Job Discussion Forums

elsteacherjasmine · Joined: 27 Jan 2008 Posts: 18

Hi all,

I'll be taking a year off from teaching and plan to learn Arabic. Any ideas on which language schools/centres to go in KSA or Yemen?

Thanks Smile

mishmumkin · Joined: 01 Sep 2007 Posts: 929

Though I've lived in neither country, it is said that KSA would not be a great place to learn Arabic. There is another thread on this board about countries/institutions recommend (many of which are located in the levant).

johnslat · Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 10:34 pm Post subject:

Dear eslteacherjasmine,
Do you reside in Saudi Arabia - and if so, is your residency there dependent upon your having a job there?

If your answer to the first is "No" and/or your answer to the second is "Yes",
there's no way you could study Arabic in Saudi Arabia.

If you're not a resident, to get into the country, you'd need to be hired for a job there first.

Regards,
John

elsteacherjasmine · Joined: 27 Jan 2008 Posts: 18

Dear John,

No- I don't reside there and I haven't gotten any confirmation to teach in KSA. I've been trying hard to search for a job there. I've got a Bachelor of Languages & Linguistics and a CELTA-Pass B with 2 years of teaching experience (teaching English to Middle Eastern learners). Am currently working for Berlitz. I've applied to various places such as Hail University, PSU, SBC, KFUPM, Bell, and so on but haven't gotten any positive replies yet. In January, SBC had sent me a mail to say that they were currently doing a screening process and would notify me once they had shortlisted the candidates. However, I haven't heard of them since then.

I'm studying Arabic by myself now but I'd like to get the experience of learning it in KSA or Yemen and it would be excellent if I got a job there too. I did get a job offer in Yemen but turned it down due to the vague Confused

contract they had given.

Do you have any suggestions----what should I do? Any information would be really appreciated.

Smile

Thanks

ghost · Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Posts: 1693 Location: Saudi Arabia

There are several language schools in Yemen, in Aden and Sana.

I would prefer Sana as a location, as the town is at altitude and benefits from a nice cool climate as a result. Aden can be very hot and humid, although the locals are friendly, as they are in most of Yemen.

Studying in Sana is a good idea, and the schools set you up with accommodation as well, or find a cheap hotel for you to stay in.

If you learn Arabic in Yemen, you will be well equipped for the region (Gulf countries), but the Arabic here is quite different to the Arabic colloquial spoken in the street in the Levant region - Syria, Jordan, Lebanon.

In any case, wherever you learn Arabic, you will learn the 'classic' version first, which complicates matters, because that is not what is used by most inhabitants.

Learning Arabic is a big challenge, and there are few posters here who have mastered the language, despite living and working for years in the region. I started at the University of Jordan, in Amman, but did not finish. I did not enjoy living in Amman.

Ghost in Korea

elsteacherjasmine · Joined: 27 Jan 2008 Posts: 18

Dear Ghost in Korea,

Thanks for the info as I'm really interested in learning the language and am doing some serious research on the schools and centres in the Gulf.

Cheers

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

The majority of those who seriously study Arabic end up in Egypt or Syria. You might want to expand your search to there.

VS

007

sheikh radlinrol · Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 1222 Location: Spain

ghost · Joined: 30 Jan 2003 Posts: 1693 Location: Saudi Arabia

All 'arabists' start with the classic (al-fusha) variety, simply because that is the lingua franca of all Arab countries, and the books for learning Arabic are classic arabic written.

The problem with learning 'al-fusha' is that it is very different to the arabic spoken in the street (no matter the location in the arab world), and that is why attrition rates for arab learners is so high.

There is a person who learned very good collequial arabic in Oman on this forum, but I forget who it is. He/she might like to contribute more.

Ghost in Korea

EricBartholemew · Joined: 04 Aug 2006 Posts: 20

I studied Arabic for a couple or three years, through Sudanese teachers in Oman. Then I immersed myself for a few months (on two separate occasions) in Sana'a, Yemen.

If you want "high-spoken", traditional Fus-Ha Arabic, go for Yemen; if you want to be understood more quickly, go for Egyptian - every state has Egyptian soaps on TV !

As for Institutes in Yemen, the one I found to be good was - oh, it has gone or had a name change (it was 1996 when I was last there ... )