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dawna
Joined: 08 Jul 2005
Posts: 2
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 Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2005 1:27 pm Post subject: the SQU |
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hi everyone!
i am a tefl (MA) teacher and instructor. the sultan qaboos university, oman, has offered me a teaching position (but not the contract yet). could anybody please give me any info on what it is like to live and work there, and what the usual packages and benefits are? i currently have a prestigeuos (but not well paid!!!!!) job. do you think it be worth to quit? i appreciate your help and any answers, since they are badly needed!
thanks![img][/img] |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2005 2:22 pm Post subject: |
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Dawna,
Well, first off, I have to admit that it bothers me when someone asks about an English teaching job, but doesn't use capital letters and makes spelling and grammar errors. Yeah... I know, it's the internet, but still... 
But to your question. Have you done a search? There is a ton of information mostly positive, but some negative on this board about SQU. Also check out the job information journal. The pay scale would depend on how much experience you have. Salary for an MA starts between 800-900 OR a month plus allowances. Housing, medical care, tickets, and gratuity are paid. It is a standard Gulf pay package.
Only you can decide if it is more important to have higher pay or to be 'prestigeuos' ...  Oman is a lovely country and the Omani students have always been my favorite. SQU is a pretty predictible employer, no major horror stories... just the occasional person who has a run in with the system or a person or who can't cope with life overseas. Some find it a bit staid and boring - most teachers being older...
If you have no overseas or Middle East experience, it is a good place to start.
VS |
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dawna
Joined: 08 Jul 2005
Posts: 2
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| Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2005 2:43 am Post subject: |
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Hi VS,
Thank you so much for the message. It was very helpful. After reading so many horrible things about some schools and universities in the area, it was good to hear (read) that there are no serious problems with the SQU. (Well honestly, I hadn't heard anything negative before, but just wanted to make sure by asking someone who has actually been there.) Would the package be different if you were a teacher trainer or an instructor, and how much work experience is required to make any difference? And other than being modestly dressed, does one have to wear the "hijab"?
and thx 4 the indirect corrections. ill try 2 remember your tip |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Tue Jul 19, 2005 1:50 pm Post subject: |
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| dawna wrote: |
| d anything negative before, but just wanted to make sure by asking someone who has actually been there. |
I haven't taught there for many years, but I have friends who have been there for 15+ years and I have friends who are going there this coming year.
| dawna wrote: |
) Would the package be different if you were a teacher trainer or an instructor, and how much work experience is required to make any difference? |
I'm not sure about any difference in scales for teacher trainers. Does this mean that you will be in the English Department rather than the Language Center (which is only for EFL classes)? Being in the English Department is probably better because it is smaller and a bit more relaxed.
| dawna wrote: |
| And other than being modestly dressed, does one have to wear the "hijab"? |
In my 15+ years in the Gulf, I never wore hijab. But as the years went by my skirts kept getting longer. I kept my sleeves no higher than the elbow and avoided anything too tight. All three of those are best in the heat anyway.
| dawna wrote: |
| and thx 4 the indirect corrections. ill try 2 remember your tip |
I used to just 'love' when this stuff would creep into my students' supposed academic essays in Freshman Comp!!  You immediately knew which students spent the most time in chat rooms!!
VS
(PS... feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions) |
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kaw
Joined: 31 Mar 2003
Posts: 302
Location: somewhere hot and sunny
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| Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2005 10:13 am Post subject: SQU and Oman |
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Hi
Haven't worked at SQU but have friends that have and they seemed to find it ok - a current colleague of mine is off there soon so things can't be too bad.
I agree with VS (hiya) about the Omani students - they're great - though not the most dedicated of students they are very friendly and no doubt you'll be invited to weddings and other such fun things.
Oman itself is beautiful - if a little resticted in terms of social life - but if you're the type of person who likes a good book or 'the great outdoors' you'll be fine.
