| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
|
 Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2017 7:50 am Post subject: Upcoming TESOL conferences in the UAE, US & UK |
 |
|
The following are the 2017 conference and job fair dates for:
TESOL Arabia, Dubai - March 9-11
TESOL International Assoc., Seattle, WA - March 21-24
IATEFL, Glasgow - April 4-6 |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
|
| Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2017 7:20 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Fine - if you can get someone to pay for you tp go. I went to a few in my time. My particpation was often met with derision from some of the other "lifers".
Just don't take any of the waffle too seriously. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
danshengou
Joined: 17 Feb 2016
Posts: 434
Location: A bizarre overcrowded hole
|
| Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2017 8:22 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Is any one of these considered better for job seekers to attend than the others? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
|
| Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2017 4:14 am Post subject: |
|
|
| danshengou wrote: |
| Is any one of these considered better for job seekers to attend than the others? |
Obviously, TESOL Arabia is specific to the Gulf/Mid East and therefore, attracts the most GCC employers. Job seekers will need strong qualifications (e.g., a relevant MA or PhD and several years of experience). It's highly competitive, especially considering the UAE government will be shutting down the university foundation year program in 2018 and ending the contracts of quite a few teachers.
For job seekers living in the UK/Europe and N. America, IATEFL and TESOL Int'l are conveniently located for those who can't travel to Dubai. The trade off is that there will be fewer Gulf employers attending the job fairs. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Noelle
Joined: 26 Mar 2005
Posts: 361
Location: USA
|
| Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2017 12:52 am Post subject: |
|
|
The U.S. is a mess. I recommend IATEFL. We got word this past week through CATESOL (California) from a TESOL Int'l rep, who's been working those conferences for years at the job fair, that many international employers are reconsidering traveling to Seattle this year.
I doubt I need to elaborate any further and explain why... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
|
| Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 10:30 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| TESOL Arabia is this week and in a new facility. Hopefully we'll get firsthand info on how the conference and/or job fair went. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2017 3:06 am Post subject: |
|
|
Looks to me like the Job Fair will be pretty much a bust based on the mere 18 ads listed. Especially as 6 of them are British Council, 3 are BAE, and one is in China.
VS |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2017 3:46 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| Looks to me like the Job Fair will be pretty much a bust based on the mere 18 ads listed. Especially as 6 of them are British Council, 3 are BAE, and one is in China. |
And a partridge in a pear treeee! 
I suggest checking TESOL Arabia's website up to the day of the job fair; in past years, there were last minute additions. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
|
| Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2017 3:39 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I certainly hope so... for teachers who are job searching.
VS |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2017 4:02 am Post subject: |
|
|
Starts tomorrow... and still the same 18 ads... 
VS |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2017 6:58 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| veiledsentiments wrote: |
| Starts tomorrow... and still the same 18 ads... |
It's not uncommon for a few employers to pop up on day one and not appear on the TACON website. That will be obvious to job seekers physically at the conference.
I noticed that Vinnell and Raytheon are listed for TESOL International's job fair in the US later this month.
BTW, some universities show openings on their websites but apparently decided not to recruit at TESOL Arabia. This is especially the case for those GCC unis that want to attract more qualified nationals.
Job seekers shouldn't rely on just one source for openings. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
danshengou
Joined: 17 Feb 2016
Posts: 434
Location: A bizarre overcrowded hole
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2017 8:44 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| It seems more and more are hitting up more than one job fair these days. This is obviously a huge investment in time and travel, which very few currently employed full-time and looking to switch can actually do. So all things considered, it's best to use contacts and apply direct, and skip the job fair nonsense. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
|
| Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2017 11:35 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| danshengou wrote: |
| It seems more and more are hitting up more than one job fair these days. This is obviously a huge investment in time and travel, which very few currently employed full-time and looking to switch can actually do. |
Yet some expat teachers in KSA have no qualms about blowing through money on frequent weekend trips to Bahrain or the UAE for some R&R. Besides, TESOL Arabia's job fair is not the main event; it's a service that's separate from the conference and exhibition.
| and danshengou wrote: |
| So all things considered, it's best to use contacts and apply direct, and skip the job fair nonsense. |
Uh, nearly all of the employers at TESOL Arabia's job fair are university and school program directors, lead teachers, vice deans, etc., recruiting to fill direct-hire positions. Plus, both the conference and job fair offer the perfect platforms to mingle, make connections, and build networks through introductions.
Where do you get your contacts -- the ones that lead to direct-hire jobs in KSA? 
. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Desert Dueller
Joined: 20 Jul 2015
Posts: 45
Location: Montreal
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2017 12:01 am Post subject: Upcoming TESOL conferences in the UAE, US & UK |
|
|
TESOL Arabia Dubai is a waffle-fest far removed from the ugly reality of everyday teaching in KSA. The "jobs fair" consists of two adjacent hotel rooms with only very few job postings. The organization was chaotic, bordering on incompetent. Eight to ten employers might hang around for the first day or so and then beat a hasty retreat come the last conference day. KSA plays a distinct junior role in proceedings, both in delegate representation and recruitment.
I witnessed a bit of post-event "feedback" from staff delegates - masquerading as professional development sessions but instead consisting of a report on the provided hotel facilities (room decor and level of cleanliness), internet penetration in KSA, the then latest fad of "flipping" as well as some other nonsense topic that I can't even recall. Benefit for our staff: zero. Nevertheless, our then HoD felt so emboldened by his junket that he then proceeded to "make history" by starting up his own Riyadh chapter of TESOL Arabia. Two shambolic Riyadh mini-conferences later, generating a cumulative attendance of no more than 50 TEFLers - unsurprisingly ended in total disaster. The HoD has since been sacked for unrelated reasons.
My take: a total waste of time and resources. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
nomad soul
Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world
|
| Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2017 3:20 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Desert Dueller wrote: |
| TESOL Arabia Dubai is a waffle-fest far removed from the ugly reality of everyday teaching in KSA. The "jobs fair" consists of two adjacent hotel rooms with only very few job postings. The organization was chaotic, bordering on incompetent. Eight to ten employers might hang around for the first day or so and then beat a hasty retreat come the last conference day. |
Yet you've personally never attended TESOL Arabia in Dubai.
The job fair can be overwhelming, especially for job seekers who don't plan ahead. But "very few" job postings? That's likely the perception of those who don't quite meet the minimum requirements for the majority of the opportunities. Employers are listed on the website ahead of time, and job seekers can also wait until they get to TESOL Arabia to scope out openings and choose to attend or not. Additionally, there's nothing wrong with employers leaving the job fair after just a couple of days into the event if they've already filled all of their positions. It's a first-come, first-served basis, and besides, not all employers have a large number of openings to recruit for. It is what it is. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
