Job Discussion Forums

basiltherat · Joined: 04 Oct 2003 Posts: 952

Lindsey
I pm'ed you.
Basil

LindseyF · Joined: 28 Aug 2009 Posts: 10

Can't PM quite yet .. 2 posts to go Rolling Eyes

We'll be back this summer, so definetly.

Are you fluent in Arabic? I couldn't imagine using English whilst shopping, or you'd be paying triple for every item you buy, lol (have you found this to be the golden rule throughout the ME?). I couldn't imagine you could get around ash Sham without being relatively fluent.

Ever visited the outlying 'towns'? Can't say I have, though I've heard quite a bit about them. Don't imagine there's much work outside of ash Sham though. And, really, how 'liberal' is Latakia? Everything you'd see on, say, Daytona Beach?! Shocked

Englishish · Joined: 01 Oct 2009 Posts: 78

Anyone got any idea on how much wages are in Syria? I know it's not a lot but it's a place I've been wanting to go for a while. Anyone willing to spill the beans?

basiltherat · Joined: 04 Oct 2003 Posts: 952

Hi
I assume you're referring to pay for English Language instructors.

The British Council pay (in 2 parts; one local currency and the other Sterling) in the region of 1400 sterling a month. I think assistance is given with accommodation but little, if any, subsidy. They occassionally advertise on a well-known tefl job site.

ALC are still closed; at least they have not responded to any of my emails. New Horizons is still running, I believe. They both pay less than the council.

The higher end of the pay scale is working in isolated regions or corporate work; particularly in oil and gas fields. This could fetch in the region of 3500 - 4000 dollars a month. However, these are rare and you need to keep a constant look-out for such positions when (or if) they are advertised or through any contacts you or your friends might have.
Best
Basil

Englishish · Joined: 01 Oct 2009 Posts: 78

Thanks for the info. BC don't have anything at the moment and I heard on one of these forums that New Horizons is only hiring Syrians nowadays. I'll have to keep my eyes open for the future.

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

I just glanced at the ALC facebook page and they had a little fun fair in July... with photos. Students seem to be talking about classes, but their website isn't updated. Since they normally hire locally, if I were interested, I would try calling them.

VS

Englishish · Joined: 01 Oct 2009 Posts: 78

Ok, thanks for the info.

basiltherat · Joined: 04 Oct 2003 Posts: 952

notice how many times this thread has been viewed ?

clearly a lot of interest in syria; quite deservedly so, too.
basil

Snehulak · Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 7

The American Language Center is indeed open; it reopened some time last May. If you are a qualified teacher (recognized TEFL cert + experience), you shouldn't have too much difficulty getting on there. I was in the director's office last week and he had a huge stack of resumes, but complained that none of them represented qualified teachers.
There have also been a lot of concerns voiced lately by some students and others in the know about the quality of the teaching and management there, so now may be the time to get in if you believe you are qualified. I believe that they only hire locally, so you must be here to interview with them. The pay is not great - less than $1000 U.S. per month or thereabout.

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

ahoj, snehulak! nemate tam snih, jak zijes???

Sorry to get off-track, but I'm homesick for a Czech winter and snehulak's moniker caught my eye...

What a strange thing, to find a snehulak in the ME Shocked

botherEd · Joined: 04 Oct 2009 Posts: 1

Hello all,

I've recently arrived in Damascus and am busy throwing myself into life in this unique place. I'm enrolled onto a beginners Arabic course at the university, and hope to continue learning Arabic while working part-time as an English teacher to cover some of my costs (which are absurdly low).

I'm not looking at TEFL as a long term career, but recognise that people learning English here are investing a lot and deserve teachers that respect this. I have a good B.A. degree (not education) and Trinity TESOL. No post-cert experience but a couple of spells volunteering teaching ESL while in South America and again while at university.

I understand BC usually require several years post-cert experience but some people round here say that in Sham they may not be so stringent. Beyond that I guess I'm into ALC, more transient language schools and private tuition. I'm also interested in teaching opportunities at the university (poss. in my undergraduate specialism).

If any of the Syria vets could PM about how I might best approach my job search (I'm not looking to start till I've got some Arabic under my belt, late December/January perhaps), I'd much appreciate it. Or better still, a meeting over coffee - I'm always interested in meeting new people here (which isn't proving a problem!).

Best wishes all,

Edward

n.b. I currently don't have enough posts to PM

sq82 · Joined: 26 Dec 2009 Posts: 3

Hello all! Very Happy

I've been enjoying all the information posted on teaching in Damascus through this thread. I too am hoping to come by February, after having completed my CELTA, and was hoping for some help from fellow teachers on this board.

Would you recommend securing a contract before coming, or is it easier generally to find work after arriving? Do schools generally tend to sort out your residency status? Is the ALC still not hiring foreigners? I also have not seen anything posted about the Berlitz schools in Syria, can anyone report back?

Sorry for all the questions, and thanks in advance for all your help!

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

Not sure where you got the idea that the ALC doesn't hire foreigners. They will hire any qualified one that they can get, but it will be a "local hire" not a "foreign hire" contract. Laughing

This refers not to the teacher's nationality, but means that you get your hourly pay only... no benefits... no flying you in... no flat provided.

Are you still confused? It seems that you need to be there to get hired at most places and visas are an issue. One American friend of mine left just because of being tired of making regular visa runs.

There are probably not many, if any, employers who would hire someone from overseas with only a new CELTA to offer. But, if you are there in their office and they need a teacher for a class starting in a few days, you're probably in.

VS

sq82 · Joined: 26 Dec 2009 Posts: 3

Hi vs,
Thanks so much for your reply. I just wanted to clarify, were your comments about hiring specific to Syria or a general statement? Being new to the TESL scene, I wasn't aware that finding jobs overseas would be that difficult, as long as one is certified, fluent and has a BS (which I do, though not in English).
As for Syria, my only fear would obviously be to come and then not find work in the end. I have lived there in the past and like your friend, renewing the travel visa was always a hassle, which is one of the main reasons I would want to work full-time (otherwise I would opt for part-time).
Also, could you possible give me an idea about part-time wages? Thanks again for all the help!

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

In most of the Levant and North African countries, full time jobs are not easy to get... except possibly at some of the K-12 schools that call themselves "International" schools and thus teach courses in other languages, one of which is English. (Egypt seems to have the most of these) Most English teaching jobs will be found at the various language schools and it is rarely full-time. One often teaches at more than one place and private lessons are needed to supplement the income. (that said, in Egypt, I lived very well on private lessons alone, but it take a couple years to reach that stage.) My friend was teaching full time and still had to do the visa runs. (BTW... in Egypt you don't need to do visa runs, you can renew at the Mogamma in the middle of Cairo. Syria has never been as open as Egypt to long term visits. I know people who have lived in Egypt for over 20 years on tourist visas - continually renewed)

The Middle East is not the part of the world where one breezes in and easily gets a full time job just for being a native speaker - even with a CELTA. That is more commonly found in South America and the Far East. In the Middle East - especially the Gulf, full time "foreign hire" jobs normally require you to be a "certified" (or licensed if you prefer) K-12 teacher or have an MA. In the usual jargon of Middle East education, having a CELTA doesn't make you a "certified teacher."

Sorry but I have no idea of pay scales. Perhaps botherEd might show up or Basil and have more idea about current pay.

VS