Hi,


Here is the problem :
I have a friend who is 56 and has a dependent.
This friend wants to teach overseas (UAE or Saudi) but I have told this person that,
given that the current overseas teaching market is saturated with candidates and that the employers have tons of candidates to choose from,
it will be hard for them to be hired.
I have also tried to explain that employers prefer to hire a single teacher who has less experience so they can pay lower teacher salaries and that as this friend has a dependent it will be more costly for the employer (and thus not worth it for the school) versus a teacher w/no
dependents.
Finally, I have also tried to explain to this person that as they are 56, it will be hard to find a position as most schools in the Gulf have a retirement age of 55-58 years old.

Am I giving this person the correct advice ?

If I am , how can I break it down ( the reality) of the current overseas teaching market to them gently ?

If I am wrong, what advice can I give to this person about getting hired ?

I keep seeing this term "hagwon" being used in terms of some schools in Korea.

What is a hagwon ?

Anyone teaching in Jeddah ?

How's the social life there ?
I am told it is the "most liberal" city in all of Saudi Arabia (for whatever that's worth !!) ?

Once again, I will appreciate both good and bad experiences
from anyone whose lived there or is currently teaching there....

Just wondering what Kuwait's social life is like ?

I know most people tend to avoid teaching there but I have also read it's
a good place to be because of salary/benefits and its location is ideal for traveling to SE Asia on the holidays as plane tickets are cheap ?

Any experiences (good or bad) is welcome) !

Being Hispanic will not make it harder for you in CAS
but you need to be able to speak some French to haggle in
the souk over prices.
The American school is well-resourced but your students
come from very elite families so you'll have to be careful
how you grade etc....(power and money =influence)
If you want a pretty good idea about schools in Casablanca
read the reviews on ISR.
Also, www.tieonline.com will give you an idea of salary, housing etc....
Housing is clean and salaries depend on experience.
Meals, taxis, malls etc... all depend on your lifestyle.
Casablanca is often romanticized but the reality is that this is a big,
polluted city.....Best of luck to you.

I would like to know if anyone has any information about Sohar ?

Is the cost of living reasonable ?
Does anyone has any info./experiences regarding living there ?
Thanks.

I would like to know what it is like to teach/live there ?
Somehow, I have a feeling it is not as bad as my creative imagination
deems it to be !
Please help....

Oops...wrong area to post my question.

Casablanca is a big city that has lots of traffic and pollution.
Many people have a romantic notion of this place.
Apartments are hit or miss.
The school will not pay you much yet they will expect lots from you.
Meetings and more meetings...
You need to decide...if the salary they give you is worth it.

[quote="AnnieT"]I suggest that you join the paysite side of ISR. You will find it is the best money you ever spent.

Annie[/quote]

_________________________________________________

I am a member of ISR but I always find that it is useful to get a teacher's opinion that is working there right now.
I am especially interested in the cost of living ?
Anybody else care to share ?

Hi,
This school is located in Seoul.
Anyone know more accurate info. about this school ?
What about the cost of living in Seoul ?
I find the medical insurance and the way the plane tickets are paid to be of great concern ?
__________________________________________________________



Salary:
Starting: 35,000 USD Up to: 45,000 USD (Tax Free Salary)
Benefits:
Severance pay for the completion of contract
In case of renewal of contract, increase in salary
Work Days: 192 work days (182 school days)
Work Hours: 08:30 a.m. – 16:30 p.m.
Insurance: 50% of Korean National Health Insurance is paid by school
Transportation: Reimbursement for Start/End round-trip airfare
Housing: 700 USD
For Single housing up to 700 USD
For Married Couple housing up to 900 USD
For Married Couple with children up to 1000 USD
Prof. Development: 400 USD / year
Lunch: Provided
Sick Leaves: Total 3 sick leaves a year
Unused sick leaves are reimbursed
Personal Days: 2 personal days (1 paid, 1 unpaid)
Faculty Support: Professional team supporting staff in both work and housing related issues

I have about 7 to 8 years of teaching experience.
What is considered a fair salary with that experience in Bahrain ?

Is the cost of living there high or low ?
Thanks!

