Job Discussion Forums

[sharons0]

Hi Has anyone worked in the Sabis school in DUnai before? Im a qualified teacher and there are interviews coming up for teaching jobs here which I'm considering going for. They pay for your accomodation and flight and you can save money. I'm interested in teaching in a different culture. Ive been looking up other discussions and heard things about it but has anyone experience of teaching in this school in particular. APpreciate the advice thanks.

[sharons0]

ah ok made alot of spelling mistakes in that really need to stop trying to type so fast... I meant in Dubai obviously not DUnai...sorry

[veiledsentiments]

Hey Sharon... there is a button in the upper right corner of your message that allows you to edit... a life saver...

VS

[megs]

If I'm not mistaken SABIS is another name for Choueifat school. This school has a bad reputation among international teachers. I work with a few teachers who previously worked at Choueifat and also teach students who went to Choueifat. None of them have anything positive to say. That being said, I have never worked there and can't give you a personal opinion.

As an overseas hire, all schools will pay for accomodation, annual flight home and health insurance and a few will pay your utilities. Personally I would look at other schools. Just do a google search for Dubai schools, but hurry, they are hiring now.

[younggeorge]

SABIS is, indeed, the group that runs the Choueifatt schools. Their conditions for teachers are average at best, and the system they run in their schools will not sit well with Western teacher training - I don't know where you're from, of course. They are very exam-intensive from even the earliest pimary years and have a strange policy that prohibits teachers from talking to parents.

On the plus side, they're well established and can be counted on to pay your salary on time and not to go out of business in the foreseeable future.

[sharons0]

Thanks for all the help. Im from Ireland and have heard that teaching over there would be very different.obviously. I must say before now I was a bit ignorant of the middle east and its traditions etc and am still trying to learn more about it. I was told i might find it very lonely and restrictive? I know that if i go over there that i won't be out drinking partying every night. But is it all about teaching or can you have fun too?

[rosyanna]

You can have a great social life in the UAE, far fewer retrictions than, for example, Saudi.
I agree with youngeorge's comments about Choueifat schools. I have met a few ex teachers from there who had a miserable time working for them in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

[megs]

There's lots to do in Dubai, just like in other cities I have lived in. Football clubs, salsa lessons, theater, concerts, great restaurants and bars, beaches, scuba and snorkeling, clubbing, 4 wheeling, camping - to name some of the things my friends and I have done so far. And yes, some of my colleagues do go out drinking every night, that is possible too. It is really quite like being back home.

[sharons0]

when you say you knew ex teachers who were miserable young george was this just because the teaching conditions? I know its meant to be very grind school like which isn't my ideal way of teaching but i suppose it wouldn't hurt to experience a different way for a year. Or do you mean they were unhappy with the whole place in general. They sent me an information pack the other day which makes it sound very ... restrictive..'you can't do this..you can't do that etc.' I'm currently trying to decide abouyt going to Dubai in Septemeber or Australia in Jan for a year and just trying to suss out more about it.. Know there completely different cultures etc.. Its just Ive always wanted to go to OZ its just I feel it would be good teaching experience and Dubai sounds like a great place and would make a bit of money.(which i know isn't the most important factor..Thanks for all your help though any more advice is much appreciated.

[younggeorge]

It was actually rosyanna who said she knew ex-teachers from there. I only know it from parents who've had children there. If the restrictions you're talking about are imposed by the school, I wouldn't be surprised but if they're talking about restrictions placed on you by local society and religion, they're probably greatly exaggerated. With a little common sense and sensitivity, you need be no more restricted here than you would in Ireland.

If you're available immediately, how about applying for one of the Zayed University primary project posts? The project's supposed to start tomorrow(!) but I know we're still a few short because of late withdrawals, so you might still be able to get in - and I can guarantee our conditions are better than Choueifatt's!

Check it out here:-

http://www.zu.ac.ae/online_app/Open_position_details.aspx?id=319

[Tuttifruitti]

As younggeorge suggests, the restrictions mentioned in the pack are greatly exaggerated, and the application form is humourous to say the least!

As far as teaching goes, Choueifat is nothing like the Irish system, as it is totally academic. If you are a primary teacher, go for the lower classes, KG particularly, as there won't be as much expected of you. The higher you go in the primary level and on to secondary, the more work there is for you, and the greater the expectations of you.

As people are very different, it's difficult to say what it would be like for you. I know some people who left the school at the end of the first year, and even before, (though the app form says you can't do this!) and others who just take if for what it is, do the time and get their salary at the end of the month. The salary is not as good as other schools, especially in Dubai, though many schools have already started recruiting, so the choices are becoming more limited.

Some 'advantages' to Choueifat: they always pay on time and in full, you can keep your passport, your paperwork (visa, health card etc) is completed quickly and efficiently, you get Christmas holidays.

