Now ye're talking - to a teacher in Dubai

finisklin wrote: »

Hi again,

I have been to Dubai before and it strikes me as a completely different reality to probably anywhere else in the world.

The opulence of the hotels, food, cars and luxury available is so far removed from anything I have experienced previous.

How do you stay grounded because it's just not real or couched in any Irish or perhaps western world reality?

Also, for those within your group that are saving, how much would they expect to put away every month/year? 60-70% of their income?

For those saving for a house or whatever when they move back home, how committed are they? Or do they let their hair down and go nuts in the dubai mall every pay day?

Dubai is absolutely not real life, and I don't try to pretend that it is. Whenever I see something extravagant, I usually end up messaging my family back home going "you won't believe what I saw today!". I have no expectations that I should be buying any of those extravagant things.
I think it's easier for me to stay grounded because I'm living and working here. I wouldn't have any need to stay in a hotel, because I have my own accommodation. I can't afford the luxury cars, so they're not even on my radar. The food is amazing, but I wouldn't be going out for it every day, so it's a nice treat when I do. I like to window shop when I go by some of the very expensive shops in the Malls, but it's usually in a jokey "if I ever won the lotto" way.
I'm not sure how much the people in my friend group are saving. Money isn't a topic that would naturally come up. There's absolutely no way that a single person living in Dubai would be able to save 60-70% of their income per month. It might be slightly more realistic for couples that move over, to live off one wage, and save the other one.
I was really bad at saving last year, but I'm trying to be more disciplined this year. I'm sending 20% of my wages home at the moment, because I'll need to book my flights home for Christmas next month. When I have that sorted, I'll be able to save a bit more.
I could not afford to blow my wages in the Mall on pay day. I might be getting a good deal with accomodation, but I still have bills to pay!

recedite wrote: »

So just to be clear, homelessness problem solved, all immigrants work, no asylum seekers or welfare tourists, no junkies, drunks or beggars on the streets, yachts and Ferraris are as common as muck (or sand).
Sounds absolutely reprehensible and insular alright. Do you not miss O'Connell Street on a Saturday night?

All immigrants in Dubai have to have a means to support themselves, whether it's a job, a spouse who works, or an inheritance. If you/your family cannot support yourselves in Dubai, then you are sent back to your country of origin, so there's no homelessness.

As far as I'm aware, you cannot claim asylum in Dubai.
You cannot claim any form of welfare or support from the UAE government unless you're Emirati, or married to an Emirati.

There's no begging or junkies (that's not to say that drugs don't exist in Dubai, but there aren't people walking the streets of Dubai bombed out of their heads on stuff. Drugs are illegal, but there's rumours that the elite have access to them).
Anyone who gets drunk on a night out knows that they need to at least pretend to be sober when they leave the pub/club, and that they can't be fighting.

Funnily enough, I haven't actually seen many Ferraris, but I'm told they exist.
There are a lot of yachts down at the Marina in Dubai, of all sizes. They're nice to look at if you're walking by.

I'd never end up on O'Connell Street after a night out, but I get the point you're trying to make!
I feel a lot safer walking in Dubai by myself, or getting a taxi on my own, after a few drinks, or late at night, than I would back in Dublin, if that helps?

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

Can’t find the link to the story now, I think it was the both TUI and ASTI.
They were, once again, demanding that ‘new’ teachers get the same pay/allowances as ‘old’ teachers even though they were the ones who agreed to shaft you and peers.

I have kids, now in secondary school. I agree with you on the over and above work most teachers carry out but then you have the useless teachers who don’t even bother showing up to take class. Yet there is absolutely nothing we as parents or the school management can do about it and they know it. How many totally useless/unsuitable teachers have the Teaching Council expelled in the last decade?

I found the article you were talking about on the ASTI website, thanks for the heads up.

