I’m curious about life for foreigners in the Middle East. From a western
perspective it currently is a place of turmoil, a clash between Islam and
the West, uprisings, terrorist acts, and many other things. However, I’m
curious about the life of an expatriate there. I think the first idea
most people would think is, “They’re crazy for wanting to live there” which
isn’t hard to see given the amount of violence in the area that can be
easily directed to an expat. However, one ESL teacher was kind enough
to write his thoughts on teaching English in Saudi Arabia during 2003. Here
are some choice snippets:
There is still a big demand for English tuition in Saudi Arabia. One reason for this is the country’s high unemployment rate.
Many of the English teachers in Saudi learn Arabic. For learners of Arabic the alphabet is the most difficult part. However, many Arabic words are related to Spanish so a knowledge of that language is an advantage in the acquisition of vocabulary.
Very fascinating and a nice break from the news you’ll get on the Middle
East which focuses mainly on the current tensions there.
Read it yourself
