Abu Dhabi public schools

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gbr1964
Posts: 35
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2012 10:38 am
Location: Houston, TX

Abu Dhabi public schools

Post by gbr1964 »

Anyone know anything about the conditions for teachers/admins in this system? Benefits? Housing? Salary?
Monkey
Posts: 74
Joined: Sun Feb 24, 2013 2:59 am

Post by Monkey »

I can't speak to the salary or housing benefits. I will say that universally, every teacher I know who worked for ADEC had to deal with pretty terrible student behavior. Some of the teachers were able to handle the little darlings and roll with it, and other teachers were really beaten down by it. You know yourself well enough as a teacher, I'm sure, to know what your personal reaction would be.

On the flip side, most people love, love, love Abu Dhabi as a town. All the teachers I know enjoyed living there.
inman
Posts: 177
Joined: Wed Oct 26, 2011 11:10 am

Post by inman »

Put in a search for ADEC (Abu Dhabi Education Council) on this site and you will find a lot of information. Even if you're looking at a public school provider that is not ADEC, the classroom conditions will be very similar. The packages will differ though. As a short summary, Abu Dhabi is a great place to live. In public schools you will have A LOT of behavior management practice. If you're looking at ADEC then they pay very well, and all the headaches and behavior management struggles almost might be worth it. Other organizations that provide public schools with teachers (such as SABIS) often pay little. Personally I'd rather work (and did work) at an international school there for a bit less money than ADEC, but really enjoy what I do.
rayhana
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Mar 14, 2013 4:35 am
Location: England

Working for IAT abu dhabi

Post by rayhana »

Hi all,

I have just been offered a job by IAT girls campus Abu Dhabi. Anybody have any info for me regarding this school? I am hoping to move out there with my husband and two children.

Any advice would be appreciated.
CoachM
Posts: 26
Joined: Wed Feb 13, 2013 2:53 am
Location: California

Re: Working for IAT abu dhabi

Post by CoachM »

[quote="rayhana"]Hi all,

I have just been offered a job by IAT girls campus Abu Dhabi. Anybody have any info for me regarding this school? I am hoping to move out there with my husband and two children.

Any advice would be appreciated.[/quote]

Hi Rayhana

I have never heard about this school, was this through TeachAway?
rayhana
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Mar 14, 2013 4:35 am
Location: England

Post by rayhana »

This job was not from Teachaway but a rather new agency called "worldteachers" based in Scotland. The school is a government one and has little information/reviews, so it has been very difficult to make a desicion as to weather to take it or not.

IAT = Institue of Applied Technology, have many sites across UAE.

Desperately trying to contact someone who may be working there or has in the past!
Ddd
Posts: 42
Joined: Fri Feb 03, 2012 9:25 pm

Post by Ddd »

ADEC salaries up to 20 k AED per month, plus 140k accommodation allowance plus schooling for kids in international schools. Not all teachers work and live in Abu Dhabi city though, you might be in the middle of nowhere.
robbyp88
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Aug 10, 2014 11:42 pm

Re: Abu Dhabi public schools

Post by robbyp88 »

I work with ADEC and have done for the past 5 years. The school system is split between Cycles 1,2 and 3 (Primary, Middle and High school equivalents). If you are a Cycle 1 teacher, the New School Model will be in place. It moves on per year, so some Cycle 2 classes will work with it. Potentially things should improve as the children have been exposed to western teachers from an early age and the curriculum is very much more in tune with western philosophy of education. If however, you happen to teach Cycle 3, well, little has changed there. You will almost certainly have to deal with, frankly, some awful behaviour, administrations who have no idea about what they should be doing, endemic student corruption, apathetic and often poorly trained Arab staff and a small, but absolutely useless band of Emirati teachers and staff, who for the most part, show up, sign in and promptly leave, only to return at finishing time to sign out. Apathetic students (not all, but a serious minority), constant lesson interruptions, no translators or classroom assistants. In sort, Cycle 3 at this time, is an illusion of education. The students you will have to deal with are expected to succeed at Year 10, 11 and 12 levels, when in actual fact their abilities are KG or level 1. The fact that most pass comfortably in the end, will give you an idea of the rampant corruption across the country. I personally have never failed a student, even those whom I have not laid eyes on for the entire year! The hassle for failing a student is incredible, therefore the teachers will not do it. So, the student is happy, the school administration is happy and the teachers just become more jaded and cynical with each passing year. There has been a huge programme of school construction with many State of the Art buildings popping up all over the place to replace aging constructions. However, like most construction in this country, the build quality is poor, the equipment rarely works consistently, there is considerable student vandalism. In short, the schools look a lot better than they actually are. An old saying in the UK "all fur coat and no knickers!"

