Job Discussion Forums

[smacd]

Hi, I am in a bit of a pickle. My girlfriend has been given the opportunity to spend the next six months in Abu Dhabi through her work(non-teaching). She has always wanted to spend time in the area which is fine with me but I would like to find a teaching position myself in the region. It doesn't necessarily have to be in the UAE but it would be important that we would be able to visit each other one or two weekends per month. My preferences would be the UAE(outside of Dubai or Sharjah if possible) first, Oman or Saudi Arabia. Would I be able to freely visit the UAE if I worked in Saudi Arabia? Anyways, here's a bit on me:

I am a 31 year old Canadian male with a Bachelor degree in Business Admin, a TESOL certificate, a TEFL certificate and over 8 years of overseas teaching experience. Most of my teaching experience has been in South Korea of which five years were spent at the university level. I do have a little experience in the region as I recently spent a semester at ADU(Al-Ain campus) and got through it just fine.

I would prefer working at the university level or teaching adults but would be willing to teach children if need be. I am planning on going to grad school next winter so I'm only looking for a short-term(8 month or less) contract. I'm not sure if short-term contracts are easy to find in the region as I seem to remember most employers were offering 1-3 year contracts the last time I looked. Also, I know that most employers in the region require a master degree and I'm not sure if my other experience/qualifications enable me to find work with any of the better institutions in the region(UAEU, ZU, HCT, AUS)?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

PS: I'm not sure if this is the place to post it or not but I would be willing to work in another country/region as well if I could save US$1,000-$1,500 a month. I don't have an extravagent lifestyle outside of travel tickets and usually try and live as the locals do. Is it possible to save this kind of money anywhere outside of Asia?

[denise]

Colleges in Oman, or at least those that hire through recruiters, do hire people without MAs. You'd get a lower starting salary but could still live comfortably and visit your girlfriend. Ibri is 3ish hours from Abu Dhabi and Nizwa is 5ish hours away. CfBT (Centre for British Teachers--but no, you don't need to be British!) recruits for both of those locations.

d

[scot47]

Many potential employers will lose interest as soon as they hear that you are interested in working for such a short period. I would certainly have reservations about recommending somoene who wanted to leave after only a few months.

[veiledsentiments]

None of the institutions you mention would consider your qualifications and they also give 3 year contracts only.

The next best thing is Denise's recommendation of the Ministry jobs in Oman, but they are one-year contracts. (which really means appr. from late August to early June)

There is only one tertiary employer in the gulf that will hire you for less than one academic year and that is ADU. I would say that is your only option for 8 months or less. And since you know their pros and cons... and it is in Abu Dhabi, it would seem your best and almost only option in the Gulf.

VS

[Cleopatra]