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MissSO
Joined: 10 Jan 2017
Posts: 2
Location: London U.K
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 Posted: Wed May 03, 2017 2:53 pm Post subject: English Teacher in UAE Starting August 2017 |
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Hello All,
I've recently accepted what looks like a really good post in the Northern Emirates teaching Secondary School English with the MOE.
I'm a young woman (25), early on in my Teaching Career, eager for change from the current U.K state education.
I wanted some advice on what to look out for/ how best to prepare.
I've been eager to find a curriculum but haven't had much luck so some direction on this would be very helpful.
I start in August 2017. Any advice at all will be greatly appreciated!
Ms SO  |
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dragonpiwo
Joined: 04 Mar 2013
Posts: 1650
Location: Berlin
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| Posted: Wed May 03, 2017 3:30 pm Post subject: erm |
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21k all in sounds good right?
I'm in the UAE so feel free to pm me.
Can't help you with the curriculum but have loads of friends in secondary schools. Hope you are of a calm disposition. |
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MissSO
Joined: 10 Jan 2017
Posts: 2
Location: London U.K
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| Posted: Wed May 03, 2017 3:43 pm Post subject: Re: erm |
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| dragonpiwo wrote: |
21k all in sounds good right?
I'm in the UAE so feel free to pm me.
Can't help you with the curriculum but have loads of friends in secondary schools. Hope you are of a calm disposition. |
______________________________________________________________
It sure does, considering.
Will PM thank you for responding! |
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I-forgot
Joined: 28 Jun 2015
Posts: 153
Location: Riyadh
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| Posted: Wed May 03, 2017 4:29 pm Post subject: |
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I've just spent three hours with two former colleagues posted to different MoE schools in the Emirates (both of whom are pretty level headed with a combined ten years of Gulf teaching experience).
It is not recommended.
The attrition rate is HIGH!
Boys schools are far worse than girls. The girls are pretty bad. The students are as expected for Middle Eastern teenagers. The discipline in the schools is non existant, the teaching materials they are provided have been written by Emiratis who struggle to use verbs in simple sentences and the books they have been given (written by native speakers) were not proofed and are littered with mistakes.
Your experience depends a lot on your lead teacher or department head. They generally have no clue what is going on. 'The blind leading the blind' was the phrase used. The Peter Principle is very evident.
Last minutes edicts are the norm - 24 hours notice was given of daily quizzes for three weeks (Ministry edict, not a school edict). Say goodbye to lesson planning!
They are happy with the salary, pissed off about working on Saturdays, and considering doing a runner. One said that the MoE made PPrincess Nora University in Riyadh look organised. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Wed May 03, 2017 10:49 pm Post subject: |
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Since you have under 5 posts, your PMs may not go through.
To be honest, while the money surely seems good to you, this is VERY difficult teaching. You need outstanding classroom management skills... those acquired in many years of teaching in various types of schools.
Also the northern Emirates are not the best place for someone without extensive overseas experience. The levels of conservatism and lack of social opportunities can be very difficult in some of the locations.
Yes, the attrition rate is very high. Too many teachers arrive without the abilities to deal with the cultural and bureaucratic problems... on top of the fact that the kids are often out of control.
VS |
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AV15
Joined: 27 Feb 2017
Posts: 51
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| Posted: Thu May 04, 2017 3:59 pm Post subject: |
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Of course, one recourse to unruly behaviour is just to let it wash over you, and concern yourself with banking your paychecks rather than actually teaching anything. Doesn't sound like the kind of place you'd ever get fired for poor performance.
Besides, take it from someone who is doing a PGCE now - UK kids are entitled little brats too. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Fri May 05, 2017 2:32 am Post subject: |
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| AV15 wrote: |
| Besides, take it from someone who is doing a PGCE now - UK kids are entitled little brats too. |
Have you taught secondary school level Arab kids in their public schools?
VS |
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AV15
Joined: 27 Feb 2017
Posts: 51
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| Posted: Fri May 05, 2017 11:39 am Post subject: |
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| veiledsentiments wrote: |
| AV15 wrote: |
| Besides, take it from someone who is doing a PGCE now - UK kids are entitled little brats too. |
Have you taught secondary school level Arab kids in their public schools?
VS |
Nope, and I can well imagine it's terrible. But awful behaviour takes place in a lot of countries. UK primary kids are some of the most entitled spoilt little shits you can meet. I wouldn't even want to look at secondary *shudder*.
Work would suck, but it's only really an issue if you actually care about teaching anything. Go in with the mindset that you're there to make money rather than teach. It sure doesn't sound like the admin cares if the kids learn anything, so you're unlikely to get canned if they don't make any progress. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Fri May 05, 2017 2:18 pm Post subject: |
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| AV15 wrote: |
Nope, and I can well imagine it's terrible. But awful behaviour takes place in a lot of countries. UK primary kids are some of the most entitled spoilt little shits you can meet. I wouldn't even want to look at secondary *shudder*.
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Double it. Arab males, in particular, have never heard the word "no." LOL The students run the schools and make the rules.
Teachers will mostly get no support from management or administration.
VS |
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AV15
Joined: 27 Feb 2017
Posts: 51
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| Posted: Fri May 05, 2017 2:53 pm Post subject: |
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| veiledsentiments wrote: |
Double it. Arab males, in particular, have never heard the word "no." LOL The students run the schools and make the rules.
Teachers will mostly get no support from management or administration.
VS |
Sounds very similar to the UK tbh. Send a kid to the headteacher, and it's the teacher who is blamed for not being able to control the class. You can't shout at the little brats because it might hurt their feelings. You'll be working 12 hours a day all for 'the benefit of the kids'. Any problems with the class, if they don't make nationally expected progress...all the teachers fault of course. And I'm only teaching Primary, so I can well imagine Secondary in the UK is even worse than that.
Kids in the UK by and large don't understand the word 'no' either. Blame the government for this, who is of the opinion that each kid is some sort of special snowflake who has great undiscovered talents. They're pandered too and given everything on a plate. No such thing as bad students according to the UK government, only bad teachers.
The real joke is for this garbage in the UK, you'll get £18,000 takehome a year. At least you get treble that in the UAE, and it sounds like while the classroom environment is awful, you're unlikely to be working much outside your core hours and there's not much expectation of 'progress'. |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Fri May 05, 2017 3:24 pm Post subject: |
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| AV15 wrote: |
| veiledsentiments wrote: |
Double it. Arab males, in particular, have never heard the word "no." LOL The students run the schools and make the rules.
Teachers will mostly get no support from management or administration.
VS |
Sounds very similar to the UK tbh. Send a kid to the headteacher, and it's the teacher who is blamed for not being able to control the class. You can't shout at the little brats because it might hurt their feelings. You'll be working 12 hours a day all for 'the benefit of the kids'. Any problems with the class, if they don't make nationally expected progress...all the teachers fault of course. And I'm only teaching Primary, so I can well imagine Secondary in the UK is even worse than that.
Kids in the UK by and large don't understand the word 'no' either. Blame the government for this, who is of the opinion that each kid is some sort of special snowflake who has great undiscovered talents. They're pandered too and given everything on a plate. No such thing as bad students according to the UK government, only bad teachers.
The real joke is for this garbage in the UK, you'll get £18,000 takehome a year. At least you get treble that in the UAE, and it sounds like while the classroom environment is awful, you're unlikely to be working much outside your core hours and there's not much expectation of 'progress'. |
Sounds like you've got your eyes properly open   I particularly like that 'special snowflake with great undiscovered talents' bit. Sounds quite a lot like what I hear of much of the past two decades in the US elementary system as well. |
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