Raytheon/Salts is currently paying about $4300/Month. Add to that housing, medical and tickets and you have a good package. However, the students are extremely un and I stress UN-motivated. If you teach in Jeddah you are near the Desalinization plant which spews out Sulfur dioxide. That causes Lung infections so you may have a class of 13 students hacking germs in a very small classroom. Thus you get sick. I got a very deep dry cough and it took six weeks to get rid of it.

On the other side of the country, I worked for ARAMCO. Worst students I EVER had. In a class of about 18 students.. Well lets go from your left to your right..
The first three are having a conversation. The next three are also having a conversation. Then the next four are looking at Porn on their Cell phone. The next two or three are asleep. The rest are listening and working. They have been there for eight hours a day for two years and do not want to listen to anything you have to say. It does pay $5800 a month. The day before I left, they asked me if I wanted to stay and "Make some more MONEY" I turned them down and went to Russia for $600....

In Kuwait I had military students, I had students who said to me "What are these people going to do if we cause problems in class. We stood and fought and WE went to Prison Camp. They turned and Ran. What can they do?" Another student said, "NO Problem. When Saddam comes, we run away and call Bill Clinton and America. They come and take Saddam away and we come back."

In the classroom you earn your money. Every Penny of it and no matter how much it is.... you will always feel it's not enough. The Only way to survive is After Class activities. I chose Scuba Diving. Some of the best in the world is on the Arabian Peninsula.

To give you an example of just how good the diving is. I was down about 90' in the Cayman islands looking around to find something to look at. NOTHING. I decided then and there to go BACK to Saudi so I could get some Diving in. I had an offer in Riyadh which is in the desert and Religious police always chase you around or go to Jeddah for 20,000 dollars less. I chose Jeddah. I got on the plane as an English Teacher and when I got off I was a Sr. Technical Editor. i got to the job and there was absolutely NOTHING to do. I sat there for eleven months doing NOTHING relating to Editing. I did get to sit in on some High Dollar meetings ( 130 Million Dollar Contracts) and take and then transcribe the minutes. I also got to help some guys from ICAO (UN Civil Aviation people0) work on some RFP's. Those were interesting but the rest was doing nothing.

It can go either way but sometime during your contract you walk down the hall and say to yourself, "Is this what my life has amounted to." Payday comes and you feel better.

It takes a special mindset to work in the Middle East. It may take a couple of contracts until you get the hang of it.

Good luck to anybody who goes.