***For those of you who do NOT believe all of the posts, you truly need to take a reality check. There is no way THIS MANY people could all be sayng the same thing, without there being some validity. Come on. We're all educators. We're all professionals. And don't give me some drivel about "Dedicated professionals who want to make a difference." If you're a TEACHER, a GOOD teacher, that's exactly what you're all about. So, if you're NOT a good teacher, don't bother reading any
further. You're just wasting your (and OUR) time!
Someone asked for specifics. Here are a few for you!!!
I am currently employed by ENS, Al Ain. Things started out really well on our campus, but the infamous admin of Aub Dhabi have wielded their clubs here, as well, now. The principal of KG was hired as the Head of the school, both KG and Primary. Then she was demoted to Principal. Then to Principal of KG. She was told she would have autonomy. She has been left with absolutely NO power. I wouldn't have her job for ANYthing. Decisions get made by upper management and she has to relay them, making her appear the bad guy. They undercut her at every opportunity. She spends most of her time trying to play mediator between staff and upper management, and gets caught in the middle all too often. The frustration is getting to her, too, I think, based on some things she's said recently. To be honest, I think SHE needs to get out as badly as the rest of us do!
They hired an EXCELLENT Primary Principal, who was ALSO told he would have autonomy. Staff loved him. He, too, felt that we were being spied on, and approached admin about it. He was told it was not true. HE was being spied on. (The evidence is there for anybody who works here.) He was told to discipline staff for things he did NOT think they should be disciplined for. HE was then treated shabbily. Left out of decisions, matter of fact, finding out about decisions from US in a number of cases. Staff were disciplined without his knowledge. In the end, he looked for work elsewhere, and was IMMEDIATELY hired by another school, which, by the way, appreciates both his experience, AND his integrity!!!
We were informed, in the MIDDLE of a staff meeting, that he had resigned. They LITERALLY called the primary co-ordinator out of the meeting and told him, then sent him back in, and called the Principal (who was leading the meeting!) out. Then came in and told us he was leaving. Effective immediately. Staff couldn't WAIT for the meeting to end, so we could all go say goodbye personally. He reassured us that he HAD resigned, but the situation was not exactly what he had expected. There were employees walking into that office in DROVES, many in tears. Everybody from teachers to cleaning staff went in to personally say goodbye. THAT'S the sign of a good leader.
We later found out that they gave him 24 hours to get out of his apartment, and 48 hours to get out of the country. They treated him like a criminal, or like a bad boy who needed his hands slapped. And that's how they treated an ADMIN person. What would they do to a lowly teacher in the same circumstances? Trust me on this one, the staff were ALL on his side, and all of this only made staff morale even LOWER. And also added an element of anger to the whole situation, that, until this time, had been held in check.
Since then, things have continued on a downward trend. Staff morale is so low, I don't think it would register on a scale of 1-10. The only ones staying are those with little to no experience, unqualified, or too afraid to speak up. They are the same few who signed the "contract" we were given.
There's another story. We were all given an "Initial Offer of Employment" to sign, not a contract. Early in the year, things in our initial offers started being changed. When we questioned this we were told that they weren't contracts, and basically had no validity. (This was later cleared up by an article in the local newspaper saying that they WERE legally binding!) They hired a new Head of Principals for both Abu Dhabi and Al Ain schools. The man walked into our school, and, having NEVER SET EYES ON US BEFORE began to berate us and tell us we were not professionals, not doing our jobs, giving out grades based on looks, and a multitude of other slanderous things. He stated, VERY CLEARLY that he didn't believe in the PYP program. He insulted EVERY MEMBER OF STAFF, including the principals, treating us all as if we were nothing.
When questions arose about the contracts, it was suggested that we all ask for copies of our contracts, seeing as we were told we had a 90 day probation period, and it was now late November. We were told by the director that we could get a copy of the contract from HR, ANYTIME! LIES!! HR did NOT have copies, and when they called Abu Dhabi, were told maybe in 2 weeks. 2 weeks extended into 2 MONTHS!!! We finally got given contracts in January. And were told we hd 2 days to sign them.
