Job Discussion Forums

[mooseontheloose]

Hi everyone,

First, let me apologize for the length of this post -- I know that similar questions have been posted but they are either dated or not quite relevant to my situation (unless I haven't found the right posts). So here's my go:

I'm a female Canadian teacher with a Masters in Applied Linguistics, a CELTA, and almost 9 years of teaching experience in Japan, Australia, Canada, and France (but mostly Japan). I started in language schools but I've been teaching in universities for the past 6 years. I certainly didn't think that when I began teaching EFL that it would become my career, but for better or worse, here I am. And, as so often happens to most of us, my contract is up and I need to look for another position. I have been thinking about the Middle East for some time, mostly UAE (ZU or HCT), but now I've gotten quite serious about teaching there and I have a few questions (not just about the UAE - could be any country in the ME).

Basically, I'm in my mid-30s and I'm in EFL for the long-haul, so I'm more interested in the quality of the experiences and the long-term prospects, than any short-term gain (like which country I can make the most money in). I'm not saying that money isn't important, but it's not the deciding factor. So, what I'd like to know is:

Work and money

1. Are the universities in the UAE the best in terms of work conditions (admin support, colleagues, training, etc) and teaching conditions (students, hours, materials, etc)? How do other countries compare?

2. What is the current situation with salary/accomodation/other benefits compared to the cost of living?

3. What do the long-term job prospects look like (5-10-20 years)? Not that I would be there that long, but before I commit to another country (and culture and language) I'd like to know what the opinions are of people currently working in the area in terms of job security, professional development, etc.

Personal

4. This is for all the women out there teaching (especially single women) in the ME. What are the social conditions like currently? Is the UAE more 'female-friendly' than other places? What countries should be avoided? I'm thinking about a wide variety of situations -- from going out, shopping, restaurants, driving, travelling solo within a country and cross-border, etc.

5. A few years ago a colleague of mine had been teaching in Qatar but basically needed permission everytime she wanted to leave the country. For a variety of reasons the work situation had become very bad so she basically had to make a run for it carrying her most precious belongings in two suitcases on the pretext of going on a 'shopping' trip to a neighboring ME country. From there she was able to leave the ME for good (and had her friends later ship the rest of her belongings out). Do things like this still happen in certain countries or has the situation changed somewhat? I don't necessarily mind certain rules and restrictions but I'd like to know what they are before accepting anything.

6. Finally, and this is difficult to phrase correctly, but what is like in terms of relationships? I mean this both platonically and romantically. I know a lot things are based on personality, but generally-speaking, is it easy to make friends (male or female) - either locally and/or at work? Are most people's friendships with their colleagues? Also, is there/can there be much of dating scene for single women (not that I'm much of a dater, but you never know...)?

Alright, that's it for now. If you've made it this far, thanks -- any responses would be very appreciated.

Happy New Year!

moose

[helenl]

Briefly
Work and money
1. Depends on which institution and with HCT which college. Your tolerance level for bureaucracy and paperwork will also determine what you consider to be acceptable. HCT revels in meetings (as a general rule), most campuses require you to be on campus 7-8 hours a day no matter your schedule and class sizes are increasing usually topping out at about 20 (especially at the beginning of a semester).

2. HCT, ZU, AUS and UAEU (and US seems to have a comparable package) are at the top of the salary scales. AUS and US have on campus housing with all the benefits and drawbacks that entails. HCT provides very good off campus housing but locations can be problematic in terms of commute. Increases in rental demand/costs are also bringing pressure to bear on where and what type of housing is (a) available and (b) desirable. The cost of living is increasing - do a search on the gulf news but it also depends on your lifestyle.

3. Some people do a runner after 6 months others have stayed 10+ years at the same place. If you're competent, professional and pragmatic you could be in the latter category. Don't worry about language issues, (unless you want to learn Arabic - that's the more challenging opiton) - the common language is English and from my own perspective, very few make an attempt to even learn the basics. From my own experience HCT offers next to nil in professional development (while "encouraging" faculty to pursue it at their own expense). There are PD funds available but they are very limited.

