Job Discussion Forums

[holyhell]

Seeing that more than 150 people were let go based on evaluations from supervisors then yeah, there is lots of opportunity.

[wannago]

And a lot of those let go are being replaced by MoE teachers. I was warned before I came that ALL programs in the UAE turn out being run into the ground by locals looking for a pay raise. This has been no different. Good riddance.

[Zoot]

It's the ME teaching staff who fight like crazy in most instances to have things return to what they're accustomed to. I think the comment about 'locals' looking for a pay rise is a bit harsh and not exactly true. There is no 'local' hard work ethic in place - the Emirati don't know what it is. The general ME staff work hard, but are the subjects of poor education themselves. Their families, livelihoods and survival depend on them keeping these jobs - they're more the 'cause' of established work habits. However, the management of this program had it wrong from Day 1 in that, they had no idea whatsoever of what was needed in the context. This whole turn-out is looking more like IAT everyday! I'm sure it's now almost completely in the hands of ME management and staff.

[moralleader1]

Right on! It took only one Iraqi to get a management position at IAT a year ago and now, the whole place is infested with them. Most of the branches, a few westerners remain due to the lack of.......... (You can complete the sentence the way you want it).

Yet, when you talk to the locals in charge of the project, they strongly insist on educational reforms, hiring more western expertise and English teachers (native speakers). In reality, the song is very different.

IAT is collapsing regardless their ads on the web and they will realize when they see practical results (Accreditation baby!)

[allyp]

MAG is advertising again. Teachers Mentors have now morphed into Teacher Development Specialist. There are advertisements for primary and arabic as well. I have worked for MAG for a year now, they have restructured and I have lost my job. I could have kept it if I accepted a 30% cut in pay. They are not paying us until the end of our contracts in July but to the 2nd July, an example of the lack of morality in this program.

There is a new person(yes, yet again) as director of the program. She is Arabic and makes some really strange decisions. People who have been kept have a masters but in business with some very dated school experience and they have kept their jobs while people with nearly 20 years experience and a masters of education 50% completed have lost theirs.
SL is still there and thinks 17 page lesson plans are just fine. There is a real lack of knowledge from the heads of curriculum and what should be going on in classrooms.
The new name for the position, TDS has also bought with it a drop in pay so if you accept a position you will be earning less than others.
They are taking Principal Advisors away from the program so curriculum staff will now be responsible for curbing the behaviour of Principals. Every year this program gets restructured, every year people lose their jobs! Whether it will even go ahead for next year is debatable.
Al Ghad Schools

We currently have the following position available to join the Madares Al Ghad - Schools of Tomorrow, an educational reform programme based in the UAE:

Teacher Development Specialists (Female - Secondary)

Bachelor's or Higher degree in Primary Education, Education,
ESL, Math background
Recognised teaching qualification
Minimum of 5 years full time teaching experience
Excellent communication skills - written and spoken
English fluency (equivalent to IELTS 7.5 Academic)
We are offering an attractive salary and benefits package. If you are interested in joining the programme, please submit your current CV with recent photograph plus copies of qualifications/transcripts together with the names of three referees to:

[Zoot]

allyp, a year and more ago, people were warning about the state of this program. why did you go to work on it? did you think you'd be different to everyone else who's contributed about their inefficiencies on these forums? this is a program that began failing from Day 1! and from all the info around, SL doesnt get any better. she has a Masters in Dopology and a Doctorate in Bitchology, didn't you know that? again it's all been said before!

[allyp]

Ah well we live and learn!

[allyp]

We all wonder what qualifications SL really has. She just doesn't seem to have any idea! She will now be put in charge of Elementary. PAs had to choose between staying and having SL as a boss or move on. Principals with 15+ experience having to answer to SL. MAG has certainly had a sad, strange history.

[Zoot]

allyp, SL's sole claim to fame is her husband's wealth! It continues to work for her though.

[Splitting Hairs]

She has Masters in Teaching English to Young Learners with the University of York and a B.A. Honors in French and Russian from the University of Bristol. She holds a Postgraduate Certificate of Education - secondary - in Modern Languages: French and German from the University of Reading.

She also worked for the British Council in Colombo teaching young learners from the ages of four to fifteen. During her time at the British Council, she was also involved in in-service teacher training with SOS Children's Villages. Sarah also worked in the Modern Languages Department of Colombo International School first as a teacher then as Head of Department. Early in her career she worked briefly in England as a secondary school teacher of French and German.

Can we stop trying to second guess what another educator has or has not and keep to the facts rather than just having a slagging match about someone.

[Zoot]

Then wouldn't you think all that experience would produce something that had a brain and a clue rather than what it has done?

[allyp]

I only wonder because in practice the experience just doesn't present itself. 17 page lesson plans for one day, please! And the list is endless.That is why people constantly wonder about her background.
Even with the qualifications you have presented there is no curriculum design there. This is a specialist area. The program does deserve someone who has both the qualifications and the experience.
I think her personality doesn't help, she can be quite rude to people when they are really trying to sort through her maize of contradictions. I have always thought her abrasive manner must be a cover for her insecurity.
Her previous history doesn't help her cause. It follows her from job to job . The UAE can be a very small place.

[carlen]

edit

[Zoot]

All of the qualifications just go to prove that nothing compensates for experience! Working for SOS is hardly proof that someone can teach even though anthropically, it is good to see she is capable of something in that regard. She is arrogant, ill-informed and any one who needs to have people write up 17-page lesson plans needs a very basic lesson in lesson planning themselves. Put her in the classroom and see how she performs would be the best direction to take.

[Afra]

Has anyone been able to negotiate on the salary offer? A friend whose spouse already gets all the benefits has been made a very low offer.