Job Discussion Forums

Mashreki · Joined: 06 Feb 2006 Posts: 6 Location: UAE

If you're going at all, common sense would suggest registering early and paying 400 rather than the 700+

Atassi · Joined: 13 Sep 2004 Posts: 128 Location: 평택

Granted, I've only ever been to a TESOL conference in the states, so I am not aware of the exact setup/quality of TESOL Arabia. I will see a small conference by KOTESOL (Korea) this May where I am to present.

But, aren't you guys being a little too negative?

If there are flaws, get involved and improve them! If you prefer not to be involved, then don't let it bother you! But seriously, if the money is being wasted, then outline where this money is going and lobby for improvements to be made. That's I believe the most sensible approach.

One poster alluded to the uselessness of the presentations. If these presentations are useless, then think of ways to get useful presenters. If you can, present yourself. There are way too many questions we still have regarding second language acquisition to allow for us teachers to fossilize at this point. In our participatory classrooms (as I hope they are), how do we balance Krashen's ideas and task-based learning and grammar-translation and memorization and ect. ect....? It seems everyone has a different opinion about these issues, and a lot of researchers are trying to remedy the problem for us.

If you're not the experimenting type but have a particular interest, try to do some literature review-type research and make a grand presentation at the conference next year.

Even if TESOL Arabia isn't doing a great job (which I can't really comment on), having a professional organization in the middle east is good for you and me and every other professional in your part of the world.

Atassi

Sheikh Inal Ovar · Joined: 04 Dec 2005 Posts: 1208 Location: Melo Drama School

Are teachers so negative?

Bindair Dundat · Joined: 04 Feb 2003 Posts: 1123

james van cleave · Joined: 25 May 2005 Posts: 59

My advice is to get out if you can. I left the Emirates about two years ago and am now permanently (part-time) employed at a good university in the western US.
My students are generally inquisitive, hard-working, ambitious, polite and a lot of fun.-inluding the Saudis, Kuwaitis etc (where the hell have they been all my life?). With my evening job (I tend bar a couple nights a week) I actually make more than I ever did in the Emirates. In the past year I've been to Central America, Hawaii, New York and Montreal-lots of vacation time.
OK-I pay taxes, but, remember, death and taxes...
I don't want to offend anybody (well, I won't be heart-broken if I do), but it seems that so many of the EFL programs in the Gulf are maniputlated by failed academics who either don't know or don't care what they're doing. I actually got called into the office once for administering a grammar quiz.
Take the leap! $39,000 a year does not begin to pay for the agro

Bindair Dundat · Joined: 04 Feb 2003 Posts: 1123

lionbrian · Joined: 26 Apr 2003 Posts: 136 Location: Micronesia

James basically said that if you are a qualified & experienced teacher, go back home! There are lots of work there AND LIFE TOO!

EFL/ESL industry in the Gulf is going towards hell! Take a look at the salaries and benefits these days & you realize that it's time to change career or find a decent occupation back home!

Oh soory! By the way, there are teachers from Bulgaria, Iran with MAs in ESL/EFL from a local university who are teaching English in Qatar & making same salaries as natives! Go figure out!

Time to re-assess!

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Mark100 · Joined: 05 Feb 2003 Posts: 441

There are still some good paying TESOL jobs in the ME but they are shrinking ever rapidly.

With the globalised market salaries seem to be going backwards in most instances.
It would be prudent to try and retrain and get into corporate training or IT training or anything other than TESOL if you are concerned with a living wage.
Nothing is going to change rather things will only get worse for TESOL teacher pay and conditions. There are plenty of people all over the world who can speak and teach English who are prepared to take much lower salaries than most westerners.

As for TESOL Arabia yawn , save your money and spend it on a holiday....

james van cleave · Joined: 25 May 2005 Posts: 59

Who said anything about slave wages? I'm making more than I ever did at the Military Lunacy Asylum. I work 2 jobs, between 35 and 40 hours a week. I teach about 20 which personally is my limit. I have health insurance with one of the best medical centers in the country, (by the way, I remember once,my neighbor in Abu Dhabi brought her son to the emergency room at Sheikh Khalifa Hospital, "We cannot treat this boy.
-Why not? -He's not a muslim.")
I pay taxes etc my life is not perfect, but it sure beats the nihilism and frustration of life in the Gulf.

lionbrian · Joined: 26 Apr 2003 Posts: 136 Location: Micronesia

ROCK ON JAMES!

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Lucky James...

Unfortunately the only ones of the many ESL teachers that I know over here in the US who can survive on their teaching income are those that have spouses with real jobs.

Most departed the field as soon as they possibly could because they wanted to be able to at least buy a decent car, perhaps a house, have health insurance, be able to take a vacation some time, and eventually be able to actually retire. Those choices right now are only available to about 10-20% of us...

So, I wouldn't all rush home...

VS

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

It is not whether I think it is a real job or not, it is the way it is treated by the employers in the US. Over here it is pretty much adjunct and part-time with paltry pay and no benefits. And that is true no matter if you have an MA and/or gobs of experience.

It is obvious how academia considers us, which is why if I had to work now, I would go back to my first career. But I found that very few of us in the field have another skill to fall back on.

VS