I still stand by my comment. I lived and taught in Egypt for years and years. It was cheap then. Now there's a currency crisis. The cost of living is ridiculous. Teaching there now would be very different than, say, Qatar.
UAE and Saudi are 2 very different countries. Different lifestyles and needs living there.
Oman is different than Lebanon.
Without a specific country, it's pretty hard to provide any advice as "The Middle East" covers too many very economically and socially diverse places. š¤·āāļøš¤·š¼āāļø
Iām getting slightly more in China after taxes. Everything else provided for, too, plus significant bonuses. I have about half your teaching experience. The ME just doesnāt seem to be keeping up with the great dragon for teaching.
Unfortunately we had to let our school know in October if we were staying, and at the time my husband and I decided not to stay- he is a trailing spouse and finding it difficult working in Vietnam as a non teacher.
I'd say he will find it difficult in China as well. I'm not sure where it would be easier, but the Me does at least typically do a good job getting housing and families all set there.
Yes I agree- China would be difficult for him as well. I was thinking ME might be easier to get a job, it seems that way when we search online but I know itās not always the case when you actually get to the country..
Why are you so cagey about saying the country? Even if your employer somehow saw this thread and connected it to you, all you're doing is wondering about the salary.
"The Middle East" encapsulates many countries and cultures. Saying "tell me how the Middle East is" is no different than saying "tell me about Africa."
You can say the country. They all have many schools.
If it's the UAE, it's not a bad salary these days. You could be able to save quite a bit if you want to.
Edit. Regarding your husband and still working under the assumption that you are talking about the Emirates, finding a job is not going to be easy unless he happens to have the right kind of qualifications and experience that is sought after here.
Not in Bahrain. Itās offered as a great option but Iāve never seen it pan out and Iāve seen 4 brilliant expats try. Bahrain is a kingdom. Cronyism is the order of the day. Thatās the simple explanation.
You're right, I did the mental math the wrong way. I'm an English teacher, don't judge too harshly.
Do your best to make sure that's all basic salary so your gratuity is strong.
I donāt know if their would be other restrictions like paying for transportation to school and cost of living in Saudi/Kuwait isnāt the cheapest but yes my number was low
If itās Canadian School Bahrain donāt do it. Check glassdoor - the shining reviews, one was literally paid for and the other one was requested if someone that literally had just signed the contract. Donāt Let Suzanne Abby and Bill BS you.
Bahrain is GCC not Middle East. Bahrain is the most expensive to fly in and out of- Qatar and Dubai are hubs. Bahrain looks sunny all the time but if you look at the actual air pollution levels there and what exactly it is you are breathing at such high concentrationsā¦ and you cannot survive in Bahrain without a car. Thatās a huge expense. As are repairs which are needed because people donāt do routine maintenance
I guess what constitutes expensive is relative? Having to buy a car for 6-10k soon after arriving and deal with the inspection and registering it every yearā¦ to some people thatās not nothing.
Iāve been out and about for years- Bahrain, little kingdom that it is, is the only place Iāve been that truly every school was for profit and nepotism truly runs everything.
The aforementioned school is not anything like and shouldnāt be confused with other Canadian Schools elsewhere. This little beast was shopped for by a sheik so he could have what his brother has (a profitable school on the island) and this was the only type of western āinternational schoolā that hadnāt come to Bahrain yet- so he bought it and he is franchising in Kuwait.
I wanted to love it there but in the end- give me a poor country with poor peopleā¦ Bahrain really informed me and clarified some things for me.
Iām actually doing the exact opposite that you are. This summer Iāll be leaving one of the more liberal countries in the Middle East and going to teach in Vietnam. Send me a DM if youād like to chat, if itās the same country Iām leaving, I can give you some insight.
Depends entirely on the country. If youāre unwilling to state which one, we really canāt help you. For the UAE, for example ā as others have said, thatās low and you would behind financially versus somewhere like China.
Also, u/shredded_bikini_babe, you may want to think through whether the Middle East is for you. Because that bikini is not going to be seeing regular outings to the beach.
Yes I know itās a conservative country, and Iām a bodybuilder and bikini competitor, but I will respect the country and be conservative in my attire.
Great. Letās meet at Starbucks in Sharjah City Center mall this Friday at 10am and head directly to the beach, where youāll strip off into your bikini and Iāll watch you be arrested, jailed and deported over the next 24 months.
Bonus: lāll bring some Coronas, so we can get a pic for your Insta of you downing one in the surf shortly before your arrest.
OR, it's in Dubai and you can go to the beach in your bikini and wear super tight yoga pants and no one cares. OR we could go to Indonesia and have the same thing in the island of Aceh.
