Teaching English In Saudi Arabia

By TedKarma
(This is the second in a series of posts by experienced EFL teacher Tedkarma)

If you want to save some serious money – give it a shot.

Living in the Arab world is not for everyone, and Saudi Arabia is the home to some of the most conservative forms of Islam. But, if you are tough enough and have your mind set on a goal, you can succeed – and you can save some serious money.

Partyland? Hardly. Movie theaters are “forbidden” as are most forms of fun. There are a few “male-only” bowling alleys. Dating? A serious criminal offense. Night clubs? Forget about it!
But you can make friends, and in the quiet of some housing compounds you can find a drink or two and some peaceful socializing. Is it all bad? Not if you don’t mind a quiet life.

<The better jobs will require at least a master’s degree and a few years experience – and you’d better have some good skills in classroom control (discipline). Colleges and universities often treat their teachers well – you’ll get large very nice apartments, a tax free salary, round-trip air tickets to your home country, and lengthy paid vacations. The college I taught at paid well, on time, and to the penny. The management of the school was firmly behind the teachers – as long as you were carefully aware of the religious and cultural boundaries. This is not a place interested in learning about your “Western culture”. Men will teach only men’s classes, women will teach only women’s classes.

One of the better places for looking for jobs in the Middle-East is Bayt Recruiting. If the Middle East is not for you and you want to save money – a good alternative is Korea. Check out www.TEFLDaddy.com – a great place for newbies to start.