Friday, May 15, 2015

Simple Steps to Learn Arabic Quickly and Boost Your Career Opportunities

People across the world learn Arabic for various reasons- work, family, friendship, or travel. I chose to learn Arabic due to my hobby to understand different languages (I know French and Mandarin) and most importantly, I had a plan to work there (now it’s been 3 years working in Saudi Arabia). I believe that for every expat job seeker, it is imperative to have a clear understanding of the foreign language to fit in the corporate culture of the country.
Here I’ll highlight a few important points to help those who share the similar dream of living and working in Arab countries.



Understand the Language Types


Arabic is an Afro-Asiatic language, which is spoken by millions in the Arab and other parts of the world. It is the official language of around 26 Middle Eastern & North African (MENA) countries. Before planning to learn the language, understand and decide which kind of Arabic is your requirement. The regional dialects and accents differ significantly, with each sub-dialect as per the country- Egyptian Arabic, Gulf Arabic, Levantine Arabic, Maghrebi Arabic, and Mesopotamian Arabic. 

When you are not sure about the region of your job, the safest option is to study Modern Arabic Standard, which is the classical or Qur’anic Arabic and mostly understood everywhere. It is widely used in literature, political speeches, television/radio, and formal writings. Standard Arabic is also used in the Qur’an. Moreover, it is the origin of all words used in different Arabic dialects.
Get an Idea about the Dialects
As said earlier, Arabic has several dialects. In every Arab country, you can see people using a certain dialect or in their daily life. Now the first question for a beginner would be, “Is this the right way to start learning Arabic with its dialects?” Learning a dialect includes earning vocabulary of a particular dictionary. Therefore, according to my experience, learning a dialect as the first step towards learning Arabic is a good idea.  

Learning the alphabets and dictionary


For many people, the Arabic script looks daunting in the beginning. They prefer to rely on transliterations of the Arabic words instead of trying to learn them. However, this often creates problems in the later stage of the learning. Therefore, the best you can do is, follow a systematic process to learn the alphabets. Read books. Using an Arabic dictionary can help you a great deal in the process. 


Understanding the Arabic Dictionary


The next vital step is to know how to use the dictionary. In Arabic dictionary, words are mostly listed under three-letter roots. For example, if you are looking for a word “istiqbaal” in the dictionary, it should be checked under “q” as its root letters are q-b-l. Obviously, learning the trick requires some practice. However, it is not that difficult as it follows a set pattern that needs to be understood by you.  


The Other Tips for Beginners


I followed them strictly, and continuing with the rulebook!

Learning words by using pictures is an easy way to learn and memorize the new words. 
It is important to make this learning process a fun experience and not for the sole purpose of finding a job. Remember, if you are not enjoying Arabic language, you can never learn it.
Make a proper plan and set a schedule for learning. If you think that, you can study anytime or only during your free hours, it will not give you the desired result.
Choose a mentor who can guide you throughout the process. Of course, he should also have knowledge of the language to give you a proper feedback. 
Learning any new language is not a child’s play. You can definitely try language classes for better results and learn quickly.
Practice is always required at your end. It is important that you learn at home, practice some language test papers, and read books.
Joining some Arabic speaking groups on various networking sites can also help you practice more with other Arabic learners. This also creates a great platform to share your doubts with other people.
Learning a new language is always a fun, especially when it relates to your career opportunities abroad.
All the best!

Author - Swati Srivastava is an avid writer with a keen interest on the extensive domain of job search and career counselling for job seekers in Saudi Arabia and the entire GCC region. Currently associated with Naukrigulf.com, her articles are published on several reputed career sites. Follow her @Twitter/LinkedIn/Google+.

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Could "Hiring Based on Experience" Be the Solution to Fake Degrees in Saudi Arabia?

OK. Lets admit it. As expatriates, we each (personally) know at least a couple of folks who are working in Saudi Arabia with fake academic degrees. And they've been doing so for years without anyone at work noticing (in most cases). Have you ever asked yourself how they managed to keep their jobs for so long? Do you think their employers kept them for so long despite the fact that they weren't productive? 


I will cite a few examples based on the experience of persons whom I know (no names mentioned):

X and Y are desperate to get a job to feed their families. They have completed at least high school and can speak English better than most Saudis. So, they opt to work as teachers. Now the thing is, employers won't hire teachers who don't have at least a bachelor's degree. X and Y are stranded. They find someone who can get them a fake BA or BSc. Then they pay more to have a copy of their 'fake' certificates authenticated at the Saudi consulate in their home country. Bingo! The employer sees the authenticated copies and he's impressed. X and Y have just landed a job and are keen to keep it because that's how they get to feed their families.


A and B have worked for ten years with fake bachelor's degrees and no one has ever noticed. They feel they have achieved enough experience to pose as holders of master's degrees. That's about double the time required to complete undergraduate and graduate studies combined. They pay someone and get their master's degrees within a few months. They get lucky. A recruiter succeeds in making them land a position as lecturers at a Saudi university. Eureka! The Saudi government grants them visas and all the benefits that follow (housing, medical insurance, paid vacation, two-way ticket, education for two children, etc). 


Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not an advocate of fake degree use, and I abhor the use of fake documents (in fact I possess an authentic degree that I spent three years short of a decade to obtain). I'm just saying that shouldn't employers offer jobs based on experience instead of insisting that the minimum requirement should be a "bachelor's" or "master's" degree? How do people with fake degrees sometimes outperform holders of authentic degrees, which employers are so much after? 


The implications of using fake degrees are serious. The Saudi government plans to introduce penalties against people found to be holding fake academic degrees and to deport them from the kingdom. According to one report, fake degree holders will be prosecuted, imprisoned, deported and banned from entering Saudi (more). Although the punishment is harsh, this still doesn't deter people from purchasing counterfeit certificates. I, however, still believe that if employers focus on experience/ skills instead of academic qualifications, many people won't find a reason to break their moral rules to purchase fake degrees. I agree that hiring employees based on experience might only work for some professions, and it will probably not work in the case of engineers or doctors. Thus, it is reasonable for the Saudi government to regulate such high-skilled professions and use the necessary measures to catch fraudsters.   


What do you think? Should people be hired based on their skills/ experience or qualifications? Will hiring people based on their experience/ skills decrease the use of fake academic degrees?

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Saudi Arabia: Tom and Jerry Live Show

Desgined by Stuart Miles; courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

As a big Tom and Jerry fan, this is surely one event that will get my son, and probably many other kids, screaming. For the first time in Saudi Arabia, kids will be having Tom and Jerry live on stage, an event hosted by Kids in Motion MENA and EventBox.

Schedule

Jeddah: February 18-21
Dharhan: February 25-28
Riyadh: March 04-07

Fare

Ticket prices range between 65.0 and 550.0 SAR, depending on the seating arrangement. 

Location

For more information and booking, you can visit their Facebook page or their website.