Job Discussion Forums

[Sheikh N Bake]

I SOL (snorted out loud) involuntarily when I read this listing. Actually, I couldn't believe it. Essentially a university continuing education program, they expect the usual background of univ. instructors: MA in TEFL or CELTA/DELTA, three years' post-MA experience, high degree of flexibility and tolerance for ambiguity, ability to make "very dry materials come to life," easygoing nature with sense of humor in a very difficult and changing teaching environment, on and on...and the benefits are...

Salary of $3000 (Dh.11,000) and shared accommodation.

[scrog_420]

The pay is crap especially when we veterans know exactly why they place such a premium on a "tolerance for ambiguity" and having an "easygoing nature with sense of humor in a very difficult and changing teaching environment": The program is a total screwed up mess, and they don't want people who are going to bitch and complain about it.

[BrownSauce]

Jeez, that's a mighty awful salary to offer - so I guess they're looking for the barrel-scrapings to shovel into a classroom and keep the lid on things (apologies for mixed-metaphors there - it's still early morning here!).

Actually, I hadn't heard any bad news about ADU for a few years or so, and I presumed that things had improved. Perhaps I was wrong.

$3000 a month is less than I got when I first started working in the UAE - almost a decade ago! As for the shared accom. - I guess they're looking for youngsters or elderly divorcees. But I can't really imagine that anybody with an MA and, say, five years+ of experience would want to go for that salary - OR share an apartment.

[Tom Le Seelleur]

They want someone with an MA+3 years experience to stop new graduates straight out of school who haven't got a clue about how to teach because the MA was usually completely theoretical and had no practical element. (British)

The requirement for a CELTA/Delta will be more relevant so that they get less'academic' applications and more applications from applicants who can 'teach' as well as not expecting the earth. This is a good gig for someone starting out (single or married couple without kids) and getting experience before moving on. We know that VS and others could not lower themselves to share accommodation but to most it is quite a normal thing for anyone not married living in the city who do not own their own home.

I know for a fact that the programme has moved on considerably, has excellent management and a decent set of teachers.

[ardiles81]

Nice effort Tom. How much did they pay you for that???

[veiledsentiments]

I agree that the program itself must have improved as we haven't had anyone here posting long rants as we had for its first few years. Then it went through the phase of offering 3, 6, 9 or 12 month contracts which was indicative of not being able to keep people. That was definitely a one-of-a-kind situation for any institution that called itself a university in the Gulf. They certainly have a fancy new campus.

So, I agree with Tom that it is probably fine for that first job in the Gulf while your CV is still pretty slim, and probably a good place to get experience to move on to one of the other tertiary institutions in the area that offer a higher salary and more professionally acceptable benefit packages.

I can't imagine anyone out of their 20s who would consider sharing... but that's JMHO... I wouldn't even have considered sharing at that age.

VS

[Sheikh N Bake]

1986-88 My first TEFL job was with only teaching assistantship experience, i.e., part-time. It was with a US univ campus in Malaysia and paid $3000 plus free housing that was not shared--even the single lecturers had big houses to themselves.

1988-92 Two univ jobs in Japan paid me $3400 (Dh 12,500) + housing and $4500 (Dh. 16,500) respectively. The last one was without housing but my rent was only $600.

1992-96 Making SR 13,000 again + the usual in Saudi. But good heavens, that was 15 years ago.

Remember our friends the subject of this thread demand not only the MA or CELTA but also three years' full-time experience. That means they hire professionals, not school leavers. The three-year requirement is for everyone, if I read their listing correctly, not justMA people. So I am underwhelmed by the Dh 11,000 offer.

The notion that CELTA is better than an MA and that only practical school-teacher backgrounds are optimal is anti-intellectual to say the least. Personally I am convinced that the MA serves us best in the long run and better prepares us to meet the intellectual demands of a wide variety of EFL students, even on the graduate level--not just 18-year-old muttonheads.

[chanchanhae]

Even Arab expat teachers in the UAE government schools are making more than that. Their hiring outcome is clear and they will end up hiring ........ (Complete the sentence the way you like it as I cannot find suitable words)

[7168Riyadh]

I read that ad too, and thought "*beep* off!" But have you noticed how many recruiters are advertising, and dropping the salary every time.

Interesting historical comparison of salaries. Clearly, I'm in the wrong "profession"

And yes, a CELTA is nothing accept a pseudo license to teach.

[doner]

But sadly although an MA does serve you better in the long run nothing makes much difference with the dross you have to try and teach.

[7168Riyadh]

"...nothing makes much difference with the dross you have to try and teach."

work with, do you mean?

[Le Petit Prince]

It makes me wonder just how long the EFL Gravy Train will last. The salaries and benefits in the Gulf seem to stay stagnant at best.
My own plan is to go away and finish a TEFL MA... then teach in Eastern Europe or South America for a couple years.
I'd like to come back to a civilized part of the Gulf (ie not Saudi), and find a decent, well-paying EFL position with benefits and housing. Just hope there are still a few jobs like that in 2014.

[scrog_420]

[D. Merit]

[quote="scrog_420"]

[PattyFlipper]

[quote="scrog_420"]