has anyone out there worked for choueifat schools in the uae?

Question

im thinking of going to the UAE to work in a chouseifat school. anyone worked there and have any info on what it is like? how does the pay work out?

Answer 1

Upsides:

1. Free furnished accommodation on campus, usually shared with one or two other housemates but you get your own bedroom and bathroom.

2. Your visa and residence/work permits are arranged by the school so you don't have to go through all the hassle.

3. Salary is paid in cash and always on time. If you have a UAE bank account, you have the option of having it paid directly into the account.

4. You will make friends with your housemates and other teachers. Possibility of a good social life.

5. The school holidays are good. You can travel around the region quite cheaply from the UAE. Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan etc. are great destinations close by and cheap to travel to. Travel to Europe is also convenient.

Downsides:

1. Compared to other schools in the country, the salary is not that great. It is tax free and the free accommodation helps, but the cost of living in the UAE is rising fast. To save money you have to live economically and not go out too much because all forms of entertainment are expensive.

2. The admin staff are unfriendly and unhelpful. Teachers are viewed with suspicion, for example if you call in sick they automatically think you're lying.

3. The corridor supervisors' jobs are mainly to keep an eye on the teachers and rat them out for the slightest wrong-doings (like if you're ten seconds late to class).

4. You're not allowed guests to stay overnight unless you have permission from the school, and even of you do have permission the security guards like to make life difficult for your guests just for their own amusement.

5. The teaching system sucks, it's very archaic (ridiculously exam-oriented). From as young as grade one the kids are made to write exams pretty much every week, and the exams are deliberately made difficult for the kids so that most kids struggle to cope.

6. The regional director is a madman with crazy ideas such as ''there's no such thing as learning disablities like dyslexia''. If a child has a learning problem it must be the teacher's fault! Also, teachers are not allowed to talk to parents!

7. You have no say in the way your classes are taught. You have to teach using the school's system whether you like it or not, and they check up on you to make sure you're doing it their way.

Well, hope this helps you to make your decision.

Answer 2

I've worked in the Muscat school for three years and am going back for a fourth year. I enjoy teaching there, but it's definitely not for everyone. You will hear some negative things about Choueifat, but you should really make up your own mind and decide if it's a system you could work in. Personally, I've had a very positive experience.

The pay is pretty good, especially since it's tax-free, and they always pay on time without any hassle. The literature they give you prior to going out makes it very clear what to expect. You will teach up to 30 periods a week and will be given lesson plans, which makes it fairly easy. As you get more experienced, it gets easier and you don't have to spend so much time on preparation. There are some downsides to teaching there - you have no input into the material you are teaching, i.e. the curriculum is fixed. Also there is a lot of pressure to have your students perform well in the exams. Feel free to PM me if you want to know anything else.

Answer 3

If you're always positive and strong come. This system is about to become the cutting edge of the performant teaching. It is under development and still needs improvements but it is on the good direction. It needs people that know how is to work in a team, but be carefull here the team is the students. Being here will give you an idea about the tendencies in teaching for the future on the planet. Of course is hard for people that come just for fun but that happens anywhere else on a real job. It is really simple: if you are curious just come and see for yourself, it's worth it. You will definitely improve proffesionally.

Answer 4

Erm,no sorry i havent,cant help you.