Job Discussion Forums

[vva]

Hi

My Stats:
BA in English in 2011 (this coming May)
"nonnative" meaning I was born elsewhere, however I grew up here and English is the only language I can speak fluently!
Female / early 20s

My Goals:
Teach EFL in the UAE/MidEast/Muslim Country

[edited, to remove personal information]

Questions:
1. Will schools/companies in the UAE see my TEFL cert as legit?
2. WHEN should I start contacting potential UAE employers? Is there any point in emailing a few places before I graduate or will I have to wait until I actually possess all my future credentials before contacting places? (May/June)
3. How long does it usually take to get placed in the UAE? I'm trying to minimize my time in graduate limbo before I actually get a job

4. Do I have a chance anyplace in the UAE with my credentials as a young female without any real teaching experience (like school setting exp.)?


Thanks for you time!!!!!!!

[denise]

The good jobs in the UAE go to experienced teachers with MAs. It's really a long shot for a beginner. And quality varies A LOT in the Gulf, so if you do get offers, study them very carefully before accepting.

d

[TeresaLopez]

I would beg to differ with your description of yourself as a non-native speaker. If you grew up from early childhood on, and speak un-accented English, you are a native speaker. And since you say you don�t speak any other language fluently, then what would your native language BE. I think you will be doing yourself a real dis-service if you tll potential employers that you are a non-native speaker. I also was not born in an English speaker country but lived in one from the age of 5 through college, and have always said I am a native speaker, and have never had anyone question it. It�s hard enough finding a job without putting yourself at a disadvantage for no reason.

[tttompatz]

Non-native may be a misnomer but if you are NOT originally from the UK then, for the purposes of obtaining a work visa, it begs the question: Do you hold a UK passport?

IF you hold a UK passport then you are considered to be a "native speaker" and for the most part it is pretty easy to obtain jobs abroad.

IF you do NOT hold a passport from the UK (or one of the other major anglophone countries (Canada, Aus, NZ, USA) then your options become very limited and competition gets much tougher and your choices are then limited because of visa restrictions to your home country (country of passport), country of residence (UK) and possibly parts of Europe (depending on qualifications).

Additionally, as a female, there are other issues that you have to deal with (in terms of the job search) when looking at the middle east for a job as a teacher.

.

[vva]

[Montanaland]

vva

The job boards are riddled with low tier/entry-level Saudi postings asking for a Celta and 2yrs-3yrs experience.

[Glenski]

[vva]

[Glenski]

vva,
You seem to want to get into teaching EFL, but most lifers have upper level credentials, so if you don't seem eager to get those, you fit the description I wrote earlier. The way you wrote "not cool" (as I quoted), that's how it sounded, anyway.

[mimi_intheworld]

vva, you may have to work a little harder and be a little more amazing in your interviews, but I know for a fact that ADEC (Abu Dhabi Education Council) has hired teachers fresh out of university. However, the teachers all graduated with a teacher certification/license.

This information is relevant only if you want to teach primary/secondary school - university seems to require a Masters for sure.

[vva]

[mimi_intheworld]

vva, if SA = South America, yes, you'll probably have a better (if less financially secure) chance of finding work there until you have a teaching cert or Masters degree.

I think uni students getting a teaching degree started applying with ADEC (via their recruiters, of which Intelligent Partners and Teach Away are two - I'm going through Teach Away) slightly before or immediately after graduating: March-May interviews for August placements, for example.

I'm pretty sure your TEFL cert will not get you an interview in KSA, UAE, Oman, etc, but the training will probably be useful once you get into a classroom.

If you want to dip your toes in the TEFL waters straight after graduation but before you get that teaching certificate (or Masters degree for university work), try SE Asia, China, or Central/South America. My first job out of university was TEFLing in Bangkok. It was good times (though it didn't really earn me much money at all). Your TEFL certificate and BA could get you a look-in there. Or, to perhaps earn enough to start saving, try China - it seems to be the Wild West of TEFL.

[vva]

Sorry, but by SA I mean Saudi Arabia
I'm pretty interested in traveling throughout Muslim countries if anything, so "tefl-ing" has it's appeal there for me.

I've been looking through some job boards and a few places out in S.Arabia seem to require more of what I've got to offer.

While I've got you, may I ask, would you happen to know what's a decent beginner's starting salary in S.Arabia?

I can't now continue to think I'll get hired after I graduate, but I guess I can still hold onto some hope until those March-May months. I guess that's high time for new hires anyway? so, lots of competition....

[mimi_intheworld]

Sorry. SA in my brain means South America or South Africa. Saudi = KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, of course!).

If your heart is set on going to a Middle Eastern country, wander on down to the General Middle East Forum & other country-specific forums at the bottom of the Job Discussion Forums page.

If you *just* want to start working in a Muslim country, there are many, and they are all over the world. Expand your thinking from strictly the Middle East and GCC countries, and you may be able to work something out.

If you are Muslim, perhaps you'd like to teach at an international Islamic school? They're everywhere (Malaysia, for example). Again, a teaching certificate is kind of a must-have for your goals.

Perhaps you can look into alternative teacher certification programs? This is what I did (as the idea of going through the education program at my university was intolerable), and I got 3 years of English/ESL experience at the same time.

I'm not entirely sure what beginning salaries are in KSA - check that discussion page and you'll find some information - but I seem to recall something around AT LEAST $35000? But again, a Masters degree, teaching certificate and a few years' classroom experience is a requisite. And I could just be making that number up.

Keep looking, go down to the Middle East forums, and start reading/posting there. We have some VERY helpful posters down there!

[tttompatz]