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philipjames
Joined: 07 Mar 2003
Posts: 37
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 Posted: Sat May 01, 2010 1:33 pm Post subject: How much can I expect to get paid in Saudi Arabia? |
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I don't have a teacher's license or TESOL certificate etc. But I do have a Masters and many years' experience teaching in Korea. What kind of pay can I expect in SA? What pay level should I not even consider accepting.
I'll probably end up teaching children, if that helps at all.
Any advice is appreciated.
Regards,
P. Jameson |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Sat May 01, 2010 1:54 pm Post subject: |
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| No Certification puts the better jobs out of reach. Expect 10,000 to 12,000 SR a month |
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Mia Xanthi
Joined: 13 Mar 2008
Posts: 955
Location: why is my heart still in the Middle East while the rest of me isn't?
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| Posted: Sat May 01, 2010 6:45 pm Post subject: |
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| What is your Master's degree in? If it is in TESL, Applied Linguistics, Education or a related field, then you should have no problem getting 12,000 SAR. |
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dutchman
Joined: 10 Mar 2010
Posts: 84
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| Posted: Sat May 01, 2010 10:44 pm Post subject: |
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| Mia Xanthi wrote: |
| What is your Master's degree in? If it is in TESL, Applied Linguistics, Education or a related field, then you should have no problem getting 12,000 SAR. |
Would you say this regardless of his nationality or mother tongue? |
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Mia Xanthi
Joined: 13 Mar 2008
Posts: 955
Location: why is my heart still in the Middle East while the rest of me isn't?
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| Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 12:40 am Post subject: |
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| No. Those two factors definitely make a difference, unfortunately. |
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philipjames
Joined: 07 Mar 2003
Posts: 37
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| Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 4:57 am Post subject: |
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My degree is in history (unfortunately). My mother tongue is English.
Thanks,
Jameson |
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Citizenkane
Joined: 14 Jun 2009
Posts: 234
Location: Xanadu
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| Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 5:04 am Post subject: |
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| If you don't have a CELTA or degree in TESOL or a related subject, you won't be in the running for a good job (that is one paying SR12000 or more) even if you are a native speaker. |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Sun May 02, 2010 10:52 am Post subject: |
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| It is becoming common for employers to ask for a CELTA or Teacher Training. A degree with some years experience is really not enough. Get a CELTA, or........................................something. |
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ootii
Joined: 27 Oct 2005
Posts: 124
Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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| Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 12:20 pm Post subject: Re: How much can I expect to get paid in Saudi Arabia? |
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| philipjames wrote: |
I don't have a teacher's license or TESOL certificate etc. But I do have a Masters and many years' experience teaching in Korea. What kind of pay can I expect in SA? What pay level should I not even consider accepting.
I'll probably end up teaching children, if that helps at all.
Any advice is appreciated.
Regards,
P. Jameson |
A Master's Degree is a minimum requirement for teaching jobs, but some programs - such as the PYP at King Saud University (Bell/Obeikan) are now recruiting BA's in large numbers. These programs usually have lower pay scales.
Job adverts often say "MA in TESOL, Applied Linguistics, or a related field". In practice, the MA is often only a perfunctory requirement and so any MA will do. I've had colleagues who were engineers, MDs, JDs or had MAs in fields like disembodied poetics and 18th century Scottish hymns. It's almost always the paper that counts.
Salaries range from 12k to 20k and I would not look at anything lower than 12, but benefits are often just as important and often overlooked. Reasonable housing in Riyadh will cost you at least 40k a year. Transport allowance should be 1000 to 1500 per month. If you have dependents you want at least 4 return tickets each year and education allowance for your kids that is at least equal to your housing allowance. Medical insurance should be comprehensive, from a reputable company, and NOT in government hospitals. The employer is compelled by law to pay for your initial visas, your exit re-entry visas once a year, and for any transfer fees if you are already working in KSA. Contracts should stipulate severance pay at least at minimum according to the Saudi Labor Law: 1/2 month salary for each year of service up to five years, after five years service your entitlement is 1 month salary per year.