You may be able to tolerate this state of affairs for a while, but it will get to you in the end. Unfortunately for many, by the time you reach that condition, you will have been out of mainstream education in your own country for so long, that reintegration would be very, very difficult. There are many teachers who come here and realise this very quickly. The usually leave at the end of their first year or even earlier. There is a fairly high turnover of staff and serious teacher shortages across the region.

The salaries on offer are for the most part reasonable and the accommodation is usually pretty good, especially if you work in one of the areas away from the main hub of Abu Dhabi. More 'bang for your buck', so to speak. However, after initial promises of an annual salary increase to combat inflation, ADEC simply decreed 4 years ago that due to austerity measures there would be no increase for that year. There has be no increase since and I would suspect that there will never be another one. So, the financial rewards for working for ADEC diminish year on year. It is still a fairly attractive financial package, but there will come a point where it will not be so. Local staff, who are already on ridiculously high salaries (roughly three times their western equivalents) do get annual increases and several other increases too.

So, with ADEC, you will probably receive a reasonable standard of living, tax free salary, nice accommodation etc., however if you have a spouse and kids, remember school fees are not part of the package and the (good) private schools there are horrendously expensive. Jobs outwith education are basically slave labour, with salaries and conditions you just would not believe. So if your husband or wife is looking for work, unless they have specialised skills that cannot be matched by Pakistani, Indian, SE Asian workers (that rules out most IT, finance, nursing and administration jobs, they will not find employment worth getting out of bed for. Many of the teacher's spouses advertise themselves as airport taxi drivers (a good idea when you see the standard of driving there), handyman, computer repairs and some mechanical work, but as mentioned before, competition is horrendous.

My advise would be, think carefully about working there. If you decide to go, make sure that it will be fairly short term. There is little in the way of job security in any case, so that may not be an issue. If Cycle 3 be prepared to sacrifice your principles and integrity or you will not be employed beyond a year. Never openly criticise the school or the administration to Arab staff, who are always looking to ingratiate themselves. Be careful about trusting western staff also. Many are failed teachers in their own country and are looking for longevity in UAE. The are always seeking the approval of the administration. Having said that, most of the western teachers I have met, have been a good bunch.

Apologies for not having more positive things to say, but I have worked there for 5 years and have become very disillusioned and worn-out. It will happen to you!
Micky
Posts: 62
Joined: Mon Jun 24, 2013 9:03 am

Re: Abu Dhabi public schools

Post by Micky »

Ddd says "plus schooling for kids in international schools" while robbyp48 says "however if you have a spouse and kids, remember school fees are not part of the package and the (good) private schools there are horrendously expensive"

Does anyone know for sure what their policy is on allowances for teachers with a dependent?

Micky
Ddd
Posts: 42
Joined: Fri Feb 03, 2012 9:25 pm

Re: Abu Dhabi public schools

Post by Ddd »

I know 2 people who have worked for ADEC and their children went to expensive international schools, I hope this helps.
robbyp88
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Aug 10, 2014 11:42 pm

Re: Abu Dhabi public schools

Post by robbyp88 »

