Emirates National School

[interteach]

Deleted

[TTB]

To those of you who may still believe that these stories and comments about ENS are exaggerrations:

We just had CIS (Council of International Schools) here THEMSELVES investigating the situation. Basically, they came (all the way from LONDON, no less!!!) to find out why so many people were getting fired, breaking contract etc.

If this doesn't speak for itself then I don't know what does.

[educator]

A CIS report about ENS - now that would make interesting reading. I wonder if we're ever likely to see a snippet?

[missy]

Am I missing something here ?
TTB = you complain about your school YET
you still stay there.
Why ?
As an outside observer I would like to know what is
so bad at this school since you are still teaching there.
Must not be that bad ?

[TTB]

I only just got here and am handing in my notice at the end of the month. Probably along with 3/4 of the staff, from the sounds of it. As a matter of fact, I've only spoken with ONE teacher in my section of the school who is staying on for next year.

[garnettulip]

For those of you going to the recruiting fairs soon you should know this:

Again more staff did overnight runners or got fired from ENS this year. Many, many are also leaving the school.

[PTTeacher]

So that's why they are in a hurry now to contract people.
I've been in an interview last week. I saw at least 12 teachers there for the interview...

I was considering accepting a job position for the rest of this year (4 months)... maybe it's worth?

[TeacherTraveller]

Dear All,

Time for me to break the silence. I am one of the teachers who was recently fired from Emirates National School. Although technically I wasn't really 'fired'. I was just called in for a meeting with the principal one day and was told to 'Go home'.

Nice, huh? Yes, it was just like that.

So,what did I do wrong? I stuck up for myself and on behalf of the rest of the staff at a time when we were again being harassed, reprimanded, criticised, belittled and bad mouthed by the director.

Everyone had had enough of the bullying and threats of punishment, but I was one of the few who spoke up. I merely wanted to point out our views as a staff, and my colleagues believed I did so in a fair and professional manner.

I was the first to go after that, and from the sounds of it it more people left and/or were told to 'go home' after I did.

Take my advice and the advice of most of the other people who have added comments to this forum: DO NOT accept a job with this school. The staff is treated appallingly, the morale there is the lowest of the low, and the director has no problem replacing any teacher on a whim if you have so much as an ounce of respect for yourself to suggest to him that you want to be treated justly.

This school's practices are so unethical that it would most certainly have been closed down in North America / UK as quickly as it opened.

As a final note, be aware that there is NO IB programme and no official IB training. The school depends on teacher experience to try to set up a PYP/MYP-like environment but it is all make-believe. ENS simply pays its dues to the IB so that they can state that they are on the 'IB candidate list' and that's as far as it goes. It's all for show.

No, it's not worth it. Trust me and LOOK ELSEWHERE FOR A JOB!

[educator]

The school certainly seems to go through its staff, if the accounts on this website are any indication. Directors too. Yet some people seem to stay on for a number of years. There’s a story of one teacher there who, after a couple of years in classroom teaching at the school, apparently secured a position as an ‘academic advisor’ – whatever that is – to a particularly significant student within the school. The story relates that this lucky teacher’s role now is simply to assist with homework at the student’s palatial home and take on the occasional pastoral responsibility. If the stories are to be believed, the academic advisor must be content with his ample package and has stayed on for a number of years. It certainly sounds like a dream job. How much of this tale is true and how much is international educators’ staffroom mythology, perhaps only someone at ENS can tell.

[PTTeacher]

Ok... I will have to make a quick decision soon.
If I decide to accept, I let you guys know how things are going.
Thank you for all your help here, and if is there something else, please let me know.
Cheers.

[TTB]

Lots of reasons why people need (not want) to stay more than one year. One I know of is for medical reasons. Another is because of a spouse and children. I know NO ONE who stays here for the 'joy' of working at ENS.

This place is really only for the very, very desperate. And even then you have to be pretty d*** desperate. Listen to the advice you have been freely offered and DON'T come here if you have any professional integrity or self-respect.

[greshammum]

Hi there,

This sounds like they have a lot to learn :roll: What I would be interested to know is whether any of the staff have sought help from Ministry of Labour?

[garnettulip]

Yup. Last year when I was there.

[foreign07work]

Basically, that's it; some of the teachers here have an OK time of it. There are many reasons why this is so, some personal and some professional, but some of us like it here.

[kgockley]

:shock: I work at another school in AD and we hired some people from ENS. Those folks were depressed and in shock. The school really worked them over and they were the ones who stayed and did not do runners. Avoid this school like the plague. It has a terrible reputation in AD.