Job Discussion Forums

[Peter-Blanket]

Dear Friends,
I would appreciate for any information on the EMS school. I have been offered to teach there. I would be grateful if you can give me a piece of advice how to cope with students in Qatar.

[It's Scary!]

Personally, I wouldn't work anywhere where the school's initials were " EMS"!

It's Scary!

[Ruuchan]

You need very strong classroom management skills. Many students in Qatar are from a privileged background and are used to getting their own way. You will need to be consistent in your discipline methods and always follow through with consequences.
You also need to teach the students with enthusiasm and genuinely care about them as individuals. Many of them spend all of their time with their nannies, rather than their parents and are very needy for attention from caring adults.
Teaching in Qatar can be very challenging, but also very rewarding. Bring your patience and your sense of humour, and enjoy!

[Peter-Blanket]

Dear Friends,
Thank you for your help. I wonder if somebody knows the English Modern School?
I am open for a new chalange so now I am sure that Qatar was a good choice.

[helenl]

You will also have to be prepared for your discipline methods to be second guessed or countermanded at the behest of parents or more senior school admin. This is common practice in order not to upset fee paying clients.

[Peter-Blanket]

Unfortunetly, I know this problem. I worked at the international school in Poland and I had to face with it. I presume this policy is more widely spread through parents and schools in Qatar. Schools here are more money-centred than in other regions. Is it due to high competition level? I have noticed that the number of schools in Doha is increasing very quickly. Probably, standards of teaching are lowered because of it. Am I right? It can be frustrated for a young teacher but I strongly believe that there is no ideal school and no perfect students.

[Ruuchan]

"You will also have to be prepared for your discipline methods to be second guessed or countermanded at the behest of parents or more senior school admin. This is common practice in order not to upset fee paying clients."

I agree with Helenl's comments, but it has also been my experience that a quality school will support you in using your professional judgment as a teacher, rather than bending to the parents' every whim. These kinds of schools do exist in Qatar, even in the private, for-profit realm.

The number of schools is increasing very quickly due to the large quantity of children in Qatar (both local and ex-pat). I think there is quite a lot of competition too, and that seems to be a certain type of parents' favourite threat: "We're not happy here, so we'll take our children to another school". Usually, these parents were difficult characters to deal with anyways, so on the rare occasion that they did follow through on their threat, the teachers and admin were not too sad to see them go!

My advice is to find a quality school to work at and stick to what you believe is right, no matter what happens. If you have to compromise your values and beliefs about teaching in order to keep a job, you're not in the right place. All the best with your Qatar teaching adventure!

[lollaerd]

This school does not have the best reputation for good students. Often students who get kicked out of other schools or have poor language skills end up here. Even so, there are a lot of very fine teachers who work in this school, doing their best.