Comments on: Teach English in the Middle East http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/teach-english-in-the-middle-east/ How to Teach English Thu, 26 Jan 2012 06:43:41 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Ted http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/teach-english-in-the-middle-east/comment-page-1/#comment-2350 Ted Sat, 21 May 2011 07:58:35 +0000 http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/?p=403#comment-2350 Hi Toni, I wrote a post about questions to ask a potential employer some time back and you can find it here: <a href="http://www.teflnewbie.com/your-first-job-abroad/" rel="nofollow">Questions to ask your TEFL Employer</a> I hope it helps! Ted Hi Toni,
I wrote a post about questions to ask a potential employer some time back and you can find it here: Questions to ask your TEFL Employer
I hope it helps!
Ted

]]> By: Toni http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/teach-english-in-the-middle-east/comment-page-1/#comment-2344 Toni Sat, 21 May 2011 06:54:50 +0000 http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/?p=403#comment-2344 Hi Ted, I have been teaching in Thailand ESL for 2 years. I am Australian and have 10 years teaching experience. I would like to know what questions I should ask my employer. Thank You Toni Hi Ted, I have been teaching in Thailand ESL for 2 years. I am Australian and have 10 years teaching experience. I would like to know what questions I should ask my employer.
Thank You Toni

]]> By: Ted http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/teach-english-in-the-middle-east/comment-page-1/#comment-171 Ted Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:44:03 +0000 http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/?p=403#comment-171 Hi Virginia, First, I am not really familiar in depth with the university you reference, but Jeddah is probably the preferred location in the KSA. Generally speaking the housing is very good for teachers at government schools, but you should ask to communicate with someone actually at the school. Housing is usually broken into married or "family" housing, single male housing and sometimes single females are housed in married housing and sometimes in their own setting. Find out from the school. They will not be surprised by such a question. You will be teaching females, so your experiences with students will be different from what mine was. The five years I was there though, my wife taught at the women's branch of the same school where I taught. I believe she would say that her students had a LOT of emotional problems as one might guess women would have in such a culture. Adult students can be not so much unruly as just very argumentative and can even have tantrums that would make a two-year proud. However, if you are a very firm and consistent disciplinarian, things can go very smoothly and you students WILL respect you. But you will have to earn it - I promise. But mostly it is up to you and how you manage your class. Go to the forums, maybe at Dave's ESL and ask about teaching in the KSA, but take it all with a grain of salt though. There is a lot of BS on most forums and unhappy people who got fired often populate them. Some teachers just can't survive the culture, the students or the school. If you go determined to survive your first year, you will find your second and later years MUCH easier. The KSA is a good place to save some serious money and to find out just how poorly our schools educated us in learning about that part of the world. You will be very very blown away. But it is a great life lesson. Good luck! Ted Hi Virginia,
First, I am not really familiar in depth with the university you reference, but Jeddah is probably the preferred location in the KSA. Generally speaking the housing is very good for teachers at government schools, but you should ask to communicate with someone actually at the school. Housing is usually broken into married or “family” housing, single male housing and sometimes single females are housed in married housing and sometimes in their own setting. Find out from the school. They will not be surprised by such a question.
You will be teaching females, so your experiences with students will be different from what mine was. The five years I was there though, my wife taught at the women’s branch of the same school where I taught. I believe she would say that her students had a LOT of emotional problems as one might guess women would have in such a culture. Adult students can be not so much unruly as just very argumentative and can even have tantrums that would make a two-year proud. However, if you are a very firm and consistent disciplinarian, things can go very smoothly and you students WILL respect you. But you will have to earn it – I promise. But mostly it is up to you and how you manage your class. Go to the forums, maybe at Dave’s ESL and ask about teaching in the KSA, but take it all with a grain of salt though. There is a lot of BS on most forums and unhappy people who got fired often populate them. Some teachers just can’t survive the culture, the students or the school. If you go determined to survive your first year, you will find your second and later years MUCH easier.
The KSA is a good place to save some serious money and to find out just how poorly our schools educated us in learning about that part of the world. You will be very very blown away. But it is a great life lesson.
Good luck!
Ted

]]> By: Virginia http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/teach-english-in-the-middle-east/comment-page-1/#comment-170 Virginia Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:03:52 +0000 http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/?p=403#comment-170 Hi Ted, I appreciate your honest remarks concerning your time teaching at the university in Saudi Arabia. I have been offered an Associate Professor positon as English Instructor for King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences--College of Medicine. I'm wondering if you are familiar with it? I believe I will be teaching at the Jeddah campus. Can you share what your experiences were with the housing? Is it adequate? Also you mentioned the high school students being unruly, but I'm wondering what the demeanor of the university students is? Thanks for this blog--it is a real service to others..! Best, Virginia Hi Ted,

I appreciate your honest remarks concerning your time teaching at the university in Saudi Arabia. I have been offered an Associate Professor positon as English Instructor for King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences–College of Medicine. I’m wondering if you are familiar with it? I believe I will be teaching at the Jeddah campus. Can you share what your experiences were with the housing? Is it adequate? Also you mentioned the high school students being unruly, but I’m wondering what the demeanor of the university students is? Thanks for this blog–it is a real service to others..!
Best, Virginia

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