Kerstin Wilsch is the Director of the C.V. Starr-Middlebury School in Jordan. With a Ph.D. in Arabic Language and Translation from the University of Leipzig in Germany, Kerstin has spent many years in the Middle East and North Africa in a variety of academic positions. For the four years prior to becoming the Director of the C.V. Starr-Middlebury program in Jordan, Kerstin was working as the Coordinator of the Translation Section at the German-Jordanian University in Amman, where she also served as acting Vice Dean. Before coming to Jordan, Kerstin worked at the German University in Cairo for two years, and from 1999 to 2005, she was the Coordinator of the German Department at the Ecole Supérieure Rio Fahd de Traduction at the University Abdelmalek Essaadi in Tangier, Morocco. Kerstin taught Arabic at the University of Oxford for three years, and spent some time early in her career in Yemen. Kerstin has published a number of translations, in a variety of literary genres, from Arabic to German, and has worked several years for Lisan magazine. Her most recent translation is a collection of short stories by Mariam Nasser titled Café der Engel (2009). In this interview with Bayt.com, Kerstin shares with us her life as an expat in the Middle East and views on what makes the perfect candidate for a job in the Middle East.

1. You have worked in several Arab countries, including Morocco, Egypt and Jordan. Can you briefly describe your experience in those countries?

Every country is special, even if they are all Arab countries, but my experiences were very similar: they were enriching, taught me a lot about other cultures and mentalities and how to navigate them, and made me wiser and more tolerant. I met great people in every country, both at work and in my private life, and still have friends everywhere. I just love discovering new countries and cultures, and so each experience was a great adventure!

2. As an academic, a university professor and an academic program director, do you think there is a gap between what students learn and the actual job environment? If yes, can you suggest solutions to such an issue?

Yes, this is often the case. In my opinion, the solution to skill gap is to work backwards when it comes to course design, i.e. to look at the outcomes we want to have when it comes to preparing students for the job market, and then to actually design courses and programs based on this knowledge. To give you an example, when I headed the translation program at the German-Jordanian University (GJU), I knew that being successful in the translation market requires expertise in modern translation technologies, and so it was obvious that students needed to get an idea about what’s available and receive some training. Of course, I know that often there are financial constraints but I think with some creativity one can find solutions. It also means that I, as a teacher, need to be on top of what’s going on in the world outside the university, so one should really know the job market, and I also need to be on top of the developments in my field which for me currently is foreign language teaching which has seen so many interesting changes in the last two decades. One should never stop learning and developing! Unfortunately, some people tend to get too comfortable once they are in a certain position, especially in jobs where they are not threatened by dismissal, even if they don’t perform that well...

3. In your opinion, what is the most important aspect of self-development that graduates need to find their target jobs?

The most important aspect is to never stop learning. Don’t think you know it all when you have graduated. The journey has just begun! I have some more advice: Be curious about the world. Don’t settle for what you have learned in your classes; try go get some additional experience and knowledge. Develop other skills. Read a lot (specialized literature, newspapers, etc.). Develop critical thinking. Learn an additional language (there are plenty of free online websites and videos for all sorts of languages). Do some volunteering. Explore your own country. This all will make you a well-rounded and interesting job applicant!

4. What do you look for in new hires?

Creativity, thinking out of the box, flexibility, willingness to learn and interest in lifelong learning, modesty, team spirit, sense of responsibility, open-mindedness, general knowledge and commitment. I have hired people with little job experience who were prepared to learn and they’ve been very successful!

5. As an expatriate, what are the pros and cons of working in a foreign country?

The pros (among others): I feel it’s never boring and as I love Arabic so much I am just happy to be able to use it on a daily basis! And I love sunny days (although I wouldn’t mind some more rain in Jordan!) I also think that I am very privileged because in all the countries I have worked in I was in charge of or helped with establishing new programs or introducing new concepts, and so I feel my work made a difference for the students I taught or the universities I worked at. The cons: I don’t get to see my extended family and my grown-up children very often, and my summer vacations always take me to Germany to visit them which, over the years, has become too much of a “vacation routine” (vacation shouldn’t be related to routine at all…).

6. Have you ever used online websites for hiring? If yes, how would you describe your experience?

I personally didn’t have to advertise jobs very often so my experience is somehow limited. When I had to, though, I haven’t used recruiting websites, but I have posted job offers in various online forums and newsletters. I guess nowadays most people search for jobs online, and so that usually works well.