Despite the unstable political situation, there currently seems to be quite a lot of interest in working in the Middle East from people posting on the Thai teaching boards.? I spent an accumulated total of more than 16 years in the Middle East.? I have worked in Bahrain, UAE, Oman, Saudi and briefly in Qatar ? some of them more than once.? People often PM me for information, and so I have decided to share some of the information on this board.
Qualifications Required
Required qualifications and salary scales vary considerably according to the individual employer. Some appear to have lately reduced their requirements regarding qualifications and age range, in order to be able to fill positions.
To get one of the very best positions, for example at one of the universities in the Emirates (and I believe now also British Aerospace), you will generally need an MA in TEFLology, Linguistics or closely related discipline, plus at least a couple of years (post MA) experience. There are however many positions available for which only a bachelor's, TEFL certificate and one or two years experience would be required. The McEnglish schools will often settle for next to nothing in terms of qualifications and experience, though some (not all) Gulf governments have minimum requirements to obtain a work permit for a teacher.
More mature teachers are often preferred by Gulf employers, as they are seen as being more stable. Older teachers should therefore not have too much difficulty in finding a job. Previous experience in the Middle East is a definite plus, and will often get you short-listed for most positions for which you apply.
Salaries and Benefits
Salaries generally depend on individual employers rather than country, though Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman are often seen as paying a little lower in general. There are so many variables, that it is impossible for me to give a detailed analysis here. They can, for example, range from around US$90,000 a year with British Aerospace down to as little as US$1200 ? $1500 a month with some of the McEnglish language schools.
Be aware, that in the words of the immortal Bard, "All that glistens is not gold". Not all jobs in the Middle East are highly paid. Some positions may not pay a great deal more than you could potentially (emphasis on potentially) earn in Thailand. The difference being that they will usually give you a few other benefits to go with it, and you may not have to work anywhere near as hard.
Almost all employers provide free accommodation, annual air ticket and some kind of medical cover ? though in some cases this may be at the somewhat rough and ready government clinics and hospitals. Paid annual leave should be a minimum of a month. Any less and you should seriously consider whether you want the job. Some contracts may offer more, with eight weeks being the norm at most universities. The Labour Laws throughout most of the Gulf States generally require an employer to pay an end-of-service gratuity, which is usually about two weeks salary for every year worked. Some employers may offer one month salary or even more.
Many employers also offer children?s education allowances (usually for up to three children), but these may be ?capped? and might not cover all fees and expenses. Be aware that there is a growing trend among Gulf employers to either NOT cover children's education, or to employ single or childless teachers.? The British and American curriculum international schools are very expensive, though English medium Pakistani/Indian schools can provide a reasonable alternative for considerably less.? Local schools are not an option, and it is highly unlikely that your kids would be admitted anyway, unless perhaps you and they are Muslim.? Despite recent cut backs on schooling allowances , the Gulf can still be a good bet for teachers who are married with kids. Younger children tend to really enjoy the Gulf, though teens are often not quite so enamoured.
Married Status Contracts
In the Gulf (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, UAE), there is usually no problem at all in taking your wife along with you, provided you are legally married (and have certificates to prove it). She will be given a dependent's visa and in some states may even be able to work on this without any further red-tape - though they seem to be tightening up on this somewhat. Whether or not your family accompanies you is normally down to the individual employer.? Some contracts may specify 'bachelor' or 'unaccompanied' status only. This is particularly true of military and petroleum company jobs.? Saudi can also be a bit trickier, as the government imposes restrictions on accompanied status. These include a minimum salary which the husband must be earning, and a quota for organizations which employ large numbers of expats. For example, British Aerospace used to allow only 25% of staff to bring their families out at any one time, so there was a longish waiting list. Some of the military type contracts in other parts of the Gulf may have similar restrictions. Some Gulf employers may require you to successfully complete a probationary period (usually three months), before they will allow your family to join you.?
Whatever your employer may stipulate, unless you are employed as a teaching couple, it might be a good idea to defer the arrival of your spouse or family for three or four months until you are settled yourself.? The first few weeks can often be the most stressful as you try to battle your way through the seemingly interminable, yet often incredibly lethargic bureaucracy involved in getting established, whilst also trying to adapt to your new environment.? It will also be much easier to extricate yourself in the unlikely event that you discover that you really cannot tolerate your situation.? ?
Be aware that if your wife is Thai or other Asian, she may be harassed by the young local males or even some of the older expatriate Arabs from other Middle Eastern countries. They will assume that she is a housemaid, or worse a prostitute, and can make her life fairly unpleasant. White women are generally not bothered quite so much because it is known that they are often more assertive and less likely to put up with crap!? The level of harassment rarely goes beyond catcalls and verbal propositioning, and whilst it can be unpleasant, it should not be serious enough to prevent you from accepting a decent job if one is offered to you. Forewarned is forearmed, however.
In Saudi Arabia, post-pubescent female family members may have a much tougher time of it.? They are generally not allowed to drive or work (though teaching or nursing may be possible for those qualified), and a draconian ?dress-code? is rigidly enforced.? There are also restrictions on travel unless accompanied by a male family member.
