Job Discussion Forums

[nstick13]

Can anyone provide thoughts/comments about the likelihood of obtaining a job in the ME after getting a CELTA in the UK? Is it better to get the CELTA in the ME?

And, if it is beneficial, to what extent is it beneficial.

[veiledsentiments]

A CELTA is a CELTA... get it where it will be the most convenient and affordable for you.

VS

[Tom Le Seelleur]

If you want to work in the UAE, get onto the British Council CELTA in Abu Dhabi or Dubai and once you pass you are more or less garanteed work. If lucky you might be offered full time at the Council if there are vacancies or with another language school. If you have no luck then at least you have seen the place, found out about what you do need and work on that for your future. It is a win win situation as long as you pass the CELTA.
Tom

[nstick13]

I sorta asked a version of this question on the HCT thread, but not exactly.

What are the work options in the ME if one is not seeking a job immediately prior to the school year? For example, if one is to be searching in mid-October, or, now.

Is there a high likelihood of obtaining a sustainable job with a new CELTA in the ME?

[veiledsentiments]

That depends on two things... what do you define as sustainable? and what else other than a brand new CELTA do you have to offer? (first degree in education? years of teaching experience?)

If you have a non-education related first degree and only a couple years at a language school somewhere, there isn't much work available, it will be very low pay (and likely sub-standard conditions) and the Gulf is VERY expensive.

Were you suggesting some other kind of work outside of education before you teach? Again, what marketable skills do you have? Remember that most unskilled, low pay jobs are filled by people from very poor countries who will take jobs for a fraction of what you may expect.

VS

[nstick13]

[Stephen Jones]

Forget the Gulf.

[veiledsentiments]

Stephen is correct... forget anywhere in the Gulf as few employers will take your lack of credentials and if they did, your pay wouldn't even cover the rent. It is VERY expensive.

Egypt and Morocco may offer more of a chance to get work... and if you hustle and line up private lessons, you may be able to pay basic expenses. But, it can take up to a year to develop enough of a student base. Most of the teachers who get jobs just after these CERTS overseas live in shared housing for the first year(s).

VS

[Sheikh N Bake]

So many people straight out of undergraduate school are so unrealistic. With a bachelor's and a CELTA you have not yet paid your dues. If you want to teach ESL/EFL, get an MA in it, and there are lots of programs that offer assistantships. Then you have more options with a view (after 4 or 5 years) toward the better jobs such as at universities in the UAE. You may have to teach at corporations in Saudi Arabia for a few years first, but at least you're making a bit of money. I would avoid language schools other than the British Council, as they are not only a rat race but also a blot on your r�sum�, IMHO, when it's time to seek a plum college job.

I know I'm in the "universities" box here and perhaps not appreciating that you simply want to enjoy living in exotic places and earning just enough to eat, pay the rent and travel once in a while. Well, first of all, low income gets very old very fast, especially in Morocco or some sandbox like that, and secondly, as the previous posters have pointed out, nobody will pay you even that much anyway. That's why I would suggest a free (with assistantship) MA in TESOL (you don't even have an u/g linguistics degree--very unrealistic to expect to come to the ME and teach English!). Then pick up what job you can except for language schools and aspire to a Gulf university if you'd like to avoid being poor into your 30s.

You should perfect your Arabic while you're at it, because if you find you're not in love with teaching after you've actually done it full time, you might be able to apply your language skills to work in the US government.

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

I haven't been following this thread terribly closely, but doing my M.Ed. in TESOL really opened my eyes to the beauty of English...it's formulation...it's tranformation...who contributed to it...how to diagnose EFL difficulties..., and, of course, how to blame the French for almost ANYTHING!

If you're for real about this vocation, you need to invest in the Master's to understand your language. If not, go to any of the East Asian countries...

NCTBA

[nstick13]

http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=68407&start=15

Sheikh: This is your post on that thread:

[Sheikh N Bake]

I am consistent in my own posts. In the quote above I still maintained that eventually you'll need the MA to please the HCT management. Others may disagree, but that was my experience during five years at HCT (Dubai Women's). I know they may be hiring with BA in English/ESL/Linguistics but that is because they may be short of applicants, especially toward the beginning of the academic year.

Certainly, if I were in your shoes, I would seek out an MA in ESL/EFL program with an assistantship before striking out to the Middle East. A free brick-and-mortar graduate education is usually an excellent opportunity.

[jdl]

nstick.

Try Oman. Life is good, salaries OK and lifestyle what you make it. Two of the better contractors are CECN and TATI (in that order). Good luck

[khmerhit]

and of course there is always



















Cambodia.






Try it and see, dude