Job Discussion Forums

[basiltherat]

while only having worked in 3 ; saudi, syria and libya, i'd vote for syria without hesitation.
best
basil

[Mia Xanthi]

I would agree with the earlier poster who said that you would have trouble finding suitably rewarding work in the Gulf. You will have very few job options, and most of them (especially language institutes in KSA) will have rather grim conditions and pay very little compared to what you could make in Taiwan.

For culture, Oman would be an excellent choice, but I doubt you could find much work there without an MA or a DELTA.

To me, your best choice would be Yemen. The schools there are almost desperate for teachers, and you might be lucky enough to find a job with good pay. The cultural opportunities there are limitless.

[007]

[Mia Xanthi]

I just saw an interesting article on the triangle of which 007 speaks. This war/conflict doesn't get much coverage on Western news sources, but you should know about it if Yemen interests you.

http://www.yemenonline.info/news-872.html

[gorazdi]

Lived in Iran ,Turkey Marooco which is sometimes in this category.Worked UAE Qatar and Saudi Arabi

MOD edit

[redsoxman]

My vote is definitely for the UAE. A never ending place of adventure, excitement, fun and interesting things to do. Provided you have a good job, decent accomodation, good benefits and good working hours, you can have a wonderful time. The real problem here is the poor underpaid Asians and Filippinos who work for a pittance, even semi professionals get paid very little. The divide is growing between the haves and have nots, but for the haves (like me) living here is very pleasant.

[redsoxman]

Region: Arab world's future lies in its own hands
Political instability in the region can only be fought by a dialogue process and greater investment in education

By Duraid Al Baik, Associate Editor Published: 17:42 December 31, 2009

Palestinians attend a rally held by the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), marking the first anniversary of the Israeli offensive on Gaza, in an area destroyed by the January offensive in Jabaliya, northern Gaza Strip. Gaza's scars have been frozen in place since Israel waged war a year ago to subdue Hamas and stop rockets from hitting its towns. Entire neighborhoods still lie in rubble, and traumatized residents can't rebuild their lives. Image Credit: AP If the present is pregnant with the future, as Voltaire said, Arab analysts and sociologists, who were asked by Gulf News to forecast the future of the Arab world in 2010, are pessimistic about what the future holds in store for the Arab region. The justification is: The bleak present will give birth to a bleak future.

Dr Omar Abdul Aziz, a Yemeni analyst and head of the Research Section at the Sharjah Department of Culture and Information, is, however, optimistic. He believes that the future will be better than the present simply because things cannot get worse than they are at present.

On the Yemen issue, Dr Aziz believes that both the government and opposition must work together to preserve the integrity of the country.

"Would such a voice of wisdom succeed in stopping the dialogue of fire in Yemen? I hope so because I am sure that the conflict cannot go forever without a political solution. 2010 might be the year that all sides get back to realism and rationalism," he said.

"The most significant incident in 2009 was the bloody confrontation in Sa'ada," Dr Aziz said. "Al Qaida is also trying to benefit from the chaotic situation by regrouping its forces to pose a threat not only in Yemen, but in the whole region and the world.

"The picture at the end of the 2009 can be described as the Yemeni government facing three major challenges at once, with a single one enough to de-stabilise the whole country."

The other problem in the Arab world lies is the way leaders see reforms.

"Most Arab leaders consider reforms as a tactical tool to preserve their grip on power rather than as a necessity to meet the national challenges. This is manifested in Yemen and other countries � even those with multiparty political systems � that allow little freedom of press," Dr Aziz said.

He believes there is no military solution in Yemen.

Radicalism

Ayman Abdul Nour, Syrian Political Analyst and Editor-in-Chief of all4syria.org, is sure that the Arab region is tilting towards radicalism that will influence decision-making in the region. It will also influence international foreign policy on the region.

"In my opinion, 2010 will be a very important year in the history of the region because the US administration will take a decisive stand. The US will be forced to take action or to allow the region to sink into chaos."

In Egypt, Nour said, President Hosni Mubarak has to decide whether to transfer power or keep it for himself. Sudan also faces serious challenges in its preparation for presidential, parliamentarian and regional elections and the referendum of the secession of the south.

Nour sees an end to the Iran-Israel war of words. "Israel will either accept Iran's nuclear programme or launch a strike against it that would plunge the region into more instability and chaos. The current standstill situation cannot continue forever and 2010 will be the year of taking a clear stand."

Lowest point

Marah Bukai, head of the Washington-based Al Waref Institute and professor of Contemporary Islam at the Georgetown University, Centre for Continuing and Professional Education, agrees with Dr Aziz's statement about the chaotic situation in the Arab world but disagrees that Arabs have reached their lowest point.

