Job Discussion Forums

monkeylady · Joined: 21 Oct 2004 Posts: 16

Hi
I have been looking into working in the Marshall Islands but am finding it hard to get information about jobs there, despite doing lots of searches. I only found jobs for people with MA's etc.
I am from the UK, with 3 years esl experience, degree and TEFL cert. I have seen volunteer programs (has anyone done one? any info on them?) but would also like to know about paid jobs...if anyone has any info pleasehelp!
Thanks

sarakrosch · Joined: 22 Mar 2005 Posts: 8

Hi there,
I recently looked into the Majuro Coopertive School in the Marshall Islands (see idealist.com). I see they are looking for teachers and a Vice Principal/Grant writer (that was the job I recently turned down because the principal seemed really shady!) But you might have a more positive experience??!

FYI, I lived and taught in the Micronesian Islands for two years. Pohnpei, Yap, Kosrea and Palau are great...Chuuk is a challenge. These islands are all big and you can find time to be by yourself in paradise...Majuro, and other islands in the Marshalls are very small and could get cramped and gossipy if you are not tough skinned.

Although I have a MA most teaching positions only look for a BS/BA. If you want to teach at the college level a MA is necessary. If you want more info just [email protected]

moot point · Joined: 22 Feb 2005 Posts: 441

I've just begun reading "The sex lives of Cannibals" by J. Maarten Troost. The title is deceiving, as it is actually a biographical account of the author's two-year stay there. It may paint a clearer image of that area.

Like I said, I've just started reading it but so far it seems to be a pretty entertaining book with an anti-U.S. political slant provided in a light-hearted comical way.

sarakrosch · Joined: 22 Mar 2005 Posts: 8

Another book by the same author is "Island of the Sequined Love Nun"...funny...those in Micronesia can relate and almost pick out the places the fictional charater travels to (Yap especially)...on the serious side I also liked "Island of the Color-blind" an anthropological accouont of an atoll in Pohnpei State.

moot point · Joined: 22 Feb 2005 Posts: 441

Is "Island of the color-blind" also by the same author. Since my last post I had a few more minutes to read another 30 or 40 pages of Troost's book. It is quite funny, and much more hip than any of Michener's books (not to say that I was looking for "hip" when I opened this dry character's historically accurate accounts of life, which he obviously obtained from his excessive obsession of library references). I'll definitely give the "...Sequined Nun" a read. The title enough is good.

An an aside, I'm a Canuck and I loved the book "Why I hate Canadians" by Will Ferguson. If you're into a more comical, yet somehow very accurate, account of what Canadian people are like I recommend you give this a read. Some of the content (i.e. jokes) might only be understood by people familiar with the country but I think anyone would enjoy the read nonetheless. Especially if we consider he was once an English teacher like ourselves.

Tiger Beer · Joined: 08 Feb 2003 Posts: 778 Location: Hong Kong

ntropy · Joined: 11 Oct 2003 Posts: 671 Location: ghurba

I thought "Island of the Sequined Love Nun" was by Christopher Moore. No?

mindweave · Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 12:04 pm Post subject: Majuro

City- you have got to be kidding. I could throw a baseball from the ocean side into the lagoon and I never even had any brothers.

The restaurants mostly cater to the local diet, fish, fried and fish in coconut cream and more fish, a little breadfruit, taro, and maybe a chicken now and then. Do not expect to see green veggies much during your stay there.

Majuro is a small flat atoll with an airport that will be underwater soon as global warning and sea level rise kick in just a bit more.

There is trash everywhere on the beach- tires, disposable baby diapers, food wrappers, cans, bottles, you name it- not your beautiful paradise island at all- if you are looking for that go to a high volcanic island like Kosrae that is not so Americanized and still has intact culture and language, not to mention scuba diving on pristine reefs.

People on Majuro drink a lot and have a lot of babies, but indeed are as friendly and generous as they can possibly be. I have not taught there, but worked there in a government contracting context, and I suggest you do your homework- it really is the end of the earth and isolated.

Oh, and to whomever posted, "Sex Life of Cannibals" was about Kiribati, not the Marshall Islands, and Kiribati is 50 years behind the times even from a Pacific Islander viewpoint.

Majuro · Joined: 21 Oct 2008 Posts: 12

Whaaaaat??? there are a ton of restaurants on Majuro. A large part of which are Chinese - Monica's is really good. You can find any kind of food including fries, burgers and pizza. I tried to order fish once at the Flame Tree and they said they didn't have any that day. okaaaaay. The Tide Table is good international cuisine, but a little expensive, and the MIR has a great Sunday morning buffet. There's a farm in Laura producing vegetables including tomatoes, eggplant, and corn. And there's a smaller farm on Arno, if you get to the dock in time to meet the boat you can get cheap papaya and veggies. You can eat pretty much anything on Maj, it's just when you go to the outer islands that you'll only find rice and canned tuna. [/quote]