Job Discussion Forums

[Little_Cannon]

What's the story? I just arrived in Qatar from the States visiting a college friend and I happened to find out that many expats from the Balkans are ESL/school teachers. I couldn't help laughing. I spent some time in the former Yugoslavia working with the borderguards and I learned that many Yugoslav wars sympathizers from that region have landed on their feet with teaching jobs in the GCC. Is this the best these schools can do, hiring people who can't even stand Muslims? Is it a desperate measure to deal with the lack of Native Speakers?

[veiledsentiments]

[pkers07]

What's your problem about Eastern European teaching ESL?There are a lot more experienced ESL teachers from Africa,Indian,Phillipines and other sub-continents in the Gulf than you think.
The Gulf countries need experienced personnnel irrespective of nationalities.They are not that discriminatory when it comes to some skills in shortage.
So don't be suprised.

[scot47]

Islamophobia amongst EFL teachers in the Gulf is not confined to Serbians ! I have a number of colleagues who are obsessed with the "Islamic Peril to Western Civilisation".

[GabeKessel]

Many people in Asia ( including Western Asia), upon seeing an East European ,see an....American. Or an Englishman. Hey, they can't tell the difference. Now, with a Filipino and an Indian, even if they are citizens of the UK or the US, they are not Brits or Americans in the minds of the Asian peoples. Because Americans and Brits are supposed to be white ( or Black). Thank movies for that. Milosewic and Radzic , and even Lukashenka look like US movies stars to them, and, therefore ,can speak and teach English. So the East Euros capitalize on that.

Russians have been teaching in Taiwan. Hey, Kurnikova and Putin are as American as one can get. At least in the eyes of the ( East and West) Asian people. So a blond Siberian girl will make a good teacher but a Japanese American will not. Same holds for the ME.

Of course, many are good teachers, as well. They have learned English as a second language, and can relate to the pains of learning a foreign tongue the way few mono lingual native teachers cannot.

And many of the ex Yugos can be Muslim Bosniaks. Plus since not 100% of Yugoslavs hate Muslims, the ones that do not, come to the Gulf.

Also, I think that in the days of the Sarayevo war, the Serbs snipers would stop shooting immediately if each one of them were offered a nice job with a free apartment, long vacations and paid tickets, free accomodations and transportation and a bonus by their targets. And the age old hate would evaporate in a jiff.

[thursday12]

what's the big deal? We gotta a coupla Eastern Euros at QU. They're pretty good - nice people, hard workin 'n good teachers. Is that a problem? Their English is A-OK. No probs. They're qualified And lucky!!
One of em even got two whole semesters off to work on a PhD!! I hopes they'll do that fer the rest of us. Great deal!!!

[wilberforce]

There are some Eastern Europeans here at the Gulag and they are mighty good teachers. Their English is excellent. They are a good investment.

[sharter]

Last time I worked in Poland, most of the Polish teachers had spent large parts of their lives in the Sates or the UK. They were excellent and all MA qualified too.

Americans teach English, so why can't Poles, Croats, Serbs etc?

[Stephen Jones]

[bje]

You're double posting SJ, and this should be banned.

[wilberforce]

Some of the Serbian teachers are really good. Hardworking and serious, and definitely not trouble-makers like some other nationalities.