Job Discussion Forums

[thomas_pynchon]

I want to apply to a job posting for teachers at KSU, 9.5 month contract through McGill Uni, 50kCDN, housing, return air. 20h/w, plus 10 for prep and student advising. Total 35h/w.

My qualifications are:

TESL Canada Federation Professional Certificate Level III (Permanent)
M.A. Applied Linguistics and TESOL, Leicester
TESOL Advanced Teaching Certificate, Leicester
B.Music

15 years teaching experience.

I have not followed the academic route, so no endless CV pages of publications, conferences, papers, etc; but if folks can advise on CV presentation as well, that would be appreciated. What are recruiting looking for? (and what they are avoiding).

Without going into further details, can anyone advise on how this job compares to others? Where I might look if there are better options considering my background? I am based in Thai and this would be my first time to the Middle East.

I plan to return to school in Canada in Sept 2015, and need to spend this year saving as much as I can. I will be doing a 2 year master of teaching program at UfToronto, which I hope will open up further prospects for teaching Internationally, and possibly in Northern Canada.

My long term goal though is to make a shift from teaching classroom, to Distributed learning and self design in Canada.

Thanks

[nomad soul]

Don't overthink TEFL positions in KSA; as long as you have the requisite qualifications posted in the job ad, recruiters will be interested in you.

Better options? Unfortunately, you missed the March-June peak season for the better (direct-hire) university positions; however, King Abdulaziz University's English Language Institute in Jeddah might still be hiring. But at this point, you're mostly limited to applying for employment with contracting companies that provide teachers for the universities and Saudi government. These companies act as middle men, so don't expect a super salary and benefits. More importantly, contracting companies tend to be sketchy; therefore, it's important to research the employer to get an understanding of what to expect before accepting any positions.

[thomas_pynchon]

Thanks! But I would guess there might be a lot of last minute pull outs, but I guess that is what the recruiting agencies are for.

Should I try sending a CV and cover directly to these uni's? Do they have better packages?

How is this offer:
http://www.itsacademic.ca/job-listings/11416/

How about other locations in the middle east?

[nomad soul]

I suggest you take a look at "The skinny on direct-hire university opportunities" (http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=103722).

You really need to apply to see what employers consider you're worth. In addition to KAU-ELI, try KFUPM in Saudi Arabia and HCT in the UAE. But again, peak hiring season for the region has winded down. It's now crumbs for the direct-hire opportunities, yet, plenty of jobs through contracting companies. That said, you could certainly apply directly to universities in the hope that they have openings; however, that's not the way many of them do their hiring. Moreover, be aware the hiring and visa application process is long (2-3 months---maybe longer for Canadians), so you can't afford to spin your wheels on jobs (or better benefits) that may not exist.

[thomas_pynchon]

Thanks, thats helpful! Will try those leads.

[veiledsentiments]

There are certainly better jobs around the Gulf, but your timing is very bad. I have just been going through the various websites today for the better universities in Oman, the UAE, and Kuwait for a friend, and none of them have opening now.

Yes, there will be last minute hiring for those that don't show up or don't come back, but because of the time required for visa procedures, they will tend to local hire adjuncts, and not bring in permanent teachers until 2nd semester. I would watch the websites for the next couple months for a Jan/Feb hire if you are still looking. (but that doesn't fit well with your plans)

Basically they want a related MA (you have it) and some related experience. Hopefully in that 15 years, you have taught some Academic English - reading and writing? - because that is what they are looking for...

VS

[nomad soul]

Also, Saudi Arabia has one-year contracts, whereas, contracts in the UAE tend to be for three years, which may not fit your plans. If you're sticking by your one-year timeframe, then a teaching spot in Saudi Arabia would be your best bet. Besides, you're likely to save more from working in the Kingdom than in other parts of the Gulf.

[thomas_pynchon]

Thanks very much!

