Hello, all,
I've searched in the archives for information on Uptown School and only came up with it being second tier... division two, I think it was : ) on the list of schools in the Middle East, more or less ranked. {I'm sorry I can't seem to find that thread in the search function again. I think it's a little old, too.}
I'm wondering if the translation of division 2 is "barge pole worthy" or "not even with a barge pole"? ; )

The salary listed for BA + 4 is 42,000 USD (but paid in dirhams).
Housing appears provided but could also be negotiated for cash and it's unclear to me at whose instigation the cash allowance would be. I have seen that it's not worth it to take a cash allowance in Dubai because of the rate of inflation. So setting aside those issues (unless anyone can advise their experience in negotiating them), what is the school climate like? Would appreciate any detail anyone can give regarding working conditions there.

Thank you!

I meant the Search Bethesda, sorry!

I am wondering about people's experience with this fair, too... my understanding is that maybe 30-40 schools go, if I remember correctly... I'm also thinking that this could be the fair where people who are NOT teaching couples (singles, 1 teacher + dependent/s) might have a better chance: if the schools REALLY have to fill the spots and they are the late entries, there might not be the option of having two positions that fit perfectly what the teaching couple offers...

Would I be correct in this?

What have people's experiences been there?


The Hyatt is 120 dollars less a night the night following the fair. :evil:

[quote="Open Communication"]I would actually seriously consider marrying someone to secure a good position at a reputable school. I came close to attending a fair in the past with a woman as a non-married teaching couple. I have 11 years experience teaching internationally and I am certified K-12. I'm also a very good catch :)
Get back to me before the next recruiting fair![/quote]

....so what's your content area, baby?

I did this: paid to get myself into an IB workshop. Last year, I was at an IB school but it was only a one year temporary position & therefore they wouldn't pay but I did have to have them "get me in". I had hoped it would give me a competitive advantage since my content area is NOT in demand. In terms of the school I'm at now, no, it wasn't worth it, but I'm hopeful it will lead to something in this next cycle.

When I told my workshop leader that I was paying myself (everyone else had been sent by their school, tuiton was $1,000, and they all knew where they were working in the upcoming school year) when I told her that I was paying myself, she said she felt bad for me. I took that for a bad sign but am still hoping it will lead to something good somewhere. I feel taken advantage of at my current school but again, I have a SMALL amount of work this year when many, many have NONE.

[quote="mandolin"]There seems to be more continuity when the MYP and the DP are contained in one school, eg. a private school. When you talk about the public school boards, the issue is, as ichiro mentions, the DP starts at Grade 11. If the MYP starts at Grade 6, it abruptly ends after 3 years...[/quote]

Just to clarify:
Our MS has MYP 1-3 and we in the HS are picking up MYP 4-5 but our discontinuity, to be explicit, is due to those in the board office not planning for how and when we would work together to integrate vertically. Our 2 buildings are 2 different worlds theoretically conducting the same program. It appears that a few people there just thought the teachers could do a little extra reading over the summer and magically we'd just implement this new curriculum on top of all of the existing structure and responsibility. Moderation is A LOT OF WORK and this was taken into account at the established school and fairly considered with each person's year plan & workload. You've probably gathered that's not the case at my current school. When we get fully up and running is when the excrement is really going to hit the fan. Moderation at my Good school was a stressful time for all.

As compared to No Child Left Behind, it's a DREAM. I'm doubtful you're dealing with that if you're teaching outside the US? But NCLB was a flaming nightmare and I'm really disappointed in the continuation of much of a poorly thought out system. I went back for a Master's degree, finished a year and a half ago alongside the first children to graduate under NCLB. They couldn't think their way out of a paper bag. And I'm talking about middle American kids who made it into college, not the disadvantaged. They all wanted to be given a choice of four to choose from, to be told what (and how) to think. Really.

Teaching MYP last year at an established IB world school was a dream: kids who knew it was expected that THEY would construct their own process and observe and then evaluate it. Am now at an MYP candidate HS in the US and it's quite something to get them to understand that independent thinking is Required. And the US structure of middle school through eighth and MYP 9 & 10 to DP 11 &12 is not very tidy. The MS & HS are not in the same building and I don't foresee the meeting time among all of us actually happening in the coming years. Some of our issues are transition pains, some are incredibly poor planning in our local district office but some run much deeper & go along the lines of what's wrong with education in the US in general. I loved MYP Outside the US. Inside... it's a lot of the same song, different verse. It makes me sad to see a structure with so much value become a punishment to my fellow US teachers. Had I only their experience, I'd be bitter and hate it too.

Ichiro, surely you don't have to deal with NCLB overseas? I'm trying to remember life before NCLB...

Like anything, it depends on how good the school is... because the MYP was well established at my school last year, everyone was an expert there & could help me. A candidate school is not something I'd recommend to start with, all other things being equal. But I did find it a bit of an overwhelming (but good) jump. It's really weird to be seen as the authority (!) on determining how thoroughly a student knows the content, in placing them on the rubric.
It was also really weird being treated like a professional... I think it's time for me to leave again...