Well, yes, the senior managers are mostly British. I did consider asking directly about the Cc'ing but thought that might just escalate matters. I have also just read on here that two of the managers worked at a Tier 1 school in Asia and this is clearly their management style. Moving on from this toxic school will be a blessing.

@vandsmith, no - it's IB but the staff are 50% British (but that is a not the problem)

@shadowjack this is week 4 of a 2 year contract!

I have already initiated my exit strategy. I came with the intention of staying 3+ years but with my new Principal I knew from day 1 that he was not going to renew me. I just got the vibe that I was not one of his types (young and sporty). I can't say too much as I might as well put my name and photo on here but we were not on the same page regarding his expectations in a situation made confusing by the late arrival of basic equipment and materials beyond either of our control. Now I am being given extra duties seemingly to 'keep me busy' although I have plenty to be getting on with. There is a lot of passive aggression here and the SMT are watching all the new staff very closely.

Folks who turn to IT because they are running away from something - or themselves. All that does is make the problem or root cause far greater. Then all the little hassles we experience in a new country/culture/environment become unbearable or get used an excuse to cut and run. From observation I think this is especially true of folks who have faced relationship problems - either they stay lonely and depressed or they embark on doomed flings or relationships that make them more miserable and affect their work ability/attitude. The same is true if one half of a couple is not committed to the move.

Working overseas has to be a positive, considered choice and you definitely need a plan and an exit strategy.

I'm not feeling the right fit to be honest. I was hired by the outgoing Principal and not by the newly arrived incumbent. I have no doubt he would not have hired me - he clearly has a type that is younger than me for this shiny new school. Plus for logistical reasons not in my control I have not been able to shine yet as I would have liked. I'm also being given extra duties no one else wants which are outside my remit or experience. I admit to a healthy level of paranoia and cynicism but then one of the Principal's first comments to me was that he has a good friend who wants my job!

I have had a mostly bad experience with school admin/senior managers. Lots of passive aggression or outright aggression and contempt for faculty. Incompetence and bullying have been rife with self-interest and self-preservation being the default attitudes. This has occurred in so called Tier 1,2 and 3 schools. I have seen local employment laws exploited to the faculty's disadvantage and behaviours that would see administrators facing tribunals or law courts in their home countries. It is one thing to be abused by a home national for whom this is the norm but it really galls when its your fellow countrymen/women who know better but are happy to use the freedoms of the host country to abuse their position. I've had bad managers in my home country but they know they can only go so far before you can call upon your union or lawyer. The lack or rights and job security are one of the reasons why I am starting the move home.

All of a sudden most work emails sent to me on an individual to individual basis from my various line managers now have my Principal CC'd in even if what is being discussed doesn't directly involve him.
Is this run of the mill passive aggression or am I under scrutiny or am I being paranoid?

@PsyGuy
re: British History. In the instance I was giving the school had no resources at all - no books, no internet connection. Teachers brought their own laptops, pens and paper. Our Geography turned History teacher was given crib notes by British colleagues to get him through lessons. Calling this a T3 school is being generous and it has since closed.

I was forced to briefly teach two subjects I had no prior experience in because the school could not recruit the staff needed but this was a terrible T3 school that was barely functioning. I have also know of a Music teacher asked to teach IT (reason given - both involve 'keyboards', I kid you not)! And a non-British teacher hired to teach Geography but then given British History to teach (of which he knew almost nothing and he had absolutely no resources to call upon).

It sounds like bad practice/crummy treatment IMHO. Your school should pay you out in full either in cash or by bank transfer to your home account. If a school is that hard up that it can't afford to pay two months pay then that would be a worry. I would be very concerned about leaving any school in any location without getting final dues by my last working day.

It is worth noting that Saudi Arabia has introduced a 'tax' on dependants/family members of foreign (non-Saudi) workers (this includes maids and drivers). Starting at SR 100 ($27) per dependant per month, the fees will double year on year to SR400 in 2020. This is being done to raise state revenues against falling oil prices, but the conflict with Yemen probably is a factor too.

@PsyGuy

In my experience, Qatar was the most lucrative for tutoring and the demand was high - far exceeding the UAE and Saudi Arabia. In fact, I had to turn work down. The Qataris have the extra cash to flash, and parents really want to push their kids (although there are plenty who just want you to do the homework for them).
Qatar is also easier an easier environment for female teachers to go out tutoring in, if that is a consideration.
Also, once you start tutoring with one family you can find yourself being offered other siblings and cousins in the same family which adds to your income pool. The downside though is if you have a dispute or falling out with a parent you can lose all your golden eggs!

I am going for the full Gandalf but when I am looking for work I trim it, go for a goatee/van Dyke or go clean shaven (it makes me look younger). However, I once applied for a job with a bearded photo on my CV but for the interview I was clean shaven and the recruiter said they had hoped to see what they called my magnificent beard!

In Qatar I made the equivalent of 75% of my regular salary from tutoring - from 4 kids with one family and one pre-university senior student (who was my main tutoring breadwinner). In one month alone I racked up $4000 USD. Qatar was great for tutoring - the parents want it and are willing to pay. If you put in the hours you get the green, simple as.

What are the current rules regarding bringing a family (spouse + 2 kids) into Qatar? I had hoped to move to Qatar with my family when I start my new job but what I am reading is that it could take up to 6 months or longer to get the necessary paperwork and bank records to get them in. My school didn't say anything about this.