winter

It would take many years experience to get 14k in Dubai
, but to put this into perspective, I taught in NZ for 14 years, so top of the scale, my salary after tax, would be 10500 aed, then I would have very high rent, utilities, petrol (very expensive)' and who knows what else, this equals no savings, here in Dubai, I can save, it's all about perspective

Ronnie Biggs

My missus is also a teacher in Dubai, we have kids and she has recently been offered a job at a GEMS school. Maybe there are other deals on offer (her current school offers her 25% off total fees.)

norsk

Didn't your missus just change her job mate?

The teachers don't stay long in a job here do they. No wonder the quality of education is below a standard i would expect considering how much i pay (sorry teachers but it is the truth)...the kids simply aren't getting any stability. When I grew up we had the same teacher for 6 years!

winter

I'm a teacher, most my colleagues have been here for 8 years

norsk

oh yeah. that's proof that all is okay..

obviously it doesn't happen everywhere, but it seems like some of the schools (and some of them have a very good reputation) have a huge turnover of teachers.

scrubbedexpat141

My mrs was one of ~20 joining in her year. The next year there were ~10-15. Always a turnover by the looks of it, but that's what you pay lots for, right?

norsk

actually i thought i was lining the pockets of some playboy.
it's a shame that the companies running schools in this country have 'providing excellent education' as their second or even third priority objective.

(and it's not because the teachers don't try, but the turnover and lack of investment in stuff that actually matters hurts...)

Millhouse

In fairness, the typical expat only last 3 years or so. Why should a teacher last any longer? They have the same objectives as many others here.

One problem is you can't get a crusty teacher to come over. So you end up with a newly qualified who would rather spend their time on tinder than teach the monsters.

Add on the culture of ' it's good enough' and you can see the mess coming. I'm not sure the schools are really to blame - they are paying the teachers almost double what they would take home in the UK.

norsk

I agree with what you are saying about the 3 year cycle, but why is it like that here when not in other expat locations? I lived in Kenya as a kid and my teachers at ISK (International School of Kenya) were mostly there for 7-10 years and some for much longer. Is it that the UAE is such an objectionable place? Yes there are some issues, but it's not that bad (if you can get past the ridiculous money-grabbing).

There are a few crusty teachers around. Not all of them are straight out of uni, but if anything the crusty ones get demotivated sooner and pack their bags. Also a lot of the time they are married and just become housewives instead of hating every day at work..

There are a couple of schools in the gulf (that I'm aware of) that are very different. One is St Christopher's and the other is Bahrain School. Obviously the second one is different as it is run by US Department of Defense, but St Chris is private. If they can do it why can't the supposedly outstanding (according to KHDA) schools in Dubai manage?

busybee2

a lot of the teachers at bsak have been here a very long time... some move for promotion as now there are many other brit curriculum schs, before there wasnt any so they would either stay or leave the uae completely.

Eeyore

It's weird, your "o" and "l" keys work fine except when you come to type the word "school"...

scrubbedexpat141

Oh yeah, the Indian family who own Gems aren't short of a few bob.

From what I see, it's a mixed bag like any company. My mrs is one of those who works really hard and is gutted if she thinks the kids didn't learn or didn't get much out of a lesson. She takes it all quite personally.

There are a few others in her school friends who I know (without seeing them in action) are very good teachers because they put in the effort and actually care about what they do.

There are also a few others who I'd not let near a classroom and wonder who the hell employed them.

There's one who I wouldn't let within 100yds of any child.

busybee2

the_red_sheep

Indeed, and they are apparently looking to sell up, hence the rounds of cost-cutting and lack of investment in existing school infrastructure at the moment - making the balance sheet and P&L look good to add a few more $100m to the asking price.


I'm in the same boat, and agree 100%. However, I'm not sure this any different than schools anywhere in the world. The one thing you perhaps don't get here, which you certainly did in my school days in the UK, are the old dinosaurs marking the hours off until they retire. In many ways they may be as bad, if not worse than those who are young, keen but inexperienced.

scrubbedexpat141

DIdn't know they were looking to sell, interesting. They're corporate crooks in some manners...the mrs wanted to order some new stuff for the department, the supplier they found was 1dh per piece. The supplier they had to use was 2dh per piece. They contested the stupidity until they realised the expensive supplier was owned by...guess who?

Types of teacher:

Young, dumb and full of....enthusiasm, ideas and commitment.
Young, dumb and full of....**** all, idiots just not giving a monkeys.
Old, old fashioned and do things like they did in 1986.
Old, old fashioned but embracing new ideas to try and keep things relevant, but maintaining 'old fashioned' principles.

THat's what I've seen from the lot at her place (and others).

I personally like the last one. My school was absurd with some rules and regulations which seemed stupid at the time but looking back, make it a 'better' place to have been (the Headmaster would stand on the gates and check uniforms, check blazers for diary and hymn books and check your behaviour walking down the road in the centre of Salisbury to the school for example).

We had some teachers who needed nothing but chalk and a blackboard and could deliver lessons full of interest and learning to a silent class. We had others who would use all sorts of different things to get us to learn. Really, rather lucky on the whole.