Job Discussion Forums

[The Aussified Canuck]

[veiledsentiments]

You misunderstood flutter. She was referring to the negatives outside of Muscat. Oman is very child oriented and there are playgrounds and things for kids - though you may have to take a short drive to get there rather than be able to walk. Most child-oriented activities are in Muscat. Crime is nearly non-existent... mainly very petty theft.

Muscat really doesn't feel urban like an Asian city or even the other cities in the Gulf. Because of the geography it is very spread out... no high rises because there are height restriction. It is not congested... rush hour traffic, of course... and Oman/Muscat is definitely not unfriendly. To me Muscat feels more like a small town than a big city. Certainly nothing like Bejing or Seoul.

Still mail-ins at SQU I believe...

VS

[camelman]

My family and I lived in Salalah for a year. Seeing the mountains during monsoon season is breathtaking.

Schools are limited and medical was a nightmare. We had a situation where we ended up with a police escort to the hospital.
You are at least 10 to eleven hours from a good supermarket/mall, although Lulu stocks some western goodies you do get bored of the same old thing day after day. Toy shops are not well stocked and book shops, well not sure if there is one. Clothes shopping can be an embarrassment, as you could turn up to class with the same outfit as another teacher or student!

Muscat is a better place for things such as medical, education and of course shopping. Sohar is better than it used to be with an international school, a soon to be opened Safer mall, the cinema is near completion and the Crown Plaza has promised to open its doors soon. Centerpoint opened recently so clothes shopping and furniture shopping has improved. The hospitals�, there are two, one is the old hospital and yes the other is called the NEW hospital, are ok. The new hospital is well staffed and seems to be well equipped. Sohar is two hours from Dubai and Muscat so a day or weekend trip can be planned. The cross mountain drive from Salalah is dangerous and cars are driving at breakneck speeds. Road traffic accidents are not uncommon on that drive. We had a tire blow-out about six hours from Salalah at midnight, not an ideal place to sit your wife and child roadside whilst tires are being changed. The locals are wonderfully nice and did stop to offer assistance, but still the mountains at midnight!

Salalah is beautiful but I recommend a visit first. Try and get a job in Muscat or Sohar and visit Salalah during a holiday and see first hand. You could transfer if you are with one of the Colleges of Technology.

[The Aussified Canuck]

Thanks VS, for the clarification on Flutterbayou's posting. I guess that teaches me to read things twice when browsing early in the morning!

Thanks also for the feedback on Salalah and information on Sohar, Camelman. It sounds like you went through quite the ordeal in Salalah ~ yikes! Definitely a red flag for us on the medical issue. I'm amazed at how quickly things can change though (especially after reading so many less than complimentry posts about Sohar in the recent past). May I ask, how long ago was it that you lived in Salalah? Our tastes for groceries are pretty simple: vegetables, meat and bread...it's the access to medical services that I'm most concerned about.

I'm curious about the following reference:

[veiledsentiments]

I suspect that there are not many expats with kids in Sohar. Up until very recently, there were no English schools, not sure how it is now. I fear that you may find yourself a bit more 'on your own' than you might like. There is getting away from urban Asia and getting too far away.

Also, dependable employers offer 2-3 contracts, not one year. I don't know if SQU has moved up to 3 year contracts yet, but it is expensive for employers to bring people in, so they expect you to stay around for awhile. I find a place that offers shorter contracts to be a warning bell... it means that conditions are such that people won't stay.

VS

[flutterbayou]

Excuse me for not responding promptly - I've been busy this week.

VS clarified on my behalf and she's right - I would find Muscat a very good place for children. Having worked in both Seoul and major cities in China, I can attest that you will not find this sort of pace and rugged lifestyle in Oman.

Muscat reminds me of an Arabic Arizona on the sea, if you can wrap your mind around that one. It is absolutely lovely, and is the only place I would suggest anyone take a child to live in Oman.

The City Centre has a great indoor playground at the food court, too!

[camelman]

The opening of Sohar port has boosted Sohar in many areas. Sohar Aluminium and the new Refinery have added to the ex pats numbers as well as the numerous other companies that have opened in the port.

Sohar is the place to live if you work with Shinas College of Technology. Yes it is a 35 minute drive but worth it if you want a little bit of life in the evenings or weekend. Teachers do live in Shinas and seem to enjoy it; however they do not have small children. Musaana College of Technology is nearly an hour from Sohar and about the same from Muscat, you could work there and car share back to Muscat, it has been done and I know Bahwan teachers make this trip. (Not promoting Bahwan here). Cecne is the agent of choice; the other two agents are Bahwan and Globnet.

The international School is well known and the children who attend seem to be happy. The fees are within reach and they offer discount if you teach in some institutes, worth looking at and asking if you qualify for this.

