Job Discussion Forums

[ladycutieuk]

Hello.

I am currently in my last year of my law degree in the UK - and i am thinking of moving to Dubai to teach when i am older.

I just have a few questions. I have applied to do my PGCE in this country - is this the right step to take, qualify then go and teach out there. Or get qualified over there?

I have applied to do primary learning - is there many jobs out there for this kind of work?

I am looking forward to it but thinks it maybe a couple of years before i can actually do anything about it - as in most of the jobs you need 2 years experience don't you to actually get a job over there?

Any advice or help will be much welcomed!!
Thanks

[Tom Le Seelleur]

Lady Cutie
Get your PGCE in the UK first as you can sometimes start work and at the same time as doing your PGCE depending on how keen they are on you. Once you qualify, there are schools here you will take newly qualified staff though if you were to stay in the UK or go to Spain or one of the Euro countries, get a year under your belt, you stand a far better chance of getting a better paid with better conditions job. Check TES for the kind of vacancies that already exist and do research on schools your university will have ties with. Nord Anglia is big here and so you could get in through one of their schools in the UK.
Hope this helps
Tom

[ladycutieuk]

Okay thanks, that really helps!!

Much appreciated!!

[veiledsentiments]

Just curious... why would someone with a law degree want to go to Dubai and teach primary school?

If teaching is your goal, why are you not getting a degree in primary education?

VS

[ladycutieuk]

Because i was 18 years old when i decided that i wanted to do law....3 years later i hate law, i hate England, i don't want to become a solicitor. So i have decided best thing for me would be to teach - you can't get a degree in 'primary education' - you get a degree to get you on to the PGCE then get qualified in primary education.
Just a bit stuck in limbo at the minute - and need to make life changing decisions, and i need to be qualified in something that is versatile so i am not tied to this country.

[Tom Le Seelleur]

Lady Cutie
Don't despair, having studied law works in your favour in ESOL. You can use that knowledge in many ways including teaching when you get some experience.
Have you tried applying directly for a PGCE placement with a local primary school - even now they might consider you as a teaching assistant and because you are familiar with their teaching culture offer you a job as a non-qualified teacher (learning on the job). This works also in your favour as you would work your way up, learn all the ropes and as you gain experience and qualifications you get pay increments (check this out beforehand)
England isn't so bad but there are some great places to teach primary including the Middle East. Once you have about 3 years post experience and you are a successful teacher with a good reputation then you can start travelling and teaching in far flung places like Thailand, Malaysia, Nepal, Polynesia, Peru, Bolivia, Tunisia, Turkey, Italy, to name just a few. The British Council have a number of young learners schools in their global network
Tom

[veiledsentiments]

[Sheikh N Bake]

Throughout Europe, one studies law as an undergraduate in what I presume is a five or six-year degree program. Not to appear condescending, but I wonder if that's the wisest system, having 18-year-olds begin their studies to become lawyers--and they can't even change their majors when they find out it's not for them. In the US system, of course, both medical school and law school require completion of a bachelor's degree (in any major) as a prerequisite. I don't claim that is better, just more suitable for US society. Still, on the eastern side of the Atlantic they might consider at least allowing students to switch to another field of study if they eventually discover they had entered a personally unsuitable course of studies.

[ladycutieuk]

Thanks for all your advice.

I might try and get a placement with a school, that seems a really good idea - but i am still trying to get enough will power and interest in this degree to get me through the last couple of months, as i am so close to throwing the towel in - but obviously this is not an option.

In my experience now, law is one of the hardest degrees, in hindsight - as i was going to university to avoid full time work (if i am being honest) i wish i would have took a 'mickey mouse degree' as they call it and got on well with that, then went on to be a teacher. A lot happens in a persons life from being 18 to 21, break ups, make ups, friends come and go, moral values and attitudes change - and this is what has happened to me....I know a lot of friends who have took on the PGCE and enjoy it - say it is hard work but they love working with the children.

I think this counrty is going down the toilet (to put it nicely) and i don't want to stay here longer than i have to. I think the American system is a much better way of introducing people to the legal system, and another part of me does not want to help criminals - after doing my work experience with them, they don't appreciate your help, or you and when released go out and commit the same crime again - i feel that i want to help children who are at least deserving.

I have applied for my PGCE so fingers crossed for that!!

[Sheikh N Bake]

ladycutie, you show an impressive degree of self-reflection, analysis and insight--no doubt your legal training has helped. Those are skills that will serve you well. It seems to me you are intellectually overqualified to be a schoolteacher...at least you deserve the greater pay and (admittedly limited) intellectual satisfaction of teaching at one of the established tertiary institutions in the UAE. You just need a master's, or EFL certification if you want it, and three years' teaching experience to get in. Of course, it's presumptuous of me to tell you what's best for you; it's just that 11 years in Gulf taught the likes of myself and VS what the best jobs are there in education.

What a pity that law simply wasn't for you, and you weren't able to simply change majors as Americans can when they find out they hate what they're studying. Both countries have excellent higher education systems, but both have their flaws, like anything else.