Then I will focus on SA. Yes I have taught academic English, all of my teaching was in Bkk: 5 years at a uni - 4th year Eng majors; 5 years at a top Int'l school - all secondary A-levels/IGCSEs; and 5 years at a language school - all adult classes - IELTS, TOEFL, GRE, SAT.

So they predominantly are looking for academic reading/writing, what subject matter, outcomes, objectives? I'm guessing this is for upper level uni courses?

[nomad soul]

In terms of academic writing and reading teaching experience, VS was referring to the region in general. However, most teaching opportunities in Saudi Arabia aren't that particular. So no, you won't encounter any 'rigorous' hiring demands or interviews.

As I stated previously, don't overthink teaching positions in the Kingdom---you need to keep your expectations low. Case in point, if you look at the Cafe's international job board, you'll see some ads from contracting companies for qualifications as minimal as a non-related BA + TEFL cert + 2 years of experience. It's very common for teachers with those qualifications to teach the same level and caliber of students alongside colleagues with your background and credentials. There's no distinction. Moreover, contracting companies mainly tend to be interested in quickly getting a warm body in front of the class.

The better universities? Again, they're pretty much done hiring for the 2014-2015 academic year; new hires will be arriving to their jobs over the next few weeks. Only those universities that rely heavily on contracting companies still need teachers, and that's very likely the teaching situation you'll end up in. There are military/gov't contract positions as well.

Check out some of the threads in this forum, especially the recent ones about teaching and education in Saudi Arabia.

[thomas_pynchon]

What are the typical interview question I should be prepared to answer?

If things turned out sour, how do people usually deal with that, 30 days notice?

Thanks

[nomad soul]

[coder]

[thomas_pynchon]

A few questions:

Can I take my desktop Computer to SA? I dont see why not, I have read that customs may check my HDs, it was an expensive computer, I will disassemble it, will also take the case in a plastic suitcase.

Re getting a reference letter after completing a contract: any difficulties? If I am going through a recruitment agency, could I bring it up during an interview? A LOR is as important to me as anything they are offering in the employment package.

My plans are to work until June 2015 (or the end of the school year), I don't need the summer remuneration, can I mention that in an interview, or how do people normally manage leaving a position? (Again this is about the LOR).

About the 'maximum' salary range advertised by recruiters (eg: 3300-4300USD): I usually read that the top range is for Phd's, is this the standard arrangement?

How do folks take their savings out of the country? Have it sent out via bank transfer, or ?

I am also a musician, is there any chance of offering piano lessons to expat families? (if there are expat communities where I might be working).

I have read there is professional massage available, is it common, expensive?

If things by chance do turn out for the worse, and you decide to leave, can you be blacklisted? I have seen employers asking about previous employment, reason for leaving, and they need a letter from the previous employer etc.

Thanks

[nomad soul]

[thomas_pynchon]

Thank you for your feedback Nomad Soul!

I have been applying to heaps of jobs the last few days, they are all very similar it seems, but yesterday this turned up:

http://www.eslcafe.com/joblist/index.cgi?read=32796

I need some feedback on this one from an experienced eye, would this be the plum that folks keep talking about?

72k/year, and they don't even divide that into different categories. They have a beautiful online application process, which will no doubt be putting spiders all over every phoneme of my CV. Like a seiner boat, they take everything in to catch a few beauties.

So I'm refining the fairly detailed amount of information they require, you build your whole background from scratch basically, with a lot of reflective questions thrown in like, "what do you think is the value of your certification?" They're feeding the spiders, giving them as much info as they can pull out of you. So I'm making it as juicy as possible for them, without getting carried away. Funny, the requirements are fairly low, not much different from your average recruitment agency, they even seem kind of laid back. Probably pretty happy with their 5 year contract they just landed.

The work starts in October.

One thing they ask, is if you want 3m-year work, or 1 year plus? I clicked the 3m-year, then thought, heck, what if it is a plum? Better to take their long term option while its available, 6k/month I am guessing is not so common? Seems like a walk in the park by the way they describe it.