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CANDLES
Joined: 01 Nov 2011
Posts: 605
Location: Wandering aimlessly.....
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 Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 11:50 am Post subject: |
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Dear Travelerhere,
For the man, KSA is a 'paradise' (not in the literal sense)! You can go anywhere you like, sit wherever you like, smoke wherever, etc, etc... whereas for women they need to sit in the family section or women only section, but good thing is that a woman can travel by herself if so wishes.
There are plenty of top class restaurants, and take outs, plus it's a great country to explore. Importantly you can drive so no excuse for sitting about, plus there is a big expat community and you can feel comfortable with that. Do you desperately want alcohol? If so the expats will serve you luke warm beer and home made hooch. Wine is yucky, I hear.
It's a very comfortable lifestyle in KSA, so enjoy it.  |
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plumpy nut
Joined: 12 Mar 2011
Posts: 1652
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| Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 1:22 pm Post subject: Re: What to expect in Saudi? single male here |
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| psychedelicacy wrote: |
| plumpy nut wrote: |
| You have to go to embassies to drink alcohol. |
Unless you make your own, which is very easy.
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Or you can by a bottle of real booze on the black market for $350 US. If you know somebody who works at the embassy they can easily obtain a bottle for you. I've heard the homemade is pretty bad. |
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travelerhere
Joined: 06 Jan 2014
Posts: 3
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| Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 7:09 pm Post subject: I wasn't talking about alcohol, I don't drink; but other th |
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I wasn't talking about alcohol, since I do not drink.
I meant theaters, cultural, historical things.
Main thing is getting a job that I would be satisfied with.
I'm heard the students are quite unmotivated and sometimes disruptive. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 8:45 pm Post subject: |
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| travelerhere wrote: |
Main thing is getting a job that I would be satisfied with.
I'm heard the students are quite unmotivated and sometimes disruptive. |
Working and living in ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia requires one to have low (realistic) expectations, plenty of patience, and a healthy sense of humor. Based on some of the subject lines within this forum, the Kingdom isn't everyone's cup of tea.
As VS mentioned, the quality of employers and students can vary. You didn't state which age group or type of position you're interested in, but the majority of English language teaching situations in Saudi Arabia are in prep year programs in universities followed by government/military contracts and opportunities in the oil industry. The requirements/qualifications for these positions vary as well. Compare that to Asia, specifically SK, which seems to have the most teaching opportunities in private, for-profit institutes and in public schools. |
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CANDLES
Joined: 01 Nov 2011
Posts: 605
Location: Wandering aimlessly.....
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| Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 10:05 pm Post subject: |
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Dear Travelerhere,
Am I just being naive, or are you winding us all up?
Have you done any background work on this country or are you 'just' upping and going? Impossible!
1) KSA is Conservative- Wahabism Islam is practiced here.
2) There are no theatres, films or otherwise Western or Eastern entertainment here, except shopping and shopping and eating. All the designer shops on the planet are here, along with High Street shops.
3) KSA is a great country to travel around in because of its great historical and religious and pre-Islamic sites.
4) You can also go fishing, diving, golf and do all other sports within the compounds and outside. Jeddah and the coastal cities are usually packed with expats diving and such like - men and women.
As for the students: some are atrocious and spoilt brats and some are wonderful, willing to learn and are great to be with. This applies to both sexes ( inter-mingling not allowed). All educational system and the way of life is segregated.
You want theatres, culture, opera etc....go to Oman, UAE or stay where you are. This said in the nicest possible way! |
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plumpy nut
Joined: 12 Mar 2011
Posts: 1652
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| Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2014 7:14 am Post subject: Re: I wasn't talking about alcohol, I don't drink; but othe |
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| travelerhere wrote: |
| I'm heard the students are quite unmotivated and sometimes disruptive. |
It depends upon where you work. If you work for a contracter, tell the contracter you want to be sent to a place where it's known the students are motivated, a good quality place. Be forewarned motivated or unmotivated almost every student will cheat and many will have attendance problems. Your job, should you choose to accept it is, in addition to teaching the motivated students, deciding how far you can take punitive action against the students without a large body of students complaining and getting you sacked from your location. |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2014 8:10 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
| If you work for a contracter, tell the contracter you want to be sent to a place where it's known the students are motivated, a good quality place. |
However, many contracts stipulate that you (agree to) relocate to wherever the contracting company needs you, so there's no guarantee you'll get your ideal teaching environment unless the company is attached to only one project at a particular location. Obviously, direct hire would be best if an employer is willing to look past teaching experience of only 6 months. Hopefully, that experience didn't entail oral/conversation English. |
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honorarycheesehead
Joined: 05 Nov 2013
Posts: 13
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| Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2014 7:01 pm Post subject: Re: What to expect in Saudi? single male here |
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| psychedelicacy wrote: |
| plumpy nut wrote: |
| You have to go to embassies to drink alcohol. |
Unless you make your own, which is very easy.
| travelerhere wrote: |
| nightlife as far as what to do? |
House parties involving homemade alcohol. That's it. Can be fun though. |
Sounds like college. Ahem, or "university," for you non-Americans. |
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SENTINEL33
Joined: 19 Jan 2014
Posts: 112
Location: Bahrain
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| Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2014 7:58 pm Post subject: Re: What to expect in Saudi? single male here |
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| travelerhere wrote: |
I'm a single male, 50ish, I'm not sure what to expect in Saudi Arabia and/or where to apply. I have a Master's Degree in ESL, but about 1/2 year of teaching adults. Any advice where to apply? culture? nightlife as far as what to do? I'm hoping to leave by Jan/Feb 2014. I'm also considering KOREA. |
You give far too few job-related facts for a reader to offer any useful advice on job hunting in KSA (other than how to make your own hooch in your bathtub...great advice, no? Impressed so far?)
