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CANDLES

I'm intrigued by all the teachers who've returned from the Middle East either by retiring or just finishing their contracts after several years there.

What do you do back in the States, UK? Just curious.

BajaLaJaula · Joined: 25 Jan 2007 Posts: 267

PROS-

more freedom, organization, and overall quality of life improvement of living in the USA.

CONS-

Adjust to paying taxes and to lower income.

OVERALL-

Easy to forget how stressful it was with just about every aspect of living in KSA.

It is a trade-off...but for longevity sake, USA is a better location even
though it sucks to be back making a meager amount of money.

plumpy nut · Joined: 12 Mar 2011 Posts: 1652

With your money pursue a license and teach in your home country or in Taiwan.

MuscatGary · Posted: Thu Mar 12, 2015 12:00 pm Post subject:

Don't go home. go somewhere warm, cheap and fun and buy a beach bar with the money you've made.

jaffa · Joined: 25 Oct 2012 Posts: 403

Invest in property, rent it out, kick back, travel, teach kids 10 hours pw and realise just how childish the Saudis are. Breathe fresh air.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Spend the rest of your life learning to accept that you have become an outsider who cannot relate to those around you ?

peripatetic_soul · Joined: 20 Oct 2013 Posts: 303

One feels like a fish out of water. To echo scot47's post, yes, many of our "fellow citizens" don't want or care to hear about experiences overseas, esp NOT in Muslim countries. It's a hard place to be. Health care is the biggest culture shock.
Although I teach academic ESL at college, many of my colleagues never worked/taught overseas (oh, they visited a European country on an excursion, not quite the same, as you can appreciate) and comment that the ME was never on their bucket list. Return culture shock was rough. I still feel displaced and marginalized, although I love my students who appreciate when I can mutter an "En'shal'lah" and provide a remote connection to the past, e.g., henna painting, roaming camels, the vast desert, ethnic cuisine with all those wonderful seedless cukes overpriced at home, etc. You can imagine how they must feel in a foreign country!

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

The natives in the UK are totally blinkered to the world. Sod them !

CANDLES · Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2015 9:29 pm Post subject:

Prejudice is never going to go away!

Very few people are enlightened and accept that people of different faith, especially Muslims are just as ambitious as the next person on the planet to better themselves by education, politics and the rest.

Ignore the morons who say otherwise.

johnslat · Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2015 10:11 pm Post subject:

Dear CANDLES,

I returned way back in 2003. Mostly, I've been teaching ESL at Santa Fe Community College and enjoying life. I don't need to work, but I really like teaching. So, I intend to continue as long as I can.

But for the past 7 months, I've been working full-time as the "Interim ESL Coordinator," a job I hope to relinquish soon. I want to get back to the classroom. Very Happy

Regards,
John

MuscatGary · Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2015 11:40 pm Post subject:

CANDLES · Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 9:03 am Post subject:

Given half the chance most students of any faith would love to cheat to pass.

Human nature!

MuscatGary · Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 11:58 am Post subject:

CANDLES · Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 12:07 pm Post subject:

Yes MG, the non Muslim world is perfect and ALL the Muslims are shysters.
Thank you for your open-mind.
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happyinshangqiu · Posted: Sat Mar 21, 2015 2:45 pm Post subject: