Jeez. Clearly, nothing has changed at this place. Even if "carlenss" did bail out without telling anyone (which I doubt), he/she would not have been the first or the last. On-the-spot dismissals and sudden overnight disappearances happened so frequently at ENS that it became a running (LOL) joke at my end of the school.
Oh, and I think we don't need to ask: We ALL know what ENS900s position at the school probably is, don't we?!
Emirates National School
ENS
I was looking for a job in UAE at the CIS fair and did research into all schools (Dubai Academy etc)
As far as I know (don't quote me as the be all and end all!) Emirates National School in Abu Dhabi wasn't there.
It is definately going to the London Recruitment Fair in April though,its down on the list,which must mean CIS are ok with it. It's got a lot of jobs advertised - pretty much for all subjects. School says this is due to expansion.
Know nothing about the school. Reputation is poor- but reputation means nothing. I work for a school at the moment that has a good rep, i guarantee you that doesn't make it a good school. ENS will never get better anyway with teachers leaving midway through their contracts,if you sign up for a school its like signing up for a soccer club. if you are on a 1 year contract you should see it through, how many soccer players do you see crying out "i don't wanna be here any more so i left over night?" None.
Sounds to me like teachers going there go there with the wrong attitude. If you have a legitimate reason to leave (e.g. family commitments/bereavements) then thats a different story. If you don't have a legitimate reason-you should see out your contract. Its not very brave to leave a school in the middle of the night. Get on with admin, follow what they say and stop complaining- maybe then you'll learn to like your jobs. At the end of the day you should be there for the kids, not yourselves. How do the kids feel about such large staff turnover? no wonder things can't improve.
If CIS are allowing ENS at the fair,then things must be ok. it is a world class school without the worldclass commitment.
If you were a soccer player and your manager asked you to do something and you refused to follow instructions,how would you expect your manager to behave? Follow instructions without complaint,the admin will know what is best for you and the school. that is their job. A Soccer Manager sees the bigger picture and so do the admin. A contract is a contract and it should be binding. You were not forced to sign it. You had freewill. Do the honourable thing and stick to what you have said you will do. If you hired a babysitter for a night and they left after 20 minutes, how would you feel? It leaves everyone else at the school to pick up the pieces. it is no wonder that other staff have low morale,as they then have to teach outside their specialism. this leads to them also getting unsettled, it is an unhealthy pattern.
If you sign up at ENS, stay. You have a duty to do so to the kids and the Admin who have showed great faith by employing you. Be grateful at being part of a world class institution with world class facilities.
As far as I know (don't quote me as the be all and end all!) Emirates National School in Abu Dhabi wasn't there.
It is definately going to the London Recruitment Fair in April though,its down on the list,which must mean CIS are ok with it. It's got a lot of jobs advertised - pretty much for all subjects. School says this is due to expansion.
Know nothing about the school. Reputation is poor- but reputation means nothing. I work for a school at the moment that has a good rep, i guarantee you that doesn't make it a good school. ENS will never get better anyway with teachers leaving midway through their contracts,if you sign up for a school its like signing up for a soccer club. if you are on a 1 year contract you should see it through, how many soccer players do you see crying out "i don't wanna be here any more so i left over night?" None.
Sounds to me like teachers going there go there with the wrong attitude. If you have a legitimate reason to leave (e.g. family commitments/bereavements) then thats a different story. If you don't have a legitimate reason-you should see out your contract. Its not very brave to leave a school in the middle of the night. Get on with admin, follow what they say and stop complaining- maybe then you'll learn to like your jobs. At the end of the day you should be there for the kids, not yourselves. How do the kids feel about such large staff turnover? no wonder things can't improve.
If CIS are allowing ENS at the fair,then things must be ok. it is a world class school without the worldclass commitment.
