Job Discussion Forums

[pippy1.1]

I have been offered an interview for a teaching position with AMIDEAST in Tunisia and was wondering if anyone has had recent experience with them.

Also I would love to hear more about the general experience of living and teaching in Tunis. (Cost of living, opportunities for learning Arabic/French, etc.)

FYI-I am a white American female in my late twenties with a SIT TESOL Certificate, and MA in Education and experience working in Kosovo, Turkey and South America.

Thanks in advance for you help.

[holoholo girl]

You will be paid pennies... so hopefully you do not have to make student loan payments. On the other hand, Tunis is a lovely city- but more expensive than one thinks. If you don't live in the city center and walk to work taxi cabs are expensive and not plentiful at the wrong hours- which typically are the hours you need a taxi to get to work.

[cassava]

[pippy1.1]

What is the relevance of stating the colour of your skin?[/quote]

Color of skin is too often relevant, but I think it is just a habit after being referred to like that for so many years.

I actually have only made a few posts here and just thought the more information the better.

[teacherabroad]

If your main reason for coming to Tunisia is to study French/Arabic, I would think twice about taking a job at Amideast. Your schedule does not allow you to commit to language classes. The schedule at Amideast is one of split shifts. You can expect to start at 9 and finish at 9:30 several days a week. Even if that only includes 6 hours of teaching. Management is not particularly accommodating when it comes to trying to structure your classes around the possibility of doing Arabic/French classes. Many teachers come here with the intention of combing language study with teaching, and leave frustrated.

Tunis is not that cheap. And like Hololuly girl says, you get paid peanuts. They will quote you a salary of 2000-2500 dinars when you apply for the job, but do not point out to you that to earn a salary like that, you will be teaching between 35+ hours a week. Something many teachers do. It is not uncommon for teachers to be expected to teach 10 hours a day. This is followed by a bare bones schedule throughout the summer and Ramadan, when there are hardly any hours at all.The emphasis is on number of paying students rather than on quality of teaching. Accommodation is not cheap. If you want to live by yourself for something decent, you will be need to pay 550+ dinars.

For an experienced teacher planning on coming to Tunisia, I would suggest looking into the British Council.

[23klicks]

I wish everyone success and fortune for all their years!

[Concepcion780]

23klicks- that is a nice way to increase your post count

[Diane12491]

As I've just spent a couple months at AMIDEAST in Tunis, I feel compelled to let the job-hunting community know what's going on there.

First and foremost, there is no concern for the welfare of the teachers they're bringing in. Teachers are not met at the airport, they're placed in cheap hotels that are barely livable and there's no orientation before you're thrown into a classroom. Teachers are expected to be grateful for the number of hours they're given, even if it means being available to AMIDEAST 12 hours a day. There have been over 10 teachers walk out in the past 3 or 4 months.

The most horrendous example of the apathy there is the story of a young American woman who, after living in her apartment for 2 weeks, was attacked by the security guard in the building. Luckily, she was able to get away from him without serious injury. When the English Director and Assistant Country Director heard about this, they were on their way home for the weekend....and just kept going. They felt the teachers should take care of her for the weekend and they'd look into it on Monday. They never did.

Students are another problem at AMIDEAST in Tunis. For the most part, they're nice, educated people. However, there are some who feel they're there to be entertained and will complain about teachers who are not entertaining enough for their tastes. This has happened to quite a few good teachers.

The city is....well.....disgusting. Since the revolution the garbage men have been on strike. So, there are piles of garbage on every street corner. The smell is bad now, and it will be unbearable when the weather heats up. Also, you'd think the people there would be energized and excited about the new direction of their country. You'd be wrong. People are aggressive and angry. The driving is insane (and I've lived all over the world) and very dangerous. The people are mistaking freedom with the absence of rules.

Tunis is also incredibly expensive. A small one bedroom apartment will cost you at least 800 TND per month plus utilities. Food is expensive and the produce is not very nice.

Check the rules about taking money out of the country before you go. It's a hassle and you will most likely end up dealing with the black market to exchange your dinars for real money before you leave.

On the good side, the school has a new Country Director who is trying to make things better for the teachers. Unfortunately, she's meeting with strong resistance from the 'old guard' who have been there for many years and don't want things to change.

Sorry for the long rant, but I wish someone would have posted the truth about this place before I wasted so much time and money going there.

[uh huh]

I can not speak to AMIDEAST but would disagree strongly with the characterization of Tunis, where I am now living happily. Feel free to PM me. I can also give you some contacts for other teaching possibilities (not vouched for).