Example:

$ 23,000 - $39,000 (but there may be a 1% tax ?)
Benefits:
School Provided Transportation
Fully Furnished Flat
Utilities Covered by the School
Medical Insurance
One Time Baggage Allowance of $400
One Time Settling In Allowance of $400
Marital Allowance
Social Allowance
Annual Flights
Professional Development Opportunities

***Before reading this, please note this is just my experience (although I have heard of others who have been treated badly and the ones that manage to stick around keep a low profile until they finish their contract and can move to a better school) :


First of all, none of the poorly managed international schools have anything to do with the current financial meltdown all over the world.
Also, if you think the educational system is bad
in the UK, USA, Australia etc.... do not think that it will neccesarily be better overseas.
I have worked at a few international schools were I enjoyed my time because I like experiencing new cultures.
But I have also had to deal (at times) with very wealthy students whose parents hold very important positions in their country and feel entitled to the point that if they don't like a grade you've given to their child- they WILL get it changed by admin.That is just the way it is and I have learned to just deal with it.

(Also, most international schools serve the elite of the country and that can be good and bad. The school facilities are super, you have lots of resources,small class sizes and your benefits (salary,etc...)allow you to live a better quality of life than in your own country and even save money. But will you be able to deal with the sense of entitlement that comes from some of these parents/students ? Will you be able to deal with a rich yet badly run school ? OR the school serves the elite of the country but for some odd reason you have terrible benefits, housing, few classroom resources, big class sizes etc even though the school charges sky high yearly tuition. Can you deal with that ?)

In any case, I have worked in a few international schools that lacked integrity or had other problems.
For example, among these schools: one director did not follow all the benefits I was supposed to receive so what are you going to do once you have already moved to xyz country (and this was a school linked to one of those overseas U.S. State Department Schools!), I worked at another school were many teachers were bitter (partially due to admin treating them badly and also many of these teachers acted like spoiled brats) hence the working environment was toxic , and recently I signed a contract LAST year with a school only to have the Director break the contract even before I could start the job thus THIS year I have yet to find another overseas teaching job !
As you can imagine, these types of situations can get really tiring after awhile for the overseas teacher.
Finally, you ask about how accurate the ISR and TES reviews are: well I think most are worth taking into consideration.
The ISR forum is also a good resource.
In addition, you have to do your own homework.
Really- sit in front of your computer and spend hours using search engines like Google to find out what you can about the school. Sometimes I accidently find expat/parent forums where parents tell each other the pros/cons about a particular school. Or there are other forums that you can sometimes find that talk about the school and are very helpful in finding out about why a school is good or bad.

People often say in this forum that the worst schools to work for are those owned by a local rich businessman/family of that country because they are for-profit schools.
I have worked for the so-called non-profit and for-profit schools and I have found that Directors from the UK and the USA in overseas schools can be just as bad as the locally family owned ones.

Also be aware that when you work overseas in these international schools-even those with the best benefits,salaries,housing, etc....you
really have no legal rights if a Director decides to terminate your contract for ridiculous reasons or because "he felt like it" even if you were a spectacular teacher.

Why ? Because you are not in your country where the Director would never be able to get away with half as much as he does overseas.
In the end, teaching overseas has become (in my opinion) more and more risky because there seems to be an increase in the lack of integrity by admin when it comes to following contracts or/and possibly falling on a Director with awful leadership skills.
I also think that such recruiters such as ISS and SEARCH are not always honest about some of these schools they represent as I know some teachers have reported to them schools with poor admin repeatedly and SEARCH and ISS continues to allow these types of shady schools to recruit at their fairs.

In the end it feels like it's all about the money from the recruiter's side which is why after attending a recruiting fair by both organizations I NEVER used them again. I use TIE or find my teaching jobs overseas by myself.
Keep in mind also that when you attend these recruiting fairs some Directors will recruit you by seeming to be genuine, nice, etc... but when you arrive in the country the reality is totally different.

Also if you see a school that keeps re-recruiting for a position around this time of year (or all year long)-then it could very well be a sign that the school has issues.

Last but not least, it really feels like finding a teaching job overseas at a GOOD school is like playing Russian roullette these last few years which is why I may take a break from teaching overseas and instead find an overseas career in a totally different field.

Hope my personal experiences help.

mbovi=
Thanks for the information.
A $17,000 yearly salary seems like an insult.
Glad you found a better teaching job elsewhere!

Teacherguy-will be sending you an email via gmail tonight.