Micky, most of the private companies including the private schools in Abu Dhabi, provide free schooling (in their own establishment) although the number of kids per teacher is variable. I think they the better ones will allow 2 free places, but some will allow only 1. The government package (ADEC), as it stands at the moment, do not offer any free private education places whatsoever. I worked for a time with a few American teachers. One guy had 5 very young kids and his wife was investigating home schooling because there is no way that his salary could have covered the costs. He actually left to take up a position in the States. The other guy I worked with had one daughter of high school age and he really felt the pinch when he was forced to enrol her in a private international school. He eventually left ADEC to take up a position in Abu Dhabi at a lower salary because the company were offering free schooling for his daughter. Financially he was much better off with the lower paid job because of the ridiculously expensive private school fees. I should add, that most, if not all, the private schools are profit making organisations. They are usually Arab owned, although there are several UK and USA franchises. The quality is extremely variable with some schools having excellent facilities and staff whilst some others have fairly basic functionality and questionable staff. All, in my opinion, are grossly overpriced. If I had kids of school age here, I would not be working for ADEC. It is simply not economically viable. Many of the western teachers here who work for ADEC either have pre-school age kids or their kids remain in education at home. You need to research very carefully before jumping in. Who knows? Maybe future ADEC contracts will include school fees, but I doubt it, as the whole idea of western teachers working in ADEC schools is to try to bring on local teachers who will eventually take over and the westerners will go home. That's the theory anyway. My advice would be, if you have school age kids, and you want to come here, look at the private sector. The pay is lower, but add-ons will help cushion the blow.

One more point to consider. ADEC will take in to account your years of experience when deciding on your salary level. However, they do not count the years that you actually work for ADEC. In other words, the salary level that you are offered at the beginning of your contract will be the same salary level for the entire duration of your stay. Your salary may increase if ADEC award a general increase, but the level will remain fixed. In the 5 years I have worked here, my salary level (gradepoint) has remained the same and there has been no increases at all. So year on year, the true value of your salary will drop until you decide it is no longer viable. After your initial 2 year contract, you will be offered only 1 year contracts, depending on the results of your annual evaluation. This gives ADEC scope to change the contents of your contract year by year.
robbyp88
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Aug 10, 2014 11:42 pm

Re: Abu Dhabi public schools

Post by robbyp88 »

DD says "ADEC salaries up to 20 k AED per month, plus 140k accommodation allowance plus schooling for kids in international schools. Not all teachers work and live in Abu Dhabi city though, you might be in the middle of nowhere."

The stated salary is fairly accurate, but you will need to have approximately 15 years experience to reach that level. I do not have the exact salary levels but newer teachers with 1 to 4 years are paid a lot less than that, in some cases, less than many of the Private Schools. 10 years experience will get you 18k maximum.

The accommodation allowance is based on the numbers of family members. A single person's allowance is 65k. I have never heard of an ADEC westerner receiving 140k, unless perhaps, they are employed as a Principal Advisor or a Cluster Manager. With the rising cost of accommodation, ADEC will no doubt be forced to increase accommodation allowances but 140k? Now that would be something! Furthermore, if you find cheaper accommodation (below your allowance level) you will not be reimbursed for the difference. You simply lose it. They do provide 20k furniture allowance at the beginning of the contract, which is essential as all accommodation will be unfurnished, however a single person will get exactly the same as a family of 6. I never really understood that one. So, maximum allowance is 20k which is returnable pro rata if you leave before the initial 2 year contract. Therefore, if you leave at the end of the first year, you will immediately be docked 10k from your final salary. After 2 years, the allowance is considered spent.

There is a possibility that a new teacher could be sent out to the remoter parts, but ADEC do take into to account your preferences and family requirements. Very few teachers actually end up in the Empty Quarter under protest. Busses are provided for most of the remote locations so you will not have to stay there, but you may have to put up with significant travel every day.
robbyp88
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Aug 10, 2014 11:42 pm

Re: Abu Dhabi public schools

Post by robbyp88 »

DD, it is entirely possible that ADEC teacher's children could go to an expensive private school, but it will be because either the parents have agreed to pay for it, or one of the parents is employed by a company (outwith ADEC) who do pay school fees.
robbyp88
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun Aug 10, 2014 11:42 pm

Re: Abu Dhabi public schools

Post by robbyp88 »

Folks, for your information, there is a Facebook page dedicated to current ADEC teachers and prospective teachers. You should be able to get precise answers to all of your questions there. 'ADEC Licensed Teachers: 2009 & beyond'
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