Job Discussion Forums

[Hakim]

I don't see a lot of info about teaching in Morocco in this forum. Other forums are full of posts so one gets a good sense of which places are good and what to avoid-what pay should be expected, etc. It's starting to look like Morocco is not a popular place to teach.

[Hod]

Beg to differ, Hakim. There's a veritable plethora of Moroccan information within this very section. What would you like to know?

[Hakim]

Hod,
I have seen some of your posts and agree that Morocco can sometimes be a frustrating place to be. I was actually wondering specifically about the American Language Centers and if this is a good teaching job in Morocco?

Equally important I found out that one ALC in Morocco perhaps all don't accept anyone 59 and over. This is a shame because in case I get laid off in the US, I was looking at TEFL as an alternative.

[Hod]

Not sure about ALC.

Unfortunately, I can't find a reliable link to this, but the rule is that working visas won't be given to those aged 60 or over.

[Hakim]

I saw it in writing at the American Cultural Center website. Well I guess my Morocco days are over!!!

I was there back in the day when Hendrix was stretching his guitar for all it was worth and Eldridge Cleaver was in Algiers. There used to be quite a crowd on the beaches of Agadir, the dives in Marrakech etc.

Il Aleka ! Shukran

[medina]

This question of age has to do with the legal retirement age in Morocco, which is 60. That being the case, the Ministry of Labor will not issue a foreigner a work permit beyond the age of 60.

[TwinCentre]

When I worked in Morocco, I came across one person who was 65 and worked for a well-known school in Casablanca. He just lied about his age, and when it came time for him to apply for his card de sejour (after 3 months in the country), threw a big farewell party and left, heading for Spain....but nevertheless, with lots of Moroccan stories to tell...

All makes sense, the school don't need your passport, only the Police to give you your visa, and you have 3 months to apply for that or even a whole year if you leave the country every 3 months for a quick trip over the border into Spain (Ceuta).

[Hakim]

[Hakim]

[medina]

More on this age question: if someone who's 59 shows up to work in Morocco, they'll give him or her a permit until their 60th birthday. If that's 3 months from when they arrive, most schools would not be interested in someone having to leave so soon. Yes, people go in and out of the country for the residence issue, but if they are working without a permit from the Ministry of Labor, they are working illegally --- like the guys who cross the border from Mexico into the US (or used to, anyway). These days, with laws being a lot tighter about things like that, nobody in their right mind would want to risk being arrested in Morocco.

[Hod]

[medina]

In Morocco, at least, police have become much more vigilant about foreigners making extended stays in the country with no apparent work, or repeated trips in and out (both of which are apparent upon entering or leaving a border from the passport stamps). This has to do both with terrorism and other kinds of crimes.
At any rate, anyone who wants to teach in Morocco (or elsewhere) should do things legally. If you're offered a job with a place that isn't specific about getting you a legal work permit from the start, then I'd say move on.

[Hod]

Sorry medina, all I see here is your personal opinion. There are still no references to anything concrete at all. No argument from me that people should do things legally, but a lot of people will take risks to live/work abroad. Meanwhile, I don�t see any recent stories of people being deported and/or locked up in Morocco for living there for more than three months. You could�ve written your posts above in 1989, because unless you can advise otherwise, nothing�s changed.

[Hakim]