Job Discussion Forums

[plenetic9]

Greetings,

Any ideas? Lords of tutoring experience in UK, ages 18 to 60
Vocatianal and accessment qualifications, TEFL used to dealing with people of all abilities. Three yeas degree studying English but no result. Will any agency take me seriously if I contacted them from abroad, have they cornered the market on the net?
Does networking exist in these countries? How can I take this position forward from here?

Suggestions humbly and graciously accepted
LOVE David

[veiledsentiments]

The Middle East is obsessed with degrees. Most advertised jobs require an MA in a related field or in international schools the holding of your country's teaching certificate (which requires a BA as far as I know).

There may be some jobs in Saudi, but I will let the Saudi hands discuss that. You may be able to pick up part time and private lessons in North Africa or the Levant, but your salary will provide living expenses only if you hustle.

Few ME employers use 'agencies' and those that do have very poor reputations. Again Saudi Arabia is the exception and quite a few employers there use agencies.

VS

[Mark100]

Basic spelling skills would be an advantage.

[scot47]

You need a degree. A home-made one might be acceptable to some employers. Use a spellchecker.

[alyshia]

some schools in kuwait may hire without a degree if they're desperate enough for an english speaker teacher (espeically in the lower grades, like kindergarten).... however, with the government changing the laws and requiring degrees in the near future... it's less and less likely.

[cam]

I find it hard to believe that any decent school would hire someone without a degree. A few years ago I tried to find a job in Kuwait but without a MA at the time I was unable to get any job. With a university degree and 6 years teaching in Asia I could not even get a job in a kindergarten or conversation school. Have things changed to such an extent that a person without a degree could get a job there now?

[veiledsentiments]

The key word is 'decent' Cam. As I've said to many new people on this board. Anyone who will hire you with limited credentials or experience is NOT someone that you would want to ever work for.

VS

[Queen of Sheba]

[scot47]

No degree ?

No job !

[Cleopatra]

Given that work visa requirements for all the Gulf countries are very strict, would it really be possible for someone to get a visa as a teacher without some sort of degree? I reckon that even if an institution were desperate enough to hire someone degree-less, the relevant government authority would not allow it.

[stoth1972]

It's possible, but not likely. It would mean that the employer would have to lie to the government when applying to your visa (happened to me) and identify you something besides a teacher.

Here's the thing, speaking from experience (no teaching qual. and no MA when I went to the UAE), you don't want to go this route. Those employers that might hire you (this is a huge stretch since you don't have a college degree) will not only lie to the govt, they'll lie to you, too. Get a degree, get a PGCE, get an MA-THEN consider the UAE.

[Cleopatra]

I think the above advice is good, not only for the UAE, but for the Gulf in general. It may be tempting to take a job where you are brought in under false pretences for visa requirements. However, sooner or later your employers' lies may catch up with you. If your very presence in the country is based on lies, you may find yourself in a sticky situation should you have any legal troubles or something of that nature.

If youcan't get a job on the basis of your bona fide qualifications, look elsewhere.

[Like a Rolling Stone]

[Bebsi]

[scot47]

You might get a job as a supervisor with one of the cleaning squads. Do you speak Tamil or Bengali ?