Interview.

I have been avoiding this post since Sunday, when I had my interview. First I was exhausted (flying in and out of New York in one day is one thing. Making it a 23-hr journey on 3 hours of sleep....slightly less than wise), then I was deeply disappointed, then I had already gotten into the swing of chatting obsessively with other applicants on facebook, going over and over and over, trying to identify the outcome in perceived facial tics and compared questions. Big surprise, that got me nowhere fast. But today I have the day off, no real obligations, and time. Therefore I'm finally posting about the interview experience. Here are things you Simply Must Do: Dress Conservatively.


No, more conservatively than that.


No, now really.


Better. But button that collar. And I hope that skirt goes at least mid-calf. And you'd best not have naked legs! Next, now that we've got the appearance settled, are your bits of paper completed, in triplicate, and labelled accordingly? In a file? With the check list they gave you? And, just in case, have you made colour copies of everything? EVERYTHING? No? Well, do that. Also, have it all on a usb drive. Great. So now the superficial stuff is all taken care of. Well done. NOW it's time to prepare for the questions. Prepare for the questions. ADEC's history with Western teachers is chequered, you might say. They are very concerned that you'll do a runner. They're also concerned that you'll be an embarrassment to them, to your principal, to education itself. In past years the interviews may have been chatty and easy, with a pleasant conversational vibe - but those days are over now. They want teachers. (Hard to say exactly what they want, as I know well qualified and highly interesting teachers who haven't been hired, but I think that's even more reason to prepare thoroughly.) You need to have a good understanding of pedagogy and jargon, and you need to have a strong handle on classroom management. Be aware that "saving face" isn't just an East Asian custom, it's an everyone custom.

Wait, I'm getting ahead of myself.

 I was interviewed by two women who work for ADEC but are Western (Canadian and Scottish). They were very well trained in not giving anything away, to the point that I left that interview sure I didn't get the job. After the preliminary document check and whatever, the questions were tough, with follow-ups and challenges. My degree from a seminary was challenged (not "Oh surely this isn't a real degree" but "We do not want proselytisers") both at the beginning and end of the interview. There were questions about integrity (have it!); working with a principal who doesn't want you there (pick your battles!); how will you handle complaints because your students are used to getting EVERYTHING they want, including A's without achievement (document document document!); what your classroom will look like (student work! word walls!); how you will measure achievement (rubrics!); getting the quiet students to talk (multiple intelligences! group work!); etc. I used current non-political news to develop a classroom project on the spot. I talked about the necessary use of technology to both celebrate and inform my students and their parents. I talked about real-world outcomes and preparing my students for their actual lives, be that marriage or university or both. Over the course of my interview, I found that all my months of voraciously reading blogs, books and websites had been useful. I felt prepared. I was prepared. It was good. Then they hit me with their flags.

1. my appearance. It wasn't as conservative as I posted above (though it WAS as conservative as picture 2).
2. my reason for leaving the UK. I put "family emergencies". I should have written "visa expired". Both are true, but the second one would not have raised any flags. Family emergencies has been the excuse for other teachers to disappear like a thief in the night and has become an excuse as transparent as "Not tonight, honey, I've got a headache."
3. my World Mission past. They were really quite concerned about the fact that I used to be a missionary (they asked, I didn't volunteer - I'm not stupid) and that my MA came from a School of World Mission. I feel I responded well to that last concern, as I too am quite against proselytising.

All in all, I walked out of there utterly demoralised. Every bit of perspective was absolutely blown, and I was full of dread and anger (in equal parts). I have spent the last six months focused almost obsessively on learning everything I can about this job. Researching the country, the education system, the overhaul, the language. And for all that to be wasted because the interviewer didn't like my shirt? I couldn't believe it. And I couldn't believe I'd been so stupid as to tell EVERYONE what I was aiming for. People at work, friends on facebook, family...and now it was all for nothing. And I had to go back and accept my fate as one who is doomed to stay at home. In South Carolina.