I can understand why the older teachers shafted the rest of us, even if I absolutely do not like the fact that they did. If you were told that you either had to take a pay cut so that everyone was earning the same lower wage, or that you could keep your current rate of pay, but the newbie's coming in would be getting a pay cut, would you take the cut? Because I honestly couldn't say 100% that I would. The teachers on the old scale are certainly better off then anyone in the new scale, but even they're not going to be retiring to the Bahamas on what they make!

If I remember correctly, those pay cuts were made under the FEMPI legislation, during the crash. They were only ever supposed to be temporary. It's hard not to be more than a bit resentful toward the government, when they've declared the crash over, and voted to give themselves a 5K pay rise, yet they still won't engage in any sort of meaningful discussions around pay for teachers.

I think there is one main misconception with the pay/allowances debate, and the government certainly aren't rushing to clarify it for the general public.
The "new" teachers of the last nearly 10 years, who were shafted, are not looking to be put onto the same wage as a teacher who has been serving for 20 years. What we're looking for is to be put on the same scale system as the old teachers are on.
So if point 1 of the old scale when the older teachers were starting out was X, that's what the newer teachers are looking for. We just want to start on X and work our way up the scale over our careers. We do not want to start out on X-5, and be constantly at a disadvantage as we go up the newer (lower paid) scale. No newer teacher is suggesting that we should immediately be earning the same wage as a teacher who's been teaching for the last 20 years, the second we get our first teaching job after qualifying. We just want to be treated equally in terms of pay, and have the opportunity to go up the same scale over our careers.
I hope that makes sense?

There are teachers in schools that are not suited to teaching. I won't pretend that they don't exist. We know they exist. However, in my 14 years years of school (primary & secondary), I only ever had one 'bad' teacher, and even they taught me something valuable - that this was the exact opposite of what I want to be as a teacher. I have never forgotten them, as they're my reminder of what not to do.

I also remember my other teachers really fondly - my maths teacher who went above and beyond for me, and never gave up on me, even though I was pretty useless at the subject. My history teacher who knew her subject so well, that she never so much as looked at the textbook in the two years I had her. My music teachers who instilled such a deep love for the subject in me, that I could never imagine doing anything else.
The good ones outweigh the bad ones 1,000,000 to 1, but a lot of people tend to focus on that 1, and tar and feather the rest of us with that 1.

I've worked with teachers that are definitely not suited to teaching, and it is incredibly frustrating, both for me as a teacher, and for the students who are taught by them. Should they be put on a probationary period to improve, and then be removed if they don't? Absolutely! At the end of the day, we as teachers want the absolute best for the kids we teach.

BUT (and this is an issue that needs to be carefully examined), that teacher has gone through at least 3 years in the same school in order to be made permanent. Firstly, in those 3 years, how has nobody in the school noticed that they're a 'bad' teacher, when it would have been easier to remove them from the job? Secondly, you cannot walk into a permanent teaching job in Ireland. There are many, many teachers who've been teaching for 6 or 7 years +, that still are not permanent. It is incredibly difficult to be made permanent, and it's only getting harder these days. There would need to be a change surrounding CID's (permanency contracts) to make removing these 'bad' teachers easier, but depending on how that would be legislated for, you're leaving the door open for the government to essentially get rid of permanent teaching contracts. Which they would do in a heartbeat, since non-permanent teachers have much less 'entitlements' surrounding pensions etc. than permanent teachers do. It'd also leave the 'good' teachers in a constant state of limbo. It's stressful enough not knowing if you're going to have a job from one year to the next, when you're not permanent, but having to go through your entire career without any sense of job security would be the final nail in the coffin of the teaching profession.

I am in favour of teachers who have been consistently (and that is key) proven to be unsuited to teaching, and have had the chance to improve (but failed to do so), being removed, but it has to be done in a way that still safeguards the 'good' teachers from being screwed over by the government.

I don't know how many teachers the Teaching Council has expelled. They're not in the habit of giving us much information about anything really. I can understand why the UK scrapped their Teaching Council.