As for what to wear - keep it pretty conservative and you'll be ok. I was in Oman for 2 years and only wore my abaya and hijab during Ramadan out of respect for my students and they did appreciate it. Abayas are great things - saves having to figure out what to wear everyday  , they are also cool enough to wear in the summer despite what others may think.
Go for it and enjoy..... |
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Wander
Joined: 30 Jun 2005
Posts: 34
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| Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2005 9:21 pm Post subject: Re: SQU and Oman |
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| kaw wrote: |
Hi
Haven't worked..... |
I have read time and again of the limited social life for ex-pats in the Middle East. I suspect that it's more to do with the absence of family and friends from the home country than anything else. Excluding family events, in what ways are people unable to socialize in the Middle East? Activities such as team sports are thin on the ground but then again there are other activities that can fill that gap.
Granted, many of the ex-pat populous can be odd (I'm like to think I'm odd, for instance!) but that quirkiness adds as much as it removes.
No matter where you are, your social life is what you make it, isn't it? |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2005 10:43 pm Post subject: |
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Yes, of course. I don't think anyone ever said that one couldn't socialize in the Middle East.
But unless you are into outdoor activities like camping or wadi bashing or the Hash, things can get pretty quiet. Books are notoriously expensive. There are not lots of 'adult ed' courses on offer. There are movie theaters, if you don't mind phones ringing and loud talking, and a plethora of 'action' flics. There is a very limited 'bar scene.' And then there is the problem of a small expat population. Very quickly you tend to know everyone... very small townish... very gossip oriented. You may or may not be able to find a group that you enjoy socializing with.
I was older when I arrived and found it a very comfortable relaxed lifestyle. But some people find it... err... a tad dull...
That said, Oman has a lot to offer many people.
VS |
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Wander
Joined: 30 Jun 2005
Posts: 34
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| Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2005 2:02 pm Post subject: |
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| veiledsentiments wrote: |
| Yes, of course. I don't think... |
From what I remember of Dubai, movie theatres are either rat-infested Bollywood joints or they run censored Hollywood tripe. Sad to hear that books are still expensive. Is Amazon a viable source of books from Oman? (Even though I live in the heart of a major city, I use Amazon for buying books because it's so easy and they arrive within a couple of days.) Neither cinema-going or book-worming count as social activities, of course.
I think that social life in the Middle East is highly dependent upon attitude. People like to form cliques and like to hate other people (caveman genetics, I guess). If you have the attitude that you are no better than anyone else and that everyone has their own set of problems that can cloud their judgement and colour their outlook then you can interact with people in a friendlier manner and create a circle of friends that is larger that it would otherwise be. I am not trying to tell people how to behave, just pointing out that the peculiar circumstances in the Middle East need adjusting to.
Wander |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2005 2:27 pm Post subject: |
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Hi Wander,
Most places around the Gulf have added some nicer movie theaters, so you don't have to visit those unrooved places where the floor is covered with red splotches. I used to live in an extremely nice flat in Abu Dhabi where I could look down into one of those types.
I too buy my books mainly on line since I live in the hinterlands of Amrica. I'm not sure about getting books through the mail... I have heard people say that they do it, but I imagine the shipping makes it expensive. One thing that Muscat has is a good used book store... and the fellow that owned it had also opened one in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. That was a lifesaver for me.
But, you are correct that reading hardly qualifies as socializing. Personally after spending all day surrounded by fellow teachers and students, a quiet evening reading was as appealing as anything else. Expats are a mixed bag - including many eccentric sorts - many quite entertaining. And there are always new people coming in. Most people who desire a social life can find one. It may not be perfect, but I met dozens of nice people that I still correspond with and even see now and again during various travels.
Most of the time, people just get on... or move on...
VS |
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Wander
Joined: 30 Jun 2005
Posts: 34
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| Posted: Fri Jul 22, 2005 7:05 pm Post subject: |
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| veiledsentiments wrote: |
| Most places around...VS |
Hi VS,
That's an encouraging message, thanks
Wander |
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kaw
Joined: 31 Mar 2003
Posts: 302
Location: somewhere hot and sunny
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| Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2005 9:23 am Post subject: |
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Please don't get me wrong - Oman isn't dull. What can beat freshly caught Tuna cooked on a BBQ on a gorgeous white beach or sitting on the roof terrace with a glass of wine watching the sunset....
