I try to keep "required reading" to a minimum, because really, other than me, who's going to read every single word they can find about AD? And after awhile it all gets a touch repetitive. That said, there are some pretty basic questions that could be answered by doing a little research before you ask. Or at least you'll get a feel of the place first. I'm a big advocate of getting a feel for a place. So here are some things YOU should read in order to get a feel, collect a basic understanding, at least find some sort of grounding on which to base the rest of your everything.
- A Diamond in the Desert by Jo Tatchell
- Lonely Planet: Oman, UAE & the Arabian Peninsula
- UAE - Culture Smart!
- Your First 100 Words in Arabic
- Arabic for Dummies (There's also Intermediate Arabic for Dummies, but take it one step at a time.)
- 17 Questions... by Beverly Gallagher
- Dave's ESL Cafe
- The National, Khaleej Times, Al Ittihad (in Arabic, but translate until you don't need to), Time Out Abu Dhabi (local/national papers, plus Time Out for socialising outside the teacher scene)
- UK vs US Spelling (for practice teaching English to the ADEC standards)
I have mentioned all or nearly all of these things to read before, but now they're all collected in one place. Now let me break it down (and perhaps add other bonus reads, or links, or whatever, for fun).
A Diamond in the Desert is a travel narrative - one person's experience visiting Abu Dhabi & writing about it. Jo Tatchell is a Brit whose family lived in Abu Dhabi when it was still a frontier town, and she watched the city (and the country) grow up, more or less with her. It's eye-opening in very small ways, actually, but a slow read or re-read will give you an excellent beginning understanding of how Abu Dhabi really works. And how we work within it. Many Western teachers often come across as "We're coming over here to fix your broken system, and this is how you treat us?" It may not be intentional, but it will still get you nowhere fast. A Diamond in the Desert will help you remember how nonessential you really are - that you are merely a visitor, not the savior of the EFL world. And on the subject of being a foreign visitor invited to teach in a Gulf country, have a look at The Woman Who Fell from the Sky by Jennifer Steil. It's about Yemen but still relevant and quite fascinating.
The Lonely Planet Oman UAE etc is the only travel guide that spends much time at all on the UAE outside Dubai. I do prefer Rough Guides generally, but Lonely Planet still caters to the backpacking, adventurous sort of traveller. While you may prefer hotels to hostels, please just trust me when I say Fodors, Frommers, etc are not the travel guides you want for the UAE. It's kind of expensive as books go, around US$30 for the 2010 edition, but if you can't afford to buy all the books on my list, this one will give you a brief overview of everything. I'm always open to new travel guide recommendations, so if you have any, let me know!
Here is where I will link the obligatory LP travel forum: Thorn Tree, and the (in my opinion far more useful) sturdiest competitor BootsnAll. (The whole site is pretty fantastic, but hit up the discussion forums for all kinds of great travel advice.)
Culture Smart UAE is geared more toward business travellers. But it's quite short, about 100 pages, and actually pocket-sized, and packed with useful facts and tables. Read it at least once, make notes, and remember that it's just foundational. But ladies, if you want to know why men don't shake your hand like you're their equal, you'll likely find your answer herein. Additionally it's got the sort of facts and figures the family back home want to know. (Where is Abu Dhabi? Is it safe? How big is it? What time zone are you in? and so on...) I have heard tell of other good AD books; here is an Amazon.com list.
Your First 100 Words in Arabic will teach you classical Arabic, 100 basic words, with flashcards, games, pronunciation, etc. It also comes with a CD, all for under US$20. I take my flashcards with me to work and study them between customers. Compare that with the complete Rosetta Stone Arabic course at US$749 and you may understand why I chose to learn just 100 words. Arabic for Dummies was recommended to me by a customer (I work at a book shop until I start teaching in Abu Dhabi) from Lebanon, who was studying his Arabic at a higher level and said this was a great guide for beginners. It's a great stepping stone once you're at least vaguely comfortable with those first 100 words.
The BootsnAll article, 17 Questions You Should Ask Before Accepting a TEFL Job, is something I have mentioned a number of times and even created a page for at the top of this blog. I really cannot recommend it enough. These are essential questions you ought to know the answers to before you sign your contract with ADEC or indeed with any TEFL provider. And while I'm talking about pages at the top of this blog, check out the ADEC home page (translate into English) and the ADEC FAQ and assorted links from there. And of course read through ALL the notes and discussion threads going back around 2 years on the Teach Away facebook page.
Dave's ESL Cafe should be a first stop for any aspiring TEFLer. Go. Read. Ask questions. Read some more. And listen to the generally sage advice of those who've been there, done that, and retired after 20-40 years of doing it.
As far as the national newspapers, start reading them now. Learn things. Read about what's news in the country you want to make your next home. Get a feel for the news, the style, the interests...Plus, as a grown-up about to embark on an international lifestyle, you should be reading international papers anyway. For more news, pick some other countries and some other news sources in those countries. If all you watch is CNN or Fox News, and all you read is your local news or Yahoo news, you're missing out on the whole rest of the world. More to the point, you're missing out on how the rest of the world thinks. About the world, about themselves, about us (whoever "us" may be). Let me leap up onto a soapbox for a minute. FOLLOW INTERNATIONAL NEWS. FROM INTERNATIONAL OUTLETS. Because you're smart enough to know that not everyone thinks like you do. Or, for that matter, like I do. And as a teacher, it's essential that you understand there is more than one angle to every tale.
Time Out is for fun. Because, I mean, sometimes you just gotta get out and do something. Go to a concert, get prime seats at the latest hottest restaurant or club or event, figure out exactly which mall is the right mall for the day's shopping needs. Whims. Whatever.
As to the spelling link, well, by now you might be aware that English in Abu Dhabi uses British spellings, leans toward an Australian curriculum, and hires North American teachers. (I think that's just down to sheer numbers, though.) I taught in England before, and spent some time in Ireland as a student, and you catch on pretty quickly. A good way to increase your acceptance of UK English, though, is to utilise it (see what I did there?) on your blog, in your journal, in letters home, etc. I haven't got a link to the whispered NSW curriculum, but that's because the curriculum for Abu Dhabi is actually still being revised, revamped and developed. You'll probably be flying by the seat of your pants, so think more about creating a curriculum than following one. Just learn your British spellings.
These are the things I think are essential to at least review. You may think differently or have more/better/other resources to recommend. I am open to all suggestions but prefer the essential to the interesting. At least when it comes to recommending it to, like, everyone. Tell me what you have used, read, found important in a comment!
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