Tuesday, June 7, 2016

There Aren't Any Guarantees

So there I was minding my own business, when I saw a post come up in my Facebook news feed.  One post in particular stated that all offers were rescinded for August starts.  Of course this post sent off alarms for everyone, including people like myself who were hired to work in private schools.  Everyone wants to know what's going on and exactly who is being affected and why?  Well it seems as if there were a surplus of teachers hired, than what was actually needed.  Many of the people affected were teachers of English who will teach middle and high school students.  As a result of the large number of hires, many contracts were rescinded leaving people without a job for the next school year.  Keep in mind, many people have already sold their homes and resigned from their current jobs.   There are also numerous teachers who were hired to start in January but pushed back to begin in August, now there is a possibility that they may not go at all.  This is very unfortunate because the process to teach abroad can be costly.  I'm single and going over by myself, I've spent about $700 (including passport) with authenticating my documents and postage fees.  People with families have spent much more than me, so you can imagine what is going through their minds right about now.

All of this reminds me that even though I signed a contract and was promised a job, there are no guarantees.  This is the number one reason why I haven't told many people about my big move.  But that didn't stop my family from telling others.  Every week I'm getting asked about my pending departure date, to which I have no definitive answer.  I won't know anything until my visa is processed, until then my departure date is around August 17th.  My school stated that licensing will begin soon to begin processing visas, once my visa is processed then I will be in the clear to move and work in Abu Dhabi.  Until I receive this confirmation, there aren't any guarantees.  

3 comments:

  1. I have to agree as a fellow August hire. This news has been a Rollercoaster for everyone. I have just done my best to pray and not for myself, but for all of us.

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    1. You're truly taking a leap of faith when you decide to teach abroad. You just have to trust and believe that everything will work out in your favor. Prayerfully, we'll hear something soon.

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  2. More than 340 teachers dismissed in Abu Dhabi : http://www.thenational.ae/uae/more-than-340-teachers-dismissed-in-abu-dhabi

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