Job Discussion Forums

nveazie · Joined: 30 Jul 2006 Posts: 1

My husband is considering job transfer to Oman. We have two kids, 6 and 4 year old. I am a bit concern with all the war going on in the Middle East. Does anyone know if it is a safe place to be at a time like this? Also is it good for family life? Does it make a difference that we are black? I searched a few sites and noticed that there are no blacks on these particular sites. I'm just curious as to how we would be accepted. any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Very Happy

qas419 · Joined: 12 Jun 2006 Posts: 32

Well, you are right; no black but i am light chocolate. Dont worry dear, Oman is a safe place and Omanis are the most socialble and friendliest people in the Middle East. By the way, there are black Omanis too. Of course, most of the English language teachers there are British because of the strong economic and political link between the two countires. Enjoy your stay there.

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

Just to add... this is a very kid friendly part of the world. But, be sure that one of the benefits that your husband's job provides is school fees for the children. The international school tuition is very expensive.

VS

Johnz · Joined: 23 Mar 2004 Posts: 13

Oman is as safe as anywhere.... afterall, can your safety be guaranteed in London? or Madrid?... But in terms of the political situation of the Middle East, people are fine... the greatest danger to your family, in terms of personal safety, is likely to come from the poor driving of so many Omanis...

kuberkat · Joined: 03 Jun 2005 Posts: 358 Location: Oman

I feel safer in Oman that I ever have anywhere else. There's a standing joke that people in the capital complain about the fact that if you leave your car keys in the ignition, your car will disappear... and show up at a nearby shopping mall unharmed after a mishievous joyride. The local news headlines are usually confined to HM Sultan Qaboos' cables of greetings.

I have black colleagues who are extremely respected and popular professionally and in their personal lives. You shouldn't have anything to worry about as long as you are respectful to local customs.

AllOne · Joined: 13 Aug 2006 Posts: 23

I've read on the Amnesty International site that 30 some people were arrested in January - at night, and their computers seized - which resulted in being charged and imprisoned for trying to undermine the government. Among those charged were academics and one woman is still being held. Her charges stem from SMS messages sent by mobile phone and internet.
Others were pardoned by the Sultan.

I've also heard that if you want to put on a public performance of an English play or do a poetry reading, your text must be translated into Arabic and pass through a censor.

My current contact on Oman says he's never heard about either of these things.

Comments please.
I'm concerned about these things because I can be quite outspoken (sometimes during my lesson) and I also like to do poetry readings.

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

Under the surface there are things going on that we rarely learn about. I would class it as a benevolent dictatorship, but there are young people who are educated and keen to change the system. There are tribal situations that you will hear little or nothing about. And the reality is that it is none of our business.

What you can say in the classroom depends very much on the institution. But in general I would say that the taboo subjects are religion, sex, and the local government. You open your mouth on these topics at your peril... especially as a person who has shown in your three questions here that you know very little of the culture. (I don't mean that harshly, all of your questions are legitimate, of course)

It can take a number of years before one appreciates and understands the cultural limitations of classroom discussion in any new culture. Someone who only plans to be in a country for a year is best advised to keep one's opinions to oneself and to listen rather than talk.

There are plays in English and Arabic poetry readings, but not put on by a teacher or class on an informal basis. The English plays are put on by the local theater group, most of whose members are long time Gulf expats who know the drill. They are mostly fluffy British comedies.

Oman is a very conservative religious and tribal culture. They are fascinating and friendly people, but it is no better or worse than anywhere else in most ways. I wonder how many people are arrested in the US and UK every year and held on charges that the rest of us never hear about. It is not safe anywhere to be caught planning the overthrow of the local government.

VS

AllOne · Joined: 13 Aug 2006 Posts: 23

Thanks for your answer. No, I don't know anything about the culture which is why i am trying to find out as much as I can about how I should behave as well as restrictions that may surprise me, before accepting a job there.

