Job Discussion Forums

[scot47]

Many employers within the GCC and elsewhere will bin your CV as soon as they see K S A on it.

As a recruiter I would be very wary of anyone who has spent a long time in the Magic Kingdom. I have often rejected CVs very similar to my own !

[2buckets]

I did several years on 3 different contracts in KOSA, and had no trouble getting hired in the UAE, first military and then a renowned tertiary institution.

Granted , there are a lot of "eccentrics" teaching in SA, but there are also a lot of highly qualified "normal" people.

[johnslat]

Dear 2buckets,

As I mentioned in my post, I haven't had any problems, either - but I know of teachers who have had such problems.

I know there are a lot of good teachers in Saudi; heck, I was one of them. But this is not a question of whether there ARE good teachers there; it's how employers outside the Kingdom can sometimes regard potential employers who have job experience in Saudi on their resumes.

And from my experience, that CAN have a negative impact on some employers.

If you've never experienced that or know of no one who has, that's great, but in my thirty-five years of EFL/ESL teaching, I've seen evidence that such an attitude does exist.

Regards,
John

[scot47]

I am honoured,and indeed honoured.that the Venerable Johslat, Prophet of New Mexico, shares an opinion with my humble person !

[fledex]

Let's see, a choice between Oman and Saudi Arabia. You'd have to be joking, it's like night and day. For fun in Oman there were dune bashing, horse riding on the beach, swimming in giant sink holes in the middle of the desert, camping on endless white sand beaches with no one around, cool hills with gardens to explore, underground wadis to swim and dive in, endless forts and castles all over the country to visit, and some of the most polite and welcoming people I have ever met anywhere in the world (and I've been to nearly 100 countries, and lived or worked in a dozen), students and coworkers frequently invited me and my family to their homes. Also, lived in a bungalow across the street from the beach, had a driver from my employer to pick me up for work every morning who would greet me with 5 minutes of pleasant questions about how I was doing, children went to the best international school they have been to in their lives, and I could watch more variety of news shows on TV than I would every be able to view in the US.

On the other hand, let's look at life in KSA. I was actually earning more money in Oman than I did in KSA. In KSA even your wife will have to wear an abaya and maybe face and hair covering as well. For fun there is an occasional visit to a private beach (nothing much), some hills to go to with hashers, mostly going to shopping malls for "fun", and maybe an interesting souk. In KSA, I had a near death experience in the company van to work nearly every day; had rude students who didn't even want to come to class, but wanted to be marked as "attended"; going to a coffee shop was the main social activity, but going with your wife could lead to questioning from the mutawa. Mecca and Medina were fun places to go on holiday or weekends and the spiritual enlightenment was fantastic, but that was the only thing better than in Oman.

If a person can make more money in Oman, then there is no question about it being the better place to work, especially for a non-Muslim who enjoys doing something other than shopping.

[scot47]

"Spiritual enlightenment " saddest people I met on the KofSA were the US and UK Muslims who had thought they were coming o the Promised Land - until the harsh reality of the Hejaz-Nejd hit them,

[nomad soul]

[johnslat]

Dear nomad soul,

Unfortunately, on point one - " the 'caliber' of Saudi institutions the experience was gained from" - I'd say that a fair number of prospective employers are unfamiliar with the calibers, and moreover, it's a lot easier just to lump them all together rather than to do some actual research.

Regards,
John

[nomad soul]

[rollingk]

[psychedelicacy]

[plumpy nut]

[nomad soul]

[jaffa]

It all comes down to money. In the EFL world $3,000 for a reasonable number of hours per week (20, maybe) is what swings people in the direction of KSA. Thanks to the KSA government's drive to 'educate' they are now hiring EFL teachers by the thousands in PYP programs. If you can hack it, after a few years you'll have some cash in the bank (as a single person; if you're married I can't imagine it will go far) but you need to spend at least 5 years here to amass a decent amount. With a dodgy contractor and all that entails, the soul destroying aspect of Saudi life and 'teaching' deranged Saudi teenagers, not many last long. Why do you think the rich Saudis send their kids abroad for their education? And why do institutions and businesses in Saudi dread their next (enforced) intake of home-grown graduates?

Oman sounds like a better bet in terms of peace of mind; Saudi for the bank balance. Does Oman still only recruit English degree holders?

[nomad soul]