And this is what I've been mulling over for the past few days.

Nonstop.

Obsessively.

Shamefacedly.

Angst-ridden.

Trying to decide on a course of action for after I heard the news officially.

Failing.

Trying not to cry like a little girl who just dropped her ice cream cone because this didn't work out.

And finally it was time to suck it up and post my experience, bring the blog to its right conclusion.

Today.

I didn't want to.

Instead I decided to watch House Hunters International.











Then my recruiter called me. This was it. The final nail in my coffin.























And they're offering me a contract. 

Interview!

Today I received notice via email that my in-person interview will be on the 6th of Feb in New York.

Hooray!

I posted the same on facebook, but had to delete it because of the hysterical control-freaking it caused in my mother.

Boo.

So I've decided not to say anything to anyone until the job offer is in hand. Meanwhile, I'll just do some quiet celebrating in my head.

<hooray>

Hand-wringing

This week, between holidays, I heard that there will be in-person interviews with ADEC in January & February. Good, good, I knew that already. Except.

There's always an except, isn't there? This time the except is the location. Previously I'd expected an interview in Atlanta. Surprise! They're not interviewing in Atlanta. Which means, if I want to take this interview (and, more or less, if I want to get this job), I need to go to New York or Chicago (or Los Angeles? Toronto?) On my extremely limited budget (of $1) extended travel is not an easy option. But whatever. A train ticket is $250 round-trip (give or take) to NYC, so that is where I shall go.

Unless, of course, it changes again. I hope it changes again. Come down to Atlanta!

Meanwhile, I've got a few more bits of paper to add to my collection. So whatever's happening, I'm still moving forward.

Useful Information

from December 2010

I realise it's been awhile since I posted anything useful. So today I'm going to remedy that by giving you a paperwork update.
Three months ago (I can't believe it's been that long already!) when I received word that ADEC wasn't hiring secondary teachers for December placement, I kind of went into suspended animation for awhile. Instead of using that time to collect bits of paperwork from around the country and around the globe, I focused instead on finding work that would not utterly destroy my soul in the (now) year before I leave (hoping, of course, that I'll even get hired with ADEC, which is always but a hope until the contract is signed). Some might call that change of focus practical and responsible.

I suppose it would've been more practical if anything much had come of it. Oh well. That's a story for another day.

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, I started hearing about new applicants and THEIR paperwork quest. And that's when I realised, I hadn't done a darn thing but study Arabic (I'm up to about 60 words and havealmost got the alphabet figured out). And I thought, Get on the ball, Amy!


So on the ball I have got. Happily, I have a portion of the required paperwork from my last international sojourn. And while that one didn't end well (I came back to America, and ended up spending an entire year working retail. Part time.), it did give me some useful experience. Better still, it gave me a whole sheaf of already-scanned documents. And referees from two different countries. Win.

Of course, now it's holiday time. So getting in touch with teachers and principals and department heads, etc, to get your reference letters is a bit of a challenge. Challenge met! I have heard from my three referees just yesterday and expect letters in the mail soon. And I have another one from my last adventure.

Which leaves me with the following:

• passport-size photos (purchase to have on-hand, also scan and upload)
• certified teacher certificate (have on-hand, just need to scan and upload)
• background check (I'm going the county sheriff route, just need to take the time to get downtown)

I feel good about this. Other than the letters of reference, everything's do-able in about 2 hours. So even though I slacked off on my paper collection for 3 months, I'm still in good shape for January interviews. I just need a presentable interview blouse. And (alas!) a pair of pantyhose or something.

Checklist

from October 2010

The good thing about suddenly having almost a year before taking off for the other side of the world means I have time. Time to ignore rumours and hearsay - or at least take them with a Very Big grain of salt - and seek out actual facts. And I have time to filter through the scads of information...and actually seek out information.

And I have time to get organised.

