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ummimraan
Joined: 26 Feb 2005 Posts: 13 Location: Abu Dhabi
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Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 5:08 am Post subject: Any Info about Hayat Universal Bilingual School (HUBS) |
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I heard that HUBS is opening a new school in Qatar and wonder if anyone has any information about this school. How are the other teachers, work environment, etc...
Any info is appreciated. |
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wilberforce
Joined: 27 Dec 2008 Posts: 647
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Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2009 10:31 am Post subject: |
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Never heard of this place, maybe they are using another name? |
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Ruuchan
Joined: 16 Aug 2009 Posts: 10
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 4:28 am Post subject: More about HUBS |
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HUBS is in its second year of operation in Doha. About 95% of the students are Qatari and the language of instruction is English, except for the Arabic/Islamic/Quran studies classes. They have an amazing teaching staff, in my opinion. All of the classroom teachers from KG2 up are British Columbia (Canada) certified and have a B.Ed. They are mostly from Canada, but there are some American and Australian teachers too. The staff are very hard-working and support each other, but there can be some friction between the classroom teachers and the Arabic/Islamic/Quran teachers (some different standards of teaching professionalism and the usual cross-cultural misunderstandings!) The curriculum (from British Columbia, Canada) is student-centred and allows for a lot of creativity and flexibility (for both the students and the teachers). Most of the students seem really happy at the school and say that is way better than their old school...because the teachers don't hit them, the other kids are nicer, the teachers take bullying seriously and/or will help them with problems etc.
Now for some negatives:
There are difficulties with management-the school is on its third principal in two years. They are doing their best but have way too much to do, so the school as a whole does suffer as a result.
It's a for-profit school, so the bottom line will sometimes take precedence over what is best for the students or teachers.
The facilities are inadequate: it's an old government school building (probably from the 1970s...old Qatar style!) with no gym or auditorium, no science labs, minimal library, and not a large enough play area for all of the kids at the school. Hopefully this will improve in the years to come.
The overseas teachers' housing has some issues: it's out in the desert (literally!) with nothing within walking distance. The apt. building is new, but has too many people living in it for the septic field's liking, so you are often greeted by the scent of sewage when you open your apt. door in the morning! Still, it's nice having your co-workers/friends nearby for when you want to collaborate on lesson planning or just visit. The actual apartments are pretty big for a single person too, which is a plus.
The school has no extra-curricular activities in place yet: no sports, drama, arts and crafts etc.
Teachers are expected to do entrance tests during their prep periods. This was worse during the first year of operation and took up a lot of valuable time. We were also encouraged to take students who were not suitable for the school (academic/English weaknesses, learning disabilities etc.) because of pressure to meet enrollment quotas for the coming year.
Overall, I think that the school has potential because they have attracted a great teaching staff and the curriculum is also strong. However, they are having a lot of growing pains. I would imagine that the school will be more developed and settled in 5 years or so...at that point, I would be able to recommend teaching there or sending your child there, but at the present time, I can't recommend it because of the above-mentioned negative points. I would view HUBS as a "work in progress". |
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feelfree
Joined: 08 Apr 2011 Posts: 15 Location: Over the Rainbow
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Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2011 3:42 am Post subject: |
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When I applied they asked if I would go through their Independent School Teacher Certification or authorization for nationalities other than Canadian and wanted a $240 check or money order in Canadian funds. The letter said something about refunding $20 if the application was not successful. This is for the evaluation of transcripts, criminal background check, verification of certification, etc.
I didn't and I still don't understand what the $240 is for if I am providing all the verified documents and they are simply receiving them. The criminal background check was only $20 of the fee.
A successful conclusion of this process was not connected to an offer of employment. I assume this because it was not stated in the information provided.
They wanted to set up a one hour Skype interview and provided me with the school curriculum, a Social Studies scenario to study so I could prepare a response. |
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Ruuchan
Joined: 16 Aug 2009 Posts: 10
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Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2011 4:49 am Post subject: more about HUBS |
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I believe that the money that they are asking for is to process and activate your yearly membership in the British Columbia College of Teachers. HUBS requires all of its KG2 and up teachers to be British Columbia certified and to become members of the BCCT, and so they are probably just making you aware of this requirement and the associated costs upfront. During this academic year, the certification fees were refunded to us eventually, so you may want to check with your recruiter whether or not this will still be the case in 2011-2012. |
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