The International Schools Review Forum

Oman is great. Women have full rights and privileges. The Omanis are very tolerant and friendly but as a show of respect for local culture you should dress conservatively (no bare knees, shoulders, cleavage).

Well with your experience, especially the college advising experience, dont sell yourself short. Forget the middle east (or the tier 3 schools), you can do a lot better. Asia would just as easily take you, and I wouldnt rule out a tier one school either. Counseling isnt the same as teaching, IB experience isnt as critical. Why live in a desert, and deal with islamic rules which as a single woman i can see there being "issues" at some point?

As for your dog, I use to have the belief that it was a globally bad idea, because I only heard horror stories. Recently Ive heard (from this forum) that many people have painless experiences. It depends on the country your going to as far as importation, quarantine requirements, etc (many countries have breed restrictions). Also, remember that a pet may limit your housing options, especially if your provided housing and they dont permit pets.

I hear the same about Jordan as was posted here for Oman. PsyGuy has negative views of the ME but there are overseas educators who only stay in the Middle East - they like the NESA region and enjoy being so close to Europe and in the midst of history.

Hi, I can't comment too much about the Middle East area, but I can tell you that I brought my dog with me from the US to Eastern Europe. In my interview I asked about the logistics of bringing her and would that be okay. They even did some searches online and checked to be sure that the school/housing would be fine with it. So if bringing your dog is important- do the research and don't hesitate to ask about it. Also, it does take about 6 months to be sure everything is in order to take pets to some countries- so as soon as you know, get started on the paperwork (especially the rabies vaccine). But as a single person, having my dog with me makes it so much easier- it gets you out and about and interacting with people (it seems nobody can resist coming up and talking/petting my little dog!) and just makes it so you have company after a long day. Also, there are some good moving companies out there that specialize in moving pets- so if you do get a position in the middle east or asia or somewhere that might not be as easy, you can always search around and look into that too.

You need to get on those job searches, and send out your application materials NOW.

I agree with the above post - Oman is wonderful. It's really great if you love camping, hiking, and outdoors stuff. I don't think it's the place to come if you're looking to meet a partner but it's safe and a really 'easy' place to live. Of course, you have to respect the local culture but as a woman I don't find that hard to do.