Job Discussion Forums

disimp · Joined: 13 Jul 2007 Posts: 7 Location: NZ

I've got a job at the Emirates National School (Abu Dhabi campus) starting in early Jan. I will be teaching a Grade 5 class of 16 girls. I've been teaching in my home country of NZ for 5 years so really looking forward to a new challenge and change of scene. Can anyone provide any helpful information about the school? I am trying to find out as much as possible before arriving. Thanks in advance for your thoughts/info/advice etc.

Zoot · Joined: 15 Jun 2007 Posts: 408

You should be very excited! This school has an excellent name all over the Emirates! Good luck!!

moralleader1 · Joined: 15 Oct 2007 Posts: 69 Location: USA

saluki · Joined: 08 May 2007 Posts: 30

Sorry to be the wet towel but in fact the school does not have a good reputation. There was a post before the summer where even a parent wrote about problems with the school - admittedly the problems were with the administration, not the teachers. I tried a search but it doesn't seem to work for me at the moment.

I know of teachers who have worked there, and a couple who currently work there and they were/are not very happy - again mostly administration problems.

As for other info, the school is about half an hour from Abu Dhabi city but a bus takes you to and from work if you don't want to get your own car. Children are of many nationalities, and in general are great, as are their parents according to my friends. The school is in an area that is growing fast, but they are building two new schools in Abu Dhabi opposite the taxi station, so you may not be outside the city forever!

I hope it works out well for you, by all accounts the other teaching staff are good people to work with.

veralynn · Joined: 01 Nov 2007 Posts: 113 Location: Abu Dhabi

I agree with Saluki. It's the administration that seems to be the problem. But it's a big problem.

Iamherebecause · Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 3:45 am Post subject:

People in Al Ain were very excited when they heard this new school was opening (given the options that were available at the time) but both teachers and parents are finding the linguistic mix difficult to deal with. Kids who speak English at home are very much in the minority and kids who speak Arabic at home are by far the majority. Luckily the administration is supportive of teachers when parents complain - and the situation ought to settle down given time.

ardiles81 · Joined: 23 Sep 2007 Posts: 71

It does appear that there was an exodus of sorts from the Al Ain English Speaking School - the default for expats when the ENS started up in AA. A large number of rightly hacked off staff and parents jumped the sinking AAESS ship for ENS last year, however rumor has it that all is not so well given that management is local and there are a large number of local kids in the school - more than would allow it to qualify as an international school.

Neither of the above are necessarily terrible but the reality is that predominantly British staff and anglo kids do not gel especially well with local management styles and local kids. Amongst the kids there is a them and us attitude and a lot of management appear to be placemen.

Simply my observations which someone out there may shoot down.

PTTeacher · Joined: 10 Feb 2008 Posts: 7

Hello there...
I had an interview last week in this school and I think it was ok.
How do you see your experience in this school in overall?

Thank you.

umzakaria · Joined: 23 Jun 2006 Posts: 58

Try these emails posted on TES:

If you want to know what it is like email me at <karolineamos AT windowslive.com> I will give you an honest and current run down.

10 | Posted by: scole2323 at 10 Feb 2008 11:00

If you want to know what it is like, for me, you can email me at <scole2323 AT yahoo.com>
Different strokes for different folks, and so on and so on and scooby dooby-doo...

(MOD edit for email addresses)

kiefer · Joined: 12 Jan 2007 Posts: 268

Hey Um,

Nice of you to give out your contacts; however, may I suggest that you delete your Email addresses and instead invite people to PM you? Spam bots crawl the web looking for direct links to Email addresses, and the links you've provided might generate a whole lot of Emails pushing mail order narcotics, porno and male enhancement drugs in your inbox. Shocked

Or instead of using the @ symbol, write out the word "at" Wink

umzakaria · Joined: 23 Jun 2006 Posts: 58

oops,thanks they are not mine,they are from TES overseas job forum which is open to anyone..... Embarassed

redcliff · Joined: 23 Nov 2006 Posts: 46

Go to www.internationalschoolsreview.com and visit the forum

You will find a pretty hefty discussion on ENS, most of it exceptionally negative.

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

Don't you have to pay to get access to the reviews? It sent me to a page asking for $29.

VS

redcliff · Joined: 23 Nov 2006 Posts: 46

you have to pay to get access to the reviews but they still have a public forum just like this one where teachers share info and ask questions. If I were on the move again I'd definitely stump up the cash for the info.

elena_104 · Joined: 20 Feb 2008 Posts: 5 Location: Canada

Hi,

I am a teacher in Canda with 2 years of experience. I have been looking to teach abroad with not much results so far...I had one offer in Kuwait and ended up turning it down...I think I did a mistake there.... I sent my CV to so many schools in SOuth America and the middle east (using the International school review site). I was set on going to the EMirates but not getting much response back and I live far so I wasnt able to go to any job fairs... I feel it is getting late and most schools probably hired all their staff by now...I have a B.A in history and a B.ed... I am qualified to teach grade 4 to grade 10 and I would prefer a position at the elementary level... I also use the help of an agency from www.teachanywhere.com... they assured me that there was many primary positions in the middle east but so far I had that one offer which again I am wondering if I did not do a big mistake by turning it down... I was thinking of taking a tesol course with global tesol sollege thinking this might help me get a job... but I am worried about the validity of these so called colleges...