Job Discussion Forums

AwfulPersimmon · Joined: 26 Jun 2012 Posts: 2

Hi,

Is it worth pursuing a job in Saudi Arabia with the goal of gaining a foundation in Arabic?

My goal is a job with the US Department of State. I don't anticipate being competitive for Foreign Service with my present language abilities, and I'm currently working in a field unrelated to either ESL or government. With that said, I've registered for the test, I'm studying Mandarin for 15+ hours per week, and I'm applying for government jobs. Depending on your feedback, I might expand my job search to include ESL jobs.

I enjoyed teaching ESL enough to do it on a volunteer basis after returning from Korea. I'm a decent teacher and I put a lot of time into lesson planning, but I only have two years worth of experience. I realize that I'm probably not competitive for high-level jobs. On the other hand, I don't mind working long hours or split shifts if the pay is ME standard and timely. I have a BA in English from a reputable college. I'm American. I'm 26. I'm not a criminal and my records reflect as much. I'm single. I wouldn't mind earning a CELTA.

So what do you think? Should I pursue jobs in SA (I chose SA because it seems like the entry point for ESL teachers in the Middle East, but that's just because of what I've read here- feel free to correct me), or should I continue to study with a tutor while attempting to convince the the Feds that they should assimilate me?

Be brutal, and remember that it's always an option for me to set up shop in China and bunker down with Hanzi to achieve a similar goal.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

Your exposure to Arabic will be limited. Foreigners live in ghettoised communities whwere they use other langauges, including English to ciommunicate.

johnslat · Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 4:19 pm Post subject:

Dear AwfulPersimmon (now THAT's quite a user-name),

Why Saudi? WIth only a BA and 2 years experience, it's virtually certain that any job you might get in the Kingdom will be the pits. And in Saudi, if you hate/dislike your job, there's not much else to help make up for that.

Why not try Oman?

Regards,
John

AwfulPersimmon · Joined: 26 Jun 2012 Posts: 2

Scot,

Thanks for the insight. I had read and suspected as much.

John,

That's something to look into. Thanks.

shebab · Joined: 17 Sep 2003 Posts: 168

I had a basic foundation of standard Arabic writing, reading and grammar before going to Saudi. This is useless for communicating with "regular" people, but good for reading signs and watching news headlines.

Once in Saudi, I taught myself how to type in Arabic and read entire series of children's picture books purchased from Jareer Bookstore, complemented with an Arabic English dictionary. However, I did this more as a hobby than anything else.

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

In the past, I would have suggested that you head for Cairo or Damascus to learn and polish your Arabic. But, I presume that you have been watching the news and realize that this isn't a good time in either place for foreigners.

As for learning Arabic in the Gulf, it takes a great deal of effort to break into the culture and with your lack of credentials, very few decent jobs available. Your credentials or rather lack thereof would even make it tough for you to get hired in Oman.

All things considered... I'd stick to Mandarin...

VS