Job Discussion Forums

[tambok17]

Oman is not a bad place to visit and maybe even get your feet wet with ESL, but I do not think that it is a place for single western men. In fact, I think it is even a worse place than Saudi. You think I am kidding you? Well, I am not. Here are some reasons that I would like to present:

Oman does not offer decent enough salaries that would make it worthwhile for a single Western guy to go and work there. Unless you are just starting out.

There have been numerous attempts by some schools and universities to raise salaries to attract Western staff, but these have created unpleasant consequences for many. Why? Well, you see the Omani educational establishment has for decades been staffed by Indians and poorer, oil-less Arabs who would work for small (for us) salaries. An Egyptian teacher or a person from the Subcontinent would think that a salary of USD 1400 a month is a boon from heaven and is several times higher than what they would be making back home. So, they work with great enthusiasm and dedication on those jobs. If they get a housing allowance to boot, that makes them rich- in their countries that is! Their families are well provided now, and they even bring their wives and kids to live a good life in the Sultanate. They, citizens of cheaper nations have got it made there.

Also, the entire economic culture of Oman is geared to cater to them. There is Indian and Arab food, music, clothes � everything almost like it would be back home except that now they are happily employed, paid handsomely, and can save good money. Good Western food is harder to find and is expensive. Many things are chronically unavailable and there are lots of frowns and turned-away Indian faces when they meet your gaze. They do not feel comfortable with you- they cannot speak English. Even seemingly small things like finding a taylor to do some minor work on your clothes or finding soy milk or manila folders for your classes become major problems or outright impossibilities.

A small salary that is a heaven-sent blessing to an Indian or a Moroccan is a Western man's disaster, even $2600 a month is peanuts if you have to pay rent out of it. Oman is also quite expensive compared to other Gulf Nations. It used to be cheap, but not so anymore. It is not cheap even by Western standards. But the salaries are never up to par to make it worthwhile as a money-making destination. Which is what the Middle East should be for a single Western guy. You might as well just go to Korea or Taiwan- you will be far less lonely and make the same money if not more.

If an ESL teaching establishment decides to pay Westerners more to make their stay in Oman worthwhile, the situation creates jealousy and resentment on the part of the Indian and the oil-less Arab colleagues. �Why do they get paid more? Are we not all equal? Who are these Johnny-come-latelies making all these big bucks? � Grumblings begin. Salaries come down again, and higher paid Westerners get laid off. Many a long term attempt to raise Omani salaries to say, a Saudi level to attract Western staff had not faired very well. Salaries would be lowered again, Indians and Moroccans would be hired in place of the insolent Westerners and things would go back to �normal�.

If it is a Western� family� that agrees to a smaller salary to just take a break from the rat race back home and save their double income, then these are reasonably happy, but a single Western guy? Nah, he would not fair that well. I say, do not even bother.

A single Western woman, on the other hand, never seems to complain about living in the Sultanate while making even a small salary. Why? Well, because they have a great lifestyle -these are often worshipped by the Omanis, the Indians and other Western men as a prized commodity even if past 60. Many start living private lives that could be the envy of Elizabeth Taylor herself. Oman does not frown upon relationships between Omani men and Western women, and Islam does not prohibit those. They can marry a handsome Arab man and live the life of Riley. Even the most average-looking Western woman in Oman can have a great social life, while a Western guy cannot- Arab women are mostly off-limits for Western guys, and the Western ladies are too busy with handsome local beaus to pay attention to him.

So, while middle-aged Western ladies enjoy all this attention and admiration and are on the receiving end of smiles, greetings and more, single Western guys are pretty much left alone except for an occasional wink from an over-aged Filipina clerk now and then. Thus, we are lonely, often overworked and underpaid.

Omani guys do not resent us but friendships with them are not really that beneficial to either party. Unless you wish to convert to Islam, they will eventually lead to a dead end. There are gay guys showing interest in us, but I am not gay. So, everyone is having a party, except me. The Indians are overjoyed because of the highest salaries they have ever had. The Jordanians and Syrians are scuttling to get married quickly and bring families into Oman as they have discovered a gold mine- an Arab country in which they can make as much as $2000-2500 a month- a fortune! And a small contingent of gays has discovered a miniature Shangri- la and does not mind the low salary while enjoying the never-advertised �treasures� of the country.

Omani educational institutions that have decided to start hiring native speakers to bring some freshness and authenticity to their ESL programs have also discovered that they have upset the decades-long balances which they did not realize had existed. A typical Omani ESL class had been a relaxed experience- usually, a soft spoken, lethargic Indian teacher would just go through the motions, follow the book, let the Omani students goof off, come late and then, pass them all no matter how lazy they were because he/she would be scared to death of a student complaining and of the losing his/her job.

