Job Discussion Forums

[elliott22212]

My wife and I are certified ESL teachers currently finishing graduate school. In looking at options for next year, we are strongly considering pursuing teaching positions in Saudi Arabia. While we both enjoy teaching ESL, our masters degrees are not related to TESOL or education and our long-term career goals do not directly involve teaching ESL.

However, both of us enjoy living and working internationally and are hoping to further develop international careers. We also will be looking to pay off our significant student loan debt (about $75,000 between the two of us) and wonder if teaching in Saudi Arabia could allow us to pay off that debt while also advancing us towards our career goals. We have a former colleague who has moved to Saudi with his wife and speaks highly of it, although we wonder if the experience may be different for us, as they are Pakistani-British Muslims and we are white Americans who, while not being particularly religious, are from Christian backgrounds.

We were hoping we could receive some insight from those who have experience teaching in Saudi Arabia on what we can expect as far as the kind of teaching jobs we can find, whether we can use this experience for the career advancement we are looking for, and whether we can expect the recreational activities we are hoping to enjoy.

Here are our qualifications, experience and goals for our careers as well as our potential time in Saudi Arabia:

Me:

Age:25

Qualifications:
American Native English Speaker
BA, Sociology
TEFL Certification
MBA

Experience:
3 Months, Volunteer Middle School Teacher, Nairobi Kenya
6 Months, Middle/High School Tutor, Philadelphia, PA
1 Year, ESL Teacher (mostly business/corporate clients) Beijing, China
3 Months, Volunteer ESL Teacher (mostly Latino immigrants) Grand Rapids, MI
7 Months, Corporate ESL Trainer, San Jose, Costa Rica

Career Goals:

While I love teaching ESL and working/living internationally, I am aspiring to combine that love with my interest and skills in business (I'll receive my MBA this summer). My dream job would be working in international corporate training, professional development, internal mediation or management training with a multinational corporation or a training/consulting organization like the British Council. Due to my age (25) and limited experience, I feel like spending some time teaching in Saudi may give me experience that will help me move towards that goal.

Why Saudi Arabia Appeals to Me:

1. The opportunity to build my resume while gaining understanding of Saudi Arabia and the Arab world.

2. The opportunity to network in a community of expats, many of whom may be working for the kind of organization I one day hope to work for.

3. The opportunity to learn Arabic.

4. Given the generous salaries, being able to take a large chunk out of our student loan debt is definitely a big plus.

5. The generous salaries and vacation time would allow my wife and I to travel to places like Egypt, UAE, Turkey and the Maldives, which would be a dream come true for us.

6. If I lived in a coastal city, the idea of being able to scuba and snorkel in the Red Sea or Persian Gulf.

7. While life there would surely be difficult and not at all what I would be used to, I feel it would help give me a unique, valuable perspective on life and make me a better person.

My Wife:

Age:25

Qualifications:
American Native English Speaker
BA, English Writing
TEFL Certification
MS, International Nonprofit Management

Experience:
Almost identical to mine

Career Goals:
As someone working towards a master's in international nonprofit management, she would eventually like to work for in management with an NGO. She also is required to complete a practicum project at some point in the next five years and would like to work or volunteer at an NGO for that. While we recognize that it may be difficult to find work at an NGO in Saudi Arabia, we wonder if her teaching for a year or two while studying Arabic may help secure a position for her in a neighboring country like UAE or Oman, if not in Saudi itself.

Why Saudi Arabia Appeals to Her:
Same reasons as me, except the scuba/snorkel part (she's not into that)

She is somewhat concerned with a perceived hostility towards Western women in Saudi Arabia and naturally is a little concerned about the lifestyle change she will have to undergo.


If anyone has any insights that they could possibly offer to us, it would be most helpful. While we understand that since we have somewhat different career goals, it will be difficult for both of us to find our "dream jobs" at the same time. However, if living and working in Saudi Arabia can provide us with the money to travel and pay down our debt while helping advance our careers, it would be a success for us.

Questions:

1. Given our experience, what kind of teaching jobs should we expect to qualify for? What are some reputable organizations I should look into?

2. Would working in Saudi Arabia help us eventually achieve our career goals? What about NGOs in Saudi Arabia? Are there any?

3. Are our travel/recreation aspirations reasonable?

Thank you so much for your input!

[Mia Xanthi]

Don't write off being able to pursue your career goals so quickly. There are plenty of universities in the Gulf region that seek native speakers of English to teach business courses, and you would make an especially attractive candidate given the fact that you also have a CELTA and experience teaching EFL. A lecturer in business commands a considerably higher salary than the average English teacher, so you would be able to pay back those loans faster. Start by looking in the Chronicle of Higher Education under positions in business or just under international positions in general. Another good place to look is HigherEdJobs. Fortunately for you, this is also a good time of year to find these kinds of positions.

Of course, KSA should be your last choice. There are many colleges and universities in the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait and Oman, although the jobs in Oman are likely to pay lower salaries. for starters, try HCT or Zayed University in the UAE, GUST in Kuwait, the University of Qatar, Texas A&M, and Houston Community College in Qatar. PMU in KSA offers a business major and is probably hiring business teachers right now,but proceed at your own risk. Most people are trying to get out of PMU, not to get in (see related threads).

I think your chances of finding good jobs for you and your wife are excellent, but stay out of EFL and focus on finding a lecturer position. Your pocketbook will thank you,and you will get much more respect. Best of luck to you both.
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[Mia Xanthi]

I am not able to edit the above post in my usual fashion. Please forgive any mistakes or annoyances.

[elliott22212]

Thanks! Some of those business lecturer positions look great and sound really ideal for me, I just don't always know where to look for positions like those.

What is your background? Where have you taught in the Middle East?