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leggeymountbatten
Joined: 11 Mar 2016
Posts: 74
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 Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2016 11:38 am Post subject: job market in saudi arabia |
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I have a friend who only has a BA degree in anthropology from Oxford-Brooks University in the UK. He is teaching at the moment in a CoE college in Saudi, but believes he will be terminated at least within the next year.
He has a TESOL Certificate of course and is in his 50's. The job market is Saudi has become increasingly difficult. He has been in his present post for some years but fears for his future prospects once he is asked to leave.
Under these circumstances, what is his best route back into work in Saudi once the chop comes? |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2016 12:32 pm Post subject: Re: job market in saudi arabia |
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| leggeymountbatten wrote: |
| Under these circumstances, what is his best route back into work in Saudi once the chop comes? |
Apply for the positions he's qualified for, but also be realistic that he has likely come to the end of the road for KSA given his age and unrelated degree. In other words, that CoE job is probably his last employment in the Kingdom (unless he's able to get work via a biz visit visa).
Folks need to plan for these situations. |
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RustyShackleford
Joined: 13 May 2013
Posts: 449
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| Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2016 1:03 pm Post subject: |
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| Consider China would be my first bit of advice to him. |
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Desert Dueller
Joined: 20 Jul 2015
Posts: 45
Location: Montreal
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| Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2016 1:46 pm Post subject: job market in saudi arabia |
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Your friend needs to fundamentally assess why he is being sacked in the first place. Let's not *beep*-foot around by using terminology like "terminated" or "asked to leave": he's fully expecting to get the boot, and he needs to ask himself why that sad set of circumstances might indeed eventuate. Does he deserve to get kicked out? Might he - and he alone - be the cause of his demise?
Next, he needs to update and upgrade his ELT skills and qualifications, given that his first degree is unrelated and pretty much useless.
Quite possibly, his interpersonal skills require some work as well. Maybe he's a bit of a bad fit in his current teachers' room.
As an over-50 year old, he might need to spruce up his appearance a tad as well: ditch those old-fashioned, over-sized suits in favour of some stylish and neat chinos, matched by a fashionable business shirt. Gay colours are best avoided.
His best route back into KSA is through one of the major airports after having accepted a 9500k SAR job, plus single bedroom accommodation and communal transportation to and from work. Not many choices for the elderly in KSA, especially in light of deteriorating salaries.
Before I forget: one major faux-pas to be avoided at all costs is for your friend to label himself as a "senior teacher" on CVs, social media or in his email signature. Fake job seniority might otherwise quickly be interpreted as age seniority ...... lol |
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siologen
Joined: 25 Oct 2016
Posts: 336
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| Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2016 1:58 pm Post subject: re: china |
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| Pretty sure China has an upper age limit of 60 or something like that, also it is just as hard/if not even harder than Saudi Arabia to get a visa, they will have you jumping through hoops and then some! Also, it is not good for older blokes who need to continue teaching as there is no long term residency offered, and the visa rules can change at any time, let alone year after year. I would say with his qualifications Taiwan may be a better fit. |
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leggeymountbatten
Joined: 11 Mar 2016
Posts: 74
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| Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2016 8:37 pm Post subject: |
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My friend has been a long serving and loyal servant of the CoE college he is now at. There is no suggestion at this point that he is a bad fit. He has enjoyed an excellent relationship with the HOD of the English Dept. They often enjoy a malt together after working hours.
The suggestions of China and Taiwan are food for thought. Much appreciated.
As is the suggestion to upgrade qualifications. The problem is that the clock is very much ticking, and it is not always possible to take the necessary "time out" to upgrade. One also may need sponsorship, but again in a difficult job market that can only be a pipe dream.
It is to our universal regret that the job market has deteriorated in the way it has. It is problematic to say the least that one can end up in a very difficult position if after the age of 50 one's employment status comes to be under threat. |
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nickelgoat
Joined: 26 Jan 2006
Posts: 207
Location: Where in the world is nickelgoat?
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| Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2016 10:27 pm Post subject: |
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| Lot of negativity here, don't you think? If ignorant Saudis think that people over 50 are "liabilities", they are even stupider than I thought. Don't work for the RSAF, they are the most racist, ageist, ignorant and nasty men on the planet. Except for some Millennials, who would like to immediately kill off any Baby Boomers left working! |
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hsm
Joined: 20 Aug 2010
Posts: 65
Location: Second Floor
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| Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 5:22 am Post subject: |
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| I think the OP's concerns are justified. Now Saudis are considering a new Saudization law that for every 60-year-old expat the company has to hire two Saudis in an attempt from the Ministry of Labor to increase the number of Saudis and decrease the number of (old) expats in the job market. |
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leggeymountbatten
Joined: 11 Mar 2016
Posts: 74
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| Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 7:55 am Post subject: |
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From Tunbridge Wells to Manila, job security in Tefl for the over 50's is a real issue...