I'm sure if you were to present a more professional and detailed background of your teaching experience, your motives into why you are considering KSA as a possible job venue and so on, you'll get a lot of useful advice. Until then, à bientôt . |
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clyde
Joined: 13 Jul 2005
Posts: 52
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| Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2014 6:42 am Post subject: |
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I can comment here. I worked in Korea for 6 years and I am now on my third in Riyadh. They are very different places. Korea was great for socializing and having fun. The problems begin to add up after you spend a lot of time there. Koreans are (perhaps were, this was 4 years ago) very racist people. They routinely pay employees late and try to cheat them in any way possible. Public schools are better of course, but they get you by piling on extra work and messing with your vacations. Also Korea is no longer very financially appealing. You can work private lessons and kindergartens but you run the risk of being deported and you will burn out very soon. Korean food is awesome and so is the nightlife.
Saudi for me has been great for the bank account. It is not nearly as boring as people make it out to be. I have a very active social life and play gigs with my band every weekend. People make wine all the time and as mentioned there are compounds and embassy events galore. It takes more work and you have to be the kind of person to make your own fun, but it can be enjoyable here in that regard. I am paid well and on time here. It is far easier to teach here as well. Saudis are laid back (lazy) and there is no pressure to be a robo-teacher. This is in direct contrast to Korea where you have mothers looking over your shoulder at all times. Life is more stable in Saudi. Just do your job and keep your head down, things will go well. Korea is very arbitrary and illogical. Many situations catch you by surprise and this can have disastrous consequences.
I guess if I had to boil it down in the most simple terms. Korea is a party and an adventure. Saudi is for more mature and career minded people. I usually find myself measuring them by what they are close to haha. You have Thailand, China and Japan, or you have Turkey, Italy and Dubai. I live for my vacations. |
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sicklyman
Joined: 02 Feb 2013
Posts: 930
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| Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2014 6:31 pm Post subject: |
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| clyde wrote: |
| Korea is very arbitrary and illogical. |
Never in my life thought I'd hear that said about Korea in comparison with Saudi Arabia of all places.  |
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clyde
Joined: 13 Jul 2005
Posts: 52
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| Posted: Thu Jan 30, 2014 6:44 am Post subject: |
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| Haha hard to believe I know. |
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psychedelicacy
Joined: 05 Oct 2013
Posts: 180
Location: Beijing
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| Posted: Thu Jan 30, 2014 10:44 am Post subject: |
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| clyde wrote: |
| Public schools are better of course, but they get you by piling on extra work and messing with your vacations. |
I worked in Korea for four years and Saudi Arabia for two, and I think your analysis is pretty much right, but although I was contented at the time, would not recommend public schools in Korea to anyone save for those wanting an entry-level job. Although I've never worked in a hagwon, I have in recent times come to view hagwons as better jobs than public school, because learner progress is expected and monitored. This can have its obvious pitfalls, but in general pressure and expectation to perform is good, whereas public schools, since public schools are under little pressure to please consumers, are a bit of a farce. The laziness and complacency can make public school teaching demoralizing drudgery. An adult hagwon would be optimal - real learners who are (unless being paid by a third party) handing over their own hard-earned money and expecting real progress.
Which brings me on to sunny point number two:
Saudi PYPs, since learners are paid to attend, are utterly farcical and quite possibly the worst places to teach in the entire world, except, of course, for the money. Add into the mix single-sex classes of utterly thick, bigoted boys, and it'll test one's sanity after a while. Still, I was there for two years (two years and four months, to be precise) and for 50% of that was contented. And to be fair, I had some excellent students.
Regarding vacations and extra work in Korea, in my day you were paid extra for those and it was a nice little earner. But if that's no longer the case, then nobody but the most inexperienced should work there.
| Quote: |
| Also Korea is no longer very financially appealing. |
It never was, not even in 2005 when I first landed. Korea is expensive, with only taxis, the subway and downmarket Korean food (which gets old fast) offering prices significantly below that of the UK. [edit: how did I forget soju?] An active social life will leave a person with negligible savings. I left in 2009, so what it must be like now I shudder to think!  |
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sicklyman
Joined: 02 Feb 2013
Posts: 930
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| Posted: Thu Jan 30, 2014 4:56 pm Post subject: |
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| clyde wrote: |
| Haha hard to believe I know. |
haha yes... especially after having worked there for four years... |
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cnthaiksarok
Joined: 29 Jun 2012
Posts: 288
Location: between a rock and a sandy place
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| Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 1:16 am Post subject: |
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I would safely expect a rise in your savings account along with a steady gain in your boredom factor, tho plenty have found ways to deplete the former whilst negating the latter.  |
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