Comments on: Teaching in the Middle East – for Good Money! http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/teaching-in-the-middle-east-for-good-money/ 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/teaching-in-the-middle-east-for-good-money/comment-page-1/#comment-175 Ted Mon, 22 Mar 2010 03:49:50 +0000 http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/?p=414#comment-175 Good comments, thank you! Having spent over twenty years abroad, I would tend to disagree about the behavior of students in the classroom in Saudi Arabia. After teaching in four other countries at a variety of levels, I found the students in the KSA to be disruptive, immature, sometimes even infantile. And I am talking about the ADULT students. However, once a teacher implements very strict control things do work very well. But not every teacher is able to master that and I saw more than a few wilt under the pressure. I agree that wages are not now what they were perhaps 20 years ago. But when everything is provided and even your electric bill is heavily subsidized, you have almost nothing to spend money on except food. My point was not - and never is - making a lot of money. It was SAVING money. The Middle East still provides an opportunity for teachers to save MORE than they could just about anywhere else. Ted Good comments, thank you!
Having spent over twenty years abroad, I would tend to disagree about the behavior of students in the classroom in Saudi Arabia. After teaching in four other countries at a variety of levels, I found the students in the KSA to be disruptive, immature, sometimes even infantile. And I am talking about the ADULT students. However, once a teacher implements very strict control things do work very well. But not every teacher is able to master that and I saw more than a few wilt under the pressure.
I agree that wages are not now what they were perhaps 20 years ago. But when everything is provided and even your electric bill is heavily subsidized, you have almost nothing to spend money on except food. My point was not – and never is – making a lot of money. It was SAVING money. The Middle East still provides an opportunity for teachers to save MORE than they could just about anywhere else.
Ted

]]> By: TeddyBOYS http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/teaching-in-the-middle-east-for-good-money/comment-page-1/#comment-174 TeddyBOYS Sun, 21 Mar 2010 23:58:37 +0000 http://www.teflteachertraining.com/blog/?p=414#comment-174 Dear Ted, Appreciating the fact that you have been out there for five years and so at least have spoken from a position of some experiance, i still find your comments blindingly one sided. I would say that in my experiance which is a tad more than your own, white westerners are pretty much treated with kid gloves and given lots of reasons to choose to stay and work in KSA. Firstly they will with any decent employer be generally housed with other westerners or if not within a compound at the high end contracts. They will generally be paid much more than anyone else even darker Muslim westerners with a similar CV. they will in public mostly be granted the greatest levels of hospitality and manners generally veiwed as they are as guests in the country and in need of Guidence to Islam, thus to be treated extremely kindly. As for teaching then no doubt anyone teaching Saudi children in a classroom then they will have some discipline issues but non more than else where at this level. Really for those with a BA and CELTA and at least the skin to win then they should not be going to teach in a school anyway. The many contractors ovr there that have training contracts with major businesses and Unis and colleges means you can avoid that sector altogether. Further to add and this is true throughout the GULF the big issue for us from the west (don't know about it being chritsian these days) is teh Kafeel or your sponser - basically he invests to bring you and is responsible and so they have extrondinary rights when it comes to you place of work and also what you can go at teh end of the initial contract. Mostly either you sign on with them again or its see ya !! and you leave on that return flight home. Freedom of movement in tehemployment sector is non exsistant really for guest workers. This is the issue to bear in mind and so choose well. Basically anyone who is either thinking that they can have a western lifestyle the same as in London or new york should think again but in major cities its easy enough to have a fairly liberal life as long as you confine those activities against the law to your own home. But then again that goes for London too right REMEMBER Islam is not just the religion in KSA it formulates the Laws and all who reside their are expected to abide by those laws just as you are expected to abide by the laws in teh country you are from. The difference only is that as a non muslim some will not apply to you, such as having to attend to your daily prayers and fasting in ramadhan. the Money in KSA is no longer great so make sure that your changes in your lifestyle are worth what you will be getting cos if not then go elsewhere and have the life you want with just a little less cash in your sky rocket ! Dear Ted,

Appreciating the fact that you have been out there for five years and so at least have spoken from a position of some experiance, i still find your comments blindingly one sided.

I would say that in my experiance which is a tad more than your own, white westerners are pretty much treated with kid gloves and given lots of reasons to choose to stay and work in KSA. Firstly they will with any decent employer be generally housed with other westerners or if not within a compound at the high end contracts. They will generally be paid much more than anyone else even darker Muslim westerners with a similar CV. they will in public mostly be granted the greatest levels of hospitality and manners generally veiwed as they are as guests in the country and in need of Guidence to Islam, thus to be treated extremely kindly.

As for teaching then no doubt anyone teaching Saudi children in a classroom then they will have some discipline issues but non more than else where at this level. Really for those with a BA and CELTA and at least the skin to win then they should not be going to teach in a school anyway. The many contractors ovr there that have training contracts with major businesses and Unis and colleges means you can avoid that sector altogether. Further to add and this is true throughout the GULF the big issue for us from the west (don’t know about it being chritsian these days) is teh Kafeel or your sponser – basically he invests to bring you and is responsible and so they have extrondinary rights when it comes to you place of work and also what you can go at teh end of the initial contract. Mostly either you sign on with them again or its see ya !! and you leave on that return flight home. Freedom of movement in tehemployment sector is non exsistant really for guest workers. This is the issue to bear in mind and so choose well.

Basically anyone who is either thinking that they can have a western lifestyle the same as in London or new york should think again but in major cities its easy enough to have a fairly liberal life as long as you confine those activities against the law to your own home. But then again that goes for London too right

REMEMBER Islam is not just the religion in KSA it formulates the Laws and all who reside their are expected to abide by those laws just as you are expected to abide by the laws in teh country you are from. The difference only is that as a non muslim some will not apply to you, such as having to attend to your daily prayers and fasting in ramadhan.

the Money in KSA is no longer great so make sure that your changes in your lifestyle are worth what you will be getting cos if not then go elsewhere and have the life you want with just a little less cash in your sky rocket !

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