Job Discussion Forums

[Mheaney]

Hey All,

I taught 2nd and 3rd grade reading and writing at Gibson Youth Academy and can share a little on my personal experience.

There were high quality facilities and a mix of different teachers from all over. I lived in the house around the corner from the school and it had a neighborhood teacher kind of environment, a really nice place. Leah is a stern administrator but I honestly felt very welcome and she and her husband went out of their way to accommodate any needs I had and that's not BS (family visit, flying home for grandfather funeral etc).

This school was more in tune with what I see at elementary schools in the US in terms of scheduling/classroom styles etc. In general there are many ESL jobs at private lesson places where you work 3 hours a day and explore the rest of the time but this is much more professional style teaching. Teaching kids requires a lot of energy but the environment is a positive one to work in. Some students are wealthy but its a private school and its the same way here in the US or anywhere. Also many GYA parents do not come from money and have interesting stories to tell you about their lives that really add detail to understanding Ethiopia as a country.

I would say if your a person who is energetic/motivated or has teaching experience and wants to liven up your skill set, it would be a good choice. It was the first ESL teaching position I had besides some substitute teaching and working in a university, I have since gone on to work in all kinds of different teaching environments and this is up to the academic rigor I have found elsewhere. It definitely helped shape my interest in education and international development in general.

All in all my experience was very positive. The house was great, living with other people is always a mix of interesting and a pain, but I have been in contact with people I lived with there still. Ethiopia is hands down one of the most interesting places in the world. There is scheduled vacation to see the country (Lalibela for Easter!), Addis Ababa is an awesome city and with your teacher visa you can take 50% off in country flights on Ethiopian Airways.

I would say if you are interested before making a decision be willing to commit a chunk of time (academic year etc).

[TheresaTheresa]

I can't PM as yet as I do not have enough posts but I would like to hear more about your experience with this school. I realize the post is older but would still be great to hear more. Will see what I can find on Google.

[KopiKopi]

I am curious about the school, salary, class hours, work hours, etc.

I sent a CV and got back a form letter about making a donation, huh?

Weird.