If you're put onto government insurance or told that you need to pay for your own visas over the holidays then think long and hard about it. This is not typical of good employers. |
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Mia Xanthi
Joined: 13 Mar 2008
Posts: 955
Location: why is my heart still in the Middle East while the rest of me isn't?
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| Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 4:36 pm Post subject: |
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Good point. Salary is important, but the quality of the benefits says EVERYTHING about the job. A job that pays well but offers no benefits usually indicates that you will not be treated well. A job will a pretty good salary but lots of little benefits (housing, medical, schooling, airfare, etc). indicates an experienced employer who usually has the worker's best interests in mind.
If an employer even includes a relocation allowance of some sort, even if it's just a few hundred dollars for excess baggage, that's the type of employer you want to really consider accepting even if the salary is not absolute tops. |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 4:49 pm Post subject: |
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| Health Care is important too. If you are a government employee you should get treatment in Government Hospitals. If you are in the private sector, eg at one of the many private universities, you need health insurance. By law, private employers must now provide health cover. I would want to know how good that cover was before proceeding. |
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Never Ceased To Be Amazed
Joined: 22 Oct 2004
Posts: 3500
Location: Shhh...don't talk to me...I'm playin' dead...
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| Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 5:06 pm Post subject: |
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Hear, hear! When I went to the latest TESOLArabia conference, I wuz ready to cough up up to a dozen resumes. I'd already set my mind to NOT interview for any saudi jobs (Yeah, I KNOW that that one came right outta left field  ) or QU whom I am having a personal battle with the Foundations director (Yes, K. al-a, it's become personal!  ). After reviewing my choices, I could only interview with two as I have children to put through school and that's about all that was left that would (even partially!) cover tuition.
There were a few others, but their reputations preceded them.
NCTBA |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 5:46 pm Post subject: |
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Fewer jobs now provide education allowances. Employers have realised that they can find single men or "child-free" couples. Why shell out thousands to subsidise the education of foreigners ?
This is only one aspect of the deterioration of working conditions ans the rapid "proletarianisation" of EFL jobs in the region.
Roll on Demob ! |
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ootii
Joined: 27 Oct 2005
Posts: 124
Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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| Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 5:58 pm Post subject: |
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| scot47 wrote: |
| Health Care is important too. If you are a government employee you should get treatment in Government Hospitals. If you are in the private sector, eg at one of the many private universities, you need health insurance. By law, private employers must now provide health cover. I would want to know how good that cover was before proceeding. |
You're right. Employers must provide medical care for foreign workers. I'm uncertain whether the law stipulates that employers must provide insurance coverage or simply accept responsibility for medical care. Insurance policies typically lapse after one year employers may not need to systematically demonstrate that all employees are ensured in order to renew their iqamas. If this is not the case, then there is no means of enforcing the insurance directive.
Regardless of this, insurance is of all types and insured parties typically have a co-pay or deductable which they will have to pay at the clinic. Other things, eye tests and glasses, psychiatric care (probably more important than we actually realize), dental, ante-natal and child birth may or may not be included in the policy. It's best to ask. The quality of the medical care offered is often a good indicator of the quality of the employer. Those insuring with Tawanyia, BUPA, or any of the other high quality insurers are probably quality employers since this is an obvious placed to nickle and dime people. We don't like to think about getting sick, so we tend to ignore this. |
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Mia Xanthi
Joined: 13 Mar 2008
Posts: 955
Location: why is my heart still in the Middle East while the rest of me isn't?
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| Posted: Mon May 03, 2010 10:45 pm Post subject: |
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Check carefully. At PMU, we found out that single people were under different (and less comprehensive) coverage than married people were. Ask specific questions about coverage, particularly about long-term conditions. If something serious befalls you, how long will your health care coverage last? Are there caps on certain conditions?
And if you are from the US, even if you are in excellent health, be sure to keep some kind of coverage back home just in case, even if it is "only" a BC/BS major medical policy with a $5000 deductible. If something goes wrong in KSA, believe me, you will want to go home. Some health care in KSA is passably good, but if anything is seriously wrong with you, you need to get out of the Kingdom fast! |
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