Job Discussion Forums

biffinbridge · Joined: 05 May 2003 Posts: 701 Location: Frank's Wild Years

There was a guy in Qatar, 'Honest John',who claimed to be a personal friend of the king of Thailand.He also made millions selling umbrellas in Oz and was about to start a phone company called 'Yeskia' because it had a much more positive vibe than 'Nokia'....(get it?).
Tefl is full of prats like him.

007 · Posted: Fri Aug 17, 2007 1:38 pm Post subject: Re: honest John

Bebsi · Joined: 07 Feb 2005 Posts: 958

Yeskia would be sued and rightly so, intellectual property theft and corporate plagiarism are rife.

I'm still smarting from an experience I had in the late 70s....I was still in my early teens but very clever (MENSA actually threw me out as they all felt intimidated by me). I developed this operating system for computers, it was a software package that did the whole works. The company I was about to set up was called Macrosoft. An office boy, a real nerdy looking type, called Bill broke into my system one night and stole my idea. It wasn't fair.

Crying or Very sad

blackcorsair · Joined: 24 Sep 2007 Posts: 32 Location: goldcoast

Cleopatra · Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2007 3:24 pm Post subject:

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Blackcorsair says - "Surely working abroad should be a culturally enriching and life-improving experience? ".

Is that why people migrate ? I think not. It is about economics. Why did people become pirates or corsairs ? Economics !

Cleopatra · Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2007 1:33 pm Post subject:

I agree with Scot. Even among the relatively privileged - and yes, I include ESL teachers in that - people are far more likely to migrate for economic rather than 'cultural' reasons.

If we add in all the millions of people who risk their life's savings (or even their lives) to be smuggled in a ship's cargo to Britain or who spend decades of their lives sweeping the streets of Abu Dhabi or Riyadh, then the number of people who work abroad for 'the culture' are a tiny minority.

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

Few Teflers in the Kingdom left the West for financial reasons, though it was common in the late seventies and early eighties.

What happens is that you leave the UK\US\Canada\Australia for 'cultural' reasons, and after some years in Thailand, Spain, Czechia or Brazil you find you have little money, are becoming less and less employable in your adopted country, and your skills are of little use back in your native countriy. So you end up in the Gulf. It's called karma.

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

Interesting Stephen because I would say that literally all of the British that I met in the Gulf from the mid-80's through '01 were there for economic reasons... there was just no work back home... at least none that would allow them to live in the style to which they had become accustomed. They all freely admitted it. Of course, they may very well have left home 20+ years before to 'see the world' and ended up with wives and kids and had to stay overseas.

I was struck by the fact that almost all of the Americans and Canadians were there for cultural not financial reasons. Of course, any North Americans returning normally changed careers once they got home.

VS

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

SJ said :"you find you have little money, are becoming less and less employable in your adopted country, and your skills are of little use back in your native countriy. So you end up in the Gulf"

That sounds like Economics to me - "The Hidden Hand" of my fellow-Fifer Adam Smith.

Cleopatra · Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2007 1:55 pm Post subject:

I honestly don't know why anyone who was motived entirely by 'culture' rather than finance would choose to take up residence in the Gulf. Surely, if your interest was in Arabic culture and money was not a consideration, you would choose Egypt, Syria or Yemen rather than KSA or Qatar? Unless, of course, you are embarked on a cultural study of walled villas and migrant labourers from Kerala.

007 · Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2007 3:07 pm Post subject:

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

"Karma" as I understand is closer to the concept of 'fate' or 'destiny' in the sense of an outcome of life that you cannot escape, no matter what you do.

I have to reject this and, with Dr Johnson assert, "The Will is free and there is an end on it."

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

You are in control of your karma. It is decided by your past actions.

battleshipb_b · Joined: 14 Dec 2006 Posts: 189

This country is full of Walter Mitty types in EFL. They are harmless. The ones you have to watch out for are the sadists and inverts. These guys cause trouble not only for themselves but for the people they work with.
Too many of them around in the Kingdom (not where I work, happy to be with the Walter Mitty's - a least you know where you stand with them._
The sadists are another matter. They thrive on control and manipulating people. No sense of morality or fair play. They are the ones you have to watch out for - beware the control freaks. They can destroy lives.