Being here in the UAE and not working has given me a lot of time to research and investigate other options. I found a great website (seekteachers.com) that advertises for private school positions. I have applied and been offered positions at 3 different schools, 2 private and ADEC. I went to one interview, I won't name the private school, but it was so unorganized it was ridiculous. I had half the interview in the hallway with kids running around because they "forgot" to ask me a couple questions. The administration was very nice, however they too did not have answers to my questions. I thought to myself, "I'm interviewing you just as much as you are interviewing me". When they asked what was my expected salary I told them and they (principal and vice principal) both sat back in their chairs and took a deep breath. I knew at that moment, even after the chaos in the hallway, that this was not the place for me. If I was going to deal with this mess, financially it had to be worth it. The vice principal asked me to come in the next day and teach a class for 15-20 (now they still haven't told me the salary). I agreed, mainly because I wanted to teach, I haven't taught since before Christmas break, and I wanted to see what a middle school boys classroom was like. I can recall a coworker of mine who loved teaching her classroom of all boys, now that was back in the states and I have heard the exact opposite here. I went to the school the next day with my own children, as I didn't have anyone to watch them. My children were so well behaved, I was so impressed that I took them out for ice cream when it was over. Well, needless to say, I rocked it! The night before I began to stress a bit about what to teach. I wanted it to be hands on, but didn't know their prior knowledge of any concepts. I was told to teach "anything I wanted to". The lesson I chose was food webs and food chains. I had index cards with pictures and words of organisms and had planned to put them into groups and have them decide the order they should go in, then we would talk about the different ways to acquire energy, consumers, producers, herbivores, carnivores, etc. Well, I went to sleep that evening and woke up not really feeling it. I figured regardless of where they are in their curriculum everyone can use a refresher on the importance of the scientific method. Also, I didn't know if the class was a physical science, earth science or life science and this lesson would be appropriate regardless. I searched for about 2 hrs the next morning looking this puzzle I usually do about the steps to the scientific method, but couldn't find it. Then I decided to just cut out what I remembered (I've done this assignment at least 50 times). After about 5 min I had it. By this time I had 30 min. to get me and my kids dressed and out the door. I cut out 5 more versions of the puzzle, got everyone dressed and off we went. After the lesson I went to the HR department, that is also were my kids were staying until I finished and was told that I had the job if I wanted it. Well the salary they told me was way below my ADEC offer (now I know public school always pays more, but this was ridiculous). I told them I would have to talk to my husband and I would get back to them. The next day I received a phone call and they not only decided to pay more, but they wanted me to be the science HOF (head of faculty). I thought "wow", that's great, but it was still less than ADEC with no benefits and I would have to deal with this unorganized system, so I turned it down. I just thank God that I am not to concerned about titles, I want to be in a place that I can grow, but also a place that is supportive and organized, at least a little.
The second private school I interviewed at (I actually interviewed with them first) was in Abu Dhabi. I really really like the school. The campus has 4 buildings; boys school grades 5-12, girls school grades 5-12, elementary school (mixed boys and girls grades 1-4), and kindergarten school. All four buildings have their own swimming pool, indoor playground (it gets hot out here), and theater. The administration was awesome, they almost seemed to finish each others thoughts during the interview. They were able to answer all my questions and even questions I didn't know I had until they answered them. I left there loving the school and hoped they liked me enough to offer me the position. Well they did, but now there was another issue. As stated earlier the position was in Abu Dhabi, I live in Al Ain and my husband teaches here in Al Ain. We asked about a transfer for him and were told no, he just got here and the window to request a transfer had already passed. So, I called the school and informed them of this. The principal called me back and stated that their Al Ain campus would be willing to take me if I wanted it. I was so excited, but caution at the same time. As I have experienced in the states, even though schools are under the same umbrella, they can be totally different. I went to meet the principal and although not as pleased as I was with the school in Abu Dhabi, it was nice. The campus had a few more perks because it was built after Abu Dhabi. I emailed the principal in Abu Dhabi and told her that I would have to withdraw my application with their campus and would like the offer from the Al Ain campus. She stated that she hated to let me go but gave me a great recommendation, she encouraged me and also explained that they are building 3 more campuses in the Emirates within the next 2 years and that maybe we could work together again in the future. Now, as far as pay, the pay is less than ADEC, as expected, but the benefits are great. They offer free tuition for both kids, as well as everything else ADEC pays for; housing, medical, annual plane ticket. So now our biggest dilemma deals with whether or not we want our children to go to a school that has 95% local students. We are praying and waiting for God to show us the direction to go in.