Other things to do - well - there's a lot of sporty stuff and a lot of people learn how to dive (either in Muscat) or at Al Sawadi (a resort an hour and a half away from Muscat), there are bars - roughly catergorised as follows - your 'normal' hotel bar - expensive drinks, lots of expats, live music - sometimes and then there are 'the others'...usually Moroccan or Indian where the beer is cheaper, the music is pretty awful and not really a place to take a woman.
Having all the hotels there means you can get membership for the pool etc but then SQU have all that. Friday you usually get great 'brunch' deals - again at the hotels. So there certainly is stuff around.
As for books - there are some ok bookshops around 'Turtles' the new Lulu Hypermarket and at the airport, etc as well as a good second hand shop - as far as I know it's still around.
I know people that have used Amazon and there don't seem to be any problems - although if you decide to order 'Playboy girls reveal all' - you may not actually get it.
Apart from that...... well I have heard stories about people buying CDs and getting them to find the lyrics crossed out or whatever....
You'll be fine once you get there.
K |
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Wander
Joined: 30 Jun 2005
Posts: 34
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| Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2005 1:36 pm Post subject: |
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| kaw wrote: |
| Please don't get me... |
I remember well the omnipresent censorship in the U.A.E. In one case, Cosmopolitan magazine ran an article on gigolos that was removed in its entirety. I know it's oppression but at the same time it's hilarious.
The Middle East has come a long way in a few years and it's surprising that the indigenous people have been able to cope with the changes seen so far.
I have strong views about politics in the West but politics in Middle Eastern countries are none of my business. I fully accept the oddities of life there and in an unobtrusive fashion I am amused by many of them. I remember walking out at dawn and hearing the mosques starting up: just like yowling cats. Highly amusing. On the other hand, I know people who have lived next door to mosques and the calls have been a great irritation for them.
Those who don't like what they find in the Middle East can always return to their home countries. We are fortunate enough to have the choice.
Wander |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2005 1:45 pm Post subject: |
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| Wander wrote: |
| I remember walking out at dawn and hearing the mosques starting up: just like yowling cats. Highly amusing. |
...err... should I be kind and presume that you meant this as two different issues? I could interpret it as your suggesting that the call sounds like yowling cats...
or, I could take it that you liked hearing the call early in the morning - and - you find yowling cats amusing?
And back to the idea of censorship, I have a wonderful collection of cartoons from the newspaper that got edited... Hagar's mug of beer often disappeared from his hand. Blondie and Dagwood got their kisses whited out. It always left this completely cryptic, but also never amusing, comic strip. Although there was the fact that it had been edited to laugh about.
VS |
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mci
Joined: 11 Sep 2004
Posts: 56
Location: Oman
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| Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2005 2:22 pm Post subject: |
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And how about the jiffy marker panty and bathing suit lines sketched on every magazine cover like Cosmo, Fitness, Shape etc. to increase the covered area. Although they usually just turn a skimpy bikini into a slightly less skimpy one, imagine the time it takes to do that?
When they're busy, they make do with a piece of tape over the offending parts which lasts about an hour on the shelves I would guess. I should grow my fingernails a bit longer to make the peeling off easier..... 
I don't mind the prayer calls at all, in fact some of them are very pleasant to the ear. Others are not as gifted and when they overlap, it can be just noise.
mci |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2005 2:34 pm Post subject: |
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| One thing I miss being back in the US is the call. Not only some of the more skilled muezzins, but it broke up the day. The only time I didn't enjoy it was some neighborhoods during Ramadhan would turn the volume up so loud that it could practically blast you out of your seat... two blocks away. Those in the midst of three or four mosques really got blasted. It always took a week or two to get used to the change, but it was only for a month. |
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