Job Discussion Forums

[wwwordsmith]

Newbie seeking advice.

Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia? Relatively safe these days or insanely dangerous? Decent working conditions and pay, if safe? I realize these countries are in Africa, of course (and I've posted this question at that forum) but it seems reasonable to me that some Middle East vets might be aware of the situation in these lands.

Also, I know that Celta and Trinity, are a couple of the better teaching certificates to have. But what if I have a 140-hour i-to-i certificate with just 20 hours face to face in-class training; a business English specialist certificate from same; my bachelor�s in journalism; 10 years experience as a freelance writer/editor; and three years experience teaching ESL in the U.S.? I�m a native English speaker from the U.S. I�m in my mid-50s. Considering all this, am I in a good position without one of the upper-tier TEFL certificates?

Thanks in advance for your consideration with this.

[veiledsentiments]

Ah... only one of my fellow Americans would have the bizarre misconception that Morocco or Tunisia are now or were ever "insanely dangerous." Turn off Fox News right now!! As a general rule the only places in the Middle East that are insanely dangerous are those where we have invaded... unless, of course you are referring to the traffic.

Algeria seems to still be a bit unsettled, so I wouldn't recommend a newbie to this part of the world to head there.

I would suggest looking at Morocco. There are a number of good employers there... language schools with US ties like the American Language Centers and AMIDEAST... and likely others that I don't know the names. There is work, but you will likely have to hustle and teach at a few different places... do some private lessons. Foreign hire contracts with housing and benefits are very rare. I wouldn't head there with empty pockets as you may have to stake yourself for the first... maybe 6 months. (knowledge of French will also be helpful). I have friends who have been teaching in Morocco for years and love it.

Tunisia is smaller and I hear that it is much more expensive to live. I know that AMIDEAST has a branch there.

You might check out the AMIDEAST website and see what it says.

VS

[007]

[wwwordsmith]

...for the input. OK - maybe the use of "insanely" was excessive but anyplace that has an Al-Qaeda presence or terrorist episodes, as every one of these countries has, is dangerous territory in my book and something to consider carefully. Morocco sounds interesting but then again, I'm not going anywhere if it seems likely I'll need a six-month pot of money.

[veiledsentiments]

"Al-Qaeda" and various other terrorists of many religions are also in the US, Canada, and the EU... so best jump into your closet forever. I recall a government building in OK exploding and killing lots of people.

But it is sensible to never move to any foreign country where you don't speak the language, have family or close friends, or a guaranteed well-paying job without a financial cushion. Common sense... With luck, you add to it rather than have to use it.

VS

[posh]

I'm in Saudi and last summer did a road trip in the USA during summer vacation. When I went back to the UK before heading back to Sand Land the friend I was staying with asked me which country I thought was more dangerous, Saudi or America. America was my immediate answer. In Saudi all I worry about is getting run over.

[veiledsentiments]

[holoholo girl]

OP I advise you to stay out of Tunisia for a while. There has been over a month of unrest here. The dictator just fled the country a few days ago, and it is still kaos here.

[veiledsentiments]

[holoholo girl]

Haha thanks for that VS, I must have confused my childhood days watching 'Get Smart' and KAOS. lol. Anyway, school has been closed since last week. I assume it will probably stay closed all this week. We have curfews from 6pm-7am right now. Depending on what is going on in which part of the city, shops are open and doing business, but it is quite volatile here. People are trying to feel 'normal' but it is very tense with flare-ups still. Last Thursday my friend, another American teacher, was shot by the police forces of the ex-president, who fled the country a few days ago. I can say that when not in the middle of a revolution, Tunisia is a beautiful country.

[veiledsentiments]

Scary stuff. I was in Cairo during the "riot police" riots in the 80s, and it can be a bit nervewracking when you don't speak enough Arabic to understand the news... this was pre-internet and sat TV. You have to count on your employers and friends to let you know if and when work starts again... and/or curfew times. We kept those landline phones busy for a few days!! Fortunately that incident stopped as quickly as it started..

I suspect it will take longer for Tunisia to quiet... years of pent up frustrations have been allowed free rein and stopping it is not as easy as starting.

Stay safe!!

VS

[scot47]

Nowhere is stable in this region. Whether there is any danger to you personally is something that is very difficult to predict. If you are nervous, don't come !

[basiltherat]

Libya;

Rumour (for what it's worth) has it that the under-priviliged are being/have been handed an apartment for free and/or offered financial 'loans' with no strings attached.

It's not like the country's short of deniero.

If true, I don't think there'll be any protests here ..... at least, not in the short term.

The general seems to have pretty much nipped such an event as occurred next door in the bud.

Best
Basil

[veiledsentiments]

It is more likely to happen in those countries that have no oil money to buy complacency... Egypt... Syria...

VS

(What language is deniero? ...like the Spanish dinero? )

[basiltherat]