If you were a soccer player and your manager asked you to do something and you refused to follow instructions,how would you expect your manager to behave? Follow instructions without complaint,the admin will know what is best for you and the school. that is their job. A Soccer Manager sees the bigger picture and so do the admin. A contract is a contract and it should be binding. You were not forced to sign it. You had freewill. Do the honourable thing and stick to what you have said you will do. If you hired a babysitter for a night and they left after 20 minutes, how would you feel? It leaves everyone else at the school to pick up the pieces. it is no wonder that other staff have low morale,as they then have to teach outside their specialism. this leads to them also getting unsettled, it is an unhealthy pattern.
If you sign up at ENS, stay. You have a duty to do so to the kids and the Admin who have showed great faith by employing you. Be grateful at being part of a world class institution with world class facilities.
Last edited by scottr on Thu Mar 20, 2008 1:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
ENS
In some ways I agree, for a school to improve it needs stability, and for the time being Emirates National School hasn't got that stability. However, I remain unconvinced in taking a job at this school. There are a few too many negative comments here and in other discussion forums to change my view. That is not to say if things changed, I couldn't be swayed!
By the Way
Don't understand the personal attacks on people who write out advice in this forum. If someone has had a bad experience- the whole point of this site is to warn others of it. Why "Garnetttulip" was singled out- I'm not sure. Fair enough he/she comes back to the site to write- that's the point of the forum. Why should someone try to stop this? That is something that really concerns me....
Reply to Scott
Scott, you can only read others advice and make your decision. I have worked in many international schools and have never come across anything that aproaches what goes on at ENS.
You state that teachers, "should be there for the kids." I think thats part of the problem at ENS, the admin is not there for the kids. They constantly ask their staff to do things that are not in childrens best interest.
But Scott,it is your decision. Ignore advice from this site and others at your own risk.
You state that teachers, "should be there for the kids." I think thats part of the problem at ENS, the admin is not there for the kids. They constantly ask their staff to do things that are not in childrens best interest.
But Scott,it is your decision. Ignore advice from this site and others at your own risk.
ENS
Carlenss- You might well be right,you've worked for the school,i haven't, which gives you a more informed perspective. I just feel that unless people give this school a chance to change it will always remain the same. Probably wouldn't go there myself,sounds like it has a number of serious issues to sort out over the next few years. Special measures might be needed to turn this around. A good Human Resources Manager who has POWER would be a good idea,sounds like the owner has too much influence also- never a good thing. Maybe admin should sit down with staff and discuss the issues and plan change,get the staff onside again. If admin can't do this-then radical change is needed.
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Traveller1
- Posts: 93
- Joined: Sat Dec 02, 2006 11:18 pm
Mmmmm... I wonder why?
Let see, it can't be because they're having difficulty keeping staff. We all know there are no poorly run international schools, well, at least that's what we pretend. After all we're not supposed to talk about them because teachers who complain are just whingers.
Maybe the 'don't talk about the problems' brigade would like to explain why?
Hey, what about one of those super slick administrators that have difficulty retaining staff telling us why.
Let see, it can't be because they're having difficulty keeping staff. We all know there are no poorly run international schools, well, at least that's what we pretend. After all we're not supposed to talk about them because teachers who complain are just whingers.
Maybe the 'don't talk about the problems' brigade would like to explain why?
Hey, what about one of those super slick administrators that have difficulty retaining staff telling us why.
ENS
The MD at ENS admitted that he/admin are checking what is being said about the school on various boards.
Anyone who has worked at ENS would not be surprised at this. Everything you read here about that place is true. I am at ENS now and can't wait to leave this summer. It is A TERRIBLE school.
Staff are treated terribly and the Management is bullying, dictatorial, and incompetent. Staff meetings are jaw-droppingly depressing - they are not even meetings - just berating sessions where only negative remarks about staff are thrown around. In fact, outside of these 'hate sessions', meetings have all not taken place for nearly 2 months now.
The smug, oily MD has that rare ability to destroy morale with a single sentence. On one occasion personal details/emails of a sacked colleague were read to the whole staff. There is a lack of forward planning at all levels and many management decisions seem to be made on a whim and then simply changed, regardless of consequences.
The school is all about surface presentation - so long as it 'looks good' seems to be all they care about. The IB situation is a joke - it is never going to happen here - they just want the cachet.
