Job Discussion Forums

[DaveW125]

Hey all,

My girlfriend and I are currently living and working in Korea and are looking for a new challenge for the early part of next year. We are looking at other countries to work in and at the moment the UAE/Dubai is top of the list. We�re currently doing research on Dubai and the UAE in general but would really appreciate some advice from people actually living and working there already. We have 6 main questions really. If you can even answer one or point us in the direction of some good websites then that would be great.

1. Money � Unfortunately, due to loan repayments and the like this is still pretty high on the requirements list. My girlfriend needs to be able to save around $700-$800 each a month whilst i need around $500 a month. My girlfriend has a degree in linguistics, is tefl certified and has 3 years teaching experience. I have a masters degree ( in medical law, for what its worth ) and 2 years teaching experience. Is this going to be possible? Would it be worth me getting an online TEFL cert? Also, is there the possibility of private lessons? In korea it�s a real pain the arse to get privates. Is this also the case in Dubai? We�d be able to save a lot of what we earn as we don�t really lead crazy lives, just enough to join a good gym and eat out maybe once a week.

2 � What are the job opportunities like outside of teaching. We both enjoy what we do but equally we don�t see it as a long term career. Are there a lot of opportunities, once in dubai and should we like it, to move in to other industries? I may be restricted as I only speak English but my girlfriend is able to speak English, French and Spanish.

3 � I�m aware that the UAE is considered to be the more liberal of Islamic states. My girlfriend and I will want to live together. Would this be a problem or frowned upon by employers as we are not married? And as a side note what is the general level of accommodation for teachers? We currently live together in a 5mx5m cell, please tell me its bigger then that

4� the UAE has a zero tolerance on drugs, which is fine by me, but does that extend to prescription medication and pharmaceuticals? I have a stomach medicine that I take from time to time that is morphine based? Am I likely to be locked up for brining this into the country?

5 � transport. From what I have found out taxis and buses seem to be the main way of getting around. However, I tend to get a bit travel sick from these and much prefer to cycle anywhere I can. What are the facilities like for cyclists? Are there bike routes around the city? Is it safe to cycle around? Or is it just to hot!?!

That leads me into my final ask. How do people cope with the heat in Dubai? Is it really restrictive to what you can do or is it just a case of getting used to it? Are you still expected to wear shirt/tie etc. to work?

That�s all of them As I said above even if you could answer one question then that would be fantastic.

Many thanks in advance

[younggeorge]

Sorry, this is going to be a bit brief - curt, even - but I think a search will show similar answers to similar questions.

1. You won't be able to get much of a job without a Master's degree in a field related to teaching English.

2. Without relevant qualifications and experience, you won't have much chance of a job in any other field.

3. Living together outside of marriage is not only frowned upon, it's illegal and could get you jailed and/or deported. It's simply not an option.

4. Prescription drugs will normally be allowed in small quantities if you have the prescription with you. Without it, any amount could land you in jail.

5. There is talk of establishing cycle lanes but as yet there aren't any. There are a few people who cycle to work but they take their lives in their hands every time!

6. The heat isn't really that much of a problem: you go from an air-conditioned home to an air-conditioned office in an air-conditioned car. How much you go beyond that in the interests of health, enjoyment and sanity is a matter of personal choice and adaptation. Anyway, from about October to April, the temperature is just about perfect; it's the few summer months, for half of which you'll be on holiday, when you wonder if you're going to burst into flames when you step outside.

[adorabilly]

Hi DaveW.

Young George answered your questions rather succinctly. He isn't trying to be rude, but there are lots of people who have the same questions.

You might be able to find the better jobs here in the UAE, but with only 3 years for the GF, and 2 years w/out a MA in applied linguistics, TEFL/TESL you have very very limited options.

In this country it is all about the appearance. So they usually demand (at least at the university level) the MA in a TESL or related field. Now you can get around it, but that is by having a LOT of experience in teaching ESL students. And with your posted experience, I think you would find it hard to get one of the better positions (UAEU, ZU, HCT).

That doesn't rule out some of the smaller schools or the local primary schools. The problem there is that they usually have a lot more politics to deal with. If either of you are certified teachers then you could easily find work at one of the local english speaking schools.

It might be better for you to stay in Korea/China/Thailand/Indonesia for a few more years, work on the online DELTA/CELTA or even the MA in TESL. Then you would have 5 years experience, and the required qualifications.

2. Depending on your qualifications you might be able to branch out into other industries. But that is really not that feasible for most of the ESL teaching crowd. Since your GF can speak those languages, if she is fluent including reading she might be able to work for some multinational here in dubai/UAE. That is something she would need to find out once she is here.

