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VN
Joined: 08 Jan 2009 Posts: 26
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 2:35 pm Post subject: newbie questions |
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To all,
I have a few standard questions that I couldn't find the answer to on this forum.
I am an experienced ELT.
Can I bring my cat into the country, he's Vietnamese?
Can my fiance work? (high demand for women instructors)
Do you really enjoy living there?
Thanks to all.
VN |
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Mia Xanthi

Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 955 Location: why is my heart still in the Middle East while the rest of me isn't?
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 3:52 pm Post subject: |
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I am an experienced ELT |
Exactly how experienced are you? If you have an MA and three years of experience, you should do well here. If not, most people on this board would advise you not to consider coming here. The BA level jobs are where the harshest abuses occur.
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Can I bring my cat into the country, he's Vietnamese? |
You can bring a cat, but I don't know about a Vietnamese cat. Is he actually in Vietnam? There is a great deal of paperwork involved, including sending documents to the State Department, if you are in the US. I don't know how you'd get it done in Vietnam. You might do well to take the cat back to the US first.
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Can my fiance work? (high demand for women instructors) |
Is your fiance Vietnamese? (Yes, this matters very much here, unfortunately) There is a demand for women instructors, but whether it is a high demand or not depends on your location. If you are in Riyadh or Jeddah or Al Khobar/Dhahran/Damman, chances are she can find a job if she has sufficient qualifications.
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Do you really enjoy living there? |
Oh, boy...here we go again. I find KSA tolerable. That's not the same as happy, but it is something. Some of us are ok with it, but many absolutely hate it. |
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VN
Joined: 08 Jan 2009 Posts: 26
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 4:06 pm Post subject: |
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Thanks for the reply,
We only have 2years experience.
That is in the states, but his papers all all Vietnamese.
She is American
Maybe we'll poke around the UAE
Thanks again |
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Never Ceased To Be Amazed

Joined: 22 Oct 2004 Posts: 3500 Location: Shhh...don't talk to me...I'm playin' dead...
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 4:27 pm Post subject: |
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VN wrote: |
Thanks for the reply,
We only have 2years experience.
That is in the states, but his papers all all Vietnamese.
She is American
Maybe we'll poke around the UAE
Thanks again |
Don't expect to poke around for too long if you don't have that golden Masters + 3 years experience. The UAE tends to set the bar higher than Saudi. Sure, there are schools who'll hire you for less and leave you embittered. Your call.
NCTBA |
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Cleopatra

Joined: 28 Jun 2003 Posts: 3657 Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 4:54 pm Post subject: |
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Can my fiance work? (high demand for women instructors) |
I'm surprised nobody has said this already, but if you and your fiance intend to live together in KSA, she will have to stop being your fiance and become your wife instead. There is not the remotest chance of you being granted a visa to enter the country as a 'couple' unless you are legally married and have the documents to prove it.
If you do indeed marry your fiance and she does accompany you to KSA, the chances of her finding ESL work as a local hire (with few if any benefits) are fairly high. Of course, she stands a much better chance of getting a decent job if she has good qualifications and experience. Much the same goes for you too.
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Do you really enjoy living there? |
I can't say I love it, but I am more or less content here - if I weren't, I wouldn't have stayed for several years. However, my feelings are of no relevance to you. There is no way of knowing how you will find life in KSA until you've spent at least a few months here. Also, a LOT depends on your job. As Mia has said, if you have minimal qualifications, there's a good chance you'll end up with one of the more dodgy employers. And that is something you do not want to do. |
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VN
Joined: 08 Jan 2009 Posts: 26
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 5:01 pm Post subject: |
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[if you and your fiance intend to live together in KSA, she will have to stop being your fiance and become your wife instead.]
[/quote] |
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Never Ceased To Be Amazed

Joined: 22 Oct 2004 Posts: 3500 Location: Shhh...don't talk to me...I'm playin' dead...
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 5:14 pm Post subject: |
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VN wrote: |
[if you and your fiance intend to live together in KSA, she will have to stop being your fiance and become your wife instead.]
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[/quote]
Yeesss? And your point of the quote would be??? O, I get it, yer shocked! Get over it, dats jes' the way it is here in the Gulf...no "livin' in sin" fer us good, wholesome folk!
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johnslat

Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 13859 Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 5:14 pm Post subject: |
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Dear VN,
Is the inserted because for a "she" to be your "fiance" would require a sex change operation?
Regards,
John |
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trapezius

