Has anyone worked there and would go back?
Can a math teacher make money tutoring on the side to fill free time?
Thanks for any help.
Somebody Sell me On Saudi Arabia, particularly Jeddah
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Climberman
- Posts: 76
- Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2014 7:29 pm
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shadowjack
- Posts: 2140
- Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2012 9:49 am
Re: Somebody Sell me On Saudi Arabia, particularly Jeddah
If I were to go to Jeddah, my top school would be Conti, AKA the British International School. My bottom school would be Jeddah Prep. My only other choice, so my middle choice (in Jeddah itself) would be the American International School of Jeddah. I would likely not go to Jeddah Prep, leaving my two choices to be Conti or AISJ. I would not go to any other school in Jeddah.
Would I go back to the Kingdom at all? Yes, given the right position and school, I would. It is not as bad as all that - IF you are at a decent school.
just my two halalas,
shad
Would I go back to the Kingdom at all? Yes, given the right position and school, I would. It is not as bad as all that - IF you are at a decent school.
just my two halalas,
shad
Re: Somebody Sell me On Saudi Arabia, particularly Jeddah
I currently work in Saudi, although not Jeddah. We had been NGO workers in Africa (basically on our own) and then at a Tier 1 school in Beijing. We ended up in Saudi so my husband could transition back to teaching from 15+ years in admin. We knew Saudi would be difficult, but for us, it was much harder than we had thought. We make fantastic money, but things are expensive. The prayer times cut into everything, so it can be hard to get things done. On Fridays, basically nothing it open until after 4 (and then there are 2 prayer times that cut into the evening). Saturdays are better, but things close from 11 through 4. With no night life, no movies, and so much down time on the weekends, it can be a big adjustment to doing very little (and when the weather gets really hot, it's hard to do things in the middle of the day). Jeddah does have beaches--and private ones where you can be more relaxed and uncovered, so that's a plus.
The tension here among expats is elevated, esp. since there have been specific calls against international school teachers and the three big areas where we're concentrated (Jeddah, Riyadh, and Dhahran) have been named. I did not feel that last year, but I definitely do this year, which did contribute to the decision to look for work elsewhere. If you have an opportunity to interview, it would be helpful to speak to some teachers in your particular situation and get their take on things. Some people love it for the money and put up with the lifestyle, others don't. Where I'm at, if you have small children, it's a pretty sweet place. For us with teens, it's been more difficult.
The tension here among expats is elevated, esp. since there have been specific calls against international school teachers and the three big areas where we're concentrated (Jeddah, Riyadh, and Dhahran) have been named. I did not feel that last year, but I definitely do this year, which did contribute to the decision to look for work elsewhere. If you have an opportunity to interview, it would be helpful to speak to some teachers in your particular situation and get their take on things. Some people love it for the money and put up with the lifestyle, others don't. Where I'm at, if you have small children, it's a pretty sweet place. For us with teens, it's been more difficult.