Personal

4. UAE, Oman and Qatar are safe - like anywhere else, don't do anything stupid (accepting rides from strangers etc.) There are more opportunities to meet people outside your employment in the larger centres (Dubai/Abu Dhabi and Muscat). It is also fairly easy to do so in most other places, depends on how much effort you make in this regard. Smaller centres (RAK, Fujairah, Doha) are more problematic as it's like living in a small town with one big employer - everyone knows who you are and what your business is in a lot of cases.

Going out - Qatar, UAE, Oman - no problem
Driving - Qatar, UAE, Oman - no problem
Travelling solo (including cross border) - Qatar, UAE, Oman - no problem
Restaurants - Qatar, UAE, Oman - no problem

5. UAE no problem exiting country
Qatar - employer decides whether or not to provide a multiple exit pass or require single exit pass application each time
Oman - road pass for overland travel required and no problem from airport (but I may be wrong on this last point).

6. If your reasoning for coming is to find Mr Right, then you're coming to the wrong place. Have people found someone, yes? But many more have been "disappointed" because they thought that demographics would play in their favour. I'm not sure I understand why anyone would take a job in order to find a significant other anyways Are there nice people here, yes. There are also drunks, some weirdos and people you would avoid at all costs - just as there are anywheres.

A lot of friendships and otherships are primarily made at work, propinquity at its best or worst - if you have outside interests (sports, arts, etc.) you'll have more opportunities to meet people from outside your workplace, to me, by far, the best option.

[veiledsentiments]

helen1 has covered it all very well, but I would add a couple comments.

As to exiting Oman, if the road pass is still required, it was merely a matter of asking, but you did have to plan a trip to Dubai rather than just deciding Wednesday morning that you were going for the weekend. (Wednesday being the end of the work week)

For the single woman, it is probably the safest part of the world outside of Japan. But I want to re-emphasize that it is NOT the place to go to find Mr Right. You are more likely to find Mr I have a wife and kids at home that I hadn't mentioned. As helen1 said, we all know a few people who found their spouse in Riyadh or Dubai, but they are pretty rare. That said, I have many lifelong friends that I met in my years over there. When I was still traveling, it was great having friends all over the world to visit... and even have a place to stay.

The Gulf is a place where your happiness or not is to a great extent under your control and your ability to adapt and laugh at the incongruities... assuming that with your credentials you are with the better university employers. As to long term, I have friends who have been at the same jobs for over 15 years, but I was the type who did a contract or two and moved on to sample the different countries... and to trade the negatives that each place brings with it.

VS

[mooseontheloose]

Thanks Helen and VS,

That's exactly the kind of information I was looking for. As for question 6 - as I mentioned, I'm not a dater (been single for many years) and I'm not looking to find Mr. Right by going to the ME but I guess I just wanted to know what the options and possibilities were. That being said, I've been in France for a year and a half now and nothing's happened so I guess it's not necessarily a matter of where you are.

Cheers.

[007]

[kaw]

Having been in the M.E. for a few years and worked in Bahrain , Oman and the UAE I just thought I�d add to the discussion.

Work and money

I don�t know if universities in the UAE offer the best in terms of work conditions � maybe I have just been lucky but the money is certainly better. Living in a one-horse town (pretty much) I find I have the serious problem of not having anything to spend my money on so it ends up staying in the bank. Not really a problem��

As far as the students go � have found them to be pretty much the same � some places will have mixed classes, others won�t. Oman and Bahrain were both mixed.

Professional development depends on where you are � I had a lot in my last job (non-uni) and haven�t really had anything anywhere else.