Leggey |
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babur
Joined: 10 Aug 2010
Posts: 178
Location: Dammam, Saudi Arabia
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| Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 8:51 am Post subject: bushy tailed baby boomers |
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| Quote: |
| Except for some Millennials, who would like to immediately kill off any Baby Boomers left working! |
... and so it's the bushy-tailed, baby boomer, communicative competence converts with their learner-centered drivel (=students take up valuable lesson time), who are the first to head over the causeway.
To all Parachuters.
This is Saudi Arabia. You drop in at your own peril.
Regards,
The millennials |
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plumpy nut
Joined: 12 Mar 2011
Posts: 1652
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| Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 8:57 am Post subject: |
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| nickelgoat wrote: |
| If ignorant Saudis think that people over 50 are "liabilities", they are even stupider than I thought. |
We can see that, but it pretty much all comes around doesn't it. Not much time left for the Saudis really.  |
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nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
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| Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 9:25 am Post subject: |
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| leggeymountbatten wrote: |
My friend has been a long serving and loyal servant of the CoE college he is now at. There is no suggestion at this point that he is a bad fit. He has enjoyed an excellent relationship with the HOD of the English Dept. They often enjoy a malt together after working hours.
....
As is the suggestion to upgrade qualifications. The problem is that the clock is very much ticking, and it is not always possible to take the necessary "time out" to upgrade. |
Yet his bromance with the HOD apparently isn't enough to save his job.
If he had completed a TESOL-related MA at some point during his career, he mostly likely wouldn't be in this predicament. He should have known a BA in Anthropology would take him just so far in TEFL. |
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Balzac
Joined: 14 Jun 2007
Posts: 266
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| Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 9:57 am Post subject: Re: job market in saudi arabia |
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| leggeymountbatten wrote: |
| I have a friend who only has a BA degree in anthropology from Oxford-Brooks University in the UK. He is teaching at the moment in a CoE college in Saudi, but believes he will be terminated at least within the next year. |
If he feels this, he must know the spotlight is on him and perhaps for good reason. Good relationships with HoDs are useful but have a limited shelf life. HoDs are not immune to culls in the Saudi system either as there are a lot of changes going on with the oil price drop and department heads can easily be replaced if they are expensive and a cheaper alternative can be found.
Is your friend pulling his weight? Is he one of those TEFLers who always volunteers for tasks that need to be done, or is he a shirker, hiding in the wings, content to be handing out tea and biscuits rather than roll his sleeves up? Does he put in the hours, or does he swan off to Starbucks for an afternoon latte while his class conjugates a few verbs?
| leggeymountbatten wrote: |
| He has a TESOL Certificate of course and is in his 50's. The job market is Saudi has become increasingly difficult. He has been in his present post for some years but fears for his future prospects once he is asked to leave. |
As others have said, his degree in Anthropology is largely worthless in his present job unless a reading exercise comes up where he will have to explain the philosophies of Margaret Mead or Emile Durkheim! He has to ask himself, as mentioned above, why he didn't improve his attractiveness to potential employers by adding more qualifications and skills to his CV. I would suggest that perhaps it's too late now.
The central questions should be - what is he bringing to the table? What value is he adding to his present company? If he isn't really adding any value, then he should get out now with decent references before the chop comes. You never know when that will come, do you eh? It could be just around the corner.
| leggeymountbatten wrote: |
| Under these circumstances, what is his best route back into work in Saudi once the chop comes? |
If he has been in KSA for a while, which you say he has, then it will be easy enough to get work with his experience. Just bear in mind that he will have to shoot lower and in more in keeping with his qualifications and the current state of the Saudi labour market. 10,000 - 13,000 SARs a month should be about right and ditch the posh compound if he has one.
At the end of the day, it's never too late to start living within one's means.
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siologen
Joined: 25 Oct 2016
Posts: 336
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| Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 10:36 am Post subject: re: good points in this thread.... |
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| At the end of the day, it's never too late to start living within one's means. |
A couple of older blokes in Oman I knew did that. One had a thai wife, so he had a decent reason to go back to Thailand and take it easier and live cheaper there. The other just used teaching in the mid east to boost his pension. If not China or Taiwan, there is always Thailand or Vietnam for this guy I would wager. With a degree, South Korea/Japan should also be an option. I suppose it depends on where the bloke in question wants to teach/work next? |
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Balzac
Joined: 14 Jun 2007
Posts: 266
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| Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 10:54 am Post subject: Re: re: good points in this thread.... |
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| siologen wrote: |
| Quote: |
| At the end of the day, it's never too late to start living within one's means. |
A couple of older blokes in Oman I knew did that. One had a thai wife, so he had a decent reason to go back to Thailand and take it easier and live cheaper there. The other just used teaching in the mid east to boost his pension. If not China or Taiwan, there is always Thailand or Vietnam for this guy I would wager. With a degree, South Korea/Japan should also be an option. I suppose it depends on where the bloke in question wants to teach/work next? |
Yeah agreed. There's always The Philippines as well. I hear Manila is nice this time of year.
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