Job Discussion Forums

[veiledsentiments]

[mesquite]

[MSnyder540]

Thanks for asking. I did get in touch with Amideast and they gave me the same advice you guys did, namely to get my CELTA. So I'll be registering for a CELTA program later this year, barring any other job opportunities. I sincerely hope that this CELTA (which is by no means cheap nor easy to acquire here in the States) and my strong GPA will be enough to land me an entry-level teaching job with limited benefits in Egypt or Oman. I still wonder, though, if other newbies like myself are "scared away" by the apparent disconnect between the high-pay and benefits of the "Gulf" countries compared to what a lot of people my age are looking for, which is not the pampered and developed lifestyle of the oil states. My experience in Morocco was not characterized by Pizza Huts and McDonalds (mostly) but by small towns, rural villages, and wilderness adventures. I hope to repeat that while I'm still young.

[veiledsentiments]

Mesquite

[MSnyder540]

Woo hoo! Somebody on these forums finally agrees with me! I'm glad we see eye to eye on this. In the hopes of squeezing as much information out of you experienced teachers as possible, would it be a major competitive advantage to get my CELTA from the BC as opposed to in the States? I can afford the ticket and housing to Cairo, but I am hoping to spend time with my family in the US until I receive an actual offer of employment. Hopefully my prior studies in North Africa (and Arabic language training) will demonstrate my experience and interest in the region as a whole. Thanks.

[Pikgitina]

[veiledsentiments]

Hi Pik... Oh he already had his eye on Oman - see his list above - but with the new regulations put in effect this year (supposedly), those Ministry jobs that had been hiring most anyone now have to provide HR with the BA/Cert/3 years exp.

MSnyder

Would the CELTA in Cairo be an advantage for you? Perhaps a little, but not as much of a bump as you would get from it if you have never been in the ME. Then I would touch base with AMIDEAST in Cairo - face to face works so much better in this part of the world - and see what they might have in their many schools - mostly in the countries that you would find more interesting than the Gulf. Then once you have three years of verifiable full time - head over to Oman and take one of the jobs in the hinterlands.

VS

[LindseyF]

I'll quickly butt in for a quick, but relevant, question: Would 3 years full-time teaching experience in the States look significantly better on my resume than the same experience in international school in Damascus? I.E. Would gaining this experience in Damascus lower my chances of being considered for a position at an international school in Oman (with a BA in English Ed and a CELTA, of course)? It also sounds like not going on to earn a MA would really decrease my chances, correct?

Eid Mubarak to all

[veiledsentiments]

I'd say that in the ME, a job in a Middle East country teaching mostly Arabic speakers will always be worth more on the CV than teaching in any other country... even significantly better.

I am assuming that you would have a legitimate teaching certificate from your state in the US. That is what is crucial for the best international schools jobs.

As to the MA, that is the requirement to teach at the best university level jobs in their foundations programs. I don't believe that an MA is of much benefit at K-12.

VS

[mesquite]

Quote:

"At least APB had a few good years..."

Absolutely not. The place went through 6 directors in less than 7 years. The current one is there because of his 'impressive' (to Qataris) degrees (he himself has a very interesting track record as he's been trucking around various universities himself. He hasn't stayed long enough in any of them to qualify for tenure.)

The lady before him was acting head who took over from John the Joke was doing a darn good job. She hauled gormless around Doha when he came to do a reccie as a personal courtesy rather than having the QF driver do the honors. The lady was more than competent. For the first time in ABP history, under her management, ABP grads had 100% university/college placement! His condition for acceptance was that she be dismissed, despite her having received a contract renewal for the academic year he was to take over. ABP staff are normally given contract renewal 8 months prior to the new academic year which begins in August. Gormless tried to force her to resign; she refused as they had renewed her contract. In the end QF had to pay her a very big severance package as they had to cancel her contract. It was the supreme insult. He told her he didn't want staff to compare them (she had a more hands-on staff support approach).

He's lost some good teachers since he took over. He has had a deliberate policy to get rid of any teachers she'd recruited so he could have a 100% Commando regime. I'm not saying he hasn't done some good things, he has, but his manners are abysmal and management style is autocratic. He enjoys putting people down. So while ABP may be doing well, it's only because staff and students are terrified and jump to the crack of the whip. The man is a control freak who runs a very well organized spynetwork with his sidekick whom he insisted they hire! The good teachers I worked with have all left so now he's probably got a yas suh mastah crew under his thumb. One woman ran a great cross cultural class - he threw it out and she quit!!! No respect for others so he doesn't get any respect from me!

[veiledsentiments]

Well... I have a good friend who taught there for a number of years and was very content with the job and considered it one of the best that he had had in the Gulf as far as pay, benefits, and students. Another good friend taught there for a short time and would have stayed if he hadn't had to leave for family reasons. He said the same thing. Both these teachers had MAs and significant experience in the Gulf. They are two people whose opinion I trust completely.

This is obviously a job that has a small number of teachers with glaringly different opinions. So it goes in the Gulf...

I recommended it for a number of years, but no longer do. The last change seemed to be for the worst from what my other two sources say... which seems to be the only part of your opinion that they agreed with...

VS

[mesquite]

Did your friends work there prior to August, 2007? If so then I agree, it was a fairly good place to work, good pay etc, despite some of the ridiculous antics of certain directors. Everything you said is true of pre- August 2007!! It started to go downhill (for ongoing staff who witnessed the commando actions to dismiss the acting head) in June 2007 when the acting head was informed of the new commander's orders. She refused her superior officer's order because it was out of order. The commando's acceptance condition to ask the acting head to resign was a very seedy business -it only shows the commander's basic lack of integrity. It's quite true, having her around would should everyone what a weasly character he is. The lady who ran the cross cultural class was and is very bitter at the way he treated her too. His behavior fits a pattern... (all control freaks are basically insecure people who need to shove others around to make themselves feel good.)

That said, the ABP is bascially a good program with good facilities (although too many textbook changes) and good people but you need a good helmsman to make a program superb.

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[mesquite]

Before 2007 - typed in the wrong year. The program started in 2000, I think. I joined a couple of years later after they'd been through a couple of directors. I think the first one lasted a year and so did the next one.

[veiledsentiments]

2007... that sounds better. That was the latest big management shuffle, right? Considering the multiple management changes since day one really, it was good for a couple contracts.

And hopefully will be again...

VS