Job Discussion Forums

[meorbust]

United Arab Emirates University
University General Requirements Unit
High School English Language Teachers

I found this ad on Dave's Interational Job Board. Does anyone have some info on this position? Is it the dreadful high school positions in the U.A.E. where your personal safety is the biggest concern instead of actual teaching? I know of some teachers who have worked for the commercial high schools with kids that are a nightmare to teach because you have to babysit and DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT TURNING YOUR BACK TOWARDS THEM. I hope this is more of a better-run program. Please feel free to PM me.

[younggeorge]

This is nothing to do with the "Commercial and Technical High Schools", now "Institutes of Applied Technology". Abu Dhabi Emirate is making a major effort to reform its school system. Primary school reform started on a small scale with ZU taking over English classes in 2 grade-levels in 4 schools back in February. Now it's expanding to more primary schools, with 4 more companies, including CfBT, involved in supplying teachers for them.

That's the bottom-up part of the reform programme: the High School project is the top-down part. So far, Zayed University and UAE University have started recruiting, aiming to staff Grades 10-12 in a number of government High Schools (I'm not sure how many) from September. I think there are more contractors to come for Abu Dhabi and there are moves afoot to start a similar scheme for the Northern Emirates.

While they're hardly idyllic, the regular high schools are not so rough as the Technical High Schools, and even those have improved a little, I think, over the past few years and particularly since HCT took them over, renamed them and gave them a bit better direction and resourcing. I know a few teachers who've survived them and even one or two who've gone back for more.

[Iamherebecause]

The weird thing about these positions is that if you ask anyone at UAEU about them, they say 'How do you know about that? It's hush hush!' And then the positions are advertised on the ESL Cafe. How can they pretend to fill posts for the start of the academic year without admitting that the project is happening?

[younggeorge]

I don't know about UAEU but there's no secret about the posts ZU is offering, which is part of the same project. I get the impression, though, that not all the necessary signatures and stamps have been put on the deal, so there's still a nagging fear that it might all get cancelled at the last minute - that's probably the reason for the reticence at UAEU. But recruitment is going ahead because there's precious little time to find that number of teachers if, as is more likely than not, they're needed.

[aaysc]

How could it be hush hush when the director or the communications program at UAEU comes out telling all teachers about and says that they are looking for x amount of teachers. Not to mention the fact that they put up an ad on Dave's ESL Cafe. I'm afraid you have your facts wrong.

[veiledsentiments]

[Manny2]

..so the story is that they are going to fill all the local schools with ' native speaker' teachers, who will be lucky to have a board and a piece of chalk. How many of you guys have had the pleasure of being in any of these local high schools? not a pretty sight. And do you know how much they intend to pay, lets just say the job will not attract qualified people, unless they do a Choueifat and go straight to universities and hire fresh graduates who have no teaching qualifications. Yes this WILL definitely improve the standards of English in the high schools.

[younggeorge]

The salary is supposed to be comparable to university salaries. That was my understanding, anyway.

[Iamherebecause]

So if the salary is comparable to University salaries how will that make the more established teachers feel? I'm thinking about all the teachers from elsewhere in the Arab world who will be on salaries lower than those of the fresh new recruits. I'd be surprised if the new teachers found themselves fully accepted by their more experienced colleagues and fully integrated into the school system. And how will the University teachers feel (I am assuming this refers to UGRU level, not subject lecturers who earn way way more than UGRU staff and staff on other English programs) when they see secondary school teachers with a lot less experience coming in on the same sort of salaries as they get? Not that the salaries are that great these days....

[younggeorge]

The first of those problems is a real one. Not only are those Arab-origin teachers going to be resentful of the salaries of their native-speaker counterparts, but many of them are going to lose their jobs. The PR and relationships aspects of this project are going to be at least as daunting as the classroom side.

As for UGRU teachers being resentful of people with lower qualifications and experience getting comparable salaries, well:-

1. If they're following similar recruitment policies to ZU, the High School teachers won't be less experienced. They will be differently qualified, but not necessarily "less" qualified: they have to have qualifications that would allow them to teach in a regular K-12 school in their home country.

2. Would they swap jobs for the same pay?

[Manny2]

I agree with the last post, they will definitely be 'differently qualified' and yes will be qualified to teach in High Schools , however they will not be qualified to the standards, or are they expected to be qualified to the standards of ESL teachers ( native speakers) that currently work at third level institutions in the region. Most institutions require a Masters and at least three years tertiary experience, and the starting salaries are still not great considering the increased living costs now in this region.

So it is simply a case of seeking less qualified teachers not only differently qualified so that they can do this on the cheap. Will they come, would you come for less than DH8000 a month.

[younggeorge]

[Manny2]

sounds like the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing, and as you say it could all fall through at the last minute, but there are alot of schools and presuming all the schools are going to get a ' native speaker teacher' and ZU is not the only place hiring to fill these vacancies. I suppose it is kinda like a contract that is being farmed out to several institution ZU and UAEU being just two. So it may depend on which advertisement you answer ?

So yes it would be great to think that the salaries on offer will be much higher than the number I mentioned but as I say the lower the minimum qualifications required - the lower the salary that will be offered. And what about accommodation will that match what is currently offered to ZU faculty ? or will it be a measly sum that would get you cupboard space in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, or maybe these new recruits get to share.