Job Discussion Forums

[MSnyder540]

Here's a few questions I've been dying to ask the forums for a while. These questions are based partly on my own personal ESL job hunt (as a recent college grad) but mostly on simply reading the forums and asking around:

Why do the Gulf countries and MENA require so much teaching experience, a CELTA, and in some cases an MA for entry-level teaching jobs, when so many other countries around the world require absolutely nothing at all, save a four-year BA and native English-speaking?

Why is the Mideast such a competitive ESL hot spot for applicants when most Mideast countries lag economically and developmentally behind many developed countries (i.e. Japan and Korea) where it's actually easier to land an ESL job with less experience and less hassle?

Why does Asia's ESL mantra seem to be "Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled ex-pats and college grads yearning to breathe free and travel the Far East with no formal teaching experience" while the Mideast only seems to accept people over the age 30 with 3-5 years of full-time teaching experience? How are the language institutes able to get away with such rigorous standards (not that rigorous standards are a bad thing generally...)?

On a related note, why do so many experienced and middle-aged teachers end up in the Middle East, of all places? Wouldn't Europe be nicer?

In short, I would love some insight into the economic, political, institutional, demographic, and cultural forces that make the Mideast among the upper echelons of competitive ESL teaching. Any articles you could point me to would be much appreciated. Looking forward to some insightful answers. Thanks in advance.

[ntropy]

$$$$$$$$

The golden rule: he who has the (black) gold, makes the rules.

[Pikgitina]

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

[veiledsentiments]

NCTBA covered much of it... but, you are talking about two completely different areas. And the situation varies by country within this large area. The job situation in North Africa or the Levant is quite different from the Gulf.

There are few jobs in the former that have high requirements... or high pay. (the few with high pay require an MA + related experience) There are some entry level language school and international school jobs - low pay and benefits. Another factor that limits jobs in some of these countries is that French is still valued as much as English, though this is changing as the ties to France recede.

In the Gulf, there are few low level entry jobs for a number of reasons. The countries are very rich with small populations, so few language schools... very few. Students take English in school and finish their English training in the foundations programs of the colleges and universities. These universities pay extremely well (in TEFL world terms) and thus can afford to require appropriate degrees and experience.

As to why so many experienced and middle-aged teachers end up in the Middle East, of all places and wouldn't Europe be nicer? First off only experienced older teachers tend to have the credentials to get into the Gulf. And you seem to have a misconception of what the Gulf is like. I was provided with usually new, well furnished housing (usually flats) that was superior to anything that I could have afforded to rent in the US. If I desired, I could have easily afforded to hire servants. (many teaching couples had more than one live-in staff - cleaner/cook and a nanny for the kids) I had a car in my hands quickly... and the watchman in my building would wash it every day for me for $25 a month. This ain't Europe or the US... and the lifestyle is closer to the reputation of the Raj.

Another factor that draws the older, more settled crowd is that in the ME, drinking is a sin, so access to booze tends to be limited and clubs can be rather staid. And a major factor keeping out much of the crowd that flocks to Asia to teach is that you have no access to the local women in the Gulf and only very limited access in North Africa and the Levant. Many of those middle-aged experienced teachers arrive in the Gulf with their Asian wives and kids.

VS

[denise]

Sure, Europe would be nicer, but it is financially and legally off-limits for lots of people. And as to why an older, more experienced crowd ends up here (or at least in the Gulf): it's really not geared towards young westerners and the things that young westerners stereotypically do when they travel or live abroad. There are limited options for partying, drinking, and dating. Not that all 20-somethings are like that and everyone 30 and over is settled down with a family and kids, but that does tend to be a trend. Young single people can easily get bored--although if you look hard enough, you can still find ways to amuse yourself.

d

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

...and, abuse yourself...

NCTBA

[johnslat]

Dear NCTBA,

"if you look hard enough"

"...and, abuse yourself..."

Stopping, it is to be hoped, after you need thick glasses but before you go blind.

Regards,
John

[mesquite]

This is a myth. Experience is beginning to count for very little in some places, Qatar is a very good example of this.

Some institutions like Qatar Foundation and Qatar University (now I have just read Qatar Petroleum is also into this scene) deliberately hire inexperienced teachers so they can control them better. These inexperienced types have no points of reference so the bully-bosses can whip them into shape and make them jump when they say jump. It suits their megalomaniac need to control everything. These places are run by control freaks that want to manage everything the teacher does. Yas suh, boss!!!!

[veiledsentiments]

Is Qatar Foundation the university city American universities like Cornell and ABP? Because I know of quite a few teachers who have been hired by those universities and by QU over the last 3 or so years... and every one of them has had an MA and quite extensive experience... mostly in the Middle East. Some of the MAs were new, but they had pre-MA experience.

VS

[mesquite]

Not at Qatar Academy which is part of QF! Some of the teachers are people who come out to visit relatives. At least half a dozen of the teachers are inexperienced nationals.

[mesquite]

[veiledsentiments]

Not sure who you are quoting here...

...but I assume that Qatar Academy is one of the many shady international schools that pop up annually around the Gulf.

VS

[MSnyder540]

Based on your helpful answers, I think the Middle East Forums should be divided into "Gulf Countries" and "Levant and North Africa," or something. I studied in Morocco and Tunisia for several months, and as you said, apparently I have no conception of how different (well-off?) some of these Gulf states really are. When VS and NCTBA scare newbie college grabs like myself by warning us about the importance of getting Ph.D. and 12-15 years of prior teaching experience (hyperbole), I didn't realize they were referring specifically to Saudia Arabia or UAE. There ought to be a separate forum for people NOT looking to ski in the desert or walk on man-made islands... after all, my idea of the Mideast is Oman, Yemen, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, etc. And one would think that like Morocco and Tunisia, those countries are still developing, and they would be eager to take less experienced, high turn-over college grads in order to prepare their masses for 21st century globalization. Am I way off here?

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]