Living in Oman...ABA in particular

[skazzyskills]

I'm wondering if people have any insight into life in Oman. I've heard good things about Oman and we were looking at ABA. Some questions I have:

We're a family of 4, I've heard it's a good place for families. Do others have any perspective on this?

What is housing like? I've heard there are no compounds so housing is a BIG question for us (especially being family of 4 with 4 month old)

Can you get everything you need there (as far as shopping goes, electronics, food, restaurant variety: ie. sushi, asian cuisine, western..)

What are people's experience with internet speeds?

What about cell phone coverage? Is there 3G network there? Would I be able to use my iPhone?

With regards to ABA, does anybody know salary ranges? There's nothing on the review about salary (actually, I find people haven't put anything in this category in a lot of the school reviews). I wish reviews would be more specific with the numbers (ie. shipping allowance, housing etc.). This would be especially helpful.

Any input is appreciated!

Thanks!

[PsyGuy]

Most people dont post compensation packages because that information is available from other sources (such as the school profiles on Search). Compensation packages change year to year and even within the same year teachers may not get paid the same as other teachers in the same school (if the school has a "closed" salary system).

Second the reviews on this site are written not so much from the point of providing unbiased, comprehensive information, they are written mainly by teachers with bad experiences who want to vent about their frustrations.

[heyteach]

Friends with families seem to love it here. Omanis tend to have large families so kids are a real treasure.

My school rents apartments for us in various places; two bedroom flats are not easy to find (going back to the big families mentioned above). Some are brand new, some are older, all have shoddy construction and maintenance issues. ABA should be able to tell you about housing, whether they provide the apt. or an allowance (and you will need a minimum of 500-600 OR for something decent.

Because of the large ex-pat community, there are lots of imported items that make life quite pleasant (especially good European cheeses!). You can find most brand names here. Tons of restaurants, too, of every cuisine.

Wi-fi is a whole lot faster than the stupid flashdrive thingy I'm using now. Have been waiting weeks for wi-fi capability at apt.

Have an iPhone, it works; bought it here.

Search's Website, if you're registered, has all the info about their schools that you're asking about. I know nothing about ABA.

[skazzyskills]

Thanks for your input all! I hope there's a few more people who can chime in.

Cheers