Types of Job Available
Another benefit of the Middle East is that there are perhaps a greater variety of different types of TEFL jobs available when compared to, say, Europe and Asia. Few positions involve teaching kids - a distinct plus for many, but if this is your forte, you may not easily find what you are looking for.
The job types can generally be broken down into the following categories:-
Universities and Tertiary Institutions
Available, obviously, all across the Gulf. Pay scales vary enormously, but at many of them, the more qualifications and experience you have the higher your salary will be. The older-established places in the UAE generally pay the best, but competition can be fierce, with large numbers of highly qualified and experienced applicants applying for every position. Other places may not be so picky. It seems that KFUPM in Saudi is now only looking for a bachelor's + TEFL + experience. Same for the University of Bahrain and some of the private universities in Oman. You will save a lot more money in Saudi, but Bahrain and Oman offer a much better lifestyle - always a trade-off in the Gulf.? Exercise due care and attention. There are new universities springing up all the time - particularly in Oman and the UAE. Some of these have "teething problems" at best and at worst are absolute cowboys. Affiliation with a Western country or institution is absolutely no guarantee that they are a good employer.
Military Institutions
The ?merchants of death ? contracts are mostly in Saudi, and generally pay extremely well. Employers include British Aerospace (BAe) (who claim they will now employ Americans, but in actuality seem to employ few, if any), Raytheon and SALTS/TINS (All in Saudi) and the Royal Omani Air Force (salaries at the lowish end of the scale). With the exception of BAe, most of them require only a BA, TEFL and a couple of years? experience.? Accommodation may not be as good as that provided by civilian employers ? think ?officers mess? style on some military type camp. The students can be horrendous. Low grade, uneducated, unmotivated, and in worst case, serious discipline problems with little or no support from the administration. Not always, but often enough to be a major concern resulting in a high-turnover of teachers. You may also have to put up with an inordinate amount of military-style bullshit, both from the locals and the expat supervisors. May not be very pleasant, and certainly not everyone?s cup of tea.
In Company Training
Fewer positions now available, due in part to a lot of the work being contracted out. The main employers are ARAMCO in Saudi, Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, and one or two other petroleum companies across the region. Salaries range from medium to high. Required qualifications would normally be bachelor?s, TEFL and a couple of years experience. Anything above that would be a plus, and increase your chances of being hired. A word of caution about ARAMCO. Direct hire with them is one of the best packages around, with perhaps only BAe being better. There are however a number of very dodgy sub-contractors also providing them with teachers. The salaries and conditions these sub-contractors offer are nowhere near as good as a direct-hire contract, but direct-hire is becoming increasingly difficult to get. There are a couple of decent sub-contractors, but generally contractors offer working conditions which are far less tolerable. They only advantage is that they are not so picky about qualifications and experience, and it is often much easier to get hired (white face and a pulse a la Thailand).
Government School System and Private Schools
As far as I am aware, there are very few positions available in the government primary or secondary schools. Most of the Gulf states employ large numbers of male expatriate English teachers, due to lack of interest in teaching by their own male nationals.? However, the overwhelming majority of these expat teachers are from poorer Arab states such as Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan and Palestine.? They may be willing to employ Westerners, but jobs are never advertised internationally, and contracts would probably be local hire. Two or three years ago, the UAE did have a scheme to place Westerners in their state schools, but this was appallingly administered and there were lots of horror stories floating around. The scheme appeared to have fizzled, but Abu Dhabi has recently re-initiated a campaign to recruit expats for its schools.? Recruitment is through the UAE University and the Centre for British Teachers (CfBT).? They seem to be offering a decent package, but I would anticipate LOTS of teething problems!
There are, of course, the usual array of (generally excellent) International and British or American curriculum schools around. Their recruitment policies are the same as anywhere else ? qualified and highly-experienced teacher in your own country. If you meet their requirements and enjoy this kind of teaching, the remuneration and benefits package will be superlative. There are also a few other private schools, (roughly equivalent to the Thai style ?international? or ?bi-lingual? schools) who recruit from time-to-time. They seem to be something of a mixed-bag, with some being OK and others being pretty awful. Caveat emptor.
Private Language Schools
Something of an increasing phenomenon in the Gulf, with a number of the McEnglish outfits selling franchises there. Until quite recently, there were only a handful of locally-owned private language schools, together with cultural/teaching organizations like the British Council, and most used part-time teachers from other places to teach the majority of their classes. My advice would be to avoid most of them like the plague, unless you are absolutely desperate or just want a year?s experience in the Middle East as a stepping-stone to something better.? The salaries are usually abysmal, the work load horrendous and their employee-relations make the average Korean or Thai-Chinese school owner look like Mother Theresa.
Private Students
Not many expat teachers bother with these, though they are certainly there if you want them. The usual caveats, difficulties and advantages associated with private students anywhere in the world apply. It is extremely unlikely that you would be able to make a living exclusively from private tuition, due to visa and sponsorship restrictions.
Topic: Teaching in the Middle East (Read 5450 times)