Personal

As a woman, Bahrain was a very easy place to live � of course you do get an element of stares/horn beeping whatever but it always felt pretty safe. Although a friend was flashed at on one of the main streets. It was very easy to get around either driving or taxi although obviously not over the border to Saudi.
Bahrain does have lots of shops�����..and some great restaurants, ok clubs and bars etc. There�s also a large expat population so a chance to meet up with people you don�t work with all day. The biggest problem was getting off the island for a much needed break. Depending on your salary flights can be expensive and unless you fancy a swim there's no other way off - though that will change as and when the Bahrain/Qatar bridge is built.
Oman � I experienced �small-town� Oman as well as Muscat. The main problems � the whistles, unwelcome comments etc came from the Indian expats rather than the locals.
It was still a fairly easy place to live though remember to cover up when swimming. Others may disagree but it�s much easier to chuck on a t-shirt than face a load of teenage boys ogling you in your swimming costume (won�t even mention bikini).
UAE � small town UAE has so far been fine � have never felt threatened as such. Travelling around hasn�t been a problem � have taken mini-buses from Dubai to Abu Dhabi in the past and the bus from Al Ain to Dubai.

Relationships

A lot depends on where you are. In Bahrain it was very easy mainly due to the number of single expats and places to go to meet them.
Oman was more difficult � in a small town everyone knows what everyone else is doing and the �goldfish bowl� feeling is always there. In Muscat it was easier though with the work hours I had, any type of social life was difficult.
Am sure the UAE would be easy enough � small towns however seem to be mainly full of married couples/families so it is more difficult.

As far as dating is concerned � it happens � I know several people (including myself) who have got together with locals and been very happy���..but��..it�s not always easy.

[MGreen]

In Al Ain, you would be surprised by how many women met their future husbands there. I worked with quite a few women who ended up meeting their Mr Right (some were Western men, while others were Arab, Indian...). So, I disagree about the notion that you can't meet men in the UAE. And not all men are married. Unless, Al Ain is a special place compared to Dubai.

[veiledsentiments]

No one has said that it is impossible or that you can't meet men; we can all point to examples. But, one needs to have a realistic expectation as the pickings can be slim... a situation that increases exponentially as one gets older.

VS

[uaeobserver]

Living and working in the ME is a life-changing, unique experience. It's much more than a line on your CV. You leave as a changed person. In my own opinion - it's not a great long-term career. Some people seem to handle it just fine, though.

[mooseontheloose]

Thanks everyone, you've been really helpful.

However, reading your posts made me think of another question (of course). How would you describe the major cities (I'm thinking UAE here, but feel free to chime in about other Gulf cities) in terms of their advantages and disadvantages? I've lived in many different places during my lifetime (so far) from my hometown of 500 people, to cities of a few million people. I know what works for some people may not work for others, but I'd still like to get some personal impressions, which are much more useful than any 'factual' information I can find on the internet. Of course, I'm thinking of differing social activities, friendliness (or not) of locals, cost of living vs. value, ease of getting around/public transport, shopping, etc. If you had your choice of where you would want to live in the UAE, what city would it be and why? Which would you avoid?

Cheers.

[helenl]

Abu Dhabi - still relatively easy to get around traffic wise - compared with Dubai and Sharjah that is. Sharjah is basically one big parking lot for most of the day (0600 to 2300 hrs) and Dubai is a parking lot that moves along slowly.

Dubai offers a lot of different activities (art, music, concerts, etc.) Sharjah has a limited offering. Friendliness of locals? You probably won't encounter too many other than seeing them pass you by in the shopping malls unless you're employed in a government organization.

Public transport is best avoided. Timings are erratic, bus drivers may refuse to stop to pick females up if there are no "female" seats available

[scot47]

The ME is a good place to come while you make up your mind what to do when you grow up. I came in 1970 and still can't decide what to do when I am an adult.

[johnslat]

Dear scot47,
Don't panic - you've still got a loooooong time to go before that decision will
loom.
Regards,
John

[007]

[scot47]

Magical ! I saved enough in two years to buy an apartment in Central Edinburgh ! But I did not - I spent the money on living a profligate life. Now you would have to work in KSA for 30 years as a teacher to buy a modest apartment in one of the less desirable areas of Edinburgh.

So it goes. The moral ? CARPE DIEM !