"At the beginning of the millennium, we thought that the establishment of a sort of democracy in Iraq and the removal of Saddam Hussain would help in fostering democracy in the Arab world, but this did not happen and will never happen in the foreseeable future because the West led by the US have dropped such objectives from its political agenda," she said.

Bukai does not agree to the imposition of democracy by an outside force because she believes in democracy that is woven from within to reflect the fabric of the society.

Bukai says that Iran and extremist forces have fostered strong alliances with local dictatorships in the Arab world to prevent a regional transformation toward democracy.

Lenient approach

"Unfortunately, the current US administration seems lenient with Iran and its allies. The US is not only allowing Iran to de-stabilise the peace in the Gulf region, but in Iraq itself, the country that was meant to become the US model of democracy in the Arab world," she says.

Salwa Al Lubani, a sociologist and in-charge of Al Karmah Educational and Cultural Programme in Egypt, also does not share Dr Aziz's optimism.

Lubani believes that people have lost interest in who is ruling them and how they are ruled. "People's main interest lies in meeting their daily needs of food and other basic necessities. According to recent credible studies, 40 per cent of Arabs are below the poverty line.

Lubani says, "People I meet daily have no time for education and reading. They don't have interest in how the president is elected. They have no plans for the future," she said.

She says development requires education and no one in the Arab world seems interested in investing in the field of knowledge.

http://gulfnews.com/in-focus/2010/region-arab-world-s-future-lies-in-its-own-hands-1.560399

[lcanupp1964]

I have lived in Kuwait, Oman, UAE and now KSA. I found good things and bad things in all of these counties. Now that I have had some time to think about it, I feel that where you work is not as important as the school you teach at. For example, KSA had the best working environment (for me) whereas Dubai gave me the best towards live after work. But think about� One is most likely to spend more hours during the day at school than at the Irish Pub in Dubai. I would recommend living in the country that has the best opportunity to have a positive work experience. If there is no stress at work, than you will have a much better time � no matter which country in the Middle East you live in. If you had the chance to have it all (the best working and living environment), I would work in the UAE.

[markcmc]

[lcanupp1964]

Sure Markcmc...

I live in Jeddah and it is (probley) the most laid back city in KSA, so it�s a great city to get your feet wet if you do get a job in KSA. The kingdom was best for me because of the school I worked at. They trusted me and they basically left me alone (in a good way), they always paid on time and not a lot of stress. I think I finally learned my lesson. One way to have a good experience in the Middle East is to not draw too much attention. The fact that I�m American, attention is automatically drawn towards me, so anything I said, or did was heightened. I just made sure I thought a few extra seconds before I spoke or did something. I think some Western teachers have a problem with just leaning to �pick ones battle�, but again, I think that comes with experience and wisdom. I would have liked to have worked at my school if it was in the UAE � that�s really what I met when I wrote about it in my last posting. I guess I was a little lucky in KSA with my job, but attitude (be flexible, open-minded and patient) is the key to ones� overall happiness. Having said that, I still believe that the UAE offers a good �introduction� to the Arab lifestyle. I feel that in terms of Salary, KSA is best. With regards to students, I really enjoyed teaching the students in Oman. I guess Kuwait would fall in the middle. The expectations of the institution? Stay under the radar, never, ever miss a class and don�t stir up a bunch of S***. I still stick to my original opinion that choosing the best overall school and not the country is going to work for most people. Think about it; you spend more time at work than you do at home (if you don�t count the time sleeping). Good luck and if you have any specific questions, please PM me. Chow!

[Van Gogh]

I spent 9 happy years in the UAE. 4 in Dubai and 5 in Ras Al Khaimah. I saw all kinds of culture. Indian & Filipino for food and festivals, some French, (may wee), and it was my first introduction to North American culture. I now have biscuits with my Yorkshire Pudding and Roast.

There was enough Emirati culture, the odd wedding and desert picnic, to enjoy if I wanted it. I found Saudi too depressing, not the local culture but the lethargic attitude of my fellow teachers, mainly 50+ year old Brits who still wore football tops, (Bless). Oman was 'nice' but you can work in the UAE and visit all the good places from there, and still be paid a decent salary. You could go to the UAE for a couple of years and use it as a base to visit all those other places, untill you find one you'd like to try. I'm in Kurdistan, Northern Iraq at the moment. Most of the culture here grows on the fruit in the markets.

[markcmc]

[eclectic]

[Arabian Hawk]

O man..............OMAN!

[eclectic]

Iran, if not just for the ghormeh sabzeh.