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clandestino
Joined: 22 Sep 2007
Posts: 22
Location: on a need 2 know basis ;-)
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 Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 1:22 pm Post subject: Where would be good for a newly married man and his wife? |
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I'm 24 will have had had two years post CELTA experience by November 2008. However, I've also worked as an English teacher each summer and been a manager of an English Lanugage summer school! I speak Arabic and have lived in Syria, Morocco and Egypt as a student! I am getting married in August and me and my wife to be are dreaming of going to the Middle East to work next year! I have always wanted to teach in Oman because I think this provides the best quality of life out of all the Arab countries. Given my relative lack of experience, is there a chance of a job there?
What other countries would people recommend for a newly married couple, one of whom has about 2 years experience and a CELTA , while the other is a qualified IT teacher in the UK to get jobs in?
Am I right in thinking Oman is the best country in terms of quality of life and salary?
I really want this dream of ours to work and would be open to suggestions from you out there! 
All the best
clandestino! |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 2:51 pm Post subject: |
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Oman may give one of the best quality of life situations, but it has one of the lowest salary ranges of the Gulf. Quality of life is also a relative thing. While the places that you have lived are great fun, you may find the gulf a bit staid and boring. If you are into beaches and hiking and camping, Oman has lots to offer.
With your lack of credentials, your choices will be very limited in the Gulf. Do you have a first degree? Without it, your changes are even lower.
VS |
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clandestino
Joined: 22 Sep 2007
Posts: 22
Location: on a need 2 know basis ;-)
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| Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 12:23 pm Post subject: yup |
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Yeah I have a first degree from a top British University in Politics and History of the Middle East with Arabic. I thought that I had a decent set of qalifications, don't I? O.k, well if not Oman, then where could I try?
Thanks,
Clandestino |
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lall
Joined: 30 Dec 2006
Posts: 358
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| Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 1:06 pm Post subject: Oman |
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Oman first.
Since you are young and recently-married, I think a place like Salalah could be your first stop. It is beautiful and the lack of medical facilities shouldn't be a deterrent, given that you are young.
But, keep that in mind if you plan to have your first child early. Then, Muscat will be a better choice.
Bahrain is OK, too. Then, of course, any place should be great when one is newly-married.
Good luck.
Lall. |
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denise
Joined: 23 Apr 2003
Posts: 3419
Location: finally home-ish
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| Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 2:17 pm Post subject: |
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At your age, your qualifications are fine! You have two more years of experience than I had when I was 24.
I've never been to Salalah, but I would guess that for a young couple the closer to Muscat the better. There are three colleges in Nizwa, which is about 90 minutes from Muscat. You can live quite comfortably on the salaries here, as long as accommodation is provided.
d |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 2:24 pm Post subject: Re: yup |
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| clandestino wrote: |
| I thought that I had a decent set of qalifications, don't I? O.k, well if not Oman, then where could I try? |
Decent, but not still pretty much the basic entry level. (never fear, we were all there at one time) About all that would be possible in Oman are the Ministry of Higher Education jobs in the villages... most are called Higher Colleges of Technology. Other are under the Ministry of Manpower. They use recruiters to hire and they often run ads here or at places like tefl.com. If you read about in the threads below, you will find that conditions are not stellar - management can be erratic and fellow teachers eccentric - some not in a pleasant way.  They are in various locations around Oman, and you may not have great access to entertainment unless you enjoy camping and other outdoor activities. Shopping will also be limited.
Most of the better jobs require a related MA (in TEFL or applied linguistics, ect). The Gulf is not really a great place for beginners to the field, mainly because the places that hire with limited credentials are often not places that you would want to work. Also, the Gulf is very expensive and your pay would be low. Rent for flats is skyrocketing and other costs are reaching European levels. (petrol is cheaper, of course ) It is nothing like Syria, Egypt, or Morocco where you can live very cheaply and pick up lots of tutoring to add to your income.
Personally, if I were your age and newly married, I would head back to those countries rather than the Gulf. If you want to stay in TEFL, it is also a good time to start thinking about getting that MA. Once you have children, you will need the higher pay and education benefits that come along with the better jobs. Your study of Arabic suggests that you will want to stay in the Middle East, and you will need an MA to keep moving up financially and professionally.
VS |
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lall
Joined: 30 Dec 2006
Posts: 358
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| Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 4:16 pm Post subject: Newly-married |
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I agree with Denise. Muscat would probably be the preferable destination. Visit Salalah during the monsoons. It'll make for some wonderful memories of your early-married life.
Give VS's suggestion about Egypt a serious thought. You'll probably like it. I do.
But then, when you are newly-married and with the person that you would like to spend the rest of your life with, even Siberia would be fine.
Good luck, mate and please don't mind the repeated references to the "newly-married" thing. It's just that it brought back memories about the time I was newly married.
Regards,
Lall. |
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clandestino
Joined: 22 Sep 2007
Posts: 22
Location: on a need 2 know basis ;-)
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| Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 10:10 am Post subject: thanks |
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Thanks for all your advice guys! Think I'll apply for the ALC in Damascus and see where that gets me.
All the best and thank you
Clandestino  |
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smedini
Joined: 24 Feb 2006
Posts: 178
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| Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 12:14 pm Post subject: Re: yup |
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| veiledsentiments wrote: |
| clandestino wrote: |
| I thought that I had a decent set of qalifications, don't I? O.k, well if not Oman, then where could I try? |
Personally, if I were your age and newly married, I would head back to those countries rather than the Gulf. If you want to stay in TEFL, it is also a good time to start thinking about getting that MA. |
I agree with VS and if you want to keep working while getting an MA you should think about doing one by distance. Lots of people in the mideast and on this board - myself included  - have done it this way or are in the middle of doing one. Do a search for distance masters and see what everyone has had to say about it and go from there. If you want to work in the gulf eventually, especially if you will have kids with you, a masters really is key. Once you get the degree it should be a cinch for you to get a good job in the gulf given the degree and all your experience, not to mention the CELTA.
Good luck!
~smedini |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 1:33 pm Post subject: Re: thanks |
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| clandestino wrote: |
| Thanks for all your advice guys! Think I'll apply for the ALC in Damascus and see where that gets me. |
ALC Damascus is a good place, though Syria can be a bit of a problem getting long term visas. A friend of mine was there for awhile, loved the teaching, loved Syria, but got tired of visa runs. (not sure how common this problem is, but a good way to see the area...)
This organization has related centers in many other Middle East countries that you may want to think in terms of a year here and a year there... Yemen, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt... great fun when you are young.
Don't expect to earn too much beyond living on the local economy, but you can get a good varied experience... and contemplate getting that MA.
VS |
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kaw
Joined: 31 Mar 2003
Posts: 302
Location: somewhere hot and sunny
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| Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 7:10 am Post subject: |
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IH have been up and running in Muscat for a while - you might want to try them...........it may not pay the best salary in the world but would be a foot in the Middle East door.
If you're from the UK, the British Council in Muscat are also recruiting....again, salaries aren't great but good PD and doesn't look to bad on your CV.
As for your wife - if she's a UK teacher then try the international schools - think there are a couple in Muscat. |
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