Job Discussion Forums

[jumpingpete]

I have been offered a job in Nizwa, but up until a short while ago I knew very little about the place. There isn't much information about the town through google or word of mouth. I have read some things people have said about it on this sight, but the ones that have stuck in my mind have been of the sentiment 'stay away if you're young'. I'm 23 and although living a social life without pubs and clubs does'nt bother me much , I don't want to be stuck in a place where very few people speak English.
Has anyone got any idea what the TEFL or English speaking community is like there? Is there much of one? Is it mostly teachers with families, or recent graduates?
I am trying to work out what to expect, so any help would be appreciated.

[veiledsentiments]

Jumpingpete,

I would say that it is *not* the place for a 23 year old person new to EFL and the Middle East. It is a large village and about the only English speakers will be the ones that you work with. You may or may not find someone within that group that you want to even see after work... not that there is much of anything to do in Nizwa. It is a great place to visit on the weekend, but personally I wouldn't want to ever live there.

Hopefully someone can give you a ballpark number of fellow teachers there... 10? 15? 25? more? Many of the locals will speak some English, as will the various expats from other countries. To be honest, it would not even be that great of a place to learn Arabic, as rural Omani dialect is not widely understood around the Middle East.

Since you have read the posts here, you know about the negative issues with the employer. If you are desperate for a job, and want a short experience of the culture, you could probably last out a year or two. Just don't have high expectations and know that you will probably have to leave the country as they do not seem to give release letters.

VS

[jumpingpete]

Thanks for replying so quick VS,

I have heard from some teachers in Nizwa who have a lot of praise for their employers, so I suppose it is the town itself that I am more concerned about.
There must be more than one English language centre in the area isn't there?
I've heard some say that Nizwa is the second biggest town in Oman, and others saying that Salalaha is. Which is true?

[veiledsentiments]

I assume that you have also read the posts of those who didn't find much to praise. Couldn't one of them let you know the number of teachers in Nizwa these days? They should also know better the current number of educational facilities.

I had always assumed that Salalah was the second largest city. I just googled the facts and it said that the population of Salalah was 178,000, while the population of the Wilayet of Nizwa (town plus surrounding population) was about 56,000. From those sources it seems that Salalah is WAY bigger.

VS

[dmb]

I think it depends on your personality. My first EFL job when I was a similar age was in a small village in Turkey(population 2000) I was the only foreigner. I loved it. I even extended my contract.

[veiledsentiments]

Well... now that explains everything...

VS

[ellanvannin]

Thought I'd blow the cobwebs off this thread.

Been offered a job in Nizwa, and I'm alarmed at just how much information there isn't!!

If anyone on this forum is out there, please, please let me know what it's like on the ground there. Most of the information on this forum is old and comes from folk that have visited the place, but not lived there.

[veiledsentiments]

You mean as in "have visited the place enough to know that I'd never want to live there?" that's my catagory.

We haven't had any Nizwa posters here for awhile, but I'm not sure why that is. Hopefully one will show up with some current info for you.

VS

[dmb]

[ellanvannin]

Oh dear. That bad is it?

I'm hoping they're all too busy enjoying themselves to be posting on this forum.

Please Nizwa folks let us know what it's like

I've been given the option of Ibra if I prefer, but there seems to be even less information about that place :/

[veiledsentiments]

I believe that Ibra is even smaller than Nizwa, about half the size and rather off the beaten track. I'd defintely pick Nizwa over Ibra. But, some like the experience of living where there are few expats.

VS

[ellanvannin]

Thanks for the reply.

Going slightly off topic, my friends and family are a little uncomfortable with me going off to the gulf. Should they be concerned in any way as regards to Oman? I know that the situation can change rapidly, but is there any resentment towards westerners (me be Brit) over there?

Can't wait to see the roundabout, btw

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nizwa

[veiledsentiments]

When describing Oman, the word 'precious' comes to mind. Both Oman and the Emirates are famous for their roundabouts. (though Oman has been removing some of the more interesting ones in the last few years because of the traffic safety issue.)

I will give my standard advice on safety in the Gulf. I consider Oman to be one of the safest countries in the world - though the traffic can be a bit frenetic... too many testosterone loaded young men with fast cars.

Will there be resentment? Most Arabs realize how little control we have of our own government. Could things change if there is an attack on Iran? Maybe, but there have been surprisingly few problems so far. And, I would be surprised if things changed a lot.

But you can point out that there are no guarantees in life and people have died in attacks all around the world. Not many places are truly safe anymore... And I doubt that anything that you can say will make your family stop worrying.

VS

[Neil McBeath]

The chances are that the people teaching in Nizwa will be a mixture of married and single, and that they will also be a mixed bag of expatriates = BANA; Indian/Pakistani/Sri Lankan and varios Arab nationalities.

Nizwa has everything you need to sustain life. There are two hotels (although one is closer to Birkat al Mooz than Nizwa itself); taxis are plentiful and cheap; there is a scheduled bus service to both the Capital Area and also to Salalah. Mini buses (seat 15) leave for Muscat as soon as they are even half full, they take about an hour and a half to arrive and cost a whole Omani Rial for a single trip.

I worked with the Royal Army of Oman's Armoured Brigade for four and a half years at their camp at Sha'afa. That's about 30 km south west of Nizwa, and it's literally at the end of the road. The nearest entertainment was at a petrol station, ten kilometres from the camp, and about two km after that was the village of Qalat al Awamir.

To me, Nizwa was a metropolis. Go for it. It's a beautiful town, high on the list of Must-sees for tourists to the Sultanate. The journey between the Capital Area and Nizwa is a constant delight, and it's actually better if you DON'T drive, because that way you can appreciate the scenery.

[kuberkat]

I agree with VS that you would probably be safer anywhere in Oman than in many other places. People are extremely personable and peace-loving, and there is no culture of overt aggression towards Anglos.

Nizwa is a very traditional town, though, and there can be misconceptions about Westerners that can cause problems. How you deal with these can make a big difference. This is a country where things happen slowly, and even if your middle name is Ghandi there will be frustrations.

I mention this because I do know foreign women who have worked in Nizwa and endured harrassment and even violence, mainly because they showed a lot of skin and easily lost their tempers- twin taboos. Foreigners everywhere have some hassles, but I think this would have been avoided if they had basically shown more respect for local customs.

As to being young in a small town, I'm in a small, traditional town myself and enjoy it, but I would go insane without wheels. Nizwa is about 90 minutes from Muscat, and it can be essential therapy.