You just need to be very careful about who you would work for (as you would in any country). Dave’s ESL Cafe is a wonderful resource for finding out information about employers:
I would definitely recommend getting your CELTA if you want to work in the UAE, or even better, a Masters in TESOL or Applied Linguistics. Coming here without any quals would be the equivalent of going to Taiwan without a degree. You have a much greater potential of being taken advantage of by employers…and believe me, they will. I also don’t know if the MOE would allow employment visas to be processed without qualifications. Best of luck to you if you make the move!!!
My wife is cursed with finishing the non-native speaker TESOL degree. I’m about halfway through a liteature degree. That’s why I said I’ll stay put until I’m finished. The comprehensives and dissertation are killer. I came here specifically because of the vacation.
Believe it or not, in a lot of ways, I’m loving Taiwan. My surreal life sort of reminds me of MASH, and, unless there’s a problem, I’m usually left unsupervised. It’s funny, I showed most of this movie called tonight called “Edipo Re”. I usually showed it in the US and considered it avant garde at best/completely screwed up at worst. Tonight, when I watched it, it really struck me as Oriental. I’m guessing that in the UAE, I’d probably be over-supervised instead of under-. . .
There’s also the fact that 50%-60% of the women here are very pretty, and I love the legs and short-shorts. I’m guessing that wouldn’t fly in the gulf states either.
Thanks for the resources–it’s certainly a thought. The money sounds great. I know I’ll choose somewhere I can be comfortable with my wife, whether it’s in the US, Taiwan, or someplace else. . .
S.guy, your wife would be out of luck finding work in her field here…you will both be much better off in Taiwan if she wants to teach English. And, if you like to gawk at Taiwanese legs, you will definitely be better off there!!! Good luck!
This is probably one of those late-night wandering thoughts that I will think is silly in the morning, but considering the cost of higher education, does it really make much of a difference in the end? I’ve been teaching English for nine years already with no formal university teacher’s training. I started looking into grad school options in the U.S. the other night, and, after looking at the tuition fees, I started wondering if it might not be better to just hire people who already had degrees to help me put my dream school together. Not to mention the fact that I would be putting myself in a very frugal living position for at least another 5 years to get the Ph.D. I was shooting for!
Realistically speaking, how long before all those higher credentials put you back in the black financially? And, if you factor in the money spent and potential earnings lost while in school–are you really better off in the end?
This is probably one of those late-night wandering thoughts that I will think is silly in the morning, but considering the cost of higher education, does it really make much of a difference in the end? I’ve been teaching English for nine years already with no formal university teacher’s training. I started looking into grad school options in the U.S. the other night, and, after looking at the tuition fees, I started wondering if it might not be better to just hire people who already had degrees to help me put my dream school together. Not to mention the fact that I would be putting myself in a very frugal living position for at least another 5 years to get the Ph.D. I was shooting for!
Realistically speaking, how long before all those higher credentials put you back in the black financially? And, if you factor in the money spent and potential earnings lost while in school–are you really better off in the end?[/quote]
Well, yes, I think so…but that’s because if I hadn’t gotten my Masters this past year, I would have been limited to teaching in Taiwan or Korea if I wanted to make decent money. If I look now at the amount of money I can make in the UAE coupled with the fact that I only teach 4 hours a day for 4 days a week with 3 months of paid holiday time and all of the other expat package perks, it was totally worth it to me…no question. Plus, I am gaining more professional work experience that will inevitably help me to get even better jobs in the future.
In Taiwan, I felt like I was treading water. I had developed as a teacher in many ways, had my CELTA, and was involved with some other more professional activities outside of my primary teaching job, but that was as far as I could have taken things I think. I made he decision that I needed to improve my qualifications in the field if I ever wanted to get out of Taiwan. Many people like living in Taiwan, and unfortunately, I was not one of them and I needed to get out.
My Masters took one year and tuition was about US$12,000. Yes, I lost a lot of money when you figure in lost wages and living expenses along with tuition, but for me, it was worth it. I knew I couldn’t move on to better positions and different countries that paid decent salaries without a higher degree.
So, it’s really up to you. Are you happy in Taiwan? Are you happy with the thought of living in a country like Taiwan for the rest of your working days? Do you enjoy your job there? If you answered “yes” to these questions, then no, getting a Masters or PhD wouldn’t be worth it.
I do agree that a PhD would be a waste for most people…the number of years it takes to complete and amount of wages lost aren’t worth the difference in salary you can make compared to having just a Masters. The only way I would have carried on with a PhD to boost myself professionally would have been if I had done it in my early 20’s.
Grad school’s a big commitment. If you go, try to keep it short and try to get an assistantship. If you make it all the way through and end up in a postion, it MIGHT be worth it. But, there’s a lot of bullshit.
