The following question & answer was posted on Wednesday November 22nd 2006.
I work in the oil industry and have been offered a post in Oman, but I'm worried about employment opportunities for my wife. She is a qualified English teacher and would like to be able to work when we arrive in Oman. I know at one point that it was very difficult for accompanying spouses to gain employment in Oman. What is the current situation and what would we need to take into consideration in order for her to be able to work?
Barbara Hartley provided the following answer:
Oman has changed a lot over the last 20 years. Whereas at one time it was very difficult for a wife to work (or even join her husband depending on the type of work visa he had) these days working is possible and normal for accompanying wives. However, that said, the variety of employment opportunities for western expatriates has been somewhat reduced in recent years due to the process of Omaniisation.
I suggest she contacts the English schools first ? namely The British School Muscat (where most British children go) and Muscat Private School. Both schools follow the national curriculum for England. As a general rule, these schools recruit teachers from Britain. They offer UK-based packages to include flights, accommodation, salary, etc. However, there is always the possibility of getting work once you are living in Oman and I suggest that, if she arrives without employment, she contact these two schools as well as the Royal School at Seeb. The British Embassy should be able to give her the current contact details, although I expect that your own work colleagues and their families will be only too willing to help.
In addition to teaching in the schools there are several venues for the teaching of English as a foreign language. The British Embassy runs English courses and there are several private language schools that employ English speaking tutors. The Polyglot School is probably the best known school and has several venues ? one at Qurum and another in Seeb. There are also places for English teachers in some of the Arabic schools and at the military units.
Most teachers who work in the English language schools have a TEFL qualification and it is possible to gain this qualification in Muscat. Anyone with a UK teaching qualification, however, would be unlikely to need further training.
Spouses are given residency status when they come with you ? your own company should deal with this process. When they find employment the company they work for will deal with the appropriate work visa. The visa applications are a bit of a mine field and are usually dealt with by Omani nationals who accompany you to the various ministries with the correct paperwork. These formalities are dealt with once you have arrived in Oman, so there is no need for you to be concerned about them before you go.
Contacts
British School Muscatwww.britishschool.edu.om
Muscat Private School
www.mpsoman.org
British Embassy of Oman
http://www.britishembassy.gov.uk
Polyglot Institute
www.polyglot.org
List of further ESL schools in Oman
www.eslbase.com/schools/oman
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