Spugsy

Why not find a cheap flight and come out for 3-4 days and check it out? That's what I did and it made things a lot easier.

bingoed01

If I had the time that sounds a good idea ..... but they want to fly me out in 10 days to start !!! It's all happened pretty fast....in the last few days ....which worries me a little that they are still looking for teachers at this point of year when schools start in 3 weeks (?) .More time to think & research since Saturday = harder to convince myself.All tourist web sites makes it look great , school website looks good . I think I can handle the no drinking as I do not drink on a school night anyway. Would just hook up with other teachers and head into dubai. My accommodation is on school campus ,near to school campus..... just trying to check that out now.
Yes , I sure will let you know my decision ......

scrubbedexpat141

If I were you, I'd just say **** it, and go for it.

Worst thing that could happen is....you fly home in 3 months because it's shit and you hate it, then you just supply for the rest of this year while job hunting.

Best thing - you love it. Job done.

Options out here open up when you're here, not when you're in the UK.

Blue Cat

is it VESS??

Sandboy

work in Sharjah, live in Dubai, that's what I did

Sharjah is a real city not like the legoland we live in here

Ethos83

Ah, someone's playing the 'real city' bullshit card.

All cities are legolands to an extent. Except, perhaps, Sharjah, which is a glorified legoland labour camp.

bingoed01

VESS ?

Sandboy

ok ok, none of you like Sharjah, I worked there for 4 years and preferred it to Dubai

the lass can live in Mirdif and be at work in 15 minutes, no traffic, no salik, lower rent, home in 15 minutes at night but she'd be miles away from Barasti.....

bingoed01

hit reply too fast...... It is Wesgreen if you are asking what school.All girls seemingly and secondary school age what I'm used to.

Sandboy

no such thing, ignore her, her hairdresser poisoned her brain

she means VES, Victoria English School but it mustn't be or you'd have worked it out. SO it must be Sharjah English School or the Aussie School at a guess, both on the Dubai border and easy to travel to

co durham boy

Correct , Sharjah is just like the majority of other Gulf cities , looks the same smells the same , you could easily commute from Mirdiff and Co . If you were commuting in 2006 - 2009 then that would be tough going .

Dubai is the exception but for the fair weathered Britiish Expat it's the norm . Remember if there's no Friday Brunch or Jimmy Choo Emporium what the hell do you expect them to do with their time....actually talk to the natives....?

co durham boy

You could never have me too far away from Barasti mate ....awful place

Blue Cat

Victoria English Speaking School

scrubbedexpat141

Given the choice, and for teacher's there is a lot of choice - I'd be heading for Dubai instead of Sharjah.

At 24 (which I'm not too far off now) I'd rather be fair weathered than positioning myself in downtown Luanda or Port Harcourt.

Ethos83

Exactly.

Why should Sharjah be praised because it's more 'ordinary' in the eyes of some people? It's an utterly unremarkable place where the disadvantages outweigh the advantages for many people. It doesn't have the history or architectural charms of older cities elsewhere popular with expat English teachers and hipster journalists looking for the ethnic experience, nor does it have enough jobs and high salaries to compensate for living in a shithole (assuming Dubai wasn't next door).