Should you work for ADEC?
That’s a question only you should really answer. The point of this blog is to educate. With this information, you’re in a better position to make that call than I was.
Would I do it all over again, knowing what I know? Yes, I would. ADEC provided me with a life I could never have had otherwise. I saw places I never dreamed of and I had the honor of working with Emiratis in a country where they are increasingly invisible.
As a teacher, I made ethical compromises that I’m still not comfortable with. I was not as effective as I could have been. And clearly, there came a point where I had to quit. But that does not mean I regret my years from 2009-13 and that I wish it all undone.
I had some fantastic students. I made some great friends both inside and outside of school. Especially when I moved to Abu Dhabi, I was well-adjusted and satisfied. Like all jobs, I had good days and bad days. But the good days often outweighed the bad.
Again, this blog is not meant to persuade you not to take a job with ADEC. It is meant to answer some common questions people have before coming here. It’s also meant to lessen your culture shock upon arrival. You can overcome all the Bad and the Ugly if you so choose. I did for four academic years.
But some people are not cut out for this kind of work. Some people will do a runner by the first exam season. That’s a waste of your time, ADEC’s, and, what’s worse, the students who do deserve a quality education.
This is a reforming system, and so some things will get better. It’s a developing country in the Middle East, so some things are broken. It’s a rentier state, so some things won’t ever get better until the oil money runs out. These are things to keep in mind when facing some of the frustrations of ADEC.
As a final guide, I suggest you ask yourself the following. The more positive answers you give, the better prepared you are for the ADEC experience. You do not by any means need to say yes to all of this – but the higher your yes count, the happier you’ll be here.
1). Are you willing to give up the right to where you live and work in exchange for the right to travel and save?
2). Are you able to stifle opinions you may have if no one in the room wants to hear them? (Additionally, are you self-aware enough to know when that’s the case?)
3). Are you ok with working in a culture that will not value the same things as you and may even openly contradict things you care about?
4). Can you work for an idiot, remembering that the tradeoff is a shorter day?
5). Can you work for a system that hunts homosexuals, political dissidents, and other socially unacceptable people, remembering that you yourself never have to do such a thing?
6). Can you avoid anger when your students don’t respect you? Can you manage a classroom other than by shouting?
7). Are you willing to deliver curriculum that may make your job harder?
8). Are you willing to change grades for students when administration asks you to? Are you willing to find creative solutions to find a way to make the students work even when they don’t show up to class?
9). Can you work in a school that doesn’t respect deadlines?
10). Are you willing to accept that some days there may be little to no teaching or learning in your school owing to factors beyond your control?
Make the right choice for you; remember that life is about tradeoffs. Your work life might be hard, but your home life might be amazing. You’re really the only person capable of saying if that’s ok with you.
Abu Dhabi Education Council Information Center 
Can I work for ADEC as a Christian, or will I have trouble?
I heard if they don’t like you personally they will fire you. Is this true?
Are you alone teaching in schools or do you have other foreign teachers you work with?
Can you work there if you like being an introvert/hermit and doing things on your own, or do the other foreign teachers give you hell is you don’t want to join their gossiping/partying/etc.
Be WARNED – Do NOT under any circumstance work for ADEC. They are a deceptive employer characterised by disorganisation, lack of decision making ability, and and underlying unwillingness to honour their contracts.
The contract is worth nothing as you must remember it is the law of the day that rules here and it is based on the whim of the people in power at the time. ADEC is reknown for promoting individuals to positions beyond their capacity or experience and because of this, their decision making ability lacks grunt to say the least. Examples include their refusal after 3 years of reimbursement claims to pay the costs of visas for family members despite it being clearly stated in contracts, refusal to pay the return flights of family members despite this being in their contracts.
ADEC also operates on a low trust model in response to the behaviour of a minority. They do not address the poor behaviour of minority bad eggs but rather rely on draconian methods to manage the majority. This does nothing other than create a disenfranchised workforce that has learnt to ‘beat’ the system. Examples of this include the fingerprint system whereby employees have to fingerprint in and out each day. Response from the bad egg employees to this is to drive to school place their finger print on the pad, go and have coffee or whatever else for the day, then drive back to fingerprint out at the end of the day – just one of many responses!
There are hundreds of leave types for Emirati employeess but very very few for expats. Grievance leave is a classic example. You are granted 3 days. However, if your relative dies on a week-end, that is only 1 work day soi please ask your relatives to die between Sunday and Thursday! If you live overseas – e.g New Zealand, America, Australia – 24 hours barely gives you even enought tie to arrive in the country for the funeral let alone attend it and get back to work on time! They are an inherently cruel employer. DO NOT TOUVH THEM WITH A TEN FOOT POLE!
The wages are barely enough to keep you above the poverty line. They do not increase with inflation but believe me the cost of living does. Rent increase every single year, public transport increase, basic food increase. They love to say tax free environment. Well – don’t believe it – the reatil sector charges as much or more for the same items and the sales are nowhere near the reductions you will find in your own shops. A basic cup of coffee costs more than in our own countries as a benchmark. Our own countries definitely afford us a higher standard of living and for the frustration of living here I definitely know where I would rather be.
That’s why we’re heading home!
Very bad reply ADEC……..just confirms what she said!
Very bad reply ADEC….just confirms what she said!
I have worked in Al Ain and Abu Dhabi schools for 7 years, some more challenging than others and have seen ADEC’s honest efforts to support staff and students grow over the years. Teaching is a challenging profession in most parts of the world and requires hard work and a positive attitude to get past the bumps in the road. I am very appreciative of the opportunity to have worked in ADEC schools in the UAE. ADEC is an evolving organization and are not given the credit they deserve for their role in supporting the developments in Education in the UAE.