JKI Newbie August '14- Sharbatly Compound

Hi Shakira,

Abrar here. I am in the same position as you!

I have accepted a Teaching job at JKS (Grade 4 boys) for this August.

Currently in England and looking forward to it.

WOW! I haven't been told which grade I will be teaching. I'm so excited! The school seems really nice. Which compound are you going to be staying at?

Hi,

Sharbatly village as far as I'm aware. I was told during the interview that I would be teaching that class which I'm pretty happy with.

I've read mixed reviews on this school but I'm keeping a open mind and try my best to enjoy the experience. Some of the negative reviews refer to older kids so hopefully that won't affect me.

Did you apply for Primary or Secondary?

Primary, I'm hoping Key Stage 2.
I was wondering what hours the teachers worked and whether the planning involved a lot of paper work?

I'm going to be at Sharbatly Village too. It looks nice but I'm hoping there's plenty to do with our weekends.

I think at Key Stage 2, boys and girls separate so if you do get a Key Stage 2 class, it will be all girls.

Regarding planning, I'm not entirely sure but have read that most planning is given to you and you have to abide by it. Not much room for creativity or out of the box activities.

School hours should be standard, 7:30 till 3ish with 2 breaks in the day.

Emmm weekend activities, with the weekend being Friday and Saturday, plenty of sports, beech, shopping and restaurants.

Hardest thing is to adapt to the culture there and the Islamic values. Not much of a issue for me as I'm a Muslim but if you need any info, drop me a message.

Is a teaching credential needed? where would I be able to submit a resume ?

I definitely hope a teaching credential is needed! No just anyone can do it!

In all honesty I don't know if t is law in Saudi Arabia but I will be highly disappointed if it is not.

somebody that has been in the public education system for the past 8 years in the USA can definitely do it with their eyes closed. )

Am I being naive here, how can you teach without being a teacher?

not sure that question makes sense to me, but, alright.

If you are not a teacher, how can you get a job as a teacher?

@shakira
believe me there's a lot of things people here in saudi are not qualified to do. almost every second person can be challenged i promise.

@rareshine
if you have been in the education business as you say, then what is stopping you from dropping cvs

Seriously???? I'm shocked!!!

Do the schools take on unqualified teachers?

@shakira
Oh, all the time. I have seen unqualified lecturers in colleges.

Imagine a dentist charging from your health insurance and telling you he can not extract a wisdom tooth ! The word "professionalism" is obsolete in SA

I'm hoping my school doesn't do that. I have very high expectations of them and love the sound of the school.
Hating my job would be my worst nightmare, especially with the confinement.

live.ali- stopping me? you're quick to generalize.

@rareshine
Maybe i wasn't good at composing my sentence. All i am saying is with your rich experience you should have no problem securing a good job.    Peace!

Please don't scare the OP, let her come here and find out for herself.

But yea, agree on challenging every other person, specially doctors....

hamudi wrote:

Please don't scare the OP, let her come here and find out for herself.

But yea, agree on challenging every other person, specially doctors....

oh oh ,easy there buddy ,some people are getting offended here (nay just chill).But i have to agree lot of under qualified if not any qualified doctors are here in KSA.But i think in educational sector it all comes down to credentials and experience and of course how good you interact and convey the information to students,and sad to that not many schools have "qualified teachers in terms of passing on knowledge " rather than  just explaining something given in a teacher guide

Djzubaid wrote:

hamudi wrote:

Please don't scare the OP, let her come here and find out for herself.

But yea, agree on challenging every other person, specially doctors....

oh oh ,easy there buddy ,some people are getting offended here (nay just chill).But i have to agree lot of under qualified if not any qualified doctors are here in KSA.But i think in educational sector it all comes down to credentials and experience and of course how good you interact and convey the information to students,and sad to that not many schools have "qualified teachers in terms of passing on knowledge " rather than  just explaining something given in a teacher guide

Yea, I'm very picky on education system because every tom dick & harry's wife ended up becoming a teacher. No offence to anyone, in the west the system is different and of course it can't be expected here.

But yea, good luck to the OP. You will just do fine.

hamudi wrote:

Yea, I'm very picky on education system because every tom dick & harry's wife ended up becoming a teacher. No offence to anyone, in the west the system is different and of course it can't be expected here.

But yea, good luck to the OP. You will just do fine.

Indeed my friend .I agree but this in the long run  has damaged the educational system in KSA .Students just pass the class without any sufficient knowledge in the basis,some of them have an excellent GPA like 4/5 and knowledge null 

Sounds like the Atlanta Public Schools. Many of the high school grads were unable to read above the 8th grade level. Some were unable to read at all. The teachers were changing the grades of the students so they would graduate. During the investigation if was learned some of the teachers had never attended college and others were found to be convicted felons-sex offenders. The teachers union fought to keep the teachers jobs and many stayed or retired with full benefits.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/12/educa … .html?_r=0http://www.ajc.com/s/news/school-test-scores/

RowdyRoo wrote:

Sounds like the Atlanta Public Schools.

I can attest to this concerning APS.   I worked for the law firm defending APS and ended up deploying to Iraq shortly before this investigation concluded and lawsuits started up.   Very interesting times in Atlanta in those days.

R

Hey Folks,

I am also in the same-boat. I am moving to Sharbatly Compound in August of 2014. Looking forward to it and staying positive, as much as I can! Nervous yet excited. I accepted a position at Jeddah Knowledge International School this past January in Humanities. I have been in the U.S. my whole life and I am hoping this move to Saudi will give me some great perspective and exposure as it will be my first international experience in teaching. I hope all is well.

Flexibility , patience, and Skype will help you the most. Nothing is the same from day to day, but then it is if you are flexible. The culture puts a lot of value on "body  language". With that said, be confident in all things you do. Saudi's expect you to act a certain way as an American. Learn as much as you can about the Saudi culture before you arrive.

Remember, Islam is the foundation of all things in KSA. Download a "call to prayer" app on your  computer and get use to the times because you will have to stop class and allow your students to attend prayers. I would tell you to never speak to a female outside of your compound. Better safe than sorry. Never discuss religion or politics. Never say anything negative about the King.   

Finally, most ESL teachers I have met are either in KSA for the money, running from something back home(ex wife, bad life choices, and etc..), or they came for religious reasons. They are for the most part good people but some are in need of meds. Just like America.