Joined: 13 Aug 2006 Posts: 1670 Location: Land of Culture of Death & Destruction
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 5:29 pm Post subject: |
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So after reading this thread, it is clear that no one seems to know the difference between fiance and fiancee. Furthermore, the OP, male or female?
S/he is talking about him/herself in third person, so I have no clue who is male and who is female:
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That is in the states, but his papers all all Vietnamese.
She is American |
And this as well:
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Can my fiance work? (high demand for women instructors) |
Either way, if you want to live together in Saudi, you have to be married. Maybe you can get away with it in UAE, but it is not advisable.
As for living here, it is tolerable, as Mia said. |
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veiledsentiments

Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 5:41 pm Post subject: |
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trapezius wrote: |
As for living here, it is tolerable, as Mia said. |
As long as you have the credentials to get a decent employer. "Two years of experience" doesn't tell us much and would seem not to be enough . What educational credentials do you have? They are required in the Middle East, unlike much of Asia.
VS |
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Mia Xanthi

Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 955 Location: why is my heart still in the Middle East while the rest of me isn't?
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Posted: Sat Jan 24, 2009 7:09 pm Post subject: |
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It would be technically illegal for an engaged couple to live together, or even spend the night together, in the UAE. I do know of people who have gotten into trouble with the law under these circumstances. You would have to live in separate residences and be very discreet. Marriage would be the best option, especially considering that the "fiance/fiancee" would need a visa. |
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chromium
Joined: 06 Jun 2007 Posts: 69 Location: Dalian, China
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Posted: Tue Feb 24, 2009 9:29 pm Post subject: |
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Never Ceased To Be Amazed wrote: |
VN wrote: |
Thanks for the reply,
We only have 2years experience.
That is in the states, but his papers all all Vietnamese.
She is American
Maybe we'll poke around the UAE
Thanks again |
Don't expect to poke around for too long if you don't have that golden Masters + 3 years experience. The UAE tends to set the bar higher than Saudi. Sure, there are schools who'll hire you for less and leave you embittered. Your call.
NCTBA |
I've started possibly looking at Saudi after a few advertisements. By MA, do you mean something in linguistics or TESOL? I have an MBA and a DELTA and 5 years' experience. Would that mean anything in Saudi?
Thanks for your opinion |
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Never Ceased To Be Amazed

Joined: 22 Oct 2004 Posts: 3500 Location: Shhh...don't talk to me...I'm playin' dead...
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Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2009 4:32 am Post subject: |
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chromium wrote: |
Never Ceased To Be Amazed wrote: |
VN wrote: |
Thanks for the reply,
We only have 2years experience.
That is in the states, but his papers all all Vietnamese.
She is American
Maybe we'll poke around the UAE
Thanks again |
Don't expect to poke around for too long if you don't have that golden Masters + 3 years experience. The UAE tends to set the bar higher than Saudi. Sure, there are schools who'll hire you for less and leave you embittered. Your call.
NCTBA |
I've started possibly looking at Saudi after a few advertisements. By MA, do you mean something in linguistics or TESOL? I have an MBA and a DELTA and 5 years' experience. Would that mean anything in Saudi?
Thanks for your opinion
You'd probably be golden anywhere they accept Brit quals. The DELTA is epitone. Leave Saudi alone. Go somewhere else where you can have a life.
My regrets to Scot and all the other Saudi posters... |
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tudodude
Joined: 08 Mar 2007 Posts: 82
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Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2009 7:54 pm Post subject: |
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Cleopatra wrote: |
Quote: |
Can my fiance work? (high demand for women instructors) |
I'm surprised nobody has said this already, but if you and your fiance intend to live together in KSA, she will have to stop being your fiance and become your wife instead. There is not the remotest chance of you being granted a visa to enter the country as a 'couple' unless you are legally married and have the documents to prove it.
If you do indeed marry your fiance and she does accompany you to KSA, the chances of her finding ESL work as a local hire (with few if any benefits) are fairly high. Of course, she stands a much better chance of getting a decent job if she has good qualifications and experience. Much the same goes for you too.
Quote: |
Do you really enjoy living there? |
I can't say I love it, but I am more or less content here - if I weren't, I wouldn't have stayed for several years. However, my feelings are of no relevance to you. There is no way of knowing how you will find life in KSA until you've spent at least a few months here. Also, a LOT depends on your job. As Mia has said, if you have minimal qualifications, there's a good chance you'll end up with one of the more dodgy employers. And that is something you do not want to do. |
get off the perch and give advice |
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Mia Xanthi

Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 955 Location: why is my heart still in the Middle East while the rest of me isn't?
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Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2009 8:03 pm Post subject: |
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get off the perch and give advice |
DUDE! Too harsh, man. |
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