Job Discussion Forums

Qfwfq · Joined: 02 Jul 2009 Posts: 4 Location: Miami

So I just received an offer from Teachaway. I've got to review the contract pretty quickly (they're looking for a 9/26 start date). As this is my first go at teaching abroad, I'd like to hear what you old hands think of the contract....

Basic Salary : Dhs. 2,000
Supplementary Salary : Dhs. 4,500
Special Living Cost Allowance : Dhs. 4,000
Responsibility Allowance : Dhs. 00
Any other allowance (specify) : Dhs. 00

This also caught my eye: "The employee may be assigned other professional and routine duties in addition to his/her principal responsibilities." Is that a standard inclusion?

The breakdown of classes, as described in the body of the email, seems a little fuzzy, too: "Your teaching assignment will be MS/HS Geography and History teacher in addition to which you will be expected to teach some English classes." (I taught middle school language arts in Miami for the past three years, but my undergraduate and graduate degrees are in history.) My concern is the range of courses I've been assigned. I'm not used to such a variety of subjects and grade levels. What kind of prep time is associated with that?

I don't mean to be picky, but I do like to know exactly what I'm getting myself into. What do you guys think of the contract?

Thanks!

It's for an International School in Sharjah. This

Gus Barkley · Joined: 26 Aug 2010 Posts: 78

That sounds like they are assigning a very low base salary - 2000 Dh - so they will only have to pay a 2000 Dh gratuity at the end of a year. The extra 4500 per month is still a very low total.

The scariest part of the offer is the 4000 Dh "Special living cost allowance."

They are expecting you to find housing on your own for 48000 Dh per year. In the economic downturn that may be possible (and I know little of the supply & demand of housing in Sharjah), but it's not something I would want to do.

You will arrive on the ground and be expected to teach immediately. Add to that searching for an apartment on a low budget... AND get paid only 6500 Dh per month.

Wow.

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

There has to be something wrong with those numbers. The salary is way low. From what I have heard the salaries for certified/licensed teachers were north of 12,000 Dhs per month PLUS paid housing plus a furniture allowance.

Have you checked out their Facebook page? Unless you made a typo... something is way wrong here.

VS

bje · Joined: 19 Jun 2005 Posts: 527

Plus there are some very dodgy 'international' schools in Sharjah, such as 'The Australian international (sic) school of Sharjah'. Avoid like the plague, according to a handful of sources who were new to the UAE (and relatively new to teaching) and learned the hard way.

mimi_intheworld · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 167 Location: UAE

As to the fuzziness of what you'll actually be teaching, that seems par for the course from what I've found - things'll settle in...probably.

I agree, the contract DOES seem quite low pay. It's less than the starting take home salary for a new teacher in Houston TX. And a lot less than the average pay quoted on the Teach Away website for UAE (with ADEC - this seems to be outside the realm of ADEC) placements.

republocrat · Posted: Fri Sep 17, 2010 9:00 am Post subject:

Jeez, that job looks like a bit of a joke. For somebody who has at least three years experience in the classroom, it would be selling yourself much too short - and the description of duties seems to be vague and meandering.

Unless you're really desperate, I'd wave this one goodbye. You can do better for yourself elsewhere, I'm sure.

qwqf · Joined: 07 Sep 2010 Posts: 3

Thanks for the responses. From what I'd read on this forum, I thought the pay seemed low - especially since I do have a teaching license in the US.

Any ideas as to why Teachaway would push this contract rather than sign me up for the public school program?

Can I politely say "no" to this job and still seek placement through Teachway, or will they drop me like a bag of bricks if I decline this offer?

I appreciate any advice....

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

qwqf · Joined: 07 Sep 2010 Posts: 3

Good points, veiled. I'm going to contact Teachaway today.

Thanks again.

tatsuo1 · Joined: 11 Jun 2009 Posts: 75

If you push the issue, then you may find that they are no longer interested in you.
They prefer unquestioning and "cooperative" teachers.
But good luck with them

qwqf · Joined: 07 Sep 2010 Posts: 3

Just a quick update....

My recruiter called on Friday, after I emailed a list of questions and concerns based on the information above. She was firm about the salary: it's not negotiable. To counter that negative point, she talked - at length - about the relative benefits of international schools as opposed to public schools.

I'm new to this game, so I don't know how much of what she said is true and how much is recruiter-required BS. From people who've been in both
environments - especially in the Mid East - I'd love to hear comments.

First, she implied that the discipline is better. Is she right about that or not? I know it's impossible to speak with certainty about these things, but on the whole do the int'l schools experience fewer cases of classroom disruption than the public schools advertised heavily through the Mid East Teachaway program? I'm not looking for commentary on teaching styles and classroom management skills; I know what I will bring to the school. An honest assessment of the general culture I'll encounter is what I'd appreciate.

Second, she repeatedly mentioned that the school was staffed "primarily by expats" - as though that were a great selling point. Frankly, I'm up for teaching abroad precisely because I want to experience another culture. Is the UAE a particularly hard place to get on without expat support at work?

Guess that it's for now, though I did youtube Sharjah the other day and some videos on the city's wonderful drivers did come up. Yikes....

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Yes, driving in the Gulf is not for sissies. Laughing

As to what the recruiter said... there are international schools and there are international schools. (so a search of Sabis here on the board... they have international schools all around the Gulf and they are the absolute pits to work for...) Has she even told you the name of the school? The ones that are good to work for... (and there are a few) pay VERY well... as good as the university jobs. I am referring to the International schools where the embassy kids go and expats send their kids.

I'd say that her spiel is "recruiter-required BS." The good international schools pay a wage that isn't an insult. The schools being staffed by "expats" is not really a big deal. Almost all of the schools tend to be staffed by expats... from everywhere... India... Egypt... Lebanon. Of course there are many good teachers from these other countries, but she is trying to make you think that it is mostly other Westerners and I highly doubt that. There are very few Westerners who would take a job for that low salary... only those without any credentials or experience.

Ask her why she thinks that you would be interested in taking a Teachaway job for <50% of the other people that they are placing in the Emirates? I assume that is what you had applied for??

VS

Asda · Joined: 01 Jun 2008 Posts: 231

2000 Dirhams a month?! Isn't that near what labourers get paid?!? I say that because 'du', the second mobile provider will not issue you a postpaid plan unless you have a salary greater than 2500 AED/month...

bdbarnett1 · Posted: Mon Sep 20, 2010 3:04 pm Post subject:

Tell the recruiter that if you had wanted to work at an international school, you would have applied directly - you applied for Teachaway at a public school.

What a joke of a salary, too. That's certainly not worth making the trek to the UAE, at least for me.

Sunny Dawn · Joined: 02 Sep 2009 Posts: 8

You need to know exactly which job you are applying for when you work with ADEC. They recruit for terribly paid positions, and for very good positions. It is your job to know what the well-paid positions are, and to sell yourself for a SPECIFIC position the very first time you talk with a recruiter. This means doing your homework before you ever contact them.

For example, if you have five years of experience as a high school principal with the appropriate master's degree in education, there are some dream jobs with ADEC (assuming you don't have children that will need to be educated at your own expense). The certified teaching positions in the public schools are also a good deal. Many of the teachers who have accepted these offers are devout Christians who would have home-schooled their children in the U.S. anyway, so the lack of tuition subsidy for their children is not as much of a hardship.

It sounds as if you did not do the appropriate homework. It will be difficult to move forward with TeachAway now, as they have slotted you for a less attractive job, and they are under pressure to try to recruit for those as well.