Job Discussion Forums

[gajackson1]

Hello once again, all. I am patiently waiting out word on my job application here in Brunei. It has been a wonderful (mostly) 4 months - Brunei has met or exceeded all my information/expectations. The only hanger so far has been . . . the job. Or, more precisely, the fact that I don't have one here. So, I am trying to make some contingency plans if it simply won't work out here for me.

(For those who never pop into the other boards, there is nothing sinister going on - I am a qualified, certified teacher, but the current MoE policy doesn't allow for USA teachers, and the private schools seem to follow, by and large, that preference as well. Sad/frustrating, but true. I have done all I can here at this point.)

If I don't receive the job offer, I should be looking for something else by the end of December/beginning of January. I could renew my professional-class visa here twice more (3 months each stamp), but would rather, I think, make the move sooner rather than later.

After doing a lot of reading and talking to people, my shorter list (in pencil) is looking like (not a set order): Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Lebanon, Jordan. Syria & Kuwait are also on there, and - although not in the ME proper - Libya as well. (I will ask more about that one in the GAForums, however.)

The reason for the title, and this particular country list, is that I am looking for something Brunei-ish in the ME. The salaries/benefit packages here are great, to be sure, but I think the secret seller is the overall quality of life here.

I'm not chasing top pay; I don't have an MA/PhD, but have always done very well/comfortably for myself otherwise. When I left Korea (10 years), I was pretty very happy with where I was in balancing things out, between pay, hours, and life. Nicer home, savings, travel budget, comfortable lifestyle. I was also blessed to be working in places where I was allowed 'into' the workplace and the community at large. (That is not everyone's experience in SoKo, but it was mine.)

So, if you all would indulge me, where am I likely to find a balance between a good opportunity for 1) a decent starting pay/benefits package, married to 2) a good country for longer-term (5-10 years) living? Nature, culture, activities are big for me. I tend to do a lot of cooking at home, love to travel, and proximity to the coast and/or other countries in the regions of the ME & Med were heavy influencers on that list. Being able to date would be nice; I do not require nightlife every night, but social activities are important.

Where is the Brunei of the ME??? After I get some general feedback here, I will direct more specific questions to the appropriate country forum boards.

Warm regards, and please wish me luck in the meantime!

Glen

PS - if, for any reason, anyone wants info on either SoKo, or my time here in Brunei, feel free to send me a PM, and I will respond.

[gajackson1]

oh - since quals/certs seem to be important here to help people suss out these kinds of things, here is the short list:

*BAAS, double majors (Speech Comm & Political Theory); minor in Sec Ed.

*Texas State SBEC Sec Ed (Gr 6-12) teaching certs - Speech (including debate, public speaking, oral interp. of lit) & Government. Lifetime certification in both field areas.

*TEFL 120-hour residency-based TESOL cert. Above and beyond the cert itself, I really WORKED at the course, learning their ESA model and classroom presentation style variations.

*3 years of public school teaching in Texas.

*Taught At-Risk live-in youth summer camps for 2 years; was also an activites teacher/director for a non-profit community center for disabled adults (4 years).

*10 years of teaching/'head foreign teacher' positions in South Korea - mostly smaller private schools, but I also got to work with the MoE there as a teacher trainer (2 times); taught a group of federal judges; prepped students for overseas admissions (writing & interviews); produced a LOT of teaching materials (one series of books published, with my name in the credits); 2 years of business teaching with Kimberly-Clark; worked with a well-known Korean CEO on the English side of his PhD as a research assistant; and, was a presenter to the recent OECD communications technology summit in South Korea this last summer. So, a pretty well-rounded/diverse teaching background.

*I have great (better than I deserve, I think) verifiable work references, look younger than I am (probably because I feel that way, because I try to take care of myself), and do very well in telephone/personal interviews.

*Traveled pretty extensively (for a 40-year old, who didn't get to travel for business), and I love new cultures, places, people. Traveled through/around the Med, but haven't had the opportunity to live/work in the ME yet. I do now, and would love to be someplace that is more accepting of foreigners. Like the job itself, I am willing to WORK at those relations/relationships; I just need the right environment to thrive!

G.

[gajackson1]

awww - over 100 views here (and I know I am not most of those!) and no replies yet? Come on, come on - someone has to have a suggestion/idea/direction to point me in . . . please tell me advice on this board is not limited to just brand new out-of-uni types!

Which countries? Private schools, public jobs, colleges (that I would be considered for), oil company gigs, HRT gigs? To rotate or to not? Anyone able to provide perspective that is NOT 'go in 2-3 years, make money, get out' is appreciated.



Glen

[Tom Le Seelleur]

gajackson1
Looking at your resume, I can't see you getting a job with the universities as you lack appropriate experience and esl qualifications.
You don't have any oil experience so rotation with an oil company is unlikely but you can try all the same.
Your best bet would be an international school perhaps or one of the many language schools or private training companies here in the UAE. You might try KFUPM or TINS in KSA but again it depends on your experience. it is difficult to say for sure as your resume is very general and you don't seem to have any particular speciality. A seasoned ESL teacher but...
What do other people think?
Tom

[gajackson1]

Dear Tom -

I appreciate the reply, and your candidness. Funninily enough, it echoes some of the things a few people have said to me over the years - that I wouldn't be able to teach in Texas, because my cert fields didn't match, or that I wouldn't be able to get a good job in Korea, without a TESOL or English BA/teaching cert, or that I couldn't get a company or govt.-oriented job without having X or Y. I was offered Uni positions after my first few years in SoKo, but opted to stay in private institutes instead - that may have been a mistake in retrospect, but otherwise I am happy with my choices.

Fortunately, it does appear I am eligible for a number of good jobs in the ME/Med/N Africa area, from people who have been sending me PMs & job site links. Probably the combination of experiences in this case is working in my favor. I think it would definitely be a much, much different matter if I were just coming fresh out of Uni, or only a couple of standard years of hakwon teaching in SoKo.

Regards!

Glen