Ah, organisation. It really is a nice thing. At least when it comes to paperwork. And that's where this list (straight from ADEC via Teach Away) comes in. For those of you who were wondering, this is what you need to bring to your IPI. This year, anyway. Terms and conditions are always subject to change.

1. passport-size photos: 4 physical AND in jpg format.
2. pasport details page: 2 colour copies AND in pdf format.
3. highest certified degree: colour copy AND in pdf format. (Certified is the key word. The one you have hanging on the wall behind your desk is not.)
4. completed security form (which you'll get from Teach Away): original, signed w/passport-size photo attached - don't skip the religion question*. The religion you write in must be a named religion.** And if you're Muslim, indicate sect.
5. current/most recent teaching cert: colour copy AND in pdf format. Make sure it's certified (the one you have framed probably is not.)
6. current CV or résumé: printed copy AND digital (pdf or MS Word). Your CV must detail and be supported by documentation of qualifications, teaching license and years of experience.
7. recent (within the past year) CRC: original. You can get your criminal record check through: state police or FBI. Prices and time it takes vary.
8. 2 letters of reference: originals. Teach Away does not provide an online reference capability or a form. If you don't already have your reference letters in your portfolio, get them.

Notes:

Do not submit originals (unless specified). Make sure hard copies of documents are clearly labelled with your name and recruiting agency (Teach Away in my case). Digital copies must be submitted on a CD or a USB memory stick, and files must be labelled as follows:

All digital documents must be submitted in a single electronic folder named: SURNAME_Firstname (e.g. SMITH_John)

Individual files within the above named electronic folder should follow this naming convention: SURNAME_Firstname_document (e.g. SMITH_John_passport)

*For Jewish applicants...well, you're in a bit of a sticky spot. Make sure you have no Israel stamps in your passport, as Israel is not recognised as a nation by the UAE or most ME nations (this goes for all applicants, regardless of religious affiliation). While my research (minimal, I admit) does not show Jewish people are barred from living and working in the Emirates, this could prove a stumbling block for your future employers.

*part 2: Americans, if you are negligibly or not at all religious, being American pretty much makes you culturally Christian. That's how pollsters come up with those percentages (The US is 84% Christian) every election year.

**A named religion does not include atheist, secular humanist, nihilist, polygamist or any other -ist you can think of (except Buddhist...so almost any other -ist). Keep it simple, friends.

Most of this paperwork is easy to collect and can be done for under $10 at Kinko's. Or at home if you have a scanner and a spare USB drive. Getting certified certificates (highest degree, teaching cert) can take a couple of weeks and may or may not include a fee for the service. Passport photos can be done for under $20 - and really, having a stash of them floating around will probably come in quite handy overseas. Same goes for colour copies of things like your passport page, etc. But I've mentioned this before. Depending on where you have it done, your CRC could take anywhere from a few minutes (some county sheriffs) to a few months (which is the time listed by the FBI, but is about 2 months longer than my CRC took when I got it from them).

My portfolio

Look how professionally it stores all your documents (including a couple of stand-out lesson plans).

Stop.

from October 2010

Today I got an email that put a bit of a damper on things.

Dear Amy,
Thank you for your continued interest in the  public school teaching positions in Abu Dhabi.
As discussed, we are happy to extend an in-person invitation to you based on your pre-screen telephone call, experience, and credentials. We have, however, been updated by the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) with regards to their current needs for January 2011. This will be a smaller mid-year intake of teachers, which does not include secondary English teachers.
That said, we will be holding our next interview sessions, for a start date of August 2011, early in 2011. These interviews will be for a large intake of approximately 1000 teachers, both primary and secondary, set to begin work in September of 2011. We will be inviting you to those interview sessions once details have been arranged.
Again, thank you for your continued interest in this very exciting educational reform. The success of this reform initiative will rely on the experience, enthusiasm and dedication of teachers like you. With that in mind, tell your friends and colleagues about Teach Away and these exciting and lucrative teaching positions!
We look forward to speaking with you soon.
Sincerely,
L--
Teach Away Inc.