The thing is, most universities won’t touch you without a Ph.D. It’s an accredation thing sometimes having to do with student-faculty ratio.
I had looked into jobs in the UAE and it is nearly impossible to get something with only bachelor’s degree. They pay top dollars so they can afford to be a very picky with hiring.
If you have teaching certs, then you will be okay. If you have a CELTA, you will have a lot of competition. If you have a TESOL, then it will be worthless in looking for a job there. At least, this is from my own experiences in looking for a job in the Middle East. Also they prefer families and couples over single teachers, especially female teachers.
My plan was to do the US alternative certification thing and after a few years, either going to the Middle East to teach in an international school or getting nationally certified. Of course, I have to leave Taiwan first to do any of those things and so far… well. Yeah.
[quote=“ImaniOU”]I had looked into jobs in the UAE and it is nearly impossible to get something with only bachelor’s degree. They pay top dollars so they can afford to be a very picky with hiring.
If you have teaching certs, then you will be okay. If you have a CELTA, you will have a lot of competition. If you have a TESOL, then it will be worthless in looking for a job there. At least, this is from my own experiences in looking for a job in the Middle East. Also they prefer families and couples over single teachers, especially female teachers.My plan was to do the US alternative certification thing and after a few years, either going to the Middle East to teach in an international school or getting nationally certified. Of course, I have to leave Taiwan first to do any of those things and so far… well. Yeah.[/quote]
You voiced many of my concerns. In all honesty, as a single female that hopes to not stay single forever, I wouldn’t consider staying in the UAE for any extended period of time. But, I wouldn’t mind staying for a little while if the earnings increase over Taiwan was significant. As it seems that I wouldn’t be able to do so without further study, I think I will just let this thought go.
I like travelling, but I’m getting to the age where I’m starting to think about settling down. And, I’d like to settle down in the U.S. Indiana’s idea of getting a shorter, cheaper degree is intriguing–and I’ve always wanted to go to Austrailia . But, does anyone know how acceptable a foreign degree is for teaching at the primary school level in the U.S.?
Schwaiguy, I appreciate your suggestion as well; I just don’t want to live in Pennsylvania. I’m thinking maybe California.
[quote=“Persephone”][quote=“ImaniOU”]
Schwaiguy, I appreciate your suggestion as well; I just don’t want to live in Pennsylvania. I’m thinking maybe California.[/quote][/quote]
Hey–not pushing a school. Just directing you to a one-year program I know of . . .
[quote=“Persephone”][quote=“ImaniOU”]I had looked into jobs in the UAE and it is nearly impossible to get something with only bachelor’s degree. They pay top dollars so they can afford to be a very picky with hiring.
If you have teaching certs, then you will be okay. If you have a CELTA, you will have a lot of competition. If you have a TESOL, then it will be worthless in looking for a job there. At least, this is from my own experiences in looking for a job in the Middle East. Also they prefer families and couples over single teachers, especially female teachers.My plan was to do the US alternative certification thing and after a few years, either going to the Middle East to teach in an international school or getting nationally certified. Of course, I have to leave Taiwan first to do any of those things and so far… well. Yeah.[/quote]
You voiced many of my concerns. In all honesty, as a single female that hopes to not stay single forever, I wouldn’t consider staying in the UAE for any extended period of time. But, I wouldn’t mind staying for a little while if the earnings increase over Taiwan was significant. As it seems that I wouldn’t be able to do so without further study, I think I will just let this thought go.
I like travelling, but I’m getting to the age where I’m starting to think about settling down. And, I’d like to settle down in the U.S. Indiana’s idea of getting a shorter, cheaper degree is intriguing–and I’ve always wanted to go to Austrailia . But, does anyone know how acceptable a foreign degree is for teaching at the primary school level in the U.S.?
Schwaiguy, I appreciate your suggestion as well; I just don’t want to live in Pennsylvania. I’m thinking maybe California.[/quote]
Hi Persephone, the singles scene is far better for foreign women here in the UAE than in Taiwan! Actually, it’s a bit like what they used to (or still do?) say about Alaska…the ratio of foreign men to foreign women is quite uneven (many more men than women). There have been nights when I’ve gone to the pub with my husband and I am one of only two or three other females (in a full pub). During the live rugby games I am usually the only one there. Even when with my husband, the men still leer…
I am sure that’s not what you are after, but I wanted to let you know that you certainly wouldn’t be lonely here!
About what is recognized…the US is tricky with teacher certification, and each state has their own regulations. If you plan on repatriating to the US for good, maybe it would be better to get your degree there. I am just guessing though.
