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Where are the jobs for female teachers in Saudi Arabia?
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Bahiya



Joined: 04 Sep 2004
Posts: 4
Location: Germany

PostPosted: Fri Mar 17, 2006 1:09 pm    Post subject: Where are the jobs for female teachers in Saudi Arabia? Reply with quote

I've been trying to find a teaching job in Saudi Arabia for quite some time, but it seems they prefer male teachers. Does anyone know which language center might employ females?

I am a German native speaker, but grew up (bilingually) in the US and also graduated from an American university (M.A. in English), thus my English is of native fluency.
Presently I am teaching Business English to German employees in industry, general English and German to foreigners at a language center.

I am a muslim, thus I thought it would be easier finding a job in SA, but it doesn't seem so.
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Cleopatra



Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago

PostPosted: Sat Mar 18, 2006 8:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
it seems they prefer male teachers.


It's not a question of 'prefer'. The education system, like just about everything else in Saudi Arabia, is strictly segregated by gender. Men teach males and women teach females. A women's school could no more employ a male teacher than a men's school could employ a woman. This is all enforced by law and social custom.

The problem for women teachers is that there are far more educational institutions for men than there are for women, although this is changing. Consequently, the opportunities for women are that much fewer. Also, many places are obliged to employ Saudi women, due to the lack of work opportunities available to them, and even if they do hire foreigners, they often prefer to recruit women locally - ie. to employ 'wives' of men employed elsewhere in the Kingdom. However, there are places that employ women teachers, including single women recruited from abroad. The fact that you're not a native speaker (however proficient your English is) and that you don't seem to have a lot of experience or a relevant MA, will work against you but will not exclude you. There are women's colleges in Jeddah and Riyadh, in addition to the various 'language centres' which, though usually not recommended, do sometimes employ foreign women.
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scot47



Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343

PostPosted: Tue Mar 21, 2006 6:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Why post here and not on the Saudi threads ?

One of your problems is that you are competing against THOUSANS of saudi candiadtes for posts. tecahing has for many years been one of the few careers available to Saudi somen. Preference will be given to a national over a foreigner.

Have you looked at Effat College ?
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QatarChic



Joined: 06 May 2005
Posts: 445
Location: Qatar

PostPosted: Tue Mar 21, 2006 7:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Why would any single female want to work in Saudi?? Shocked Confused
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Queen of Sheba



Joined: 07 May 2006
Posts: 397

PostPosted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 9:25 pm    Post subject: Re: Where are the jobs for female teachers in Saudi Arabia? Reply with quote

Bahiya wrote:
I've been trying to find a teaching job in Saudi Arabia for quite some time, but it seems they prefer male teachers. Does anyone know which language center might employ females?


With your MA in English, you would be able to land a job in KSA, although they do prefer males simply because there are more men's colleges and schools than women's. Look into Dave's job postings for Saudi and you will find several job postings for women in Saudi.

Bahiya wrote:
I am a muslim, thus I thought it would be easier finding a job in SA, but it doesn't seem so


Why did you think it would be easier because of your religion? Do you mean that they should give preference to Muslims because they are hiring for a Muslim country? While it could aid somewhat, in understanding the Saudis culturally, employers would get every Muslim Dick and Jane who can't get a job anywhere else coming to KSA. People who come to KSA because they are Muslim and seeking preferential treatment without any qualifications to back them up, threaten to lower the quality of applicants and employees in Saudi. Oh wait come to think of it, that does happen a lot.
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iia



Joined: 09 Jun 2006
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Mon Jun 12, 2006 9:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have just come from Saudi Arabia and I recommend it as a country.

Unfortunatelly the law there says that the employee has to hand in her/his passport to the employer, and is given a workpermit that will also serve as an ID while in Saudi. You won't be able to leave the country without an exit visa arranged to you by your employer and without your passport of course.

This gives the employer a lot of power over you and some of the Saudi employers don't hesitate to abuse that power. Many of them don't pay salaries on time, they deduct from your salary for being late for even 5 minutes, they make false accusations on you and use their "contacts" to get away with it all if you try to confront them. This is not the case with all schools of course, but be careful. Despite all the oil money, Saudi still is very much of a developing country.

What comes to Muslims being treated more kindly, it seems to me that it may be even the opposite sometimes because they may think of you as "less Western" ( which obviously isn't the case). But having Western teachers is an important tool for marketing there and some of the employers kind of want you to be as different from locals as possible. This doesn't mean that you wouldn't have to follow the local rules and regulations very, very strictly.

Good luck!
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Cleopatra



Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago

PostPosted: Tue Jun 13, 2006 12:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
What comes to Muslims being treated more kindly, it seems to me that it may be even the opposite sometimes because they may think of you as "less Western" ( which obviously isn't the case).


This is very true.

