Job Discussion Forums

[orinlouis]

Surely this has been answered, so if someone wants to forward me to the right post, that would be fine.

About to finish an MA at San Diego State University; have a BA from University of California at Santa Barbara; have lots and lots of loans; have no stamps on my passport (although I have heard they're not stamping anymore...you know what I mean--I NEED TO TRAVEL!). I also need to make money. Mid-East seems like a really neat place to live. I'm open to any ideas/suggestions upon where to look for jobs (countries as well as websites).

Thanks in advance!

Warm regards,
Orin


PS: I would love to be able to surf, if possible, but I understand the coastal weather is much more intolerable. Suppose the sooner I could get said job, the less picky I'd be.

[omanized]

Not much chance of employment in the higher paying Gulf - your Master's is too green and it appears you have no experience. In 3-5 years, you will be more eligible for a university position in the UAE or Doha where the money is pretty good but the cost of living is getting ridiculous and so the net gain is pretty average.

Sorry for the bad news........

omzd

[orinlouis]

that certainly is some bad news.

well, any idea where i -could- work/make the most money with this green machine of mine?

thx!

[windstar]

Korea, Japan maybe Taiwan too. Not ME.

[orinlouis]

[veiledsentiments]

Entry level teachers (or most jobs) can't expect to step right into the 'big bucks.' Do you have any classroom experience?

VS

[orinlouis]

not expecting the biggest bux, but still trying to survive (and avoid korea/japan).

i've subbed and taught one college class (freshman comp) at san diego state u.

sure, i'm green. i know this. what can i do about it?

TIA

[veiledsentiments]

If neither your BA nor MA provided supervised substitute teaching, I would suggest that you get a good certificate like the CELTA. Many MA programs are heavily theoretical and good practical training can be crucial. (just a Freshman writing course with half of them native speakers is unfortunately not much preparation)

Considering the past practices of the agents hiring for the Ministry of Higher Education in the villages of Oman, they may hire you, and you would likely be paid enough to pay those bills back home and survive in Oman - somewhere between $2-2500 a month tax-free. (they would provide tickets and housing)

BUT... I worry about sending someone with so little experience either in teaching or living abroad to these jobs with so many difficulties. Seriously, they can be enough to drive experienced overseas teachers to run for the border. You need to be highly adaptable, relaxed about difficult management, flats with cockroaches, and a new dress code.

One factor is to not apply until your degree is completely finished and you have documentation. In the meantime, read everything you can on Oman and its culture... teaching Arabic speakers... and the pros and cons of these colleges scattered around Oman - on this board.

VS

[orinlouis]

wow! thanks; muy helpful.

agree that i am certainly lacking in training/experience (even if over half of the class were not native speakers).

strangely enough, there is a CELTA center in san diego--quite convenient. wrote them, and will keep you posted. problem is (as always) cash. course=$2,400...about $50,000 more than i have right now. suppose if i could be fairly sure the CELTA would get me a high(er) paying job and fast, i could find a way to do it.

how much would a dinky online tesol cert help? prolly not at all, huh?

know of any other options (countries/programs) that might pay less, but still enough to pay back some loans? also looking for something that might take me sooner than later...

thanks again for the excellent help. was ecstatic imagining traveling to the mid east, then you (and others) took that away (appropriately), now i see some glint of hope again.

just need to get out of here asap! ready to see! only obstacle (other than lack of experience) is loans.

orin

ps: of course with no experience, i cannot be positive i'm ready for extreme culture shock (i.e. oman), but feel as if i am. been living w/roaches for a long time, don't drink/smoke/use drugs, very physically/emotionally healthy, not religious, glad to wear whatever they want me to...what else...?

guess i'm not looking forward to more roaches, but the experience i'll gain dealing with them will make me a better person. need some world view and now.

[sliderama]

I'd suggest to try to pick up some teaching work in Cali right now to get some experience under your belt. There are wads of language schools there. Some of the schools in Cali even have a branch in the ME (ELS e.g.).

Check out surfersofdubai website for surf info. Oman would be the best bet for surf.

you would qualify for work in many countries (Japan, Korea ...) but with no experience you would be starting at the bottom, but your M.A. might, just might get you into a college/university (Korea especially), but a TESOL/CELTA would definitely help also

hope it's of some help...