IF you have a bachelor’s, you could look into alternative certification, especially with your teaching experience in Taiwan, although be warned, every program I looked into (two in Texas, one in Florida, and one in Arizona) all told me I’d be perfect for teaching ESL, which doing more of a “pull-out” kind of buxiban class (you know what I mean) is exactly why I do not want to teach here anymore. I want my own classroom with the same students five days a week, all day, where language is doing more than just covering the basics.
If you do go the alternative route, though, you are not likely going to end up in a prestigious, highly effective suburban school because, let’s face it, there aren’t many shortages in those schools. Anyways, it’s funny how my teaching friends (among other teachers) back home complain about the “teaching job shortage” when it’s actually just they are so picky. Then again, as Namahottie pointed out, the charter schools are also looking for teachers. I was reading about Ron Clark’s new school in this month’s issue of Instructor and it looked like a nice deal. But you have to be really dedicated to deal with most public school systems.
I was wondering, while reading the post from the person from Indiana, why Dubai gives teacher such a great package. Do you think it’s because of the war in Iraq, and they’re afraid they might lose talented teachers from the West? I don’t really know why, but that’s the first thing that comes to mind. I could be wrong. Dubai could have nothing to do with Iraq, and Iraq won’t mess with Dubai, because of international policies, etc. Can anyone inform this ignorant (but open) person? =P Thanks!
Maybe because, despite being a fountain of petro-dollars, the country is still a shit-hole with third-world mentalities.
[quote]DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Oct. 31 — Alexandre Robert, a French 15-year-old, was having a fine summer in this tourist paradise on the Persian Gulf. It was Bastille Day and he and a classmate had escaped the July heat at the beach for an air-conditioned arcade.
Just after sunset, Alex says he was rushing to meet his father for dinner when he bumped into an acquaintance, a 17-year-old, who said he and his cousin could drop Alex off at home.
There were, in fact, three Emirati men in the car, including a pair of former convicts ages 35 and 18, according to Alex. He says they drove him past his house and into a dark patch of desert, between a row of new villas and a power plant, took away his cellphone, threatened him with a knife and a club, and told him they would kill his family if he ever reported them.
Then they stripped off his pants and one by one sodomized him in the back seat of the car. They dumped Alex across from one of Dubai’s luxury hotel towers.
Alex and his family were about to learn that despite Dubai’s status as the Arab world’s paragon of modernity and wealth, and its well-earned reputation for protecting foreign investors, its criminal legal system remains a perilous gantlet when it comes to homosexuality and protection of foreigners.
The authorities not only discouraged Alex from pressing charges, he, his family and French diplomats say; they raised the possibility of charging him with criminal homosexual activity, and neglected for weeks to inform him or his parents that one of his attackers had tested H.I.V. positive while in prison four years earlier. . .[/quote] nytimes.com/2007/11/01/world … ref=slogin
Yes, rents are crazily expensive, but most employers pay for this anyway so it doesn’t affect most expats. Certainly schools and big companies pay for housing, or most expats wouldn’t stay.
It’s not expensive for anything else here, though. Things are cheaper than they are in Taiwan overall. I don’t live frugally by any means and am saving quite a bit of cash here.
The UAE has been paying teachers so well for ages…years and years and years, probably since the discovery of oil. It is a very wealthy country and it can afford to do so. It also demands a certain level of education for teachers here (i.e. a Masters and / or teaching certification), and so the salaries will naturally be higher than in Taiwan.
And no, it is not a backwards place. It may have some minor restrictions in some places, but overall this is not an issue. The article posted above could have happened anywhere, and I have certainly heard of a lot of f***ed up stuff happening in my home country and all over the world, too. Noplace is completely perfect, is it!
Plus, the government just announced that we are all getting a 25% raise in two months! Whoo hoo! :yay:
[quote=“Mother Theresa”][
Maybe because, despite being a fountain of petro-dollars, the country is still a shit-hole with third-world mentalities.[/quote]
How can you say the UAE is a shithole? Don’t you live in Taiwan???
Seriously, this is the cleanest and coolest looking place I have ever lived in. The architecture is out of this world, and the sheer wealth that goes in to things here is unbelievable. It’s also the cleanest place I have ever lived in and is very safe. The hotels, businesses, shopping centers, they are all something to see.
Of course, what is messed up is that the country was basically built on slave labour and continues this trend as we speak. That IS disturbing.
How did the infamous Kaohsiung David make NT 1500/hour, when every job I see pays 600-700?
Could an agent help me with that?
Schwaiguy[/quote]
The high point of my teaching in Taiwan so far was the NT1600 an hour special event day I did for the local junior high school. 3 hours of teaching about Halloween and 2 hours of pumpkin carving… how I got it? It’s really all about luck and guanxi. Usually these jobs aren’t advertised.
Good luck!
I’m thinking maybe California.