In some cases - local schools, a few religous universities, and of course anywhere in the cities of Al Medina or Makkah - all teachers have to be Muslim. However, in many other cases, being Muslim is not particularly advantageous and may even be a disadvantage, for the reasons the last poster has mentioned. Of course none of this would ever be - or could ever be - admitted, but that is not to say it does not go on. For private schools and colleges, having lots of "Western" (read "white") teachers on staff is a valuable marketing tool, as students here, it has to be said, can be rather superficial and not a little racist. It's not altogether different from the situation (so I've heard) in Japan, where blonde haired, blue eyed teachers are favoured over all others. Teaching skills, of course, don't really have very much to do with anything (just in case you were wondering...)
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Bebsi



Joined: 07 Feb 2005
Posts: 958

PostPosted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 8:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
Teaching skills, of course, don't really have very much to do with anything (just in case you were wondering...)


This window dressing is exactly why many establishments in the Gulf region absolutely insist on an MA, no matter where from or what in, and no other quals are accepted, no matter how good or how reputable the establishment. In many cases, they expect you to have an MA even when teaching young Abdullah to manage to say "Me name have Abdullah". It is of course absurd, and racism is also a big factor. In such establishments, usually privately owned, a white person with an MA in "life-experience" from the College of Advanced Internet Marketing is given priority over a non-white person with a DELTA, an MA in applied linguistics and a PhD in linguistic pedagogy!!!!

This does not mean that all establishments insisting on an MA do it for this reason, and there are many highly reputable institutions that want a good MA from a decent university, with a high level of relevance. These are mainly third-level institutions themselves, where advanced English is taught, usually as EAP, to high level students.
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stoth1972



Joined: 16 May 2003
Posts: 674
Location: Seattle, Washington

PostPosted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 3:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Is there a reason you have chosen KSA as opposed to other Muslim countries? From your experience and qualifications, I believe you would find good opportunities in Egypt, Oman, the UAE...just a suggestion.
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Sheikh Inal Ovar



Joined: 04 Dec 2005
Posts: 1208
Location: Melo Drama School

PostPosted: Wed Jun 14, 2006 5:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bebsi wrote:
.... teaching young Abdullah to manage to say "Me name have Abdullah".


Care to share the methods of your success story ...
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Deicide



Joined: 29 Jul 2006
Posts: 1005
Location: Caput Imperii Americani

PostPosted: Sat Aug 12, 2006 7:22 am    Post subject: Re: Where are the jobs for female teachers in Saudi Arabia? Reply with quote

Bahiya wrote:
I've been trying to find a teaching job in Saudi Arabia for quite some time, but it seems they prefer male teachers. Does anyone know which language center might employ females?

I am a German native speaker, but grew up (bilingually) in the US and also graduated from an American university (M.A. in English), thus my English is of native fluency.
Presently I am teaching Business English to German employees in industry, general English and German to foreigners at a language center.

I am a muslim, thus I thought it would be easier finding a job in SA, but it doesn't seem so.


Sag mal, willst Du wirklich in einem Land arbeiten, in dem oeffentliche Enthauptungen sanktioniert werden bzw. fuer etwas Positives erachtet werden? Ich glaube, mein Gewissen wuerde mich nur plagen. Ich bin neugierig, was den Nahosten betrifft, gerade was die finanziellen Moeglichkeiten betrifft, aber Saudi Arabien kaeme nicht in Frage fuer mich. Zudem wuerdest Du zum Status eines zweitrangigen Menschen reduziert werden, nur weil Du eines anderen Geschlechts bist...schaue nach Japan...dort gibt es mehr Moeglichkeiten und dort haben sie mittlerweile aufgehoert, Menschen oeffentlich hinzurichten....
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cam



Joined: 22 Jan 2003
Posts: 124
Location: Maine, USA

PostPosted: Sat Aug 12, 2006 4:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Deicede,

Is this not a discussion board for English teachers? I think that the majority of users do not understand German. So when you write something in German could you take the time to translate it for the majority.

German.... Seit wann schreibt man hier in diesem Forum auf Deutsch? Ist es nicht ein Forum f�r Englische Lehrer und Lehrerinnen? Ich bin der Meinung, dass die meisten Mitglieder dieses Forums verstehen Deutsch nicht. Bitte, wenn Sie etwas auf Deutsch schreiben w�rden, seien Sie bitte so nett und �bersetzen Sie es f�r die grosse Mehrheit dieses Forums! Confused
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Anytime now



Joined: 29 Apr 2005
Posts: 59

PostPosted: Sat Aug 12, 2006 7:31 pm    Post subject: EFL for Women Reply with quote

Schau 'mal auf die Seite Prince Mohammed bin Fahd University. Wenn Du einen Magister hast, die suchen gleich eine Dozentin. Alles Gute!

Look at the Prince Mohammed bin Fahd University job listing. They are hiring right now for women especially. Good luck!

Anytime Now
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scot47



Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343

PostPosted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 8:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I hear the new University in Hail, formerly the Hail Community College, has a Wimmyn's Section which is short of staff.
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Cleopatra



Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago

PostPosted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 7:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
I hear the new University in Hail, formerly the Hail Community College, has a Wimmyn's Section which is short of staff.


For the life of me, I can't imagine why...
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