Job Discussion Forums

[yekker]

About me:
Currently teaching in Japan.
5 yrs exp.
2 yrs post CELTA.
Have taught mainly adult, ESP, and some EAP.
Experienced with TOEFL and IELTS prep.
Looking to complete a DELTA or L.Dip within the next two years as well as start my MA TESOL w/ Applied Linguistics (distance, Leicester Uni, UK), too.
British national, married to a Japanese.
Speak Spanish and Japanese to advanced level, with lang certs.
Able to furnish any prospective employer with two or three very good references.

My goal:
To continue teaching as a career choice and not just another Japan based ELT jobber. I've had a strong desire to work in the Middle East for a number of years and the wife is very keen to live there too. No kids. I want to move to the ME, establish myself with a half-decent ESP role and then move on to the Higher Ed. opportunities once I've completed all my quals, gained deeper knowledge the language, and built some contacts in country.

My question(s):
With my current experience what are my chances?
Are there any decent ESP firms or agencies one could recommend to apply to?
My initial choices are KSA, Abu Dhabi, Oman, Kuwait, and Qatar. Does anyone have insight into the better places amongst this selection?


Thanks for reading, and hope to hear feedback soon.

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

You do know that Abu Dhabi isn't a country, right? If not, don't feel bad, even Bill Clinton refers to Dubai (also not a country) as a country!

Have you thought about the British Council? You've got too low of creds to work at uni in the U.A.E. (a country).

Don't settle for saudi...

NCTBA

[yekker]

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

[Didah]

Hi Yekker,

Please excuse the free and unsolicited geography and grammar lessons on the Middle East forums (Saudi can be brutal). You seem like a nice person so here is my two cents...

I lived in Japan for more that a decade. Along the way I also married a Japanese woman. Life was good in Japan, but I always heard about the mythical high dollar jobs in the Middle East. So, I was hired by an American defense contractor. In my opinion, these are the best jobs. I never could of hacked it at a Saudi university. My hat is off to all of you professors out there. Anyway, the job was better than most but my wife was miserable and went back to Japan. If the marriage isn't great, Saudi is no marriage saver.

With your knowledge of Japanese and roots in old Dai Nippon, along with a Japanese wife, you can create a lot of opportunities for yourself. The biggest mistake I ever made was leaving Japan for what I thought was greener pastures (I know... no grass in the KSA).

For what it is worth, avoid the Tragic Kingdom on inhumanity like the plague. Warui desu... You would be working for mainly worthless and thankless people who put you on the same level as the tea boy. I liked Saudi so much, that I am on a contract in Iraq. My swansong in the Middle East.

I have worked in some of the other countries and the UAE which is in a country but has a mind of its own. If I were you, I would look at the UAE which has hire paying jobs and not all the problems that come with working in the Tragic Kingdom. Oman is nice, but notoriously low paying. Qatar can cut either way.

I envy you. You have a great life in a great place. The money here is not all that great anymore. Anyone who would take a job in the KSA for $2,500 or $3,000 should have their head examined. That being said, since it appears that you are British, you could always contact BAE. The pay is great but that is the only good thing about it. I worded with them at the King Abdul Aziz Air Base. The only motivation was checking the bank account. Good luck in your search.

Gambatte Kudasai

[veiledsentiments]

Personally I would suggest getting that MA now and head to the Gulf once it is completed. Employers in the Gulf love those academic pieces of paper and prefer the MA to anything else. The path that you are considering... ESP... doesn't provide many options in the Middle East (outside of perhaps Saudi... consult with NCTBA on that one...). The vast majority of jobs are either for K-12 teachers who have the proper credentials to teach those levels in their home countries... or for Foundations courses at university which require an MA. Unlike Asia, there are few, if any, companies hiring English teachers to train their staffs. Their staffs are from the sub-continent, the Philippines, etc... and already speak English. There are some teachers in the oil business, but not as many as one would think. Then there are some positions teaching the military.

Reality is that the Gulf is NOT a place that people come to establish themselves in an EFL career. It is mostly the place where established teachers come to top off their retirement resources.

VS

[denise]

Since when was Oman notoriously low-paying? I'm doing far better financially here than I was in Japan.

