Job Discussion Forums

[EFLeducator]

Saudi Arabia has problems for TEFLer's also. As I read the areticle I noticed things like "lack of cinemas, the censorship, the ban on alcohol, the heat".

I guess if one can handle being a hermit then he or she will do well in SA?

http://www.transitionsabroad.com/publications/magazine/0009/koolmees.shtml

[spiral78]

Oh, come on. Saudi is obviously a TEFL dream location - just look how many people are interested in going there!

[rainbowprof]

'self contained' might be a more appropriate term from what I can determine. Don't people cook at home , read books and listen to music anymore?

[veiledsentiments]

[spiral78]

I presume it's the dream of EFLEducator (and quite a few others, judging by the posters who come in to ask newbie questions here). I'm well aware it would be a nightmare for me!! I'm more than content to work with 'my' Saudis here in the West, where they have some obligation to play by our rules, if they want a degree from here!!

[nomad soul]

Notice that the article was written nearly 12 years ago. There certainly have been some changes since then, such as the key role the Internet, or technology in general, plays in relieving much of the boredom and isolation. Plus, TEFL jobs for women are no longer scarce, thanks to the numerous "love 'em or hate 'em" recruiting agencies that continuously bring foreigners over to fill vacancies.

However, the writer is correct in that the socio-religious aspects of living here can be difficult for some to accept and/or adjust to. KSA is not for everyone. But that could also be said for other countries as well, to some degree. It comes down to what your priorities are and what you're willing to sacrifice or make do with in order to stick to your goals � your reason(s) for coming to the Kingdom in the first place.

[bulgogiboy]

[johnslat]

Dear bulgogiboy,

"I can't imagine how it must have been for TEFL pioneers, pre-internet."

Not to mention, pre-satellite TV. In 1980 (and for quite a while afterwards), there were only two channels: one in Arabic (almost all religious) and the other in English. On the English channel, the news usually consisted of showing the Royal Family in all its glory. You can't imagine how exciting it was to watch long lines of Saudi males inch slowly forward to greet the king.
And there were sports - if you liked Saudi football matches. Oh, there were also some "nature" programs, which were, however, heavily censored. I can recall one that skipped over the mating ritual of black widow spiders and went straight to the female eating the male, post-coitus. Oh, and for some strange reason, American wrestling (the "fake" kind) was also very popular. I got a lot of respect in my classroom when I told my students that I'd actually met "The American Dream", Dusty Rhodes, in Tampa, Florida:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dusty_Rhodes_(wrestler)

I never bothered to buy a TV back then.

So, one was thrown back on one's own resources: i.e. books. And you needed to bring those with you or have them shipped. Back them, the US Postal System had what was called an M-bag, a large duffel/seabag you could fill with paperbacks (mostly used in my case) on summer holiday and have shipped to you by sea. If you sent it out in, say, July, you'd get it around late October. The hundred or so books inside would usually get you through the rest of the year.

Back then, you REALLY needed to be "self-contained, self-sufficient" to last in Saudi. Actually, I didn't mind it too much; I certainly got a LOT of reading done. But then, I've sometimes thought that I might make an ideal candidate for a twenty-year, single passenger space flight to the nearest star system.

Regards,
John

[veiledsentiments]