Job Discussion Forums

dragonpiwo · Joined: 04 Mar 2013 Posts: 1650 Location: Berlin

I have a happy, great life in Poland thanks I just think TEFL there is dreadful cos it's so badly paid. Because of what I do my quality of life is top-notch in Polska.

Libya right now is dreadful for most and there are some terrible offers going on. I have a 'good' job and am well-paid. I also get 4 months off a year and it'll soon be much more.

I've worked in Saudi and Libya and would choose Libya every time for single status as you get home very often and stay sane. You'll also earn much more oil company direct-hire Libya than you ever will at KFUPM.

That said, each has its pros and cons.

The staff generally agree that Libya is the worst place any of us has ever been to by a country mile....the incompetence is astounding.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

More than 40 years ago I had lengthy discussions with my Palestinian colleagues in Saudi about the choice between Libya and Saudi Arabia. Because of the diaspora, Palestinians have a network of contacts throughout the Arab World. Overwhelming advice then was " DO NOT GO TO LIBYA !"
Twisted Evil

dragonpiwo · Joined: 04 Mar 2013 Posts: 1650 Location: Berlin

Without a good rotation, no sane person would ever choose Libya. It is without a doubt a place that takes few prisoners.

Scott the recent offers there defy belief.

I have to be candid, but where we are it's never been so dire.

I have good colleagues, nice students, good dosh but without the regular trips home I wouldn't be any where near the place. One colleague has travelled Africa extensively and says he's 'never seen anything like it.' Fubar.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Africa is full of failed states. Take your pick !

I was fortuinate in that I had a chance to experience some of Africa (Zambia, Nigeria) in the period immediately after colonial rule. Some of the Imperial Glue was still holding things together then. Now..........

dragonpiwo · Joined: 04 Mar 2013 Posts: 1650 Location: Berlin

And now the Prime Minister has been abducted.

spanglish · Joined: 21 May 2009 Posts: 742 Location: working on that

It's a country in which one can see a very different way of life, much as I imagine it would have been lived many hundreds years ago. This has pros and cons - from an educational perspective it's interesting; from a lifestyle perspective it's just not a sustainable way to live.

I would not recommend anybody come and live in Tripoli unless they are in the following circumstances:

- Get offered a 6 month contract and you want to try something different (and have a high risk tolerance for a dangerous place)
- You are offered a position that includes housing in Palm City and all the usual expat perks and salary and would enable you to socialize with other expats - no TEFL position I know of provides this
- You get a contract for lots and lots of money! (minimum $5,000/month plus single housing for a teaching position and much more for a management position) - again, I doubt anybody will find a teaching contract with such terms.

It just needs to emphasized that Tripoli is not at all an easy place to live - there is very little to do outside of work, very little gender mixing and very few (more likely none) socializing opportunities with expats. The security situation has been quite poor over the last year and the perception on the street is that it is getting dramatically worse by the day. It is possible to live here and make something of a life for a short time, but I certainly wouldn't recommend it to the vast majority.

nomad soul · Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 11454 Location: The real world

spanglish · Joined: 21 May 2009 Posts: 742 Location: working on that

Yes, I've heard the pay there is much better.

And my point in saying that you would need that kind of package to make it worth it is because of how difficult it is to live in Tripoli for any significant amount of time. You would need an excellent pay package to compensate for the difficulty of living here. People really underestimate how hard it is to live here before coming (again, it's an interesting experience for a time, but not sustainable for most). I am guessing that the lifestyle in the UAE is much better than in Libya and on top of that you get better pay/benefits. Of course you need the requisite quals/experience to get a uni position in the UAE.

Sheikit · Joined: 30 Sep 2013 Posts: 34

In May militia tried to bomb the British Council but were too stupid to park the car properly---MOD EDIT

dragonpiwo · Joined: 04 Mar 2013 Posts: 1650 Location: Berlin

I urge anyone thinking of coming here to read the 'Libya Herald' online.

dragonpiwo · Joined: 04 Mar 2013 Posts: 1650 Location: Berlin

Fighting has erupted in Tripoli.

http://www.libyaherald.com/2013/11/07/breaking-news-fighting-in-tripoli-tonight/#axzz2k2gYmlfz

And bstards like Language Solutions have teachers living in an unprotected villa just down the road begging for lifts to work as Lang Sols and Shifty Shorten won't pay the dedicated drivers.

All these ads for 20k jobs? you're 'aving a laaaarf'.