Yeah.




When I think logically (not my strongest suit, it must be said), I have to admit that it'll be far easier to get everything sorted to go over to the UAE next September instead of in January. I'll have almost a year to save up some money, rather than a couple of weeks (and those weeks include Christmas, remember). I'll have more time to collect and numerously certify the vast assortment of paperwork. I'll be able to dip my toe back in the teaching field (through subbing, I hope) for several months before I go.

Maybe I'll even get skinny.

Maybe.

And when I sent in that original application, back in August, I didn't expect anything to happen until next year anyway. I just got caught up in the possibilities when Teach Away contacted me so quickly. So now I can take my life off hold and go about the business of being a responsible adult again. It will be good to make responsible decisions again.

For awhile.

Not Really An Update

from September 2010

So I'm on the Teach Away facebook page a lot. (A lot.) Today the 4th group of September start teachers got notice of their departure date. Very exciting for them, and you can bet I'm feeding off their excitement. (For future readers, should there be any, about 900 teachers were hired this summer to start teaching in September. With such a huge number of teachers, as well as August/Sept encompassing Ramadan, and the simple act of multi-national (primarily CAN, US, UAE) planning, organizing was a trifle discombobulated, and teachers were told to be ready to depart 1 August...but the last group will be leaving by 15 Sept.) And I'm reminding myself that my email full of questions is not a top priority for the office when they are arranging flights and hotels and all the rest for 200 teachers this week. The last message I got from Teach Away (and Laura, my recruiter) was positive. Everything will be fine. It'll all work out. This is the direction of my future, and that's all I need worry about right this second.

Anyway, I'm really pleased for those teachers who are now leaving the US, and really eager to join them.
Staying positive...

From the Blogs

Well, I have now completed my personal reading list (which is every blog of every teacher listed in the UAE Teacher blogroll, right), and I guess I have a few reactions.

lol, I guess. As if there was any chance I wouldn't have a few reactions. I am all reaction all the time!

First reaction: It's very much a hurry-up-and-wait process, this getting hired & transported & placed & settled in Abu Dhabi. And to every question of when, the answer seems to be, "Don't worry, it'll all work out. Inshallah." Which, I'll admit, is kind of how I approach my life anyhow, sans inshallah, so I'm trying to practice patience and a mellow attitude. Which is totally working. Maybe. Well, on Tuesdays anyway.

Second: The first week or 2 (or 3) are spent in the very lap of luxury for orientation. All anyone seems to be able to talk about/post pictures of are the opulent digs and out-of-this-world breakfast spread. No doubt when my turn comes, I'll do and think similar, but it seems a little bit silly to me sitting here on my lumpy bed in South Carolina, how "ooh!" and "ahh!" many of the bloggers are about food and damask curtains. It's a resort, after all. (Of course, I'm ridiculously excited about the possibility of a Waitrose as near as Dubai and will probably blog at length the first time I visit. And people will shake their heads and sigh. Also IKEA, though that's not quite as amazing and wow, since it's nearly everywhere.)

Third: All the wait-and-see is psychologically draining. Blogs that start out all excited and hopeful and I-can't-wait! are slowly but surely--actually, rather quickly, come to think of it--running out of steam. Irritants are showing up. Loneliness and homesickness peek through between paragraphs. Frustration....oh, the frustration. And as part of the frustration, a deep questioning of the decision to put their (the bloggers'/teachers') lives in the hands of Teach Away, ADEC, or anything/anyone outside the norm of what they've been used to. I can see very clearly the need to adopt a "whatever, it'll all work out" attitude. Quickly. And to hold onto it with all of my being.

Fourth: There are a lot of religious people. Maybe I notice the religiosity, overt or covert, because until pretty recently I'd be in there giving it all up to God with them. Or maybe this is how all non-believers read religious people's blogs. (Note: I am talking about the Good Christian Girls and Boys. Also note I am not bothered by all the religion going on - if it makes them happy, so be it. I just know it didn't make me happy, and few days in my life have been more freeing than the one on which I left all that religion behind. About a year ago. So being non-religious is a new thing for me, which is probably why I notice it so much in the blogs I've been reading.) A couple of blogs stand out for not being so innately religious.

