Job Discussion Forums

[CanMet]

I wonder if anyone can recommend some useful websites or give some information about teaching in OMAN and other countries in the Gulf.
Thank you very much

CanMet

[sperling]

Hi -

A good start would be to read the Oman section of my Job Information Journal at:

http://www.eslcafe.com/jobinfo/middle_east/sefer.cgi?Oman

All the best,

Dave Sperling
Founder
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Dave's ESL Cafe
http://www.eslcafe.com

[scot47]

Isn't it strange how few posts there are on Oman ! Are all the EFL teachers in Oman so blissfully happy that they never need too post ?

[zakiah25]

The situation here usually revolves around Sultan Qaboos University, the various Teachers Colleges and assorted institutes. I don't know about the University but change comes slowly in the Teachers Colleges but recently they did eventually change their basic text from Headway to New Interchange after suggestions from teachers. The bad news comes from Al Rakaib Institute in Muscat which is starting to behave like every other bad institute that you have read about in this forum. Recently, they tried to make a resigning teacher (who had given the required 3 months notice) pay all recruitment costs (advertising and airfares) for a new teacher which wasn't stipulated in the original contract.

[MindTraveller]

Here's a site I found that's pretty good for all of Arabia - with connections to local Arabian English newspapers:

http://www.albawaba.com/countries/index.ie.php3?lang=e

Oman isn't very large. So when someone like "Bill" posted about his experiences here in Oman, EVERYONE knew who was talking. I had worked with him and respected his general comments on Arabia. They were correct. His comments on Oman were a bit off the mark because of his own behavior and the resulting problems he caused for his co-workers and the Omanis.

So people in Oman don't talk much because there aren't that many of us, and word DOES get around. Suffice to say, teaching in the colleges, like I do, outside Muscat, is very isolating. There's not even a decent restaurant or a hotel with a swimming pool here. I have to drive 2 hours one way or 2 hours in the opposite direction to even see a movie. The local video shops aren't very good, but cable tv is excellent. The teaching is on par with other teaching situations in the Gulf.

Unlike in Asia, we do get paid! Maybe late, sometimes, but we do get paid. We get paid a bit less than teachers in the UAE. On the plus side, we can save more easily because there's practically nothing to spend your money on in some of the towns where the six teacher colleges are located.

Personally, I much prefer Arabic laid-back (lots of vacation time) mentality compared to Asia's 'be at your desk 10 hours a day'.

If you have any specific questions, write and I'll see if I can answer them.

Sincerely,
MindTraveller

[inscrutable]

Ahlan wa sahlan, MindTraveller,

Your post caught my attention because the picture it paints supports my own mental image of Oman. I have been enchanted by the place ever since I saw it from the air during a flight from Delhi to Jeddah 20 years ago.

I am a 51 year old male who has spent most of his life in technical publications. I worked for six years in Jeddah during the 1980s and more recently spent a few months in Bahrain. I earned a BA in English (writing) in 1996 but have no experience teaching.

I am now ready for a change and am looking at teaching ESL/EFL. Whatever others may think of it, my dream destination is Oman. I have been looking at the CELTA and TEFL courses offered by Bridge Linguatec in Denver, Colorado.

Knowing that Oman is quite pro-British, my question for you is this: would I be more likely to find a good job in Oman with the CELTA, or will the TEFL work equally well? They are very similar in terms of hours of training, teaching hours, etc. It's just that the CELTA carries the Cambridge cachet.

Thanks so much for any advice you can offer--assuming you're still in Oman!

[MindTraveller]

Right now, with a background in publications (writing) you may easily find a job at the Higher Colleges of Education, but ask to work with the Intensive English program which is now at Sohar, Rustaq and Nizwa. Don't accept unless you get into that program!

The students are motivated and the materials are good. It's a new program this year, so there's been a lot of problems making syllabi and testing..... and next year will be the same with the program, because the students will be taking advanced writing and other course in English. And yes, they need to have teachers who can teach writing. I hope you can do that?

Despite the pro-British attitude in many Gulf countries, the teacher colleges switched from the British HEADWAY to the USA-American INTERCHANGE books and for the Intensive courses, are using the same books as Sultan Qaboos University - NORTHSTAR.

I don't know if TEFL or CELTA are preferred, but a Masters is preferred, with some teaching experience.... However, they really need teachers for the Intensive program - and would like to hire more native speakers.

The problem is that Oman has only one real city, and I have to go to the UAE to see a decent movie. Nizwa is a bit large, and Sohar is just an hour from Al Ain, in the UAE. So the postings are a bit remote with little social life among the ex-pats - that I know of. You can start an on-line distance program for a Masters in Linguistics..... That would be a good thing to do too.

So apply, take that course, and do some volunteer teaching ASAP!

I hope this helps you.