International School of Choueifat

I arrived in Sharjah in August of 2005 having been recruited from Trinity. I don't have any formal training as a teacher and so I was a little concerned about teaching advanced classes to the upper secondary students; however, the system breaks the whole syllabus down into individual lessons. It is very clear exactly what has to be covered in each lesson, which saves a lot of time, as the material to be taught can be prepared weekly as opposed to having to prepare the whole year in advance. I don't have to worry about whether I'm covering the material at the right pace, or even which aspects should be given more attention than others, as this has all been done already. This does not mean that there is no work beyond the teaching of the lessons; I spend several hours a week either before or after school both planning lessons and marking essays. I find the system to be very supportive both within the school itself and on a regional level; difficulties with class discipline don't become overwhelming because I don't have to deal with them on my own. Similarly, if any queries about the material come up on a day-to-day basis I can speak to other more experienced English teachers in the region on the same day and resolve the problem quickly. Given that I studied in Ireland and have worked in Washington and London, I have had experience with being in a completely new environment far away from home. I settled-in here more quickly than I have done elsewhere because of the sense of community amongst the staff and students. I've lived in the first world and the third world and the UAE seems to be a mixture of both. There is an incredible variety with regards to restaurants, shops and clubs. I would wish that there was more to do on a cultural level, but it seems that even this is changing quickly; a big arts centre opened recently in the Mall of the Emirates, and according to Time Out, art galleries seem to be appearing all over the place almost overnight. Dubai is definitely geared towards hosting big events, (concerts and gigs etc) and there is almost too much to choose from. While Dubai has so much going on, the ex-pat community here feels quite small and friendly. I don't feel as anonymous here as I did in London, or even Dublin. Other benefits of an emerging economy include being able to afford (even on a teacher's salary) to have my house cleaned and my ironing done on a weekly basis, (which sounds a little decadent, and I suppose it is). The weather here is great, it's wonderful to have clear skies all the time, and air conditioning is the norm, so it's always cool inside. Because of the rather bureaucratic system of government here it can be a little difficult to get information about things like dates for holidays; also, some people have had problems with getting their phones sorted out, or getting connected to the internet. However, I suppose this is to be expected when there is such a high degree of government intervention, and things are resolved eventually. Finally, Dubai is a great location for travel; it's easy and comparatively cheap to travel in the region, or to Eastern Europe or Africa. I approached this job as a filler for a year while I was thinking about my masters; however, I have decided to stay on for another year. Admittedly, the two year is part of the incentive but it is really the icing on the cake. I am staying because I find teaching here to be both challenging and rewarding.