Fifth: My blog has a vastly different...tone. Apparently I am bothered about things that More Serious People are not (read: clothes). At least not in the same way. And I'm just not that serious. I gave up serious when I gave up being religious. Also, from time to time, I swear. Stephen Fry is right about that. And I don't talk an awful lot about teaching (that will probably change as I re-immerse myself in academia. Or education. Which is sometimes quite a different beast.) Well, whatever, I enjoy my tone. Humorous, I like to pretend. Flippant, probably. Eager, like the nerd I am.

I dunno, this is just the way I've always approached life. Bumping into harsh reality from time to time but mainly existing in a realm of laughter and whimsy. I suppose I simply don't take life all that seriously. Well, and why would I? Few things are actually that serious. The rest-- Well, I suppose if you do your best, please your bosses, and meet/surpass expectations, the rest is just fun times, innit? Even when it's not?

Anyway, I am looking forward to my next read-through of the UAE blogroll. I think I'll wait a week and see how everyone's settled in. That'll be informative for sure!




eta: also, a lot of these teachers (on the fb board, not necessarily the bloggers) seem not to be travellers in real life. This leap to AD seems to be a Major Life Change. And, okay, fair enough. But that's another difference. I feel like I've been in transit my whole life long, and an international mover for (omg) fourteen years. Maybe that is the main reason I'm not all that het up about moving or waiting (and waiting, and waiting, etc).

Reading

While I wait for new communication from Teach Away, I have decided to seek out more blogs. I found a list (so far, primarily new teachers), which I've linked, right, and am working my way through. Amazing to think that if I had been responsible and fearless and turned in my application in June, I might already be Over There, but oh well. This way I can learn from those who have gone before. And later this week I'm going to start gathering again my assorted bits of paperwork for international job placement.

Good times.

Still Waiting

from September 2010

It's been about a week and a half since my phone interview with Teach Away, and I'm still waiting to hear about in-person interviews. Sigh. And I'm REALLY struggling to come up with the potential cash I'll need for my first month or so in AD.
And speaking of cash...I should check into hosteling. Wonder if there are HI Hostels in Abu Dhabi?




UPDATE: I was reading on the Teach Away facebook page, and there are people going over now with mere pennies. I actually expect to have more $$ than some of them. Still not much, but I feel a little more comfortable with my situation now.

First (Phone) Interview

from August 2010

So I had my phone interview this afternoon (actually, I just hung up about 10 minutes ago) with Teach Away. It was a pretty basic interview, and I wasn't taken by surprise by any of the questions:

• What is your teaching experience?
• Why do you want to come to Abu Dhabi?
• How do you deal with a differentiated classroom?
• What are your classroom management policies?
• What has been a challenge you've met while teaching?
• What do you expect from a teaching position here?
• What international experience do you have?
• Why should we hire you?

It was about a 40 minute interview, and my interviewer was really positive. She laughed, used superlatives, and said I'm the kind of teacher they're looking for.

(My sister would say that's because I'm an excellent bs-er - and I am - but I like to think I really AM a good teacher.)

Next up is an in-person interview, in either Atlanta or Chicago. They'll call me with dates, and we'll go from there. Of course, it's ATL or CHI because my family has ongoing drama of the life-or-death sort, and I don't know what state I'll be living in at the time...and they don't have interview dates set in stone yet. So I'm waiting for a call.

I really feel quite positive about all this now. Not just "what if" but "when". And when the interviewer tells you things like "You're going to need to buy a car," it seems kind of set, don't you think?

So. January. Gotta start saving money, I think. For the first month of assorted settling-in details.