Okay, the term "contract" is used very lightly here. They were not contracts, they were documents of threat and punishment, administered totally from a POWER standpoint. They contained nothing but penalties and excluded almost ALL benefits that we had been promised. They contravened UAE Labour Law in many places. (We were told that we were under the auspices of the Emir, so therefore not under the UAE Labour Laws!) The language was offensive, the terms unacceptable, and it was obvious that they were trying to SCARE us into signing the contracts and staying. WHAT?!?! And HR couldn't understand WHY we wouldn't sign them. That's the scary part.
When basically nobody handed back a signed contract, HR from Abu Dhabi came to meet with people and hear their concerns. JOKE! The man has no clue what a real contract looks like. He heard the same complaints and concerns from practically every person who went through the door, and STILL he couldn't understand why we were all so upset. They gave us another week to sign. Nobody signed. HR came again. This time the promised amendments. We waited, and waited, and waited. Past the deadline they'd given us to sign, AGAIN. The amendments finally came, but not all items were addressed. Some people still refused to sign.
Based on all the complaints and correspondence from teachers at the school, Live Teacher Recruiting asked for a copy of the contract. CIS asked for a copy of the contract. TeachAnywhere asked for a copy of the contract. We were consequently informed that ENS had been contacted and were told that if the terms of the contract were not changed, they would be removed from their recruiting lists, and that some sites had put out warnings about ENS. CIS told us that ENS had the highest staff turnover rate of ANY international school, for the last 3 years straight! THAT's got to tell you something!!!
Management have recently taken to handing out written warnings. This is their newest ploy to show their power and make us feel helpless. The written warnings carry a penalty of 3 days loss of pay. One teacher got given a written warning for standing on the playground with her hand on her hip. Another got a written warning for talking to another staff member on the playground. A teacher got a written warning for showing up late for lunch time supervision. Other teachers have been written up for "aggressive behaviour" without any substantiation of the charges, any opportunity to defend themselves, or any sort of discussion or mediation. Not ONE written warning has been given for anything to do with out actual TEACHING!!!
We have only had one teacher resign before Christmas, and one pull a runner a couple of weeks ago, but let me tell you, there are a number of teachers hanging by a thread, simply counting the days. When you beat your head against a wall continually, you start to realize it's time to move on. Teachers are burnt out and tired of being treated like naughty little children who need to be chastised and reprimanded to be kept in line.
The teachers who have actually handed in their resignations have all been getting the runaaround. And apparently admin STILL have not figured out that we all talk to each other, because they are offering different people different things as part of their termination. Some have been told they WILL get airfare home, others have been told they will NOT. Some have been told they will receive their August pay, others have been told they will not. Some have been told there will be a ban placed on their passports, others have been told there will not. The school has refused to give a letter of no intent (meaning they will NOT press charges or inflict other penalties on the teacher) to a teacher who has fulfilled her two year contract, and wishes to work at another school in the UAE. The new school cannot process her papers without the letter. Management are just being a**holes, as usual.
And just some notes, for your information. There is no IB program at this school. There isn't even a curriculum at this school. Teachers have been left on their own to devise and implement a curriculum. There are no resources. There are not enough of the resources that ARE available. Nobody has received IB training. A few will be going to Munich this summer for IB training, but under the auspices of Abu Dhabi school. Our school isn't even a CANDIDATE school, yet!
Most of our students speak little to no English. 80% of the school population reads/understands English at less than a grade 2 level. There are a WHACK of special needs kids, but of course, there ARE no special needs kids. They all wrote entrance exams. JOKE of the year! They were TERRIBLE, and it didn't matter whether they passed or failed anyway. They ALL got let in.
Don't tell ME this isn't a money grab. Tuition has just been raised, but no reason has been given. They were suppoed to build a high school (both boys' campus and girls' campus) this year. Ground hasn't even been broken. So, high school teachers that were hired with the promise of high school next year OBVIOUSLY will NOT be teaching high school.
The school is already overcrowded, with enrollment WAY over what it was supposed to be. Specialist teachers are literally teaching in closets and storerooms. And next year will be worse, as they bring in a whole new group of Nursery and KG students, and try to shift everybody up one grade. There is no room for the kids we HAVE, let alone MORE!