If there is a real and genuine concern/complaint about a teacher's fitness to practice, then there is a complaints procedure, which starts with the Principal of the school, and, eventually, ends up with the Teaching Council, should the matter require it. If a genuine concern about a teacher is made, the principal and the board of management are legally obliged to investigate it.

I know I've rambled a bit, but I hope I got my point across!

Horusire wrote: »

I am a public sector worker. Already been shafted by the previous generation in terms of pension and conditions. Still haven't ever felt that anyone hated me for my profession.

OP do you feel that people have exaggerated how much money there is to be made in the middle east? I have several friends out foreign and wrongly assumed they were making a lot more then 2300 a week. I've heard rumours of 1000 a week to work in hotels etc.

I think that years ago, when it was harder to get people to to move to the Middle East, the wages were higher. However, now that more people want to come over, the wages are being lowered.
I think there's also a bit of a perception that because this part of the Middle East is extremely wealthy, that everyone here is on extremely high wages.
I don't know of anyone who'd earn €1000 a week over here, except for maybe the Principals, if we stick with just the teaching profession.

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

Sure they do, you just need to seek them out in Dubai. Lots of billionaire clubs in Dubai. You should join one, never know your luck.

Hahahaha, that'll be the day... they'd not let me through the door!

recedite wrote: »

I'm not asking you personally whether you are male or female, but is it possible for a woman to walk home at night, or does she need a male chaperone? (I'm thinking for cultural reasons, more than for safety reasons)


I think a lot of Irish people are under the illusion that the money in Dubai must be ridiculously good in order to make up for the oppression and the general lack of craic. Would it be fair to say its actually a good lifestyle over there, maybe even more enjoyable than living in Ireland for many people, if they were taking home the same money in both places?

No, a woman doesn't need a chaperone to walk home at night, it's safe to walk on your own. Depending on where you're coming from though, you might need to get a taxi, just for the distance!

Yes, I think a lot of people have that perception, but Dubai is actually great craic! I think, for the most part, that the lifestyle is pretty good over here.
For a lot of people, the only thing that's really missing, is our family and friends from back home.

FixdePitchmark wrote: »

Does the cultural difference not bother you at all ? So many aspects that are off topic, like, sexual preferences and basic freedoms we enjoy in Ireland are lost, hard to see how these are worth any upside.

If there was an outragous reward , you could go with it. But you have shown , it is not the case for all over there.

I hear , it is hard to pull certain kids up on bad behaviouir , because of their status ?

I've already discussed the first part of your question in previous posts, so you'll forgive me if I don't want to have to type it all out again.

I'm not quite sure what you mean about status?
I don't let the kids I teach away with anything, and I have no problem with getting in touch with parents if the situation requires it. My tutor group know that I expect them to show manners and respect to everyone, and that I have no problem with pulling them up on their behaviour if I hear they've been acting otherwise.
Most of the teachers I work with are the same.
We all want the kids we teach to leave school as kind and well mannered people.
My school has a behaviour monitoring system, so we can keep an eye on our tutor groups behaviour in different classes. There's an escalation policy in place for if there are students consistently misbehaving, starting with going on report, and ending (in the rare case) in expulsion.

Some of the kid's parents don't help matters, and some of them are absolutely great. You can be either unlucky or lucky with them.
I've had meetings with parents about their child bullying another student, and I've had them shouting at me that I shouldn't be allowed to teach, that I don't care about the kids I teach, that I play favourites, that they're going to get me fired.... The list goes on! Some people would rather blame anyone except themselves and their kids when it comes to their child's bad behaviour. The parents in question weren't local or Arab (not that it matters).
As the saying goes - they didn't lick it up off the floor!

SirChenjin wrote: »

Very interesting AMA, thanks for doing it.
I haven't a question at the moment, everything I wanted to ask has been asked, and answered.

Thank you!