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Wesgreen International School Sharjah
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lovetoteach



Joined: 12 Oct 2011
Posts: 17

PostPosted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 11:01 am    Post subject: Wesgreen International School Sharjah Reply with quote

Hi Smile

Does anyone know what Wesgreen School in Sharjah are like to work for?

Thank you all in advance
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robinbanks



Joined: 28 Apr 2009
Posts: 77

PostPosted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 9:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I know what it's like NOT to work for.I was offered a job there a few years ago and was glad to have it at the time.Then came the salary -SEVEN THOUSAND a month.(!?!?)I was only a couple of days from taking it and they's already booked my tickets.sherjah would not be anyone's first choice anyway.What salary have they offered you?
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lovetoteach



Joined: 12 Oct 2011
Posts: 17

PostPosted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 9:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

8000/9000 dirham...

But 7000 isn't too bad considering it's tax free and accommodation is paid for do you not think? Or is it just that it's a lot lower than competitors in the area?
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It's Scary!



Joined: 17 Apr 2011
Posts: 823

PostPosted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 12:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's slave wages, but as you have dirham signs in your eyes, nothing that we say will deter you.

Stop posting and accept the position in beautiful Sharjah already! Rolling Eyes

It's obvious that it's a done deal with you already! Rolling Eyes
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Vancouver Vic



Joined: 18 Aug 2011
Posts: 37

PostPosted: Wed Nov 16, 2011 8:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you think you can save money on AED7000 then take it whilst looking for something else. I would say that if they are paying you such a low wage then your accommodation is also going to be pretty low level. Don't forget you need money for holidays because as soon as the holiday season comes you are gonna really want to get out of Sharjah and go somewhere less intense. That means a lot of your "savings"will be going on holidays. This may be okay for you and as a previous poster said, you are going to take it regardless of what anyone else says. And live in Sharjah? Never again!
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2buckets



Joined: 14 Dec 2010
Posts: 515
Location: Middle East

PostPosted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 5:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

What credentials and experience do you have?
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lovetoteach



Joined: 12 Oct 2011
Posts: 17

PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 9:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

CELTA + 2yrs experience.

In fact I haven't been offered the job. The waiting period is highly frustrating as I've turned down other less paid positions in the hope of getting this one. Which I haven't got.
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It's Scary!



Joined: 17 Apr 2011
Posts: 823

PostPosted: Tue Nov 22, 2011 11:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Maybe you should change your username to "lovetowait"? Laughing

It's a little too close to the truth!
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Gus Barkley



Joined: 26 Aug 2010
Posts: 78

PostPosted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 7:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Is it a sign of the economic times that someone would consider a job paying Dh 7000? With pay that low I shudder to think of what the "provided" living accommodations would be like.

I hope lovetoteach is able to find something better. Dh 7-9000 in Sharjah sounds... well, very unpleasant.
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lovetoteach



Joined: 12 Oct 2011
Posts: 17

PostPosted: Sat Nov 26, 2011 1:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Everyone here is saying that DH7000 is slave wages and such. But when you compare it to wages EVERYWHERE for a tefl teachers else they're in fact HIGHER....higher that Turkey, Vietnam, Malaysia and even South Korea which is regularly hailed as THE place to save money! So i'm slightly baffled by your comments!
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Sat Nov 26, 2011 2:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I went to Abu Dhabi in 1992 and was paid about 11,000 DH (or was it 12?) plus a new two bedroom flat, 30,000 DH to furnish it, tickets every year, medical coverage and one month gratuity for each year. Granted my credentials and experience were better than yours (MA+5), but this was nearly 20 years ago!!

What everyone is saying is rather obvious. They feel that someone who accepts an offer this low is being taken advantage of... That said, if it is one's only offer and you need the job, it is better than some other countries are paying. But, it is an expensive place to live and it may be difficult to save much.

VS
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It's Scary!



Joined: 17 Apr 2011
Posts: 823

PostPosted: Sat Nov 26, 2011 3:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Not only is it low, but with the calculation that most other places are even lower, people who accept wages of this sort in that place in the world will serve to depress the offerings of other places in that region.

I mean, if your sort find that to be a livable wage, why should others not try to undercut newbies as well?

Also, the places that you mentioned all have lower living expenses.

There are no unions for this sort of thing in that part of the world, but there has to be a line in the sand, so to speak, drawn against slave wages.

It's an unsettling trend in the ME!
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cmp45



Joined: 17 Aug 2004
Posts: 1475
Location: KSA

PostPosted: Sat Nov 26, 2011 3:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree, the wage offered is low by the standard norm of what a qualified teacher expects to earn. However, it is a chance to get one's foot in the Gulf door and gain some ME experience. You can always move up the ladder after contract has been completed. I got my start in the UAE back in 1997 fresh out of university with no ME experience. I stayed for 3 years as I knew the experience would be good on my CV. The technical highschool I taught at was a hellish place, undisaplined students, unsupportive management and shared accomodation! However, I had a great social life, but unfortunately did not save any money. I decided to get out of the UAE and try Saudi Arabia. It was the best decison I could have made. The crazy life I led in the UAE is over. I am happy with the laid back quiet life in KSA now, plus I have a decent job with my own apartment paid for and am able to save alot more! If you want to work in the ME for the long term and you do not have any ME experience, you will have to start somewhere. Rolling Eyes
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GriffinParka



Joined: 16 Dec 2010
Posts: 41
Location: West London

PostPosted: Sun Dec 25, 2011 2:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Recent update on this school from a good friend...

