Job Discussion Forums

[kengabkk]

Yet another newbie diving into the sea of cynics (or so I'm assuming.. this is the internet, right? Or did I get the wrong room?)

Me in a nutshell: American, female, mid-20s, BA in Political Science with an emphasis in Middle East studies (plus 2 years Standard Arabic and four months Arabic in Lebanon - I can read and write, I have some fun dialectal phrases from all over, but my speaking isn't great. This isn't typically relevant to TESOL, but a neat factoid nonetheless?) Face-to-face CELTA via International House.

I also have just shy of two years teaching EFL in Thailand, and will be graduating from MA-TESOL in two weeks. I did a practicum during my MA program, and have a handful of other related experiences. For the past year, I've been working in a non-teaching position in my university's intensive English program, basically as a de-facto guidance counselor/activities assistant. Over half of our students are Saudi, but I'd say about 75% are Arab, mostly from the Gulf. My MA project was a workshop designed to train American IEP teachers about Saudi student culture (which has hopefully given me a decent understanding of what I'm up against re: Saudi students.)

Other skills? Pretty high tolerance for ambiguity, I kind of dig Arab culture, and genuinely enjoy teaching.

So now that the degree is out of the way, the real research begins... I'm curious about what would constitute a "good job" in KSA for someone with my qualifications? My real interest would be teaching university level students (PYP? These are the types of students I'm currently working with, but am I being naive in thinking that'd be lucrative position in the Kingdom?)

I talked to a girl today who studied at King Faisal's PYP in Riyadh, and recommended it. Who are the gatekeepers for these positions? Do you go through recruiters? Which are reliable?

Any and all advice/guidance would be greatly appreciated!

[currentaffairs]

Go to the websites of a few universities and start applying.. Yes, you could go through a recruiter and maybe to get you over there it would be an option. You have good quals so I think you would be in demand.

[nomad soul]

You'll want to wait until you've actually completed your degree to apply because employers generally require a scanned/emailed copy of the qualifying university degree and academic transcripts upon application of the position. In addition, indicate on your CV that your MA included a practical component. For example, I state the following on mine: MA in Teaching, TEFL focus (included 135-hour ESOL practicum), X University... That said, be aware that the Saudi government does not recognize degrees that entailed online coursework. This information gets confirmed with the job candidate's university registrar.

Although helpful in day-to-day, life situations, having Arabic language skills is not a requirement for TEFL positions in the Gulf since the focus is on maximizing the use of English in the classroom. Besides, there are Saudi nationals as well as lots of expats from Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan, etc., teaching in university English PY programs. So you'll want to downplay your language skills unless the job ad states it's required or preferred.

You're female and therefore, limited to universities and vocational colleges with female campuses, so carefully read those job ads that interest you to make sure they're targeting female teachers. Most of the recruiter-posted job ads on the Cafe's board are with contracting companies; there's no harm in applying to those ads. However, definitely take a look at, "The skinny on direct-hire university opportunities" (http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=103722) for info about positions for teachers with TEFL-related degrees. Regardless of which position you're interested in, always research the employer---contracting company or direct hire---before signing on the dotted line.