Chronic absenteeism, chronic non-doing of homework, chronic general indifference to everything as well as tedious boredom had been the norm. This arrangement had often suited both the teacher and the students. The teacher would continue collecting paychecks, the students would do little but still pass and get their diplomas and go on to getting jobs because, well, Oman is an oil-based economy and the locals do not need to be competitive to get hired.

Suddenly, enter all these Westerners who actually expect the students to be on time, to do homework, to earn grades and who fail them if they do not and thus, all hell breaks loose. Students start being expelled, and that lowers the revenue of the school. Then, also, Western teachers speak proper English, something that many serious locals want to learn, but which often creates resentment on the part of non-native staff who had up until now been uncontested experts enjoying respect and professional stability. They now feel that their reputation is being undermined and their jobs- threatened!

Some serious Omani students also want to have an English class taught exclusively by an American or a Brit and not by an Indian or an Egyptian. This makes the latter resentful of you teaching there and a threat to their professional well-being. �We want Mr. Steve! We do not want a class taught by Mr. Singh!� clamor the students. Imagine being Mr. Singh and having to hear that! But if you are a Miss Mary, Mr. Singh will delicately allow you to enjoy your new found fame because of you being a woman and not so much a threat, but not so with Mr. Steve- you are a rival now. And if you are a single Western Mr. Steve, all alone, with no big family and no community of people like you, that makes that resentment double hard to bear. Mr. Singh is grumbling at home to other Indian colleagues and his wife; Miss Mary is off on a date with Mr. Ahmed in his Prado, and you are left alone with your sad musings. And no friends. Not a pretty situation to be in.

Generally, ESL in Oman is this (and it always goes back to this and all attempted changes are only temporary- they become a short lived February thaw, an ephemeral spring after which things go back to where they were)- a languid Omani student dozing off to the monotonous drone of an equally lackluster Indian teacher, a middle aged, post menopause New Zealand woman of 52+ who has rediscovered her youth in the arms of a young Arabian colt, a tired British empty-nester couple who have decided that money is not really important but a change of lifestyle is, an American guy with special sexual preferences who is now secretly tasting the unadvertised secret morsels of Oman- and all that is one big happy family!

At the core of this is the main dance- the tango of a relaxed and comfortable, sluggish Omani who is not in a hurry to do much, and a blissful, equally drowsy Kerala Indian who does the Omani�s work , who cannot speak neither English nor Arabic, and for whom it is just as well for, in spite of this, he has found a new and improved version of India. Both dancers are securely propped up by oil revenues and are at peace in their cozy marital bliss.

How will you, a single, straight Western guy, who is probably in the Middle East to make money going to fit in? I say- no how!

You mean Saudi is better? Well, in many ways, it is. For one, salaries are higher, and they give you free housing which is rare in Oman. Saudi is also cheaper to live in. Then, Saudis do not prefer Indian ESL teachers and do not think that hiring them will save them money- they want Westerners, so Indians and non oil Arabs do not have a cushy life there that you, a single Western man will now be disturbing. True, you will not be having Caligula� s nights of sensual indulgence in Saudi, but by the same token you will not be left holding the bag while watching everyone else having the time of their lives except you, as is the case in Oman. Saudi is also better organized , and you will be doing what you I guess came to the Middle East for- saving money and then getting out to go better places with all that cash you have saved.

So, do yourself a favor. If you are a single, straight Western guy and are Middle East-bound in order to make money- try some other country.

[Neil McBeath]

Dear Tambok,

I hope you feel better now.

It's difficult to know exactly where to start with this post.

We have sexist comments, racial profiling and incipient homophobia along with, dare I say it, a VERY superficial awareness of how Omani education is organised.

Exactly how long have you been in Oman? I ask because of the line about friendships with Omanis not really being beneficial to either party. Speaking entirely for myself, I don't cultivate friendships because they will be beneficial. I think a friendship is based on trust, identification of common values, pleasure based on being in the other person's company.

All I can suggest is that if you are really having problems living in Oman, perhaps it would be better if you did move to KSA.

But be careful. One of my former colleagues did just that. He resigned after a month.

[veiledsentiments]

Goodness... thank you so much for the laughs, Mr tambok. Although I will agree with the main idea that Oman isn't the best place for single people of either sex unless they are happily single. But really... you must do something about that wild imagination of yours. All of my female friends teaching there have apparently been missing out on all that action. Perhaps they share my opinion that adolescent males weren't really all that appealing even when I was an adolescent... and the local males older than that are all married and thus even less appealing. But, in my experience, Omani males were always complete gentlemen and treated us respectfully as they should for women old enough to be their grandmothers.

