Job Discussion Forums

[olivertwisted]

I have got an offer from Al-Ghad Schools. Could anyone give me any comments on them? How do they operate? Is it a stable project? What problems do they face? Points of strengths and weaknesses ......etc Any info is appreciated. Thank you

[heyjoe]

I have a friend who works there. The schools are third world in a way. Very poor conditions,furniture,no pcs or internet in many cases. I interviewed there as well and was told exactly that by the interviewer. They hope to improve the conditions but dont hold your breath. Many of the students are spoiled and undisiplined. Again, this was told to me by my ex colleague as well as the interviewer. Many of the local teachers you will mentor are resentful of being advised how to teach as well as the pay you are receiving. Benefits are good but conditions not as good as most schools. Try it out if there is a clause that you can resign without penalties. I believe it's a 3 month notice you have to give. Hope this helps.
Good luck!

[olivertwisted]

thank you. I really appreciate it

[mishmumkin]

The story on the street are that these contracts pay more than any K-12 teaching gig, and more than most tertiary level positions.

[Zoot]

Apparently, Alghad pays well but you work for it - 10 - 12 hour days are the norm! There's possibly no common factor between all the schools except that they're MOE schools. Some 'local' teachers are just that, Emirati, while others are from middle eastern countries. The Emirati teachers are very well paid the middle eastern teachers who know the system and how it works are not.

[Iamherebecause]

It's all a bit of a lottery. People on this project are well paid but work hard and the number of teachers they are mentoring in the school where they are based varies a lot - the fewest I have heard is 2, the most 9 - and for broadly the same pay. But as far as i have heard the project was not the disaster some folk thought it would be - not everywhere, anyway.

[ajnabiya]

Hi
Does anyone have any info on how this project is going interms of working conditions?
Also, how long does the recruitment process take and what is the package like?
Thanks

[mcsam]

Hi
I don't know this company but it sounds like the same kind of project that I am working on.
I am working on the PPP (Private, Public Partnership) project in Abu Dhabi and we are in local schools under the direction of ADEC (Abu Dhabi Education Council). The aim is to bring "Western" teaching methods and curriculum to the local state schools.
If it is the same kind of thing then read on, if not..............
I've been here for just over a year and when I first arrived the school I'm working in (a kindergarten) was just horrible. It was so bad in fact that one of the bulidings was condemned. There was nothing in the classrooms for the children. I'm told the reason for this is because the teachers (both Emerati and ex-pat Arab) had to pay for any damage and/or loss of equipment. There was some equipment in the school (books, puzzles etc) but they were kept in a room an nobody used them for the reason mentioned above.
The teachers were resistant at first but we managed to win them over, eventually, by actually going into classrooms and demonstrating classes. Once the teachers could see that it was not, in fact, rocket science, they came on board and have worked very hard. Don't get me wrong it was not easy and for the first month or so we were regularly asked into meetings where the only agenda was for them to have a go (sometimes on a personal level) at us. To be fair to them they were scared. Imagine if someone came into your class and told you that the new language of instruction was Chinese, and you couldn't speak Chinese, and they were bringing in some "so-called" experts to tell you how to, basically, re-learn how to teach when you'd been teaching for years with no complaints. You'd be pretty annoyed/angry/scared.
Discipline was another problem, yes even in KG, but once you get the ground rules laid down and the teachers see that they work it's much better.
I love working with my teachers, it has been an up-hill struggle but totally worth it.
If you salary and package is the same/similar to ours then it is in the top end of the range offered here in the U.A.E (I believe after reading quite a lot of posts on the subject).
Hope this helps and I hope I haven't waffled on about something totally unrelated.

[ajnabiya]

mcsam,

thank you for responding to my questions. It does sound very similar to alghad schools and the challenges you describe seem likely

one more question: what kind of qualifications do the expat teachers/metors have where you work? is a pgce + celta sufficient?

thanks

[ajnabiya]

ok one more questions...and this time i mean it

do you have a website for the public/private partnership in the UAE?

thanks again

[rosyanna]

Go to cfbt, nord anglia and mosaica websites. Gems also got a couple of schools, plus a company from new zealand - sorry, don't know name. also google adec abu dhabi for direct hire, as well as al ghad uae. Sabis also in the project, but wouldn't recommend....

[moralleader1]

MOD edit

[Zoot]

The feedback is that these schools are as was first commented on. They are not a stable project - many schools have failed and many staff have been removed. Their HR cannot keep their staff and this means too many dont have their visas, housing, furniture allowance and pay issues resolved. The company is also resisting making the changes needed to see this doesn't go on. They are expecting their staff to finance their own needs in the schools, so the value of the salary isn't there. At the end of the day, they're unable to offer the stability of long-term employment because the word is that it's a1-year project only. And if you're already in the Emirates you would know about the standard of MOE schools and their staff. Its too big a chance to take I'd say!