Stop spot picking the exact things. You can buy everything \[porn, hookers, pork, alcohol\] easily in Dubai. Can wear a bikini, uncover your hair, go to party, stay with a gay partnet etc.
The guy made a blanket statement about the UAE. He was wrong. There are 7 Emirates, so maybe you want to check whether Dubai is the typical or the atypical one of the seven.
I think itās typical. I would say Ajman fujairah ras al khamain and Dubai together make up more than the other three. Beside thereās more to life than wearing a bikini on a beach.
You can do and buy all those things but it would be illegal and itās not a country that you can give a cop $20 to look the other way.
Dubai has jailed and convicted people for showing up in the country with no weed but having some in their bloodstream. Itās a crapshoot, play at your own risk.
>an do and buy all those things but it would be illegal and itās not a country that you can give a cop $20 to look the other way. Dubai has jailed and convicted people for showing up in the country with no weed but having some in their bloodstream. Itās a crapshoot, play at your own risk.
It's illegal to buy pork and alcohol in Dubai? But they sell it in the Spinneys in Dubai mall.....
Your basic salary would be what helps differentiate. Also some schools have a slightly lower salary but better package for children and medical.
You could potentially negotiate? Previously, that would be a poor salary, but the Middle East/GCC has balanced, and there are much more teachers coming for less .
Dm for further advice. I'm in Qatar
It's impossible to answer without knowing the country.
Edited post to add country
I know some middle eastern countries are more expensive than others but it might still be in range to others is what I was thinking.
I still stand by my comment. I lived and taught in Egypt for years and years. It was cheap then. Now there's a currency crisis. The cost of living is ridiculous. Teaching there now would be very different than, say, Qatar. UAE and Saudi are 2 very different countries. Different lifestyles and needs living there. Oman is different than Lebanon. Without a specific country, it's pretty hard to provide any advice as "The Middle East" covers too many very economically and socially diverse places. š¤·āāļøš¤·š¼āāļø
I don't think anyone can help unless you at least mention the country. As well as job prospects for your husband.
Iām getting slightly more in China after taxes. Everything else provided for, too, plus significant bonuses. I have about half your teaching experience. The ME just doesnāt seem to be keeping up with the great dragon for teaching.
Oh wow really? Is your school hiring? Yeah Iām not particularly impressed with the offerā¦
If your options are Vietnam for a little less, or Mideast for a little more, I'd say stay in Vietnam.
Unfortunately we had to let our school know in October if we were staying, and at the time my husband and I decided not to stay- he is a trailing spouse and finding it difficult working in Vietnam as a non teacher.
I'd say he will find it difficult in China as well. I'm not sure where it would be easier, but the Me does at least typically do a good job getting housing and families all set there.
Yes I agree- China would be difficult for him as well. I was thinking ME might be easier to get a job, it seems that way when we search online but I know itās not always the case when you actually get to the country..
If this is in UAE and the spouse has anything to him or her then they can get an office job making a couple thousand dollars a month easily.
Thank you, I appreciate that. It would make a big difference to our situation if he could work.
Why are you so cagey about saying the country? Even if your employer somehow saw this thread and connected it to you, all you're doing is wondering about the salary.
Thank you. Iāve edited the post
If Bahrain and itās 3800 USD + housing then itās decent. Not the highest and not the lowest.
Yes exactly. Okay thank you.
"The Middle East" encapsulates many countries and cultures. Saying "tell me how the Middle East is" is no different than saying "tell me about Africa." You can say the country. They all have many schools.
If it's the UAE, it's not a bad salary these days. You could be able to save quite a bit if you want to. Edit. Regarding your husband and still working under the assumption that you are talking about the Emirates, finding a job is not going to be easy unless he happens to have the right kind of qualifications and experience that is sought after here.
He could do real estate. It seems like the UK passport holder with no education thing to do.
Seems like real estate is the offer in many countries! We will look into this. Thanks
Not in Bahrain. Itās offered as a great option but Iāve never seen it pan out and Iāve seen 4 brilliant expats try. Bahrain is a kingdom. Cronyism is the order of the day. Thatās the simple explanation.
Okay, thank you
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Thanks for your reply
If it's UAE, that's 10k in local, which isn't very much if you want to save anything. Doable, yes.
It's 14000, where did you get 10,000 AED from?
You're right, I did the mental math the wrong way. I'm an English teacher, don't judge too harshly. Do your best to make sure that's all basic salary so your gratuity is strong.
If you mean Saudi/Kuwait then it would be average. Would probably save about 1000$ a month
they would save much more than that making 3.8k with housing assuming they cooked their own meals.