As Neil pointed out, your lack of knowledge of the history of Omani tertiary education is glaring. From day one of the first university - SQU - ESL was predominantly taught by native speakers. The salaries have had a constant, but very slow, rise since the beginning. And teachers have been consistently paid based on their credentials, not their passports. As more colleges and universities have opened over the years, the low salaries have meant that more non-native speakers have been hired. But, even at the two private colleges that I know the salaries... they are paid based on credentials, not nationality.

[boundforsaudi]

Tambok is an old hand in Oman, and there is much truth in what he says, especially in the context of what has happened at Dhofar University.

[Neil McBeath]

Boundforsaudi,

If Tambok is an old hand in Oman, how is that he still has not found anywhere that serves "good western food" (please define) a friendly tailor or a place that sells manila folders?

You could find things like that in Salalah back in the mid 1980s; in the days before they had pavements, traffic lights, and when the place really was a bit like a frontier town.

[balqis]

''....especially in the context of what has happened at Dhofar University.''

God, what has happened at Dhofar University? I still consider the place and have no idea that anything has happened there. Please, reveal a gentle part of it...

balqis

ps. By the way, I am in a part of the Gulf which is more or less for white Western men stilll in the bloom, with decent pay on top of all other local attractions.
This part of Khaleeje is called Kuwait.
Try and come to live and work here. The Moloch always recruits. You may have second thoughts on your current thoughts about Oman pretty very soon.
To my - still loving Middle East - eyes, pictures of Oman on the Internet are a sooth.

And one more 'by the way' - it is better not to use any milk than use soya milk, let alone the real one.
A vegetarian point of view.

[desultude]

What a veritable treasure of response possibilities.

A large number of the white western straight men where I work have young SE Asian wives. A lot could be made of that fact, but at least it can be assumed that those particular straight men are not suffering from loneliness.

Most of the single older western women where I work are in fact having a great time- and very few have, or feel the overwhelming need for, boyfriends. Women come here come for work and adventure- you men are not our driving force in life.

So, since you are speaking specifically to straight western men of a certain age, does this imply that the gay set is having a great time?

Factoring in over time, I make as much or more than I made in the Tragic Kingdom. By the way, I was pursued a lot when I worked there, and was not at all interested. On the other hand, the straight western white middle-aged male demographic was hard pressed to find a date, and would risk his life if he pursued a Saudi woman. Quite literally.

But you go to the Kingdom, by all means. I hear PMU is hiring. They treat people in an exceptional manner at all times.

[balqis]

Indeed, they do.
I had my own first-hand experience of their ways with people while working there too.

balqis

[jdl]

tambok17,

What a horrifying experience! It is tragic that this should have to be visited upon a fellow human.

I suppose it had to have happened to someone....it just seems to be the dharma of things.

Your sacrifice is appreciated by those who remain, since you have relieved us of the horrendous burden of possibly being chosen to experience ,in the name of all those before and after, such an existence. It is through you that we may enjoy our blessings.

Thank you for bearing this responsibility on our behalf.

On a rather more frivolous and opportunistic note....you just might have an epic screenplay here. You do have a skillful way with the 'narration of things'. Have you considered an autobiography?

[TheSilentKind]

I have to applaud those who took the time to read all of this original post. Honestly, I didn't. But what I read inspired me to make a small comment.

Despite a few small problems, Oman is still a nice place to live compared to other countries in the Middle East if not the ESL world and even single white Western men can have fun here. The salary is pretty good although a little lower than other oil rich countries but it's easy to save if you know how. If you're lonely, think about getting married before coming.

I've also lived in KSA. If you're worried about meeting women in Oman, be terrified about KSA. I only met about 10 in the 3 years I was there! Even the restaurants and cafes are segregated so women are protected from roaming single men. Here at least colleges, institutes and companies are mixed. If you're a sociable person, you'll have no worries in Oman. In fact, I know a couple (both "Western") who met here, fell in love and got married! Try doing that in other parts of the Middle East!

Here in Oman you can make some good friendship with the locals and other expats if you lower your barriers a bit and stop being disgruntled over what you consider is your entitlement due to your native language, education or nationality. Really, who cares?! And if you're worried about the Arab men getting all the women here, try going to a gym, keep fit, buy nicer clothes, get a tan, lose the stomach, don't get drunk everyday and stop talking about your job when you meet a lady. You might just get lucky.

[Baz]

You can make as much money or more in Taiwan? Have you ever set foot on the island? If so, please tell me, where are these employers? After 6 years in Taipei I've yet to find them.

Western men have fewer romantic/erotic options in Oman? Oh well, that should make my wife happy.

[desultude]

[johnslat]

Dear desultude,

"Yes, my Kingdom for a man with a flat stomach and pants that fit properly!"

Your Kingdom is not, I would imagine, The Kingdom.



Regards,
John

[desultude]

[Baz]