Job Discussion Forums

[CrownMe]

Hey guys,

I've been interested in teaching abroad (particularly the Middle East) for about a year now. I was looking for some advice and any comments would be greatly appreciated. I'll start off by introducing myself to help you, help me.

I'm a 23 year old single male Canadian citizen, that was born in Saudi Arabia (my parents are not of Saudi background). I've lived in Canada pretty much all my life, but I feel I have a decent understanding of middle eastern culture. English is my first language, and I can also speak Urdu. I also just started learning a bit of Arabic using Rosetta Stone.

Recently I completed a B.Comm in HR Management, but I do not have a CELTA or TEFL or anything of the sort yet.

...hopefully that gives a slight understanding of my background...Now on to some of my questions..


1) from my understanding, most schools in the Middle East require teaching experience... Is that an absolute must or can I still work there without experience given that I should be willing to accept a lower salary till I build experience?

2) What course/accreditation would you suggest (CELTA,TOEFL, TESL, etc.) to someone that is open to teach either children or adults, doesn't matter?

3) If getting a job in the Middle East is even possible without teaching experience.. what kind of salary/benefits should I expect?


.. that should be all for now.. Any other comments, opinions, advice, etc. would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much.

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

Maybe you would get answers to your questions if you posted it in the Middle East forums.

But very briefly,

There are countries in the Middle East that are more likely to hire someone without experience or really proper training- the ones which pay very little (possibly nothing at all). That would get you experience in the area, but you still wouldn't have proper training (if you look, you'll see that a masters degree in TESOL or Applied Linguistics is often required in the countries where they pay well), you would still be young (young equates to immature to many people, rightly or wrongly), and (it sounds like) you would still be brown-skinned [unfortunately, colour is still an issue in a lot of the world. You just wouldn't look 'foreign enough' for some people. This kind of thing becomes less and less of an issue, but it's still there, the higher the qualifications that are required for the job- so at the university level it's sort of minimal]. These are all things that will work against you there.

But these are just generalities, about a region and may or may not be the case in any particular workplace.

[CrownMe]

interesting enough.. Thank you for the input.

I appreciate it.

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

With the glut of English teachers WITH a certificate, don't even post on the ME board unless yer a glutton for insults. First get a cert and then start to ask...

NCTBA

[Never Ceased To Be Amazed]

Ooops! Too late...

NCTBA

[CrownMe]

The plan is to be certified before applying for work. But before I invest time and money into getting certified, I'd like to have a better understanding of what I'm getting into.