If you can leave now, I'd jump at younggeorge's suggestion! The package and experience you would get there would be unmatched in most other schools in the UAE. If you are committed to a job 'til June, then keep Choueifat in mind if you really want to come here, but keep looking around. I think the interviews are usually not 'til March, so you might find something else before then. Many schools are going to the Search recruitment fair in London next month though, so now is the time to do the serious applying, by email or fax if possible.

Good luck

[sharons0]

Thanks for all the help. I'm actually still in college and will qualify(hopefully ) in June so won't be going anywhere till then at least. I'l be qualified teaching geography and P.E in secondary schools. The choueifat schools recruited 30 graduates from my college last yr and possibly doing the same this year and you do not need to be a qualified teacher. I have never considered going to the middle east at al until recently someone told me about this offer. I think I'm the kinda person who would just 'get on with it' if i didn't really like it but im looking to go somewhere to get experience, make a bit of money, chill out and have fun at the same time. and dubai sounds like that kinda place.? WHen you say the salary isn't as good as other schools what ones are you talking about? and in what way are they better? Know im asking 100s of questions but i do appreciate the help... and i have been looking up the net too.

[younggeorge]

If you're newly qualified, that puts a slightly different complexion on things. The schools that pay better - like Dubai College and The English College - probably wouldn't take you on anyway at this stage. ZU certainly wouldn't, I'm afraid.

The best people to talk to about Choueiffat would probably be those who went there from your college last year - isn't there a way you could get in touch with at least a couple of them?

If they'll take you on, I'd say you should go for it for a year or two - get some experience, see a new part of the world, then move on. And don't limit yourself to Dubai - it's Dubai that gets all the publicity, but the rest of the UAE is also a great place to be and it's not such a big country that you can't visit Dubai quite easily.

[stoth1972]

Yes, Sabis is the name for the large system of Choueifat schools. I have worked in both the UAE and Egypt for this system. Ideal? Not for the well-qualified teacher. They have their own system of teaching, and they expect you to use it. Is this a great financial opportunity in Dubai? Absolutely not. The salaries are well-below average for a qualified teacher in Dubai. Could you save if you lived on campus? Yes. If you like the nightlife, though, expect to be living paycheck to paycheck.

The accommodation they provide in Dubai is on-campus. It's located beyond Jumeirah off the Sheikh Zayed Road and taxi rides into town are going to run you around 30+ dirhams. That's a lot when you just want to run in and do some banking, get your hair cut, etc. On-campus accommodation is also a great way for an employer to keep their eye on the teachers. You would be living possibly in studio, but most likely sharing with another teacher in a 2 BDR flat. Guests of the opposite sex are not permitted (though it does happen from time to time despite the policy).

The teachers working with you will not be very well-qualified. Young, often Irish college graduates are recruited. This is typically a working holiday for these individuals, so one can't expect everyone to be dedicated and conscientious. If you are dedicated and uncompromising in your ideology, these attributes will not be appreciated in this particular school. Hall monitors are not there to watch the children, as much as they are their to watch the teachers.

Saying all of this, I did work for a number of years in different locations for this school. One location might operate much more smoothly than another. One school might hire more qualified individuals than another. I had some wonderful experiences within the network, and always felt that I did the best I could to make it a valuable learning experience for the students working within the parameters (confines) of the system. If you have specific questions, please feel free to PM or email me.

[Evergreen]

I've been a teacher in one of the Choueifat schools for almost two years now. I never taught before.
Their system is very interesting and helpful to me. It helps any new teacher to focus on the essential, it trains you to identify and teach the most important things that any students should now.
The books and the teaching is structured around the idea of teaching and working on a single concept, until the students understand it, then going on with a new concept and so on.
Testing is intensive, each week the students have to sit for a multiple choice exam from the concepts of the previous week. This is helping them and me a lot, as we know what is to be reexplained, they know what to work on.
Both students and teachers have to follow rules that can be seen as "strict". But, come on, no serious school will let you go drunk in the classroom, or no serious school will allow you hit the students or say unappropriate words to them. These, together with sanctioning lateness and absences, are the most important restrictions.
What you have to pay a lot of attention to is the issue of alcohol. That is why their application forms ask questions about alcohol, because this is a muslim country and the authorities do not joke with alcohol. If somebody hits your car, the police will be more interested in knowing if YOU drank something or not. If you did, some interesting time may be spent in their prisons or even deportation.
This does not mean you cannot have fun - from western - style parties to things that you can only do in the Emirates - safari, amazing diving or skydiving, camel riding and many others. The key word is: respect the local traditions and customs and you will be respected.
There is a negative thing about some of the Choueifat schools in the Emirates: they are very far from downtown (especially Dubai and Sharjah). You either have to spend money on taxi, or to share a hired car with other colleagues or to buy a car. Petrol is still cheap here compared to other countries and a car definitely helps you in having a great time. And with the salary here (as accomodation and expenses are covered) I can have a nice life here and pay a mortgage back home .
I came to Choueifat in the Emirates for a change, I found interesting things and I do think is a nice place to live and teach.