Job Discussion Forums

StrayCat · Joined: 19 Mar 2007 Posts: 21

'You must come over for an interview...' (I'm teaching at an international school in Phuket, Thailand) said the email from Al Marifa International School (MIS) in Sharjah.
A couple of years ago I managed to land a very well paid job - crossing over from universities/private language schools to ESL/English at the above mentioned international school. Contract almost up so... as a mate in Oman said 'Go to UAE for a few years for the loot'.

I've a (Thai) wife and a baby boy. Does anyone know of this place (Al Marifa International School)? Is it well-paid, good housing, etc...?

Do you think I should be rubbing my hands with glee or running in the other direction (no, I don't want to stay in Thailand - been there 12 yrs already and need a 'wealthy' change).

Love to hear any feedback...

Shakhbut · Joined: 14 May 2005 Posts: 167

StrayCat · Joined: 19 Mar 2007 Posts: 21

Yeah, me thinks you could be right...it would have to be a plum post. I'll get me noggin' checked on the morrow!

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

If you are managing to save money in Thailand and the job is decent, I'd stay. So many of the international schools in the Gulf are awful. But you lose nothing by seeing what they offer and then carefully checking the place out.

VS

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

How much does your international school in Phuket pay? I would have thought you would be better off staying there than going for a crappy job in the Gulf that will do your CV no favours.

globalnomad2 · Joined: 23 Jul 2005 Posts: 562

Absolutely. Unless you are making university-level wages in the Gulf, in other words at least US$2800 a month TO START, with free, decent housing, it's better to be poor in a decent place, which Sharjah definitely is NOT. Neither is the entire Middle East, for most people who have been around--Southeast Asia, North America, Europe...almost anywhere else!

Shakhbut · Joined: 14 May 2005 Posts: 167

Shakhbut · Joined: 14 May 2005 Posts: 167

I've always found this site to be pretty impressive for locating schools in Asia:

http://www.shambles.net

Latteegirl1974 · Joined: 02 Aug 2007 Posts: 75 Location: Webkinz World

Sharjah's not a decent place? I just got an offer from the same school. PM me for details. What's wrong with Sharjah? The school looks beautiful! hmmmm ........... The offer is for only 1,905 USD Mad

a month...LOL I have a family, who do these people think they are? Business people who could care less about educating children!

Burqa Babe · Joined: 24 Jul 2007 Posts: 9

I think if I had a wife and a baby I wouldn't come to the Gulf and work for a pittance, things have gone down hill over the last few years!

Unless you are in higher education I believe it is hard to save money here. The UAE is expensive now, you won't get much in regard to accommodation, the dollar is weak and the UAE dirham is tied into the dollar, so think VERY carefully about moving your family! I'd look at Singapore, Hongkong....hope it helps Smile

stoth1972 · Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2007 4:18 pm Post subject:

Global Nomad said:

globalnomad2 · Joined: 23 Jul 2005 Posts: 562

Inflation currently runs at 9.3% in the UAE, according to the Gulf News. Certain major international finance institutions predict the UAE will revalue the Dirham next year despite government denials.

Sharjah sucks.

stoth1972 · Posted: Sun Aug 26, 2007 7:41 am Post subject:

Shakhbut · Joined: 14 May 2005 Posts: 167

globalnomad2 · Joined: 23 Jul 2005 Posts: 562

SOL means s*** out of luck. But if the UAE revalues (increases the value of) its currency, that would benefit all expats who change their earned dirhams into their home currencies.

Well I know a lot of people who moved out of Sharjah just because of the traffic alone. And I never met a single Dubai-based westerner who didn't avoid Sharjah like the plague, especially during the period when they had Saudi-style religious police harassing people. Just because we're guests here in the Middle East doesn't mean we can never make value judgments about a particular place and cannot call a spade a spade. As an analogy, some people with vested interests in Detroit or Liverpool because they happen to get their salary there and live in nice leafy neighborhoods (and leafy doesn't even exist in Sharjah) may call it a wonderful place, but that doesn't make it so.