There are regional colleges that hire candidates without MAs, but the salary is a bit lower with lower qualifications. Still, you'd be earning decent money--I consider $2500ish (rough guess for one of the colleges) and up "decent" when it's tax-free, housing is included, and daily living expenses amount to pocket change. And your wife would have far more social options and freedom than she would in KSA.

d

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

[veiledsentiments]

[yekker]

A very big thank you to all who have posted here. Your insight is much appreciated. I've been on some forums where getting useful info is like drawing blood from a stone. Here it seems to be the opposite.

If I can be cheeky enough to keep the dialogue going...

NTCB: Are there any BC schools in the places mentioned that you would recommend or suggest avoiding? How about IH and Bell?

Didah: domo domo! I was really hoping to hear from someone who may have been through a similar move and am grateful for your input. The missus and I love Japan, but we are both set on buying property in Europe and want that as our permanent base for retirement. I just feel the opportunities for higher level TESOL jobs in Japan are diminishing and the industry as a whole is going a bit pear shaped. Even the money some posters here consider basic, seems to be a great deal more generous than the average J-package when factoring in the other benefits. I do hear you about KSA, the wife and I are weary of the place as the boards have little good to say about the lifestyle. Possibly survivable for a year or two if the money was worth it. Btw, how would I get in touch with the BAE?

veiledsentiments: Thank you for the advice, I have followed many of your posts on here as a lurker and appreciate your feedback. Starting the MA this autumn is certainly doable, or I could probably start it next spring. Either way, we aren't looking to the region until about 2012. Perhaps I could get the lions share of the course completed by then and do a year or two of pre MA work before finding something 'decent' (a relative term here, perhaps). I don't want to squander any more practical experience in Japan than necessary. I'd prefer to gain as much experience in the region as possible, even if it means taking the lower paid jobs for a few years. While it might not be the norm to cut ones teeth in the sand, it certainly beats trying to in Japan. Surely it doesn't hurt to start topping up your retirement resources ASAP

Denise: Thanks for the short but very sweet post. I would like to pick your brains further it at all possible. Any chance of PMing you? The wife and I actually have Oman as our initial choice. And the salary range you have mentioned is what I would hope for and be happy with until I had more paperwork to go with my CV. As you've rightly pointed out, even the lower paid jobs in ME are relatively decent when compared to Japan nowadays. 30k USD disposable, tax free, health, flights, AND accomodation dwarfs anything a post cert ELTer could get in Japan.


Thank you again for all your comments.

[veiledsentiments]

As to the Oman jobs, they are usually advertising on all the usual jobs boards. These are recruiter hired and they all have their issues, but most are tolerable for a year or two while you finish your MA. You can go to the "international jobs" page here and do a search for Oman. It brings up the ads that have run for the last month. Then you can look at the Oman board threads about the various recruiters. I noticed that Sohar University was advertising and the University of Nizwa will be also. (they are direct hire rather than recruiter)

Denise is a good source concerning the current conditions with the various recruiters. Of course, if you are not planning to arrive until 2012, the situation could be quite different then.

VS
(I believe that you need 5 posts before you can do PMs)

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

[denise]

You're welcome to PM me! I haven't worked for a recruiter for a couple of years now, but my first job in Oman was through CfBT and I saw the good and the bad.

d

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

...as to BC schools, they're apparently all over the place...Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Shajah...jes' to mention a few. It'd probably be better fer you to go on their website than have some Yank babble on...

Good luck!

NCTBA

[Didah]

Hi,

First to NCBA -- I apologize for the geography quip -- looks like I need a spelling lesson and edit a little more closely. You know what they say -- careful editing makes better writing. Gomen Nasai.

I agree with VS's assessment of your situation. For the really good jobs here you need a masters degree. However, there are other options. First of all about BAE, a friend of mine who is still there says that it is a single posting for new hires. They are in Farnsworth. I had contact information for them but I can't locate it. Just google BAE RSAF English program and you will probably get the information. Another Gulf job you may want to look into is IAT in the UAE. They posted again yesterday looking for teachers for their high school program and a masters is not required. I have heard the salary is ok but they give a housing allowance in lieu of a housing. I also understand that if you take a post in a place like Al Ain, the housing goes a lot farther. They don't seem to have enough teachers and my friend who interviewed with them a few days ago was asked by the panel if he know of anyone else. Something to think about.

Again, I think you will be much happier in your life to avoid the Tragic Kingdom. Other than BAE and some of the American defense contracts, the pay and benefits are not much better than surrounding gulf countries and with the exception of Kuwait and Yemen, you can get a proper pint.

Good Luck