Job Discussion Forums

[lall]

Mea culpa, 007. Mea maxima culpa. Kindly accept my apologies.

Sadly, the OP hasn't got what she requires. All she got here was a thread that veered off the tramway (I'm to blame for the same, too), save for something useful from VS.

Could somebody come to the aid of the OP, please?

[Clifford]

Hi Anyway,

I believe as lall suggests (I endorse some of your ideas lall ) it is better to research and choose a destination of your liking in Oman.

Muscat seems to be the best for the obvious reasons.

I am glad to learn we are re-locating to Salalah (my second choice) because of the issue of schooling. I have 2 young children myself and I discovered that currently there are international schools (at least recognized ones) only in Muscat and Salalah. There is a thread on this (schools in Oman)..
So purely for that, I would choose either of the 2 cities. The existence of international schools hopefully indicates that there is a large expat community in place, which in turn would ensure socializing, playmates for your children etc..

Of course, I am speaking in theory. I will only be able to say more in the coming months...when I will actually be in Oman.

[veiledsentiments]

I read on here that there are international schools opening up in Sohar because of the increase in expats there, but they normally take awhile to build up to full K-12.

For now, I think Muscat and Salalah are the two safest options.

VS

[lall]

Thanks, VS, for the posts of advice.

Glad that you endorse some of my ideas, Clifford, though it's my belief that your response to my post was strongly-worded. A milder version would have been more effective in getting your views across, without offending anybody.

As VS points out, the issue about white British and Americans being assumed to be native English speakers may have been beaten to death on these fora.

Yet, it (the assumption) would be akin to images of a brown-skinned Indian with matted hair and beard being conjured up in the mind's eye, when a native Yoga teacher/practitioner is mentioned.

[Clifford]

Good that the OP got an answer.

I guess things can be seen differently if you are a new comer.

Did not think I offended you, Lall. I thought I was replying to an "offence" . Not on me but on other native speakers.. Perception, perception...

Never mind.. no hard feelings I hope..

[lall]

Fine. No hard feelings.

[john_n_carolina]

[veiledsentiments]

So... johninmaine... are you trying to ignite the debate again? Just when everyone was playing nice.

Since I know that you are inexperienced in the ME, you have misunderstood. He is referring to the sad fact in life in this part of the world that the many non-Western teachers (Indians, Pakistanis, other Arabs) get different treatment. As to English teaching, there is a bias towards hiring Western passport holders, preferably with white faces. There are quite a few threads that have discussed this situation...

VS

[lall]

Nice avatar, johninmaine. Made me chuckle.

[Clifford]

hysterical.. especially the bit about the black construction workers from Alabama ...

I will re-read carefully johninmaine before pursuing this debate�

Bygones�

[The Aussified Canuck]

I share your questions about making contact with other families with children and the appropriate child-related services, anyway.

In an unfortunate bout of timing, my husband and I are looking at arriving in Oman just after the birth of our first child. (Not that living in Oman is unfortunate by any means...just the isolation factor of starting out in a new country at this rather fragile stage of life). We've been teaching in East Asia for a few years and have been wanting to make the jump to Oman for some time. My husband's recently completed qualifications (M. Ed. in TESOL in addition to his BA in English and CELTA) will hopefully allow us to do this sucessfully.

I'm planning on staying at home with the baby and am keen to connect with as many medical and social resources as I can. We have been looking at Muscat and Salalah as our first choices but are unsure of how much flexibility we'll have when it comes to location (My husband is hoping to work as an English teacher in the Oil and Gas Industry, and so far there's been more talk of places like Sur than the larger city centers).

My specific questions are as follows:

1) How does post-natal and medical care of babies work in Oman? Assuming that I have access to Muscat, are there specific maternity hospitals available, or maternity departments in local hospitals, or am I at the mercy of whichever doctor in whichever speciality who may speak English?

2) Does anyone know of expat websites in Oman specifically geared to expat mothers?

3) If my husband is sponsoring me and our child as his dependents (from Oman, while we're in Canada) how long can we expect the visa process to take? (I know, how long is a piece of string?)

Thanks in advance. I'm really hoping to hear especially from those who have had children in Oman.

[veiledsentiments]

First off, almost all doctors will speak English. For your sanity and confidence in the medical services, I would restrict myself to jobs in the Muscat area. I'm not sure about even Salalah, but perhaps if Duffy is reading, he could give more information. I would definitely stay away from the smaller towns and villages like Sur, Sohar, or even Nizwa. There will be only limited medical care and few, if any, other expat mothers.

There are actually few jobs in Oman teaching in the oil/gas field. The vast majority are at university level teaching first year students academic English. I would suggest that he apply to Sultan Qaboos University. If you are hired by them, you will arrive with your husband. And there is a teaching hospital on the campus, and child care. It may not be the job of his dreams, but it would be the best place for you and your new babe.

VS

[flutterbayou]

This thread hasn't been helpful to anyone but I'm sure glad teachers in the Gulf maintain a sense of humor.

Trying to decide what sort of native speaker I am: peach? beige? greying but with good spelling and grammar?

About children: I don't see areas outside of Muscat where chidren can easily play safely, and if I were to bring chidren to Oman, this sort of confinement would be of concern to me, as would be the limited exposure your children would have with other children. Pre-schoolers need a social group.

I would also be concerned with the quality of day care and pre-kindergartens available... and as someone has written, medical care outside of Muscat is not great.

In Muscat you will find the international consular community, which comes with a social life, touristy interests, churches, etc., which is how life can carry on normally for young families in cities like Shanghai, Istanbul, Beijing....

Oman is pricey, particularly on western product purchases and packaged food.

[williamh]

a few people have mentioned 'muscat or salalah' as if the two citites were were close in various measurements for new parent-happiness (doctors/ schools/ playmates/ safety...) but salalah is MUCH smaller with far fewer amenities. the 'international school' is tiny. There are several women (with small babies) married to men who work at the salalah port or the military base, but they have access to special stores/ hospitals...

[veiledsentiments]