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stardust39
Joined: 07 Mar 2013
Posts: 2
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 Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2017 1:01 pm Post subject: |
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| sicklyman wrote: |
| SA is not for those starting out in living overseas though so if you can't take what it looks like in this thread, you are probably going to fare better elsewhere. |
I think that's the bottom line in Saudi Arabia or anywhere. Do your homework, read tons about the country, culture, companies, work and personal life before you go. Do your due diligence. And accept that different individuals are going to function better in certain environments better than others, depending on their life experiences, innate adaptability, and what their individual needs and expectations are at the time.
I ultimately decided not to take the offer and I have no regrets about my decision. I could use the money now but I'm not desperate. The main reason for not taking it is that I felt like I wasn't getting straight answers to questions. The attitude I sensed was "Look, this is the deal. We're offering you X $ to come here. Don't waste our time with these questions. If you don't take the $, then someone else will." I'm not offended by that either. To use the trite expression, "It is what it is". As you and probably many others have likely said numerous times over the years, if your instincts are telling you to stay put, stay put and move on. Teaching in Saudi Arabia, more than any place I can think of, is a business deal. Either you agree with the terms, or you don't, and someone else gets the deal. That's it, that's that. |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2017 6:15 pm Post subject: |
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if your idea of "foreign" is a package holiday in Benidorm or a weekend in Tijuana, KSA my be challenging for you.
When recruiting for KSA I looked for people who had experience of travelling and working in different countries. Acquisition of a foreign language was also a brownie point. Monoglots were always marked down when Sheikh Scot47 was recruiting !
My ideal was someone who had a degree in the Humanities, at least one foreign language to a level of competence and a successful stint with the Peace Corpos in Uzbekistan or similar. Hard to find ! |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2017 10:45 pm Post subject: |
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| scot47 wrote: |
| My ideal was someone who had a degree in the Humanities, at least one foreign language to a level of competence and a successful stint with the Peace Corpos in Uzbekistan or similar. Hard to find ! |
I taught around the Gulf with a surprisingly large number of teachers who met that description. They were the ones who dealt well with the... idiosyncrasies... of local governments and employers.
VS |
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ttxor1
Joined: 04 Jan 2014
Posts: 119
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| Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2017 12:13 pm Post subject: |
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| stardust39 wrote: |
| sicklyman wrote: |
| SA is not for those starting out in living overseas though so if you can't take what it looks like in this thread, you are probably going to fare better elsewhere. |
I think that's the bottom line in Saudi Arabia or anywhere. Do your homework, read tons about the country, culture, companies, work and personal life before you go. Do your due diligence. And accept that different individuals are going to function better in certain environments better than others, depending on their life experiences, innate adaptability, and what their individual needs and expectations are at the time. |
I completely agree with this. I'm an introvert, and don't mind waiting till vacations to have fun. The Middle East isn't for everyone, and it depends on your priorities and personality as to whether one place would be a better fit for you than another. If you're the type that likes to have an active social life (nothing wrong with that), forgo the higher paying jobs in the ME and head to Bangkok. Or stack up the quals for the better employers in China. Bam! Got the best of both worlds there, perhaps. |
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sammysez
Joined: 20 Nov 2016
Posts: 119
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| Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2017 10:10 pm Post subject: |
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That's really not what this thread is or was about, but I will respond.
If you're under 27 years, I don't think they will accept you, is that correct?
AND it's a good thing, all the guys under 35 ended up leaving where I was at anyway, because they couldn't take the lack of female companionship, no dating, no bars, no alcohol, very little social interaction except with other teachers etc...
It was like a revolving door because so many younger guys left. |
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siologen
Joined: 25 Oct 2016
Posts: 336
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| Posted: Wed Aug 23, 2017 9:37 am Post subject: re: interesting! |
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| Quote: |
| My ideal was someone who had a degree in the Humanities, at least one foreign language to a level of competence and a successful stint with the Peace Corpos in Uzbekistan or similar. Hard to find ! |
Hello scot,
I really like this post. Harder to find than a sober man in a northern former mill town on a saturday night it would seem, hahahah! But in all seriousness, I think those are some good requirements, as a rule of thumb. I heard a anecdote recently about an american woman in europe with a PhD, who got fired or had to turn and flee from a cushy teaching job.....I think she was being haughty or overthinking the job, and thus, did herself out of said job!
S |
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