Job Discussion Forums

[freesolo]

polyglot emailed me and said they didnt want me cause i have a us passport. are all their teachers from the uk??

[kaw]

I'm not sure what their policy is these days but am sure there were some Americans there a few years ago.....

[thursday12]

Nah they like us yanks but be cool try again

[boundforsaudi]

It's no secret that there is a strong prejudice against Americans right now in the Middle East. If you do find a job, you may wish you hadn't, especially if you wind up with an Arab as an immediate supervisor, on whom you will have to depend for a reference. You may wind up being the department's whipping boy.

[omanized]

The only anti-US bias is what you see on tv or what you may assume - I would challenge any American in Oman to come up with examples of anti-Americanism which affected their job or quality of life here.

Polyglot probably didn't hire you because native speakers are too expensive and they use more Indians and other arab nationals.

omanized

[007]

[boundforsaudi]

Please allow me to correct my post. The strong prejudice against Americans is not limited to the Middle East, nor to Arabs. It's pretty much worldwide, but most obvious in the Middle East, for obvious reasons. The reason most ESL instructors may not be aware of it is they are usually off-the-chart liberals who ingratiate themselves to the locals by never missing an opportunity to badmouth current American policy. But if you dare follow the patriotic policy of never speaking ill of your own country when you are outside of it, you will be noticed for your silence at the wrong moments, and you will pay the price. You will surely have hell to pay if you ever let it slip that you actually agree with anything Bush has done or tried to do. I'm not talking about in class here, I mean, for example, in private conversions with your colleagues. However, there will be occasions in or out of class when students bring up a topic to test you. They will, in fact, insult your nationality, or even praise Osama bin Laden and expect you to join in or at least say something sympathetic. As far as they are concerned, "no comment" is the wrong answer. As for the prejudice being strong among the Arabs, let me also add that you can't even be sure that you will be fairly treated if your deparment head is American, because he is likely to be the lackey of some Arab just a bit higher up.

[Aliskander]

Well done for speaking the truth

[omanized]

Ah, yes, the truth.....I love the irony of a philosophy which believes that it is unpatriotic to criticize your country, if your country is America - read the Constitution, learn US history - criticizing the government and having the ability to challenge it is the BEDROCK of American freedom - how easily that has been forgotten in this age of hysteria and FOX news jingoism!

Anyway, to the topic at hand - are you in this field to travel and wave your flag? Why? Is it your business to do that? Is it your school's mandate? Will it affect your ability to develop a repore with your students in order to effectively instruct them in language skills?

Are you so sensitive or naive about the foreign policy of the US that you can be offended / surprised about student opinion and prejudice? Pity.......

Yes, it is true that these questions are asked - I have responded or 'no commented' many times - Hitler this, Jews that, Bush, Blair, bombs and it goes on...

No problem for me - apparantly, I might have some unusual skill to separate my professional life from my personal opinion and I may also have the uncanny ability to understand the cultural and socio-political climate in which I am living and earning a salary. What is wrong with you guys.....?

omanized

[veiledsentiments]