Job Discussion Forums

[nomad soul]

This year's TESOL Arabia conference will be held March 10-12 --- less than two months away.

I'm no longer a TA member (I transitioned out of teaching) but recommend it for networking opportunities and professional development. For those of you with solid qualifications (generally a related MA and several years of experience), hiring managers from throughout the Gulf will be there to conduct in-person interviews for direct-hire positions for 2016-2017. (It's how I got my KSA university position some years back.)

[Lord T]

Thank you for letting us know nomad soul. Meeting someone face to face is, in my opinion, so much better than a Skype interview.

[nomad soul]

If you plan to attend the TESOL Arabia conference (TACON) next month...

1. Plan ahead. Check online to see when the program booklet (pdf) is available so that you can download or bookmark it. (The program booklets are very well organized.) Highlight the presentations/workshops you're interested in --- there are plenty. Do this days before the conference. If you wait until you get there, you'll likely be too overwhelmed to sift through the schedule of presentations. (TACON can be overwhelming at first because there's so much going on --- lots of friendly people just striking up conversations... And just lots of people everywhere!)
. . . . .

2. For the job fair... I suggest you wait until you get to the event before paying the fee because some recruiters might not appear on the list until the first day of the fair. It's pricey, so you'll want to make sure those employers you're interested in applying to are slated to be there. If none appeal to you, you've saved yourself some dirhams.

Prepare your CV ahead of time and bring plenty of copies. If needed, the hotel's business center staff will make additional copies for you for a small fee. Cover letters aren't necessary unless stated in the job ad.

Dress for the job fair tends to be business casual (with emphasis on the "business"); no need to worry about fully suiting up. Although one year, there was an applicant who showed up in wrinkled Bermuda shorts and colorful crocs. He stood out but not in a good way! Another poor fellow had excessive perspiration and could have used a jacket to hide the problem. No doubt the interviewers were distracted by his sweaty armpits. Bleh.
. . . . .

3. Network, network, network. Take some business or networking cards with you to exchange. I suggest that networking cards have your name, education, and email address on one side, and about 4-5 bullet points summarizing your skills/experience on the other. When I attended the job fair, I paper-clipped my networking card to each CV that I submitted. It was nice to walk into the interview room and see one of the recruiters with my card in his/her hand.

Also, stop by the exhibitors' booths; they usually have freebies. Plus, some of the exhibitors tend to know who's who as well as leads on jobs not listed on TACON's job fair page.

[scot47]

I am not sure that it is worth the money. It is very expensive.

[veiledsentiments]

It is worth it if you want or need a job. In the current tight job market for the good positions, a face-to-face interview definitely gives one a step up.

I actually never went to the job fair, but my networking (meeting both old and new friends) did get me my last job in the Gulf. Without this conference, I would have never even been aware of it.

VS

[scot47]

I was fortunate in that my then employer paid for me to go. I cannot imagine shelling out from my meagre savings or my welfare check !

[nomad soul]

[Tazz]

Had the misfortune to be in the vicinity of it last year-never seen so many knobs in my life! Just another money making racket....

[svenhassel]

[veiledsentiments]

They will not be doing "skype" interviews at the conference. The whole point is to meet the applicants (and the applicants meet people from the employers).

Skype interviews are the usual process outside of the conference. Those hiring are usually listed on the website and you can apply the normal way and they may set up a future interview if wanted.

Attending is the way to up your chances...

VS

[nomad soul]

[nomad soul]

FYI: Like KSA, the governments of Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait also do not recognize qualifying degrees/certs that entailed coursework via distant learning. Something to keep in mind if you plan to use an online TEFL-related MA for jobs in other GCC countries.

[veiledsentiments]

This may also now become an issue in the UAE. In the past the Ministry of Education did not accept online degrees while the Ministry of Higher Education did. Now that it will be one Ministry, who knows which side this rule will land on...

VS

[markcmc]

A few years ago I read that if you enter the UAE on a tourist visa, then you are barred from working there for the next few years. Does anyone know if that's true? If it is it would make a trip to the conference a little less valuable.

[nomad soul]