Mark Innes, DT from Dubai…welcome to the hot seat.
Where do you teach? Victoria International School of Sharjah

http://www.viss.ae/

How many pupils on the roll?  Roughly 800

How many DT teachers in the department?  2 teachers

Which curriculum do you follow?  Victorian Education Framework

How much EFL support is required to get the kids through?

School has 95%+ ESL component. Needs range from extreme ESL through to moderate.

A view from the balcony

Most interesting teaching story to date?

When one of my students told me his grandmother had an accident in her Rolls Royce phantom.  When it was being repaired she wanted another one so went out and bought one.  She liked the colour of the old one so much they now have 2 identical black Rolls Royce phantoms! The social economics are unlike anything you have ever experienced  … incredibly wealthy, royal families, political connections etc.

Do you save much?

You have to be thrifty. The exchange rates fluctuate dramatically so you have to be careful when selecting employment based on the financial situation sometimes years in advance.

Living in UAE

How’s the food?

What an awesome place for food. You can get everything in the UAE, any type of food.

Where do you live and how much does it cost?  Any pics please?

Luxury 2 bedroom + maids quarters accommodation. Most employers of teachers and expats have accommodation as part of the package.

Can you get beer and debauchery easily?

Law says that you must obtain a licence for alcohol but not many people do. I would suggest that you make up your mind based on how much drinking you will actually do and remember that it is a Muslim country and no matter whether that you have a licence or not the practice is frowned on. Remember that it is quite easy to obtain alcohol in the populated areas but almost impossible to get any in the desert or the oasis cities.

How do you spend the weekends and what’s the nightlife like?

Dubai and the UAE have some of the best nightclubs in the world, they have some of the best DJ’s coming out throughout the year and there is always something on during the night whether it be a nightclub, pool party, beach party or anything in between.

Do you need to do visa runs?

If your employer organises your visa properly and promptly there is no need for border runs.

How do you get about the city?

Buy or hire a car, both are incredibly cheap.  Small cars cost about  2000 dhs per month and good cars to buy range from 12-15000 dhs.  Check out dubizzle.com for ideas. Taxis are wonderful but the interesting things about them eventually wears off,  you can only talk about cricket so many times.

What are the 3 best things about living in Dubai?

The expat lifestyle, it is just awesome. Shopping, eating, travelling, visiting …..  it’s a cycle.

My wife would say the shopping.   You have never seen anything like it (or experienced anything like it.)

The fact that there is always something to do. From skydiving, to museums, Formula 1 to hotels, Desert camping to dune bashing, pool parties to sailing, jet skiing to sitting and reading the paper in a wonderful cafe on a Saturday morning.  Everything that you can dream of is here in Dubai.  It is the centre of the universe …. “get amongst it”.

And of course, the 3 worst things as well….

1. The heat, humidity and air quality.

2. The traffic.

3. The fact that you have to work Sundays (it will take a heap of getting used to having a weekend on Friday & Saturday).

Tips for the readers for finding work internationally

My main piece of advice is to thoroughly do your homework on your employer. Be sure to check out everything you can about them. Going to the UAE with your eyes open is very important. Education is not the same as at home nor do people look at it the same. Things function very differently in the Middle East. It is an incredible place but it is also incredibly frustrating. Be flexible and open to new things. It is a wonderful place for families and kids and is a great place for singles. The shopping is great and all your friends and family will be blown away when they come to visit.

What does the future hold?

After the Middle East we have got the international bug. After teaching in Australia and the UK I never got the same feeling as being in the UAE. I can definitely feel the bug has bitten and that it will not be too long before my family hits the airport again.

Check out this brilliant video on Dubai

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