We were all promised smartboards in our classrooms. I think there are THREE in the whole school. Classroom computers? We were told there would be 3 or 4 in each classroom. We're down to 2 in each classroom. Some rooms STILL do not have internet. They set up the network withOUT installing antivirus or firewalls, so we had nothing but problems for the first 7 months.
The swimming pools? Hmmmmm. I think the kids have had maybe a MONTH of swimming. The pools have been closed most of the year, due to various sketchy reasons, none with any validation. Too cold. Pumps. Safety. The swimming teachers have had to teach PE (sort of) in the playground areas or wherever they could find space.
They ordered and installed playground equipment in both schools, but the kids aren't allowed to use it. It's all covered with big blue tarps.
Management encourages division between Arabic and Western staff. Arabic staff caught "fraternizing" with Western staff are reprimanded. Most of the Arabic staff speak little to no English, so communication is very difficult. At staff meetings and training sessions, 3/4 of the time there is no translating for the Arabic staff. So how are we supposed to work together, when they don't know what's going on, and what's expected of them? When Western staff bring that up, we are brushed off.
You asked for specifics. Those are just SOME examples of what has been happening at ENS Al Ain.
One final note on the incompetence and inefficiency of the organization (I use THAT word lightly, too!). A few staff members who worked in Kuwait last year, got e-mails from HR, asking them to come to interviews in Kuwait, for jobs at ENS. HR doesn't even know WHO IS EMPLOYED AT THE SCHOOL!!! If THAT doesn't say it all, I don't know what does! :(
Emirates National School
Leaving without being hurt financially.
Tryagain, as an x ens staff member I feel for you. The end is in sight, you have done well to make it through the year.
Make sure you get your letter of no objection. Even if you have to take time off to go to the immigration department and/or labor dept. Apparently both can hand out bans. I did not get this flew back into UAE 18 months later, walked through customs without any hassle but then couldn't get residency without paying nearly 7000 dirams to ENS.
I had left ENS with full consent and knowledge of admin but just didn't know I had to ask for this.
Before it could be sorted out an emergency at home made it necessary to fly home immediately. I went and spoke to ENS both the office staff and the director and they were rude and arrogant. They just wanted their money. i worked very hard for that school and could not believe the treatment handed out. Of course there was no one there who could back up my story, they have all left.
Do go to the trouble of making sure your immigration and labor status is worked out, even if it takes you all hiring a bus once school is over and presenting on mass.
Having to pay nearly 7000 dirams to them really hurt, they lack any form of morals. [code]<a name="here"></a>[/code]
Make sure you get your letter of no objection. Even if you have to take time off to go to the immigration department and/or labor dept. Apparently both can hand out bans. I did not get this flew back into UAE 18 months later, walked through customs without any hassle but then couldn't get residency without paying nearly 7000 dirams to ENS.
I had left ENS with full consent and knowledge of admin but just didn't know I had to ask for this.
Before it could be sorted out an emergency at home made it necessary to fly home immediately. I went and spoke to ENS both the office staff and the director and they were rude and arrogant. They just wanted their money. i worked very hard for that school and could not believe the treatment handed out. Of course there was no one there who could back up my story, they have all left.
Do go to the trouble of making sure your immigration and labor status is worked out, even if it takes you all hiring a bus once school is over and presenting on mass.
Having to pay nearly 7000 dirams to them really hurt, they lack any form of morals. [code]<a name="here"></a>[/code]
ENS
By the way, is there a separate ENS in Dubai?
They are advertising heavily in the TES (www.tes.co.uk) and I was wondering if it is a different school to the one in Abu Dhabi? (or is it a new school?). Anyone know?
They are advertising heavily in the TES (www.tes.co.uk) and I was wondering if it is a different school to the one in Abu Dhabi? (or is it a new school?). Anyone know?
-
garnettulip
- Posts: 15
- Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2007 5:33 pm
DECEPTION TECHNIQUE, exactly as explained above.
Look closely at the TES advert and you will see that there is mention of Dubai ONLY in the heading. Obviously, this will generate more interest / attention than writing Abu Dhabi or Al Ain, and also make it (initially) seem like this is a different school.
OPEN the advert and you see that this is, indeed, the SAME Emirates National School of Abu Dhabi and Al Ain that ex-ENS staff have all been warning propsective teachers about. And interestingly enough, there is NO MORE mention of Dubai in the rest of the advert at all!!!
