Job Discussion Forums

[basiltherat]

Hi everybody
As I have been teaching efl in Syria for the past 11 months, I'd be very willing to provide what information I can for those who might be interested in coming to teach here, either from a cultural or a teaching point of view. There is no individual discussion forum for Syria and no entries in the Job Information Journal for this country on Dave's.
Any specific questions are welcome.
regards
basil

[basiltherat]

I have put up a brief summary of my experience here in the Job Information Journal under Syria
regards
Basil

[wanderlust1066]

How's it been since Israel zapped the 'terrorist training centres'? What's the score on the ground there?

[Afra]

Basil,
How did you get your job? Where do the universities advertise for EFL teachers? I was in Syria years ago and really enjoyed it.

[basiltherat]

cc general middle east forum

general info

as far as i know, the british council and alc are the only major operations in damascus. the bc only recruit out of the uk so it would be better to approach them there first. i believe that if u come directly to syria, the bc may only offer temp work. btw, they have operations in allepo as well as damascus
ive heard that they (bc) occassionally have openings for in-company work at one or two of the petroleum companies here where the money could be pretty good (negotiable). long hours, though, i think. these companies operate in the eastern regions of the country which means that one would be out in the desert, on-site for lengthy periods (say ,3 months) or in a nearby town to the fields, such as deir ezzor, where i am. alternatively, they may have classes at the companies'' head offices in damascus. so if one is interested in this kind of work, there are definitely positions. pay should be in the region of $2000 for this kind of oil field work. trainees generally need basic english training so most of the classes are general english with a technical flavour.
in dajmascus, there should be plenty of private work but rates would need to be quite low since even incomes in damascus are quite low. ill try toget some idea of rates when im next in damascus.
since many people want to study abroad in canada, uk, australia etc there is generally more demand for ielts prep rather than toefl (usa) so those teachers who are into ielts training may find it relatively easier to pick up private work in exam prep training.
cant say at this stage how the attack has affected the locals. where i am (deir ezzor), ive just noticed that the israel-palestine issue seems to be discussed more during class breaks and there is a sense of resignation, not so much anger, about the whole thing.
havent looked into visas much but will do so. if u want a temp resident permit, though, i do know u need to have an aids test (not needed for those over 50).
ads for tefl in syria are very rare. i picked this position up from a petroleum co in uk/egypt - (tistar0
regards
basil