It is true that staff are forbidden to speak to parents on pain of dismissal.
There is no job security here - the school is run on fear and intimidation and I would go as far as to say it is a racist attitude against 'western' staff. There are definite moves to replace us with arabic staff .No way could this be called an international school. One department here will have no 'western' staff left by the end of this term.
Teachers are quitting or leaving across the board. It is also true that the school will hire people with little or no teaching experience because they are desperate for the numbers. Of course the kids suffer and it isn't long before these 'teachers' crumble and go off sick or leave altogether. That means added cover duties for those who remain.
The MD claims that staff are not spied on (a recurring complaint) - and even read out the dictionary definition of 'spying' (purrlease! :roll: ) - but the fact is staff are spied on - you can catch admin staff prowling corridors and peering through classroom windows and scurrying back to management. The IT department actively monitor computer use to see who is posting things about the school online. Desks and offices are routinely rifled at weekends and after school.
Another problem is the attitude of certain members of the 'western' staff - there is a lot of back-biting and back-stabbing here. Teachers run to management and rat out their colleagues or go to the MD to complain about colleagues for very minor issues they ought to sort out between themselves. There are quite a few cranks here - at least two near alcoholics and a couple of folks with obvious mental health issues.
ENS is a place to be avoided - it is sad that there seems to be a number of apologists and others who have never worked at ENS who don't believe what is said about this school.
Anyone who has worked at ENS would not be surprised at this. Everything you read here about that place is true. I am at ENS now and can't wait to leave this summer. It is A TERRIBLE school.
Staff are treated terribly and the Management is bullying, dictatorial, and incompetent. Staff meetings are jaw-droppingly depressing - they are not even meetings - just berating sessions where only negative remarks about staff are thrown around. In fact, outside of these 'hate sessions', meetings have all not taken place for nearly 2 months now.
The smug, oily MD has that rare ability to destroy morale with a single sentence. On one occasion personal details/emails of a sacked colleague were read to the whole staff. There is a lack of forward planning at all levels and many management decisions seem to be made on a whim and then simply changed, regardless of consequences.
The school is all about surface presentation - so long as it 'looks good' seems to be all they care about. The IB situation is a joke - it is never going to happen here - they just want the cachet.
It is true that staff are forbidden to speak to parents on pain of dismissal.
There is no job security here - the school is run on fear and intimidation and I would go as far as to say it is a racist attitude against 'western' staff. There are definite moves to replace us with arabic staff .No way could this be called an international school. One department here will have no 'western' staff left by the end of this term.
Teachers are quitting or leaving across the board. It is also true that the school will hire people with little or no teaching experience because they are desperate for the numbers. Of course the kids suffer and it isn't long before these 'teachers' crumble and go off sick or leave altogether. That means added cover duties for those who remain.
The MD claims that staff are not spied on (a recurring complaint) - and even read out the dictionary definition of 'spying' (purrlease! :roll: ) - but the fact is staff are spied on - you can catch admin staff prowling corridors and peering through classroom windows and scurrying back to management. The IT department actively monitor computer use to see who is posting things about the school online. Desks and offices are routinely rifled at weekends and after school.
Another problem is the attitude of certain members of the 'western' staff - there is a lot of back-biting and back-stabbing here. Teachers run to management and rat out their colleagues or go to the MD to complain about colleagues for very minor issues they ought to sort out between themselves. There are quite a few cranks here - at least two near alcoholics and a couple of folks with obvious mental health issues.
ENS is a place to be avoided - it is sad that there seems to be a number of apologists and others who have never worked at ENS who don't believe what is said about this school.
ENS
This place sounds like absolute hell. I've read a lot of reports about International Schools but they pale in comparison to this place. It's a shame that a list of "Best Schools" and "Worst Schools" can't be compiled. This place would easily get last place according to all the reviews (on various bulletin boards that I've seen). Does anyone out there have an ACCURATE idea of teacher turnover/how many teachers work there at the moment?
I can't understand how CIS/Global Links allow this school to continue to recruit. Does nobody complain to the main recruitment agencies?