Wesgreen is the planet Pluto of the education world. When the public looks at Pluto, they say it is a planet, whereas scientists explain that despite its appearance, it doesn�t fit the basic criteria of a planet. Likewise, Wesgreen might look like a school from the outside, but�

I�ve been in education for over a decade, and worked on three continents, but Wesgreen was easily the worst experience of my career. Having close social and familial ties to the Arab world, I was really looking forward to working in the Gulf, but this so-called school left the bitterest of tastes.

I cannot criticize the leadership skills of the School Director, because one cannot criticize what doesn�t exist. A complete absence of charisma, a criminal lack of communication ability, and some questionable educational approaches set the tone very early on. Likewise, despite the school�s carefully worded values and mission statement, it became clear very quickly that the expected �teaching� method was rote-learned textbook memorization that bored the kids, and any decent, competent staff, senseless.

If it were not for the voluntary, and completely unappreciated, efforts of incumbent teachers, new staff would be pretty much left to fend for themselves upon arrival. The school makes no effort to make anyone feel welcome, and you immediately encounter the arrogant and belligerent rudeness of key admin staff. Prominent in this are the accountants who essentially run the place, and are intent on screwing every last cent out of you by fair means or foul (mostly foul) � expect to find salaries withheld, unfair and random salary deductions, consistently late payment each month, and months of frustration for the processing of even basic paperwork like residence visas and bank accounts. These men have on numerous occasions broke employment law in their dealings with staff, but continue in their roles unaffected -- my own employment offer/contract contained four clauses that are illegal under UAE Federal Law and was lodged at the Ministry of Labour with a signature that was certainly not mine!

Teachers who are used to systems in education like organization, accountability, pedagogical development and innovative approaches to teaching and learning will be in for a massive shock at Wesgreen, and it should be avoided by anyone seeking to advance or develop their career. You will find yourself slipping into bad habits simply because they are generally accepted, and often condoned, and because many of your colleagues will simply not be qualified or competent in their roles. This is known to the education community in the UAE and teachers who wish to move from Wesgreen will find their application treated with disdain.

Despite its new buildings, the school lacks basic educational equipment, never mind useful assets like projectors, interactive whiteboards, or even internet capabilities in large areas of the buildings. Health and safety and risk assessment procedures are virtually non-existent. Any attempts to improve the situation or procure necessary resources will be met with a wall of silent refusal by the admin staff, or in the case of school trips, a head on confrontation with the �Activities Coordinator� who regards himself as the sole purveyor of knowledge on safety. Wrong.

The students, generally, are excellent kids, and they do enjoy creative, innovative, enthusiastic teaching. But they are also resigned to the fact that their good/favourite teachers move on very quickly, and a quick chat with any senior student makes it very clear that they and their families recognize the multiple problems with Wesgreen, but feel the alternatives in Sharjah are even worse.

Despite all this, the straw that broke the camel�s back in my case were the levels of systemic corruption around end of year exams � parents bribing senior teachers so their child could pass; the director turning a blind eye to teachers providing private tutoring despite that violating the employment contract; favourable treatment and adjusted grades doled out to children from �prominent� families; certain teachers deliberately setting overly difficult assessments so that families would turn to them for tutoring when the student subsequently failed; students stealing and selling internal exam papers, but the school refusing to take action; and in one bizarre case, the Director altering one student�s 9 failed exam results to 3 so that he was eligible to take re-sits and thus progress to the next year.

Furthermore, the school also refused to take any action when a male staff member verbally and physically threatened a female during a staff meeting. This altercation was part of a consistent, documented pattern of behaviour for that individual, but once again the management refused to make the hard, necessary decisions, meaning the safety of staff could not be guaranteed in the work environment. Abusive encounters are a factor of life in far too many areas of the school. You either comply or risk the �We-Know-It-All-So-You-Can-Shut-Up-or-Leave� Brigade.

There are some excellent staff, some enjoyable classes, and the accommodation is fairly comfortable (despite its dodgy locations), while the UAE itself is an interesting and worthwhile place to live. But anyone wanting to experience that part of the world is advised to give Wesgreen the widest berth possible � and the school�s owner would do well to ignore the lies his current administrators tell him, and employ qualified professionals so that the school will meet the altruistic intentions for which he established it.
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SaharaDesert



Joined: 05 Nov 2008
Posts: 260

PostPosted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 8:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Any recent updates on this school ?
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