Job Discussion Forums

[Bette]

Can somebody give me a heads up on the creds check these places are doing. I have worked in Japan, China, Tiawan, and Colombia and NEVER have had an issue with my creds. Everything is in order (BA in English, TESOL from Trinity, Diploma from Community College, references).
I have been contacted for phone interviews and been told that I am short listed, but then nothing. I have been applying for teaching jobs in UAE, Saudi, and now I am looking in Oman. I am getting frustrated cause I have never experienced this before.
Anybody have any ideas? I assume they are phoning my University or my references????

[veiledsentiments]

Highly doubtful that they are calling anyone. They might do that if you had a job in the same country or the one next door... otherwise no.

This is a constantly repeated complaint... and the usual problem. They will get to you eventually... or not. The ME is notorious for this. The top tier employers are a bit better, but since you don't have an MA, your chances with them are pretty slim. They rarely contact the people that they are not interested in.

Patience is your only option other than trying some other part of the world.

VS

[Duffy]

...

[lotsa]

BTW, don't worry that you don't have an MA. I know of two people in the last month employed specifically by the Ministry of Higher Education because of their EXPERIENCE!!!! One of them will be doing contract work at SQU. Both obtained their BA's back in the 80's. All this poppycock about a BA not being good enough is kr*p. Don't allow a specific standard set by a certain employer of MA detract you from continuing to search for jobs here. Sell yourself well, pitch your experience that is verifiable and you WILL get the same pay as an MA holder - i've seen this over and over. Go for it!

[veiledsentiments]

I am glad to see that you edited your little rant Duffy... bad day at the office? Hopefully we didn't scare off our OP.

Lotsa... I don't think I would include the Ministry jobs in Oman to be top tier employers. They have been known to take people with zero credentials and experience in the last few years, but that has finally been improving.

One problem for teachers coming from Asia is that their experience there is usually in conversation/listening as that is their students' weakness. In the ME, the weakness is reading/writing, so they are looking for experience teaching that at university level.

You have to pitch the experience that they want to get hired if your credentials are not stellar.

VS

[lotsa]

Yep, but they were subbed to SQU, hows 1800RO per month plus accom sound?

[veiledsentiments]

Doing what?

VS

[lotsa]

well i'm not going to start discussing friends details here in public view - but think about it - this is an ESL forum, which is why I mentioned it, they are qualified English teachers, with BA's with many years of experience and are being paid good money - mmmm a good guess by most here would be that they are teaching English! My point to the OP, which is fairly clear, is that although they may "only" have a BA, doesn't restrict their opportunities here in Oman - not all people fit into a MA category. To sum up, lets encourage people to go for it here rather than demean what experience nor qualifications they already have. People here seem to think MA holders are the be all to end all. The truth is, its not, and thats borne out by the many cases I see of expats without MA's being employed here.

PS: the debate over the BA/MA issue will continue ad infinitum whether its in this thread, or another so lets move on in any case. Good luck to the OP, I wish you every success with your BA here in Oman.

[veiledsentiments]

Ah secret work... perhaps EFL... but all mysterious... especially as they would be getting more than the PhDs in the Language Center.

Right... OK...

So, everyone out there with only a BA and cert should rush to Oman as they will pay you more than the rest of the Gulf pays for advanced degrees. It seems like just yesterday that Oman and Bahrain were the low payers in the area.

One must be careful to raise false expectations with stories/rumors like this. If true, this is most likely a particular and exceptional circumstance based on unusual credentials for a specific purpose. The Ministry hires many people with a BA+cert, but the vast majority will receive more like 900OR plus the usual benefits.

VS

[eha]

' Sell yourself well, pitch your experience that is verifiable and you WILL get the same pay as an MA holder - i've seen this over and over. Go for it!'

You'll probably get more. And then, don't be surprised when those with the qualifications and experience formally demanded by the employer show something less than full enthusiasm for your charm and acceptability as a 'colleague', when they hear that you've been elevated well above their scale! Yeah, I've seen it over and over again too: people with the 'correct' qualifications and experience put on a lower scale than those with a good deal less--- followed by a complete refusal to redress the 'error' when requested.
It's exactly the fact, as you say: selling yourself is a far more valuable skill than silly old academic qualifications and /or experience, no matter how relevant. But if you're working in a system where 'selling yourself' is the criterion, don't expect the respect of those who aren't into these worldly games-- there are still some of us who are old-fashioned enough to believe that: a) the qualifications required should be uniform; b) that those who make such decisions should themselves be experienced and knowledgeable enough not to make some of the egregious errors in placement that you find in institutions in this region; and c) that having to 'sell yourself' should not actually be a part of a truly 'academic' enterprise. And, of course, it's not.

[bje]

[veiledsentiments]

Hey bje, I think you confused Duffy with lotsa...

VS

[bje]

[lotsa]

Gosh, you people in here who seemed to have been posting since the day dot really don't like others coming along and pointing out things that you may not be aware of. I have an MA, and MPhil, years of experience, just like those who have BA's. So, whats your gripe with them then?

Seems you are just unwilling to accept that, yes, maybe MA TESOL is the preferred, but if one has almost two decades of PROVEN class experience, professional development, a BA and goodness knows what else to show potential employers, what the heck is wrong with that! Take your blinkers off you lot. Incidentally, if you don't know what "selling yourself" actually means in context of the subject at hand, go take a business course or something!

[veiledsentiments]

Lotsa... your credentials and our age are not at all relevant to this discussion. You have presented a situation, which you insist must remain shrouded in mystery, that two people with an MA+cert got in Oman - 1900 OR plus housing.

No one has said that you are lying, but since this is supposedly a reality based community, it is necessary to point out to people who are job searching in Oman that 99.7936% of people with only these credentials are getting only around 700-1000 OR based on experience. If your experience is teaching 10-20 years of conversation classes in Asia, it will give you little jump in pay since it is not academic English, but it might get you up around 900.

This is ignoring the long debate on what is better or actually needed to teach English. The only thing that matters is what the employers demand and offer. If you can sell yourself well and have special skills you might be able climb higher on the scale... but don't count on it.

Two exceptions do not make a rule...

VS
(Oh... and we are all well aware of what 'selling yourself' means. Every department has the BS artist who ends up to have marginal competence in education but sold the interveiwer.)