Job Discussion Forums

[WhatsGrammar?]

Hi guys ( and gals ),

Out of the blue I have received a firm offer as a Class Teacher for Primary at this school. ( I applied a few weeks ago )

I also have a firm offer for a Primary School in Al Ain, UAE.

The offers appear to be about the same as far as salary, housing, free education for my little one so my question is.....does anyone have any positives or negatives about this school?

Any input would be highly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[toughcookie]

I know nothing about the school, but I do know about life in Doha vs. life in Al Ain. I say, if the schools are both okay and the offers are the same, go to Al Ain, especially if you have a family. Traffic in Doha is absolute murder; Doha is a vast construction site and a huge dust bowl of sorts. Although I hear that Al Ain is getting a bit more crowded than it used to be when I was there, it is still very manageable and much more pleasant to live in (trees, flowers, everything wihtin easy reach).

Hope this helps, event hough it is not actually answering your question.
TC

[WhatsGrammar?]

Thank you for responding.

I think I knew deep down that Al Ain would be the better choice but its always good to hear other peoples opinions on schools.

Thanks anyway.

[ghost]

If you are teaching with the ADEC project in Al Ain - be careful. There were many problems there a couple of years ago, and massive teacher defections.

Ghost

[WhatsGrammar?]

Thanks but it`s not ADEC. It`s a Brit school

[Reality check]

Hi,

I do not know anything about the Al-Ain school, but I know about Newton school. A couple of my neighbours work there. They do not recommend this school to their friends. It is a place to be avoided if one can. The school facility is small, the owner (a Qatari woman) does not care much about running a good facility, most teachers are tired and bitter. Some of the teachers also did not get paid on time. Did they tell you what sort of housing they are going to provide you? I met two British teachers who are living in a dingy little apartment.

Hope it helps.

[wilberforce]

One of my gal pals was working at this school. Underpaid and very tough administration. She's quit and moved to a more lucrative school here in Doha. Not recommended either for teachers or kids unless your kids are into homework. Not too big on the creativity front.

[aphid]

I was about to post a similar request for a balanced view of this school in Doha. From comments already posted it doesn't sound like I should contemplate an application after all.

Are there any signs of things getting better or is it really that awful?

Aphid

[wilberforce]

People have been pulling their kids out of this school, disorganised and understaffed. Too many students in a class and the standard of English is very poor. Not enough native speaker kids to make a difference and now the number of native speaker teachers are declining. Even the gals from SA are quitting.

[idaho_potato]

Newton is owned by a very rich lady. There are two campuses - one near Beverly Hills and Villagio and the huge purpose built on in Dafna opposite Katara. My friend (male) worked there for two years, at the end of October of his first year he was anxious to go but stayed the contract mainly because of the good friends he made and the support of the other beleaguered teachers. The salary is not that competitive and the housing is just about adequate. Teachers must work very hard and very long hours. Listen, aridion, if you have a better option, I'd recommend you take it.

[veiledsentiments]

You do realize that you are responding to a question from '08/09. They are likely already there and gone.

VS

[idaho_potato]