3. If you both are coming as teachers and are given accomodations then who is to say where you spend your nights. Don't be too public about it, but you could always sleep over at one place, and use the other as an office. The biggest problem is that if only one of you has a job, then you cannot sponsor your GF to a full time resident visa... that complicates matters.

Of course in Dubai they are cracking down on public displays of affection, and also on people shacking up. If caught it could lead to deportation, banning of employment and even jail time.

The level of comfort in housing depends on which school you work for, the level of the school and where in the UAE you are located. In smaller emirates it is possible to get HUGE 3 bedroom villas (or larger), in dubai you would probably get a 2 bedroom flat.

4. if you don't have a prescription for the med, don't bring it unless it is an OTC med.

5. There is the new rail system in place, and there are public bus lines being set up in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Generally you can find a cab. Most folks buy a car because everything is so spread out.

You could cycle, but depending on the distance, you would then need to change clothes, shower, etc... and that is a pain. Not including how horrendous traffic is.

6. As for your last question. Carry water around with you all the time. Go out early in the AM, and in the evenings, and most places you go will have AC blowing so cold you may need a sweater.

You are expect as a male to wear business casual clothing (shirt, tie, slacks, and closed business shoes). Women can get away with somewhat less business clothing, but should still cover to their elbows or lower, and below the knees in skirts. Nothing should be too tight or revealing.

[DaveW125]

Doh!! well thats pissed on my proverbial fireworks. bit of a shocker about the living arrangements, guess the UAE isnt the place for us at the moment.

many thanks for all the info.

[Mia Xanthi]

Yep, with all the talk about the UAE being "open" and "tolerant" many people don't realize that it is open and tolerant in comparison to places like Saudi Arabia, not Asia or Western Europe. There is no place in the Middle East where you and your girlfriend could live together without the benefit of marriage and not be in some kind of legal jeopardy.

With your qualifications (speaking only of you and not your girlfriend), you are more likely to be qualified for a decent job in KSA rather than in the UAE. KSA is much more desperate for male teachers. However, your girlfriend would have to be hired separately for the same job, and you could NEVER tell the interviewer that she is your girlfriend. It is possible, though, that you could be hired for similar jobs on a split male/female campus, and that you could be housed in the same compound. However, you could never openly live together and you would have to be extremely discreet about overnight visits.

On the other hand, if you just got married, you would become much more hireable/desirable as a teaching couple. It would also make the visa issue much simpler, since you (the male) could be hired first, and bring your new wife along your visa until she finds work.

If marriage is out of the question, you should stay in Asia or try Eastern Europe. The kind of money you are lookiing for is not out of the range in either of those areas.

Also, if you are not planning to stay in teaching, get out as soon as you can. The longer the teaching jobs are on your CV, the less likely you are to be hired for a different kind of job.

[mishmumkin]

[Tumblashu's parents]

less likely does not mean impossible.

[mishmumkin]

[Tumblashu's parents]

As advice, you wouldn't tell teachers who want to get out of EFL one day 'Don't worry, you can stay as long as you want, it does not have any bearing on finding work in your specialty which is Marketing/Finance/Biology/ whatever'


And you wouldn't advise them ' Sooner or later Microsoft will give you a job' either.

For anyone not convinced of their desire to be a lifelong EFLer, the sooner you get out, the better. For the individual and for EFL.

[Gulezar]

[Sheikh N Bake]

I agree with TP. If you want to get out of EFL, get out early. The story of getting hired by Microsoft proves the exception to the rule, and no doubt M. had really good computer skills to get a job with Microsoft. I know some really smart people in EFL who have tried very hard to find something else--without success.

[mishmumkin]

[Mia Xanthi]

OK, stable K-12 teachers who taught at the same job for years in the States, right? Not some TEFL backpacker who spent five years in the hogwans or other language institutes. (No offense to any of my colleagues, of course ).

How would one go about finding jobs such as these you describe where they might actually value teaching experience?

[Tumblashu's parents]

yeah, mish, would you consider working as a recruitment agent, headhunting TEFLers for other careers?

You'd make a fortune!!!

[mishmumkin]

Many of them were former ESL teachers abroad. All of them had steady work experience in education. Sure, if you've spent the last two years in 4 countries, your scattered experience doesn't lend itself to a good job anywhere-even in ESOL.

I went home and applied for a job as an instructional designer (though it wasn't truly ID). They hired a lot of people like me who hadn't been in an office for years. We were paid $25/hour plus benefits. They wanted teachers designing the online products, so almost all the IDs were either k-12 or ESOL teachers like myself. That job led to meeting other people in technology, and as we all know, good jobs come from good connections-like any industry. You have to be in cities, though, where industries like that are looking for professionals. If I had a dime for every msft person I met who used to teach...not all jobs at msft are for techies, but you do have to be savvy enough.