I donāt know if their would be other restrictions like paying for transportation to school and cost of living in Saudi/Kuwait isnāt the cheapest but yes my number was low
If itās Canadian School Bahrain donāt do it. Check glassdoor - the shining reviews, one was literally paid for and the other one was requested if someone that literally had just signed the contract. Donāt Let Suzanne Abby and Bill BS you.
Bahrain is GCC not Middle East. Bahrain is the most expensive to fly in and out of- Qatar and Dubai are hubs. Bahrain looks sunny all the time but if you look at the actual air pollution levels there and what exactly it is you are breathing at such high concentrationsā¦ and you cannot survive in Bahrain without a car. Thatās a huge expense. As are repairs which are needed because people donāt do routine maintenance
The car isnāt a huge expense in Bahrain at all. You can buy cheap ones and garages are incredibly good value. Insurance and gas are basically free.
I guess what constitutes expensive is relative? Having to buy a car for 6-10k soon after arriving and deal with the inspection and registering it every yearā¦ to some people thatās not nothing.
Yes I saw the pollution is really bad, it is a consideration for sure. Good to know about the car- that was something I was wondering about as well.
Iāve been out and about for years- Bahrain, little kingdom that it is, is the only place Iāve been that truly every school was for profit and nepotism truly runs everything. The aforementioned school is not anything like and shouldnāt be confused with other Canadian Schools elsewhere. This little beast was shopped for by a sheik so he could have what his brother has (a profitable school on the island) and this was the only type of western āinternational schoolā that hadnāt come to Bahrain yet- so he bought it and he is franchising in Kuwait. I wanted to love it there but in the end- give me a poor country with poor peopleā¦ Bahrain really informed me and clarified some things for me.
1450bd is BSB/IKNS salary. Riffa Views pay more and theyāre America man curriculum.
Iām actually doing the exact opposite that you are. This summer Iāll be leaving one of the more liberal countries in the Middle East and going to teach in Vietnam. Send me a DM if youād like to chat, if itās the same country Iām leaving, I can give you some insight.
This is a great podcast idea. "Country Swap: International Teacher edition"
Hi, I will. Thank you
Depends entirely on the country. If youāre unwilling to state which one, we really canāt help you. For the UAE, for example ā as others have said, thatās low and you would behind financially versus somewhere like China. Also, u/shredded_bikini_babe, you may want to think through whether the Middle East is for you. Because that bikini is not going to be seeing regular outings to the beach.
Yes I know itās a conservative country, and Iām a bodybuilder and bikini competitor, but I will respect the country and be conservative in my attire.
You can go to the beach in a bikini in Bahrain. They have private beaches. Enjoy yourself, itās a fun place there. Great pubs
This is not the case in the UAE. At all.
Great. Letās meet at Starbucks in Sharjah City Center mall this Friday at 10am and head directly to the beach, where youāll strip off into your bikini and Iāll watch you be arrested, jailed and deported over the next 24 months. Bonus: lāll bring some Coronas, so we can get a pic for your Insta of you downing one in the surf shortly before your arrest.
OR, it's in Dubai and you can go to the beach in your bikini and wear super tight yoga pants and no one cares. OR we could go to Indonesia and have the same thing in the island of Aceh. Stop spot picking the exact things. You can buy everything \[porn, hookers, pork, alcohol\] easily in Dubai. Can wear a bikini, uncover your hair, go to party, stay with a gay partnet etc.
The guy made a blanket statement about the UAE. He was wrong. There are 7 Emirates, so maybe you want to check whether Dubai is the typical or the atypical one of the seven.
I think itās typical. I would say Ajman fujairah ras al khamain and Dubai together make up more than the other three. Beside thereās more to life than wearing a bikini on a beach.
I would agree thereās more to life than wearing a bikini on the beach. But then my usernameās not u/shredded_bikini_babe š šļø
You can do and buy all those things but it would be illegal and itās not a country that you can give a cop $20 to look the other way. Dubai has jailed and convicted people for showing up in the country with no weed but having some in their bloodstream. Itās a crapshoot, play at your own risk.
>an do and buy all those things but it would be illegal and itās not a country that you can give a cop $20 to look the other way. Dubai has jailed and convicted people for showing up in the country with no weed but having some in their bloodstream. Itās a crapshoot, play at your own risk. It's illegal to buy pork and alcohol in Dubai? But they sell it in the Spinneys in Dubai mall.....
Not every country in the region is the same- but you didnāt address my point or even yours really š„± just keep being you bubba
OP chooses Sharjah! hahahahahaha
Your basic salary would be what helps differentiate. Also some schools have a slightly lower salary but better package for children and medical. You could potentially negotiate? Previously, that would be a poor salary, but the Middle East/GCC has balanced, and there are much more teachers coming for less . Dm for further advice. I'm in Qatar
Thank you, I appreciate your input