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

[veiledsentiments]

Thanks for your information basiltherat.

People on the board might be interested in what kind of places there are to teach and what the usual salaries and benefits are. I have only heard that there is a British Council in Damascus, along with an American Language Center (not sure of the exact name). I had only heard of people getting part-time classes for varying number of hours with quite a low pay and no benefits. Certainly nothing on a par with Saudi. (though the cost of living would be much cheaper and life would certainly be more interesting ---)

Can you give more specific info? How about private lessons? Can they be easily found?

VS

[Leila2003]

Hi basiltherat

I don't know how much of this is fate or simply a result of my praying but I have desperately been searching for any inof about teaching in Syria and voila your post!!

Plzz be so kind as to give me all the info you have....perhaps a list of schools I can contact....email addresses....I am currently teaching in Riyadh...my second year...however, I have recently gotten engaged...he is Turkish and to me a great compromise would be for me to teach in Syria and for him to visit..

I loooooove K.S.A by the way and wouldn't leave...(my third year here) but I have to think about my future....I would teach in Turkey but I can't seem to get any good paying teaching jobs outside of Istanbul

I would really be most grateful for any help you can give me....I don't even mind taking a pay cut provided the minimum salary offered is 1000$ with accomodation provided by the school ofc....

I am teaching at a k12 school but have experience at a uni too and language schools as well....

Hope to hear from you soon...

[basiltherat]

indeed, 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.
ive heard that they 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)
regards
basil

[veiledsentiments]

Hi Basil,

A couple of questions came up in my mind that people might want to know. Much of this oil company work tends to be for men only - is this also true in Syria? Since these are likely the jobs with higher pay, that might exclude Leila.

Do you know if the ALC has foreign hire contracts? I talked to the director some years ago and at that time I believe that everyone was hourly. But, they were filling every class and every classroom all day, every day.

No AIDS tests after 50 eh? I guess we're past it...

VS

[shmooj]

basiltherat,

I'd appreciate some more info, not really on working conditions but simple daily life in Syria. What do you love about it? What drove you nuts? If you've left, what do you miss about it?

Also, more info on the student types you get and, if you knew any, what Syrian colleagues are like.

Finally, what about prices, getting around, shopping, stuff to do, ex pats and relationships with them, Syrians and relationships with them, travel to other countries nearby (esp Jordan)?

The more the better!

Cheers

[basiltherat]

still here, yes
students i teach here in deir ezzor are technical guys but in damascus/allepo at bc or alc theyre more likely to be young guys/girls in mid-twenties/early thirties. mostly those requiring english for work or to travel/stay abroad to further their education.
teaching colleagues are fine and the syrian teachers im working with are intelligent and very capable english speakers. they may lack the creativity that some of us have in preparing lessons and tend to rely alot on teacher's guide where it exists.
transport between cities is coach/bus but a couple of railway lines connect major centres exist albeit slow and infrequent. fares are miniscule. prices are generally very low. a schwarma for 50c in deir ezzor or $1 in damascus. soft drink will set you back 20c. cigarettes (french) $1. beer available. not great choices but thats a matter of taste. nothing expensive (a car perhaps). damascus rocks. great place.
syrians generally are some of the most hospitable,helpful and cooperative people ive met and, trust me, ive been around.
they are not fond of their government but are reluctant to tell you as much.
thoroughly recommended even if its just a visit. theres a wealth of history here. you wont be disappointed on that front.
all borders are open and easy to cross. not iraq, of course.
this place is a gem.
theres nothing that drives me nuts but ,if anything, it might be the poor public services; phone, electricity, post etc but hey we get some of that in our home countries, too. btw, it takes ages to get anything repaired here. there ... ive thought of something that drives me nuts.
regards
basil

[shmooj]

Okay... that's great for starters.

What about the postal system? Do people steal the stamps off your letter (India) or open your mail (Jordan)? Do letters home disappear? Do packages to you get opened and nicked from or disappear? Does stuff take ages to come/go by post?

What about water? Can you drink from the tap? Brush you teeth with it?

What about electricity? Power cuts? Do I need a UPS for a computer if I bring one (laptop)?

Should I bring a laptop? Could I pick up a decent model there? Would someone steal it? Will I never find an ISP to connect at home?

If you could cover these, I'll hold off until I know whether I have actually got the job or not. Otherwise I'm just chasing the wind

[basiltherat]

better to rely on email and phone. ive never used p[ost but reports say its poor/risky.
water should be boiled before drunk but plenty of bottled water around. brushing teeth with tap water is fine.
yes, the odd powercut but nothing too long.
yes. bring ups just in case. internet functions but no way to access yahoo mail and hotmail accounts. recommend changing to and setting up an email account with ....

fastmail.fm

.... before you come

internet cafes are plenty (@$1 or 2 dollars an hour)

isp available but may take time to set the connection up. as i said public service is poor and slow.

yes, bring laptop. no problems. as likely to get nicked here as anywhere in europe/states.

good luck with the appl;ication. meet up if you get the job but be awre im a 5 hour drive east from where yull be

[basiltherat]

btw. if u let me know wat their going to pay u, ill let u know how well yull live here.
regards
basil

[shmooj]

Okay salary (and I am definitely not in this for the money) is broken down into two payments:

They stick a separate amount which, for the purposes of this query is irrelevant, in your UK bank account and then give you an annual SP333,000 in the country. What I'd love to know is how well you can live (if at all) on this amount without drawing on what they put in the account back home.

Also, they are giving a SP28,700 monthly housing allowance plus SP4000 utilities allowance.

So, how does that figure?

[basiltherat]

333,000 sp a year equates to just under 30,000 pcm (US600) which should be ample to live on even if u eat out once in a while in good places and want to travel around on days off. you wont have to cut corners but on the other hand wont allow you to be extravagant (expensive bars and clubs). id say that whatever they deposit back home, you wont need to touch especially since theyre covering your accommodation and utilities too. theres little point in saving sp since theyre very difficult and illegal to convert back to foriegn currency (thats clearly why the bc are putting foriegn currency in ur account back home ).
good luck
basil
ps re coming; avoid flying in by syrian airlines if you can. they suck big time. ba or cyprus are good. ba flies direct to allepo anyway without touching damascus

[Byzantine]

Basil,

I spent about 3 weeks in Syria and loved it. That was before September 11th, Afghanistan, Iraq, etc. How are Americans getting on there these days?

I'd love to go back (probably more for Arabic than to teach), but I'm not sure I'd get quite the welcome I did the first time through. Thoughts?

Thanks.

[shmooj]