Job Discussion Forums

[calidhuux]

Dear esteemed L2 teachers,

I'm an Applied Linguistics undergrad at a Canadian university who is considering to persue a career teaching EFL/ESL in Saudi Arabia after obtaining the necessary credentials. My tentative game plan (which, btw, has undergone numerous revisions) is to complete my undergrad, spend 3 to 5 years teaching in Japan (through the JET programme), return to Canada to upgrade my education (i.e., M.Ed in L2 Teaching), then apply to teach at colleges or universities in Saudi Arabia. Sounds good, eh? The problem is, I have a very close Pakistani born friend who was raised in Saudi Arabia and is, due to personal experiences, vehemently opposed to the whole idea of non-Arab & non-caucasian foreigners living in Saudi Arabia. He unfortunately states that Saudi treatment of non-Arab & non-caucasian ex-pats is extremely "inconsistent". Why is this relevant to me? Well, I'm an East African Muslim who hopes to one day raise a family in a predominantly Muslim environment and Saudi Arabia seemed to fit the bill. Maybe I should reconsider a few of the details to my plan. Can you suggest any other Middle Eastern countries which would provide similar compensation benefits and comforts like Saudi Arabia without the cliche discrimination values? Sigh.

[veiledsentiments]

The problem of discrimination exists in all of the Gulf countries to a certain extent. Perhaps the best choice for you might be Oman. Oman has long time ties to East Africa and many of them have East Africans in the family tree. Those with African ties are normally referred to as Zanzibari Omani although they may have come from various countries along the coast. There is a bit of jealousy between the two Omani groups, but not obviously to us Western teachers. (a reading of the history of the country will point out the causes)

But, it is a wonderful country to raise a family and I was always impressed by the sincere piety, but accepting nature of the average Omani. I think it would be a great place for your children.

Of course, Oman is not anywhere near as wealthy as KSA and thus the pay is lower.

VS