UAE, DUBAI/SABIS TEACHING!!

Well lads

I am in Austria atm working as a language assistant

Interested in going to the Emirates, Saudi Arabia or any of the more stable French speaking Arab countries like Morocco or Tunisia as I speak French. Lebanon would be ideal as I've always wanted to go there but I think that's starting to get dodgy again going on the DFA's website...

Any chance you can teach with just a degree? I will probably do an online TEFL cert soon but not sure how valid that is? Some posters above seem to have been let in with minimal qualifications and minimal experience?

Few more things:

-Only FB page I could find for Sabis was their Lebanon one-I thought someone said they have an office in Dublin/a presence in Dublin.-the interviews are bout March right?

Their website has feck all vacancies???-like 5 jobs, none in the aforementioned countries and 1 teaching post in Pakistan I would not apply for lol.

-what are the wages like? And generally the working conditions with Sabis?-much authority?? I realise people living out there now might not be able to comment too much, but maybe some previous workers there would like to share their experiences(I read back 4 pages on this thread and found veyr little in the way of past experiences and country specific advice).

-I had Arab friends when in France and have been to few mosques before with my friends over there so have no problem fitting in and avoiding alcohol for 1-2 years while living there. I think I could manage as often went a few weeks or even a month without drinking at all at home.

-Do they really confiscate your passport-that'd put me off going anywhere!

Any other advice welcome.

Thank you thank you

waterworld777 wrote: »

Hello,

I have applied and been interviewed for a position with the International Schools of Choueifat in UAE, Dubai would be my specific choice. I had an interview about a month ago now on Skype after sending in my video CV and all that jazz. They then emailed me a few days after asking to send my documents and notify my references and it was urgent to get the references back. I haven't heard anything since then, they said next stage would be an interview in London, although at the moment I'm studying in Glasgow - has anyone had experience with the recruitment process in England/Scotland and do they give you a good amount of time in advance to plan your trip down to London (as I have a lot of study commitments early next year)?

Any advice would be appreciated as I emailed them this week but haven't heard anything back.

If it's very awkward for you to get to London you could just request a skype or phone interview. I know a lot of people working for Sabis that never had a face to face interview.

Word to the wise, Dubai is very hard for 1st years to get as it is very in demand so don't be surprised if you are not offered a place there. Generally, they offer you a contract for all of the UAE and a few weeks after you sign it, you find out where you will be based.

sashafierce wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

No age limit as far as I'm aware, in my group there was people from early 20s up to late 30s/early 40s. My school is mostly female but there is a fairly big male teaching presence as well.

Has anyone worked in any of the Aldar Academies schools?

Mary91 wrote: »

Hi,
Yes I was offered the job at the end of the face to face interview in March. Yes it has all been finalised. If there is anything I can help you with don't be afraid to ask

Hi i am hoping you could help me. I've an Interview with the International school of choueifat tomorrow through skype. Could you please tell me if the interview is difficult.
Thank you

When do the Sabis jobs start? Is it just September or is there a couple of semester options?

Have a look at other places too. Lots of jobs on Tes.co.uk. Jobs have been coming out the last few weeks.

vanilla_bean wrote: »

If it's very awkward for you to get to London you could just request a skype or phone interview. I know a lot of people working for Sabis that never had a face to face interview.

Word to the wise, Dubai is very hard for 1st years to get as it is very in demand so don't be surprised if you are not offered a place there. Generally, they offer you a contract for all of the UAE and a few weeks after you sign it, you find out where you will be based.



No age limit as far as I'm aware, in my group there was people from early 20s up to late 30s/early 40s. My school is mostly female but there is a fairly big male teaching presence as well.

For those of you who applied and got interviews, do you mind sharing what your credential are. I have and BA and MSc and TEFL and have never received a scheduling for an interview so I'm trying to figure out why I don't qualify.

I've mainly been applying for English/Social Studies positions. I'm not a certified teacher but from what I've gathered, that's not a big requirement for SABIS. I have a BA in International Studies and Political Science;Islamic World Studies and and MSc in International Political Economy and Development

Hi everyone,

Just wanted to get involved with this forum as I applied to Sabis for jobs starting in August 2014, I sent off application form last Tuesday and on Wednesday got an email asking was I available for a skype interview today.

Same as most of you, I was asked where I would prefer to have a second interview, what I would do with unruly children, that kind of thing, was not too daunting!

I don't have a teaching qualification, just in the final year of my BA, so have been checking out work in UAE and this seems like a great opportunity!

I will update here when or if I hear anything back!

I got a few emails from them during the week, all looking positive so far!! They said I have been shortlisted for a second interview which will be in March and they asked me to get the Garda clearance also and to send on a copy of my passport and that they are checking out my references! I didn't put in a video cv either so i don't think that really matters but will probably just make your application stand out I guess! I'm not going to bother sending one in now as it doesn't look like I need it anyway!

I also just put the UAE as my only location as I don't think I would like to work in any of the other locations, was also in touch with a friend of mine living in Al Ain for the last number of years, and she said she would highly recommend going there, that I won't regret it and she knows people who work with the SABIS schools and they all like it!

So I'm just hoping that everything from now on goes well and an exciting new opportunity is in our midst!

No I'm from Galway! Yes apparently huge Irish community over there, so we should feel right at home. I'm not really sure what I would be teaching yet, I presume as English is one of my subjects for my BA, it will more than likely be that, definitely in it for the experience moreso, and I am also hoping to do a TEFL course over the summer, and get some teaching practice in but also as a fallback if this doesn't work out, but I really hope it does!

Will keep you posted anyway!

I also have a question about Bahrain since I put it down as one of my choices. I'm finding it very difficult to find information about it. .. It seems quite liberal bit what way are things politically of er there? Some things I read say that the country is in a bit of turmoil. ..is this true ?

BigStupidGuy wrote: »

It's not in turmoil at all, honestly there's nothing to worry about, it's extremely liberal despite its proximity to Saudi. If I had to say one bad thing about Bahrain in fact, I'd say that it's boring if anything.

But lol, I guess it comes down to how much of your money you want to spend on having a good time.

Ah thank you, are you over there now?
Is it expensive? or do you mean you prob have to travel out a bit for some craic?

BigStupidGuy wrote: »

Yeah I'm over here now since last August. If I'm being honest, it's the most expensive place I've ever been to. But I've heard that most of the UAE is the same, with Dubai being the worst by far. Nah I just mean that if you want to go out etc... you'll have to rent a car or get taxis everywhere as the school is far away from Manama. Like a taxi in and out would be about €32 if you're lucky. Of course you'll probably split that bill with others. Then the average beer is around 6 or 7 euro if you want a nice one. So if you make a habit of going out drinking, or just going out shopping, to the cinema etc. you'll most likely save very little (if any) money. That's largely the reason people stay two years I think, for the bonus you get.

Really ? Wow I though it was one of the cheaper places. I guess if your far out from town then it can be pricey. Are you near a beach even? OR is there anything recreational to do near where you are?

My main reason for going would be to save, I hear they pay around 1500 euro a month?
Would you be able to give a rough monthly cost for say a phone bill, internet and groceries? Sorry for all the questions!! I just haven't a breeze and would like to be a bit more informed before the interview.

Thanks so much!