I can't understand how CIS/Global Links allow this school to continue to recruit. Does nobody complain to the main recruitment agencies?
MY GOD, ENS is totally delusional!!!
I've just had a look at the CIS website and the ENS recruitment advert says that we are looking for an IB English A2/B teacher, along with other IB & PYP staff. They've also posted our curricula as 'IB' and 'PYP'.
You must be joking. WE DON'T EVEN HAVE IB HERE!!!!!
TO ADMIN who are reading this: I wonder what they would say at the IB office if they were to find out that you are misrepresenting their organisation at this school . . .
I've just had a look at the CIS website and the ENS recruitment advert says that we are looking for an IB English A2/B teacher, along with other IB & PYP staff. They've also posted our curricula as 'IB' and 'PYP'.
You must be joking. WE DON'T EVEN HAVE IB HERE!!!!!
TO ADMIN who are reading this: I wonder what they would say at the IB office if they were to find out that you are misrepresenting their organisation at this school . . .
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Hermine Ryan
Teacher Seeking Position
Having read all the posts here I am very keen on joining ENS. I know from experience that a school attacting such a volume of complaints MUST be doing something right; after all, it is in the nature of things that it is only the truly polarising entities that are doing something challenging and hence worthwhile.
I am going to apply for a post at ENS. I have many years teaching experience and would love to turn such a school as this around through a POSITIVE ENGAGEMENT with it.
I have heard much about Abu Dhabi, too. It sounds like a fascinating part melting pot. Please mail me if you know who to contact for jobs.
I am going to apply for a post at ENS. I have many years teaching experience and would love to turn such a school as this around through a POSITIVE ENGAGEMENT with it.
I have heard much about Abu Dhabi, too. It sounds like a fascinating part melting pot. Please mail me if you know who to contact for jobs.
ENS
It's nice to hear from someone who shares a similar view to my own. This school will NEVER turn around unless it gets in people who are looking to change the downward spiral that seems to have developed at this school. And Abu Dhabi is nice. VERY nice.
Having investigated the situation at ENS,I must admit its not for me. I would go there if I was younger and more full of energy, but my years of trying to make a difference are numbered. If you want to work for ENS,its easy really. You could go through AXCIS EDUCATIONAL RECRUITMENT (www.axcis.co.uk/56019.html).Alternatively, you could go to http://jobs.tes.co.uk/job.aspx?jobId=483516. They are advertising for every subject at present, according to a colleague if you apply through this they will guide you to the most suitable post. Options vary-the school is versatile and you can basically teach what you like - if you want a change from science you could teach drama or maths- even a combination of subjects is fine.
Further details are available on the EIS-Jumeirah website: www.eischools.ae/jumeirah
I definately would have worked here in my earlier years. There is nothing more satisfying than turning round a school. In 5 years time-this could be one of the best.It has good facilities and a reasonable location.If you work there,i wish you the best of luck. A friend who worked there said the worst problem is staff morale-try to ignore the negativity. Negativity,like positivity, can be infectious.
Having investigated the situation at ENS,I must admit its not for me. I would go there if I was younger and more full of energy, but my years of trying to make a difference are numbered. If you want to work for ENS,its easy really. You could go through AXCIS EDUCATIONAL RECRUITMENT (www.axcis.co.uk/56019.html).Alternatively, you could go to http://jobs.tes.co.uk/job.aspx?jobId=483516. They are advertising for every subject at present, according to a colleague if you apply through this they will guide you to the most suitable post. Options vary-the school is versatile and you can basically teach what you like - if you want a change from science you could teach drama or maths- even a combination of subjects is fine.
Further details are available on the EIS-Jumeirah website: www.eischools.ae/jumeirah
I definately would have worked here in my earlier years. There is nothing more satisfying than turning round a school. In 5 years time-this could be one of the best.It has good facilities and a reasonable location.If you work there,i wish you the best of luck. A friend who worked there said the worst problem is staff morale-try to ignore the negativity. Negativity,like positivity, can be infectious.