doubt that there are tons of teachers looking to the ME for jobs because of tax benefits. FWIW, the only teachers I've ever seen even mention tax benefits are the ones on this forum.

I think the people looking at TEFLing are college grads waiting tables because they can't get better jobs. But that's just a hunch.

Secondly, the after-tax pay winds up being the same as the untaxed position offered by ME recruiters, particularly for teachers who have been teaching for 3+ years. My cousin, aunt, mother, and sister currently take home $45,000--70,000 -- after taxes -- because they live in a suburbs of NYC, DC, and Boston. (To be fair, they're straight English and not EFL. But you catch my drift.) Just as you have to research your uni overseas, you have to pick your district in the US.

Third, in the US, a CELTA isn't required, but being bilingual in Spanish is, at least at the primary and secondary level. (I'm told Russian and Chinese sometimes is in some areas, but that's far less common.) This is what blocks out most TEFLers. A state cert, MA, and undergrad in Education is also necessary, and blocks out a lot of the rest of the career changers. I suspect a lot of primary and secondary teachers get overlooked when they try to make the transition overseas because they don't have a CELTA. Finally, the tertiary market's saturated with an overabundance of PhDs, and increasingly consists of part-time work that doesn't pay a living wage.

Quote:
Those who tend to get stressed living/working in the Mid East generally are teachers who are with shady contracting companies because either their qualifications were too minimal to get them a direct-hire position and/or they didn't research the company or other teaching options. Some may have chosen to ignore the warnings about these contracting companies. The benefits and salaries for these teachers are lower than direct hires with more solid qualifications. For example, the benefits for a non-direct hire aren't likely to include a transportation, housing, and furniture allowance nor 60+ paid days off annually. Salaries are lower as well because the contracting company has to take their cut---it's how they make money. Additionally, these teachers' working and living situations tend to be less than ideal. Then there are those newcomers who, for whatever reason, didn't learn about the country's culture and how things are processed/handled before they agreed to hop on the plane. Frankly, not everyone is cut out for living or working in the region; it's not surprising that most of the posts throughout these Mid East forums relate to some sketchy contracting company and/or to cultural challenges.

But, the reality is that inner city teachers face stressful, potentially dangerous working environments. They also don't earn the type of tax-free money or benefits (allowances) many teachers abroad receive. And in reality, teachers mesmerized by the idea of making big money in the Mid East also must to do some serious soul searching or self-reflection to determine if they have the ability to adjust to a completely different (or what they perceive as distasteful) culture. Of course, the employer or sponsor is a huge factor as well.


Yes, not everyone's cut out for the ME. But even the people who are cut out for it are stressed out by it, at least judging by the blogs which seem to be a better window on lifestyle issues.

But another thing I've also noticed that's true is that people who are overly concerned about taxes should probably talk to a tax lawyer. In my experience, many of them are much more miserable than they have to be because they're being penny wise and pound foolish. There's no need to take a job overseas to get the income tax exclusion when you can pay $500 and have the lawyer write everything off. There are exclusions and deductions for everything.

I took a job in KSA because I was just burned out in my old job. It was boring and no challenge anymore.

In order to teach in my state I had to get my BA, pass a basic skills test, two subject matter tests (multi-subj for primary, Spanish for secondary) an 8 hour BCLAD exam which is the cert in California for ESL/subject matter to be taught in a second language, in my case Spanish/proved proficiency in Spanish language (there are also BCLADs for other languages such as Armenian, Persian, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese etc), two years more of university courses for a teaching credential (certificate) a year of supervised/student teaching then a Master's Degree plus on-going courses for professional development and to move up the salary schedule.
I was also formally evaluated every two years by my administrator. I had to teach 3 formal lessons for him/her and my evaluation was based entirely upon those 3 lessons.

TEFL is a BA and a 120 hour cert (my cert from UCLA is 200 hours) and if you want a higher level job then an MA. Far less work.

I agree that my inner city students were better behaved than what I'm dealing with now. But I like teaching young adults, that part is much easier. And the money is great. Unless you're wealthy enough to incorporate (my father did it with his law firm) you pay taxes through the nose. I love that part here. Very Happy

I've taught pre-k (4 year olds) through senior citizens in 4 countries on 4 continents. My favorite students were the Japanese adults (in Los Angeles) followed by Samoan teens but teaching is teaching is teaching. At least for me. Classroom management is the same. You have to keep control of the class while at the same time trying to make the material understandable, interesting and relevant (somehow.) I'm hoping to continue here until I retire. Early. Very Happy
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sunrader



Joined: 12 Dec 2005
Posts: 101

PostPosted: Thu Jan 10, 2013 9:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

genericusername wrote:
If that U.S. State Department job is a direct hire from State, all that income would be subject to U.S. income tax and most likely only open to U.S. citizens. It may a contractor position, possibly DynCorp because they have many of the State contracts, in which case it would not be directly taxed since they use a free zone subsidiary out of the UAE to make those hires.


It is only open to U.S. citizens, but it can qualify for the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion.
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