Job Discussion Forums

[Trinley]

Forgive my newbie-hood here. I'm thinking about Oman as my next teaching destination, and I've been scouring the forums for answers to my questions. Mind if I ask them directly?

1. Is now a good time to look for jobs? I may be late in the game as I'm looking to start in January or February.

2. I've seen a lot of advertisements from the Ministry of Manpower for work in technical colleges. I've also seen a few posts suggesting that teachers should stay away from these jobs. Why is that?

I'm looking to teach adults. I have 4.5 years' teaching experience in Asia, Europe and North America. I have a BA in linguistics and TEFL certificate. Any info or newbie advice would be appreciated.

[veiledsentiments]

With your credentials, about the only jobs that are available are the Ministry of Manpower or Ministry of Education jobs. They are both recruiter based and tend to have about the same pros and cons. The pros being that you are in Oman and that they will hire people without an MA.

If you are the type who can tolerate some inefficiency and some eccentric managements and fellow teachers, some of the locations are tolerable for a year... or maybe two. When and if you apply and get an offer, then you can start to look at the specifics by location. As is usual, some places have more negatives than others.

As to timing, if they are running ads, you can apply. Oman is more efficient than some countries in the Gulf, so you could get hired and be there for a 2nd semester start.

VS
(BTW... your TEFL cert must have included supervised classroom teaching. No quickie or online certs are recognized in the Gulf)

[Sleepwalker]

I'd advise you to apply for any vacancies you see and try a speculative CV to other colleges.

You may have other specialisms in your past that colleges might be interested in. It's not always about the MA or other degree - other qualifications and/or experience might be what a college/institute is interested in.

[veiledsentiments]

The catch is that there aren't that many other employers in Oman... taught medical English - try Oman Medical College... University of Nizwa direct hires... some small private colleges in Muscat. With SQU, I would only apply to an ad or a listing on their website.

Google up a list of schools and colleges in Oman and see... many of these small private colleges have the same pros and cons as the Ministry jobs, of course.

VS

[Trinley]

Thanks for the replies! I sent a resume to the address provided for Ministry jobs but haven't heard back in over a week. I guess I'll keep searching.

[veiledsentiments]

You will not find prompt responses to be common anywhere in the Gulf. They are a lesson in patience... for all applicants.

VS

[Sleepwalker]

The Eid break has just finished and everyone is waiting for the National Day holiday to be announced.

No one will have their eye on work at the moment - give it another week or so.

[Trinley]

Thanks for the help! Still no reply though.

Does being female reduce my chances of finding a teaching job in Oman? I just saw an ad assuring applicants that they can bring their wives along, as if they just go ahead and assume that the applicants are male.

[veiledsentiments]

You will never get a quick response in this part of the world. If a month has passed, they may not be interested... but then next month you will suddenly hear from them asking if you are available... next week.

I am female and taught there for many years. There are lots of female teachers. The difference in that ad is that men can easily bring wives, but women have not been able to bring husbands. (that is a cultural oddity... they can't conceive of the man following the woman...)

VS

[applecrumble]

Being female may well increase your chance of finding jobs since the colleges are mixed now and they need women teachers.

There is a huge demand for English in the country especially in the interior. The road network is fantastic so you do not need to feel isolated. Even the remote areas are being tarred now. Just pick a town where there is at least one decent hotel and a swimming pool.

You will probably get lots of invitations to explore the amazing landscapes and desert but if you are a woman you need to take someone else along for propriety - rent a crowd is even better....

[applecrumble]

It can be frustrating getting all the paperwork together - attested documents etc. WHen you arrive, someone from the college will take you around for fingerprinting etc. and that side is quite smooth because you are with a local.

The students in my experience are friendly but the level is more secondary school . The educational system is developing and standards can be low. It is a large country and plenty to do at the weekend if you like the outdoors life. You can camp under the desert sky and not worry about being rained out....

[veiledsentiments]

[applecrumble]

Oman is not Saudi.

[waterman]

[applecrumble]

Hi

'Attested ' means you need to get your degree documents and any certificates/diplomas etc. verified. In the UK anyway, you get a photocopy verified by a solicitor and send it off to the Omani embassy. This avoids sending off originals. Alternatively if there is an Omani Embassy nearby you can go in with your original documents. It doesn't take long. They send back your copies with their stamp and signature. Can't remember how much it costs per document but it isn't very cheap. �12?? It's to prevent applicants getting fakes run off on their computer. The US might have a different system.

Generally you need to get 'fingerprinting' done after you arrive in the country. Someone from the college will take you to the police station where you get each finger pressed down on an ink pad by an impassive policeman/woman recorded and pressed onto paper to take a print! They also do the palm of your hand - not taking any chances, eh? Then you need a blood test (aids?) and when I was in Qatar I had a chest X-ray to check for TB!! It's OK - someone will take you there and it's not as awful it sounds.

Then you will be well and truly vetted like pedigree racehorse...