Preliminary Paperwork

from August 2010

It's a challenge, sometimes, doing international paperwork without a home office. Printing and scanning mean a trip to Kinko's. I mean FedEx Kinko's. I mean FedEx Office. Kinko's was more fun to say.

Last week I filled out an application for Teach Away online. After they called me they emailed a background check and an Abu Dhabi specific application. The application was pretty basic, just a list of prior teaching and education experience. And only one essay question (my CV for the UK had, I think, three): teaching philosophy/how I'll meet and overcome the resistance to education reform in AD. I only write one draft of essay questions, though, so this one (a mere 250 words) took me about four hours. Healthily interspersed with books and movies and games and IM-ing and the like, of course.
Now that's all taken care of, I suppose it's time to wait. Again. And do some research.

Right now I'm listening to my Arabic I cd. It's a good cd (Your First 100 Words In Arabic - it's a great book, and I recommend it for any beginning language. I have it for Korean, too, as Korea was my initial planned ESL destination) and book.

Next I need to contact my grad school and see about my transcripts. It's a special request, so I think I'll need to call them. I think school's in session. Or at least the offices are open. Or at least the registrar.
Also, I told my mom. Now it's official. Because I needed her permission, obviously.

Teach Away, or: My TEFL Career, Part One

From August 2010

A few months ago I decided to get serious about going back to teaching. A few days ago, I finally did something about it.

On Tuesday, I sent my CV (on which I found a typo today, horrors!) to Teach Away. I'd been dropping in on eslcafe.com from time to time, sussing out potential jobs for next year, then conveniently missed the summer hiring season through procrastination and second-guessing. But while I was visiting ESL Cafe, I was directed bit by bit to going through Teach Away to get hired in UAE.

So, like I said, on Tuesday I finally sent my CV.

Thursday they called and said they'd like to consider me for a position starting in January, email with more forms to follow.

Today (Sunday-almost-Monday, if you're following along) I sat down and wrote my short philosophy of teaching essay and tidied everything up to send back Monday morning after I sign and scan my background check.

They are hiring for hundreds (hundreds!) of positions in Abu Dhabi Emirate (both the city and the surrounding countryside - desert-side - of AD). Starting. In. January.

In the spring of 2008 I decided to move to the UK and teach there. It had been a decade-long goal, and, happily or not, I achieved it. That time I went through Bluewave International, which hires internationally for UK placements. It took about six weeks from original application to interview, and I thought that was pretty darn fast.

So far, Teach Away is moving even faster.

I was eager and hopeful and suspenseful and all the rest while I was waiting for my Bluewave CV to be perused, but I didn't even have a chance to be hopeful with Teach Away. I was, in all honesty, just doing a preliminary, see-what-happens kind of application to Teach Away, knowing as I did that the hiring season was actually over - no place I'd actually want to teach would be hiring in August for a September start. I had already resigned myself to another year in horrible boring Columbia SC.

Anyway, Abu Dhabi!!!

Why are they hiring hundreds of teachers in America, I hear you ask. After all, UK schools were recruiting US teachers because UK teachers knew better than to teach in failing schools. They HAD to get suckers from the US. Turns out nothing like that is the case in AD. The Abu Dhabi Education Council (hereafter, ADEC) has overhauled the education system in order to incorporate English into lessons at every level. They are currently hiring for K-3 to teach English, as well as to give math and science lessons in English. They're also hiring for Year 12 English teachers (I guess to give kids heading to university at least a minimal grounding in English). So it's kind of like getting in on the ground floor.

I don't know what sounds more exciting, teaching little people or 18-year-olds. Either way, it'll be EFL, basic communication stuff. I LOVED doing EFL, both in Thailand and in Texas, because I am so in love with languages.

Right now I feel I have a pretty healthy chance at a job for January. Which still seems quite impossible. So I haven't told work yet. Or my mum, for that matter.

Therefore I'm secretly Quite Excited and look forward to the next step. I'll keep you informed.
Meantime, I think I should go read some linguistic theory or something. Practice my Arabic? I know a few words now...