Job Discussion Forums

[Sunburnt Individual]

Yeah, they're lying. That might be true in the INTERNATIONAL schools, but absolutely not in the public schools. Also, the English ability of the teachers, and especially the students, is very, very poor.

For girls, expect no respect or motivation to learn. You'll be seen more as that different-looking entertaining thing that they don't need to take seriously. My blond colleague was often touched in the halls and the other teachers would defend the STUDENT because "they're just curious." You will have little if any respect.

For boys, there is violence, and a lot of it, even in the primary schools. There are frequent calls to the police or ambulance trips. There is very little if any parental involvement.

I would not work in a public school again no matter how much they paid me.

[haopengyou]

Wow! Interesting input. It sounds like the private school in Beijing where I taught for 2 years. I was the only foreign teacher to last past November during my stay there. A couple of times a semester girls were taken to a local hospital for a "routine health check-up" and then excused from school for 6 weeks for "fatigue", when in fact they were having an abortion. Part of the problem with the other teachers is that they did not have proper expectations for the administration, teachers or students.

It is something to think about. Is the potential hassle worth the $3K+ per month... Do you think that the programs sponsored by Teach Away are likely to be any different?

[Zoot]

There are no programs sponsored by TeachAway; they are a recruiter for ADEC from what has been posted on this forum. The good thing about ADEC is that they are the overarching body charged with changing the face of education in the UAE and have more clout in the schools. They also have able staff who are responsible for assisting the staff in the schools.

Organizations like CfBT, which are recruited for by TeachAnywhere are those having to deal with major behaviour management problems because they want to keep their PPP contracts and don't support the teachers in the schools. Their management is top and middle heavy and those are the people who keep their jobs - generally. I say 'generally' because there is one poster on this forum who was in management and tried to change the poor practices and got fired for doing so.

The behaviour problems aren't confined to the students either - they're just as endemic to the teaching staff. The Emirate can't be fired and the ME teachers are fighting to keep their jobs as return to their home countries is a very poor option for them.

[eha]

'...The behaviour problems aren't confined to the students either - they're just as endemic to the teaching staff....'

In fact, many of the immature behaviours you find among the students, they may well have LEARNT from some of the teachers. Really. Someone on this forum recently wrote about "a very nasty high-school mentality', and I'm pretty sure he wasn't talking about the students. I've seen teachers behave in ways that you simply wouldn't believe--- the only equivalent experience I've had was with Juniour High students. At the very least, there are teachers who encourage or condone bad student behaviour against colleagues--- no doubt hoping that by currying favour with the students, they'll be spared the same treatment. And before anyone leaps to the attack--- yes, I've seen the same thing in the West, though not quite the unbelievable level of immaturity I've encountered among expats in this region.

[kiefer]

???

[Zoot]

youtube will be blocked? oh no, that means there'll soon be no assistance offered by Facebook for the educators hired by TeachAway! Surely that can't be done?

[kiefer]

???

[eha]

But what a relief that they've found the cause of immoral behaviour among the youth! I'd been racking my brains--- no inner city; no addict parents; no poverty; traditional society ---- what could be the problem?

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[carlen]

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[carlen]

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[eha]

So then, I guess YouTube-- like goodness--- has nothing to do with it?