Job Discussion Forums

moneyoriented · Joined: 11 May 2008 Posts: 76

I desperately need your good advice. I'm sick and tired of being in debt, and really need to come up with some decent money fast in order to pay off my obligations.

So where in the UAE can I make the most NET income? (i.e., difference between what I could earn with my current qualifications minus typical living expenses in that locale, be it Dubai, Abu Dhabi, or somewhere else.)

I ask the question this way because I assume that the cities that have the highest salaries (gross) generally also have the highest costs of living, and therefor may not be the most suitable for me at this time, since all that really matters to me right now is how much I'll have at the end of each month to pay down my debts after paying local living expenses.

I'm a 43 year old American guy with two undergraduate degrees (Asian Studies and Business). I taught English on a casual basis for one year while studying in Japan in college. (My homestay mother put together two classes for me, of about 6 students each, each of which I taught for 1 hour per week. These were high school and college students, and I basically just used a British ESL workbook and tape set and went through one lesson per week.) I don't have any other teaching experience.

I also don't have any formal TES/FL qualifications (masters degree, certificates, etc.) I'm willing to obtain one or more of these, but I don't currently have the money to do so, unless some sort of financial aid or loans were available (or in exchange for a commitment to teach for them afterwards, etc). Which qualifications are the most respected and useful in getting the best jobs, and which have the best cost/benefit ratio? (these are not necessarily the same things).

What's the best money I can hope to make in the UAE (or other GCC country) with my current qualifications?

And how much could I make if I obtained some excellent teaching credentials? What kind of EFL-related certificate or masters degree is most desired by the best employers? (Should I even bother with a certificate, or should I just go for a masters? How much would it cost me? Which are the best schools to get it from? Are there one year programs, or are they all two years? Is there a program in the UAE where I could get acclimated and make some useful contacts while earning the qualification? Is this the best way, or would a degree from a school in the US or UK get me a better job?

There are so many choices to make in this field, in terms of qualifications and in terms of where to teach - it's pretty bewildering. So I'd really appreciate any advice any of you might have for me. What would you do if you were in my shoes and needed to make as much money as possible as quickly as possible?
Also, would I even need a regular job, or is there some way to just find a bunch of private students? Wouldn't that pay more?

Finally, what about other work in the UAE? Are there any other decent-paying jobs I might be able to get with my current qualifications?

*Many thanks in advance*

tmac-100 · Joined: 23 Nov 2006 Posts: 137

Don't fall into the trap of just looking at how much you can make..

You should look at how much you can save. Some folks here make a LOT more AED than I do on our respective paychecks, BUT they piss it away on their lifestyle.

I hope this is useful information for you. A North American lifesytle can become QUITE expensive here - especially when you look at Starbucks coffees or McDonalds "value meals (Gawd, what an oxymoron that term is..) going for a LOT more than the 8 DH I pay for a nice Thali meal - on the few occasions when I eat out.

helenl · Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 1202

To be considered for the most desirable UAE employers (tertiary institutions like HCT, ZU or UAEU) you will need a masters + at least 3 years teaching experience. These are the employers who (a) pay the most (b) usually provide accomodation+tickets+health insurance.

You don't have any teaching qualification, so that would put you out of the running for any of the decent/desirable K-12 schools. They pay less usually, but offer some of the benefits mentioned in paragraph one in various forms (allowances, etc.)

Places like Berlitz might consider you but they won't get a work visa for you or provide any payment beyond an hourly wage (no ticket, no accomodation/allowances/health) which works out to be pretty low for the effort you put in.

UAE is not a place where it is recommended to work illegally and any employer who would do so is 99.999% sure to be the bottom of the undesirable employer barrel

As for the best qualification to get - others with more experience will have to address that.

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

I think these questions have been answered pretty completely on the other two places that it is posted.

Current chances being somewhere between slim and none...

VS

Never Ceased To Be Amazed · Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 2:39 pm Post subject:

VS...aren't you being a tad too generous with the "slim" comment. Me thinks, the latter is much more demonstrative (and accurate) than the former!

NCTBA

P.s.- My much-lamented post that we exchanged over was reinstated! I appreciate the second look-see by "whoever"! Wink

mishmumkin · Joined: 01 Sep 2007 Posts: 929

The sad reality is that your experience is very limited. Even if you were to get a k-12 qualification or MA TESOL tomorrow, you would not be considered for the best jobs, and your starting salary would be quite low (9,000-10,000 dirhams/month plus accommodation and other benefits). A newly qualified teacher might early 10,000-11,000/month w/ the better schools in Dubai.

There are some k-12 schoosl that will hire you w/o experience or a qualification, but these are typically not great places to work. You would be looking at salaries around 5000-7000 dirhams/month and some sort of shared accommodation. I suppose one could still save on this salary if one were very frugle.

boondoggle · Joined: 25 Jul 2007 Posts: 104

You should really consider qualify of life issues when moving to the middle east. The pay isn't as great as it used to be so the incentives of being in the UAE are getting far lower. Many educational programs are faltering and they don't have a coherent system in place that provides job stability unless you're one of the lucky few. Teacher turnover is high for a reason.

Even if you are earning less in Japan the quality of life is much better with far less daily hassles.

Unless you are very well compensated it's just not worth it. The job has to be much better than the international average to make up for it.

lall · Joined: 30 Dec 2006 Posts: 358

Dear MoneyOriented,

Try another tack.
Indicate the minimum amount you need to save each month to pay off those loans.
Maybe someone could give you a lead about a job in your core strengths (Asian Studies and Business).

Regards,

Lall.

kiefer · Joined: 12 Jan 2007 Posts: 268

If you're earnest about getting out of the red, check out jobs in Korea--carefully. You can definitely teach there with your quals. If you're physically and psychologically able to handle working split shifts six days a week and if line up a lot of private tutorials on the side, you'll tap into a cash cow. This path might require you to become a conversation machine 60 + hours a week, but it's profitable .