Job Discussion Forums

[tfogel]

My wife and I are considering teaching and obtaining our CELTA certificate in Iran. But, outside of the information the CELTA school in Iran has provided me, I can't find any other information online. If anyone can tell me anything about any aspect of teaching in Iran--from the job market, to health insurance, to being an American in Iran, to any possible social restrictions my wife might face--it would be greatly appreciated.

[Cleopatra]

Assuming you do not have any passport other than your American one, I'm afraid your questions about life in Iran have to be largely academic.

As an American citizen, it would be very difficult for you to visit Iran, let alone take up residence there.

[james]

I am an American who has been married to an Iranian lady for the past thirty years, so I've had the opportunity to visit Iran many times. While the country is a marvelous place to vist and the people (most of them, anyway) are friendly, generous and hospitable, Iran is NOT the easiest country to get a tourist visa for if one is not married to an Iranian citizen or part of an organized tour. I don't know which country you were thinking of applying for a tourist visa to Iran from, but I'm sure that with American passports, you and your wife will encounter difficulties obtaining visas to enter the country.

There are special economic zones that you are permitted to visit without a visa, such as the Kish Island Free Trade Zone. Kish Island is an Iranian Island in the Persian Gulf approximately 17 km off of the mainland, not far from Bandar-e Langeh. Kish Island is a tourist spot frequented by mostly mainland Iranians. It is a small island, full of hotels and shopping malls. Because it is a free trade zone, Iranians are able to find many products there that they can't as easily get on the mainland. There is a small university there that is permitted to hire foreign English teachers although all of the current teachers are Iranian nationals. The former director of the English Language Center at Kish University was an Australian woman, but she was married to an Iranian national. The current director of the English Language Center is an Iranian man.

Foreign nationals are stictly prohibited from working on the mainland without the prior approval of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This doesn't mean that you could not easily find work teaching English, but it does mean that if you got caught, you would be deported.

Iran is a fabulous country to visit. The people, music, food, cultural and historical wonders make it a superb place to visit, but I think that you could be asking for trouble if you wish to pursue your objective of working there without the proper permission. While the people are terrific, those working for the governement are not known for being very tolorant of Americans, especially those that break the law. About ten years ago, I travelled with my wife and ten-year-old son to Iran to visit her parents. When our plane landed, the customs officers not only finger printed me, but our little boy who was half-Iranian and could speak Persian to those who were finger printing him. They did this because he was American, like me. Under Iranian law children have the nationality of their father, not their mother. Just think, if they were willing to finger print a ten-year-old child who had broken no law and could speak to them in their language, what do you suppose they'd do to a couple of Americans who couldn't speak any Farsi, and who were caught breaking their laws? Unless you want to visit Iran as tourists, my advice is that you give it a wide berth. Just my two cents!

[scot47]

Get a job on the south side of the Gulf and head to Iran for visits - if they give you a visa. That is my advice.

[tfogel]

Well, I should've guessed it wasn't that easy. I don't know why the CELTA center in Iran led me to believe it was possible (except to swindle me out of tuition fees).

Thank you all for your replies.

[mishmumkin]

I was under the impression that outside of tour groups an Iranian business might be able to sponsor an American...perhaps it's not impossible, after all.

[Cleopatra]

[mishmumkin]