(Our tastes for groceries are pretty simple: vegetables, meat and bread.) We all say the same thing; really you will wish for a nice crusty French stick from time to time. Meats and veg are good and really fresh but my guessing is you will need a steak and making that drive to Muscat for a shopping trip is a nightmare. Medical, ummm small kids, cuts bruises and broken bones, never know when those will happen.

Salalah is what you make it. I have known families with kids who have adored it there and had no problems, but from my own experience I found it very hard.
Eating out in Salalah is limited; if I remember correctly there was a KFC and a great little Lebanese restaurant next to it. Not much else to choose from. In Sohar we have KFC, Pizza Hut, Pizza Palace, Woodlands, a fabulous Syrian restaurant, Spicy Village and opening shortly a 24 hour restaurant which will be opposite the cinema. The Crown Plaza (which opens soon) will have a sports bar and coffee shop etc. oh yeah just behind the Shell gas sattion there is a food court now, Penguin has relocated to tis building as Chikadee chicken and yet another Pizza palace. Have heard that McDonalds and Hardee's are on the way but not sure!

VS has been on the ball about Sohar in the past, would recommend her coming back for a short visit and see what�s it is like now, think she will be shocked. It really is coming on leaps and bounds.
It is by no means like Muscat, but there is a little more choice for entertainment now.

[williamh]

camelman is right - salalah is what you make of it (great weather, great scenery) but the medical facilities are borderline frightening. not the place to have a major medical emergency.

[lall]

[Baz]

Not to return to the earlier "white/non-white" subject, but....

We gave 2 small boys, and my wife is not white-- she's Taiwanese. So, 2 questions about Oman:

Would there be any problems for her or us with racism or negative attitudes?

Would there be any opportunity for her to teach Mandarin (or English)? (She has experience.)

Thanks!

[veiledsentiments]

I'm not sure how we can discuss racism or negative attitudes without mentioning white/non-white issues. First off, where will you be in Oman? (make sure that they have schools if your sons need them) There are lots of mixed nationality marriages in the Gulf, so it will be nothing new. In Muscat, there shouldn't be much problem as they are used to expats, but in some of the smaller villages she may be bothered by the staring.

But, one issue that she will need to be able to deal with (besides the staring) is that many will assume that she is your maid or nanny. Another is that some of the Gulf has been inundated with Chinese hookers. She should probably avoid taking lone nighttime walks. The Middle East is generally not dangerous - I often walked alone in the cool of the night - but we Westerners are almost never bothered in Oman. She needs to be aware of this and hopefully, not let herself get upset about it.

She may be able to pick up some classes for English, but I wouldn't count on it. It will likely depend on how well she speaks it in an interview. Does she have a TEFL cert? I have no idea about Mandarin.

VS

[Baz]

Thanks, VS.

We're doing advanced research now, so no definite plans as yet. It does seem that Muscat would be the place to go.

We'd already ruled out some other places, such as Kuwait, because of what we'd read about Asians being the lowest rug on the ladder & getting no respect. which isn't something I want for my my wife or sons. I'd read that Oman might be the least biased or at least most easygoing Arab country. (My wife's travelled a lot & is used to being a novelty, but being mistaken for a hooker is a whole different thing.)

[Geronimo]

Here's a useful website for those of you with kids....

http://www.omantoday.co.om/disCon.aspx?Cval=80

Scroll down past the Real Estate Agencies' contact details
for information on Oman's nurseries and international schools.

Next stop - go to:- www.apexstuff.com and check out online e-paper- "TheWeek" .
There's an article in it this week about someone
who is planning to roller-ski from Salalah to Muscat (pp16/7).

May I endorse camelman's points about Sohar.
There are a considerable number of expat mothers
living in Sohar. The Al Batinah International School is
of one of Sohar's international schools.
Its website address is:-
http://www.abisoman.com/

It is the venue for the opening choral evening of the Sohar Music Festival
( www.soharmusicfestival.com ) on 21st October 2009.
The school's choir will be performing again -as they did last year.

The ABA Jazz Band are also appearing at the SMF this year.

The website for the ABA school in Muscat is:-
http://www.abaoman.edu.om/ABA_Site/General/index.aspx

Baz, your wife may be interested to know that Mandarin classes are being scheduled for students at
the Ministry of Higher Education's Sohar College of Applied Sciences...
but I don't have any contact details for you on that one.
(Hawthorn Int.'s recruitment agent, Mr Abdul Majid Majali, might know?!)

Anyway, good luck with your travel plans!

Geronimo

[veiledsentiments]

Great stuff Geronimo. If there are Mandarin classes, she may be at least able to pick up some tutoring.

[Baz]

Thanks, Geronimo & VS!

Even tutoring would be good for her. She just doesn't want to be a full-time housewife & mom.

Incidentally, out of many countries visited, the only place where we've experienced negative attitudes about her race/nationality was Vietnam. Apparently, to many people there, attractive Asian woman + white man = hooker.