Job Discussion Forums

[veroax]

I'd greatly appreciate any input on my options in Saudi. I have four years of experience in university and corporate education, and I graduated from a top university in the States (not that I think it matters all that much, but some employers see it as marketable.) I don't have a certificate, so I'm relying more on my experience.

Any thoughts on what salary I should look for? How choosy can I be? Good places to start?

[Cleopatra]

[007]

[veroax]

Thanks, Cleo. I'm definitely not planning on the greatest position in the Kingdom, but I'm hoping that I can find reasonable conditions and a reliable salary to save toward grad school.

& Yes, I forgot to mention that I'm male.

[Cleopatra]

[veroax]

Sounds like it may be time for a CELTA . Thanks again.

[trapezius]

[veiledsentiments]

[tacomaboywa]

[trapezius]

I guess it is different for US citizens and foreign students. It was and is definitely the norm for foreign students (as only the best ones are chosen from the world over and almost every one gets a free ride, as did I, my brother, and sister, and 100s of others we studied with).

But for American students, I guess getting loans is the norm. But if your undergrad GPA is very good, and have good recommendations and standardized test scores, I see no reason you shouldn't get a free ride at least one of the many schools you should apply to.

(Weird that being a foreign student is an advantage in this case!)

[Sheikh N Bake]

I have to disagree with VS here. At my (large, state) graduate university, all MA students were required to have a teaching assistantship in the intensive English program--I also taught some freshman writing courses. In other words, all who were accepted were given an assistantship. My other master's, the MSEd in higher education, was also a program in which all students got asst'ps! There are other institutions where the majority receive assistantships. I was even offered one for an MFA in writing at Eastern Washington University many years later, although I didn't take it. I can't agree with the impression that only 2% of Americans get grants and assistantships and the rest pay cash. Maybe in particle physics or something but not English or ESL/EFL. Not even on a national count.

[veiledsentiments]

I was referring to all MAs... not just TEFL. That said, I started at a VA university working on my MA... and of the 30 or so students in Applied Linguistics that I met in two semesters part-time, we were all paying full tuition - except for a couple foreign students who were there under US govt scholarships.

But, I did end up applying for and getting a Fellowship at AUC. But only a tiny proportion of applicants received it... just enough to fill their roster of teachers. Of those turned down, few came and paid though. There were only a handful of other Westerners who were paying. It's a small department anyway.

VS

[Sheikh N Bake]

Large, midwestern state universities tend to be the most generous in graduate assistantships, with some departments offering ALL students. At my university that included all students in the departments of English, Linguistics, Higher Education and several others--probably math as well. Institutions such as Bowling Green State (Ohio), Illinois State, Eastern Michigan and many others are similar in their largesse. MFAs in creative writing--some schools offer all students assistantships and some just a few. Overall it's a way of saving money by not paying tenure-track faculty, giving students a break, and giving them some teaching or additional research experience.