Heads in the Sand

The grass isn't always greener... especially in the desert. Desperate times call for desperate measures and with a failed marriage and a battle with depression behind him, Robert Jones leaves the comforts and classrooms of the UK for the lucrative attractions of a British School on an island in the Arabian Gulf. Better paid than he has ever been, living in free accommodation and with no bills to cover, things can surely only get better.As he soon discovers though, there is a cost attached to all of those benefits, one that threatens your principles, values, and beliefs. Conformity to the established norms is essential to one's survival and that is better done through silence - opinions are better left at home where they have their natural place. A secure life is a quiet life, one in which you buckle down, do as you're told and pick up the cheque at the end of the month.Throw into the mix the events of 9/11, a hawkish US President and a lapdog UK Prime Minister, and 'interesting times' are never far away. 'Grin and bank it', is the unofficial staff philosophy, but with local and international pressures piling up, that is becoming increasingly difficult. Something has to give.Loosely based on the events of 2001-2002, this debut novel offers an insight into the attractions and challenges of international teaching at that time.