Nice try, ENS. Unfortunately, you grossly underestimate us. As usual.
Look closely at the TES advert and you will see that there is mention of Dubai ONLY in the heading. Obviously, this will generate more interest / attention than writing Abu Dhabi or Al Ain, and also make it (initially) seem like this is a different school.
OPEN the advert and you see that this is, indeed, the SAME Emirates National School of Abu Dhabi and Al Ain that ex-ENS staff have all been warning propsective teachers about. And interestingly enough, there is NO MORE mention of Dubai in the rest of the advert at all!!!
Nice try, ENS. Unfortunately, you grossly underestimate us. As usual.
ENS
thanks for that.
the advert IS very deceiving, and certainly suggests a different school to the ENS in Abu Dhabi (which has the infamous reputation).
a desperate tactic really, and very unfair on genuine people who want a genuine job.
says it all really. I have never worked at this institution but would never work for an employer who so openly is out to deceive.
it is a great shame there is not some "all powerful" institution which could close establishments like this.
the advert IS very deceiving, and certainly suggests a different school to the ENS in Abu Dhabi (which has the infamous reputation).
a desperate tactic really, and very unfair on genuine people who want a genuine job.
says it all really. I have never worked at this institution but would never work for an employer who so openly is out to deceive.
it is a great shame there is not some "all powerful" institution which could close establishments like this.
-
hihowareya
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Sat Mar 01, 2008 3:29 pm
Anybody starting at ENS this year?
Without much being said on this forum recently, thought I might ask if anyone is beginning work at ENS this year. Have heard there has been some hiring taking place but last I heard the school needed 75 teacher before the start of the new school year, that's a lot of teachers to find, especially with comments likes the ones above being written about the school!
to the person who just started a new job at ENS al ain last week and already wants out (see recent school review posted):
when i was there a teacher did a runner in the first term and i spent the rest of the year wishing id done the same myself! the place is a total disgrace and it only gets worse. i sympathize with you. if you get a chance to get out now - DO. if you speak up for yourslef, chances are theyll make some story up later in the year (like . . . hmm . . . oh! you have the worng colour underwear on today) to get rid of you anyway.
when i was there a teacher did a runner in the first term and i spent the rest of the year wishing id done the same myself! the place is a total disgrace and it only gets worse. i sympathize with you. if you get a chance to get out now - DO. if you speak up for yourslef, chances are theyll make some story up later in the year (like . . . hmm . . . oh! you have the worng colour underwear on today) to get rid of you anyway.
-
priscilla747
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Sat Jan 26, 2008 11:05 am
I actually posted this on the other forum (#2 about passports being held) but then thought I should add it to this thread / forum as well:
"I had my passport held against a $500 (approx.) loan that I got from a school in Abu Dhabi (Emirates National School -- see othet forum) when I first arrived. They kept the passport in a safe and refused to give it to me (not even when I needed it to get a visa!) until the loan was paid off. What really got me about this was the fact that they actually owed me more money for yet unpaid relocation reimbursements and for days that I had already worked that month than I owed them!"
Anyone recruiting soon? Stay away from this school. What you read hare is what you get. I don't even have the energy to get itno it all. It was THAT bad.
"I had my passport held against a $500 (approx.) loan that I got from a school in Abu Dhabi (Emirates National School -- see othet forum) when I first arrived. They kept the passport in a safe and refused to give it to me (not even when I needed it to get a visa!) until the loan was paid off. What really got me about this was the fact that they actually owed me more money for yet unpaid relocation reimbursements and for days that I had already worked that month than I owed them!"
Anyone recruiting soon? Stay away from this school. What you read hare is what you get. I don't even have the energy to get itno it all. It was THAT bad.
FYI to anyone even remotely thinking of interviewing with this school:
Majed Nasser, the Director, was kicked out at Christmas. Well, well well. No surprise there. But for those of you who may be thinking that this might mean a change for the better, believe me .......... this is ENS ............ IT WON'T!!!
Majed Nasser, the Director, was kicked out at Christmas. Well, well well. No surprise there. But for those of you who may be thinking that this might mean a change for the better, believe me .......... this is ENS ............ IT WON'T!!!