KiteBiker · Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 5:51 pm Post subject: outspoken classrom presentation

if you haven't read about this one already, please do so now. The teacher in question was by all accounts qualified and was innocently motivated by her actions ... and ended up on the receiving end of an expulsion order.

http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/viewtopic.php?t=34904

AllOne · Joined: 13 Aug 2006 Posts: 23

KiteBiker · Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 6:50 pm Post subject: listen ...

if this is your circumstance, the best advice I have to offer is to listen, listen, listen ... quietly; should you decide to go.

I met many a strong woman educators in the Gulf. My boss was the Sultan's niece Her Excellency Rawyah Al Busaidy - a very strong woman indeed. And yet none of them matched the strength and steely willfulness of these "veiled" women who know not any better than the liberated western women. Watch them, especially in the south around Salalah. They are anything but exploited and uneducated - owned like cattle and treated as such. Nothing can be further from the truth and what I witnessed.

If you sit among them and listen, listen and watch very carefully, your ideas of gender equality will be morphed into something you never expected. I know it did for me.

AllOne · Joined: 13 Aug 2006 Posts: 23

Yes, it's stories like this that attract me....

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

Kitebiker is spot on. I am a child of the women's movement of the '60s in the US and an unashamed Feminist. But, all my stereotypes were turned on their head. I am glad that I am not a Muslim woman, but the reality is that they are just as glad that they are not me.

I often had to bite my tongue and learn not to judge through the prejudices of my own culture. If one has an open mind, there is so much to learn.

I would say go.. if you want to learn... don't go if you feel that it is your duty to impose another culture's standards. I felt that as a teacher of English writing, I was giving them the tools to think and decide if they want change on their own terms, not mine.

VS

(and as I stated on that thread about the deported teacher... that was a women who should have known better)

AllOne · Joined: 13 Aug 2006 Posts: 23

Okay - so how about the men? ASre there any AVAILABLE non-Muslim men? har har har! Are there ANY worthwhile AVAILABLE non-arab men anywhere in the world? Does it make a diff? har har har.
On a more serious note: how's the weather?
How about the housing situation in Muscat? I just spent four years dealing with insanely greedy landlords and stinky drains, not sure I can handle more of that.

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

Finding available non-local men is a problem, but since I wasn't looking, it didn't much matter to me. My general piece of advice in this area is "do NOT go to the Gulf looking for Mr Right" (assuming that such a creature does exist.) A rare few have found a spouse or a reasonable facsimile thereof, but low expectations in this area are crucial. Most of the other expats will be married. As I recall you were only thinking in terms of a year or so.

The weather... good news, bad news... starting with the good. The winters are gorgeous - day after day of sunshine with temps in the 20's from November through March. Perhaps a few days of spotty rain (except for Salalah in the south which catches the tail of the Indian Monsoons and does have more rainfall then, but this is in the summer). In April things start heating up - some years faster and higher than others. By May it is usually 35-50 every day and it will stay that way until the end of October. During the night it may cool down to 30. At least the humidity is better than in the Emirates where it hovers around 80-90% most of the time. In Oman it depends on the winds off the sea. But, everything is well air-conditioned.

One detail to keep in mind is that the heat does not lower the dress code. It is still important to continue to show as little flesh as possible. This was what made this woman who hadn't put on a dress or skirt in the US since the 70's suddenly wear nothing but skirts... very long skirts... normally to the ground. And surprisingly, it is significantly cooler... especially with the right fabrics.

Housing is usually tolerable. Greedy landlords are everywhere, but fortunately I never encountered one in Oman. (but Sohar is a problem now because of major construction sites eating into available housing inventory). Many parts of Muscat have an odd sewage system. Each building will have a septic tank and on a regular schedule they arrive and empty it. There is a bit of short term stinkiness then, but nothing like the problem one can encounter in a place like Cairo where you might have puddles bubbling up on the doorstep.

Housing status will depend greatly on employer and whether they provide a furnished flat or a housing allowance. I don't recall your credentials, but the lower down the pecking order of education one is, the bigger the chance of sub-standard housing... just like everywhere in the world.

VS