I remember how it was -- JR
Monday, June 17, 2024
British teachers are quitting in droves to double their money abroad
British teachers are quitting their jobs in droves in search of the good life abroad, enjoying less stress, more money and a better lifestyle - as a classroom crisis looms back home.
Teaching vacancies are at a record high and recruitment firms are cashing in on the shortage, making millions by placing 'unqualified' supply teachers or 'cover supervisors' into classrooms on rates even lower than full-time teachers would earn.
One senior state school secondary teacher with 15 years' experience who recently moved to a job in a private school in the Far East told how 'cost of living, workload, challenging behaviour from children and a massive amount of stress' were factors in driving teachers away from the profession in the UK.
'The pandemic changed things for many parents and children and you've ended up with some children who just aren't socialised because they missed out on key stages of learning to get along with their peers.
'Their development is impaired. 'In some cases you've also got parents who expect teachers to take on some of the roles which rightly should be theirs. And if you don't do it, who else is going to?'
Social media is full of images of teachers showing exotic lifestyles in Dubai, Australia and the Far East.
'I felt I was giving everything to the job and getting nothing back while working hours I'd be paid a fortune to do in industry,' said the 46-year-old teacher from the south of England.
'I wanted to save money to buy a house for me and my family but it was never going to happen while working in a state school in England.
'But it's not just money. At the weekend you can go off and snorkel-dive with turtles. We couldn't even afford swimming lessons for the kids in Britain.
'My children can go to the same private school where I teach, which we could never afford back home.'
Former teacher Ruth Harron, 44, from Belfast, worked in a school in the UAE between 2008 and 2010, then set up her own business, recruiting others, called Teachers in UAE.
'They love the Brits and the Irish and we get 50 strong candidates enquiring each week, with many of them recruited throughout the year', she said.
With tax-free incomes, most teachers will receive double their UK salaries each month, often with rent-free accommodation, paid utility bills and flights home.
But Ruth says it's not just the money or the climate that lure people there.
'The push factors include overwork and stress in the UK, the cost of living and sometimes a lack of respect for teachers from students and parents,' she said.
'Teachers in the UK aren't allowed to say boo to a goose when they are faced with challenging behaviour, but in the UAE, you're backed up by colleagues if you're faced with difficult classroom management situations – and it just doesn't happen as often.
'Teachers are held in some esteem in the UAE, and they're treated well.
'There's extra pay if you organise after-school activities and you're encouraged to do your planning work during gaps in the day when the children learn Arabic and Islamic studies, so you don't have much work to take home.'
Among others extoling the virtues of working in Dubai is primary teacher and YouTuber Thomas Blakemore, 27.
He told his 48k subscribers how his main reason for leaving the UK was for a better lifestyle, but also cited politics and parents.
Some parents wanted him to 'be a parent, rather than a teacher and that's not my job.'
He also told of the frustrations of applying for education, health and care plan for three children in his class only to have two of them rejected 'multiple times,' despite gathering huge amounts of evidence.
Other ex-pat teachers display their enviable situations on social media, such as Jennifer Connor, seen on a boat trip in the Gulf. The Liverpool Hope University graduate has worked in the UK and Dubai with 15 years of experience in teaching.
British teacher Laila Ahadpour posts scenic shots of herself in Dubai on Instagram under the handle Diary of a Dubai Teacher. She’s been teaching Foundation Stage 2 children there aged between four and five for the last six years.
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AI lab at Christian university aims to bring morality and ethics to artificial intelligence
A new AI Lab at a Christian university in California is grounded in theological values — something the school hopes will help to prevent Christians and others of faith from falling behind when it comes to this new technology.
"The AI Lab at Biola University is a dedicated space where students, faculty and staff converge to explore the intricacies of artificial intelligence," Dr. Michael J. Arena told Fox News Digital.
Arena, who has been the dean of the Crowell School of Business at Biola University since April 2023, was formerly vice president of talent and development at Amazon Web Services. The AI Lab is located in the building of the Crowell School of Business on campus.
The lab is meant to "be a crucible for shaping the future of AI," Arena said via email, noting the lab aims to do this by "providing education, fostering dialogue and leading innovative AI projects rooted in Christian beliefs."
While AI has been controversial, Arena believes that educational institutions have to "embrace AI or risk falling behind" in technology.
"If we don't engage, we risk falling asleep at the wheel," Arena said, referring to Christian and faith-centered institutions.
He pointed to social media as an example of how a failure to properly engage with an emerging technology with a strong approach to moral values has had disastrous results.
"The rise of [social media] has produced a sharp decline in face-to-face social engagement, particularly among teenagers — exacerbating feelings of loneliness," Arena said, noting that nearly three-fourths of Gen Z individuals "acknowledge experiencing loneliness at times."
"Without proactive involvement in guiding AI's development, there's a risk that we will replicate this story," he said.
The AI Lab at Biola University is unique in that it "places emphasis on moral and ethical discernment," rather than technical skills, Arena said.
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Australia: Queensland Labor shelves reforms to stop faith-based schools discriminating against gay teachers
A rather mournful report from the Guardian below
The Queensland government will renege on its promise to pass new anti-discrimination laws before the October state election – a move advocates say will leave women fleeing domestic violence, people with disabilities and members the LGBTQ+ community at risk.
Guardian Australia revealed on Monday that the state government was considering watering down reforms proposed by a review of the 33-year-old act.
State cabinet has approved a new plan that involves passing some measures – the parts that are a priority of the union movement – which mimic the federal “respect at work” bill, including placing a positive duty on workplaces to prevent discrimination or harassment.
It remains unclear whether other elements of the proposed reforms will be included in the new bill – due to be tabled on Friday – and which will be shelved until after the election.
The most controversial recommendation – to scrap the so-called “genuine occupational requirement” clause that has enabled faith-based schools to discriminate against teachers based on their sexuality, pregnancy, relationship status and gender identity – will not be passed during this term of government.
Other measures also likely to be delayed include proposals to scrap exemptions that allow accommodation providers to lawfully discriminate against sex workers; employers to discriminate against gender diverse or trans people when working with children; and IVF providers to discriminate against people on the basis of sexuality.
In a statement, the attorney general, Yvette D’ath, said the government remained committed to all of the reforms but that further work was needed to ensure new laws aligned with the federal approach to a March report by the Australian Law Reform Commission calling for the removal of exemptions for religious schools.
“This is a complex issue and many in the community have differing opinions,” D’ath said. “We need to make sure we get these legislative reforms right.”
Advocacy groups said this week they are concerned that a delay until after the election – with Labor well behind in published opinion polls – would put unfinished reforms at risk.
Alastair Lawrie, the director of policy and advocacy at the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, said there was “no justification” for Queensland to stall on the basis of the ALRC report.
“Indeed, the stance of the commonwealth government, which is currently refusing to introduce its own legislation without bipartisan support that is unlikely to be forthcoming, places more rather than less pressure on the Queensland government to act,” Lawrie said.
“The current ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ approach under the Queensland Anti-Discrimination Act does not work and does not protect the rights of workers who should be employed on the basis of their skills and experience, not their sexual orientation or gender identity.”
Matilda Alexander from Queensland Advocacy for Inclusion said splitting the reforms would create a “chaotic and siloed” series of protections.
“It’s incredibly frustrating to hear that the Anti-Discrimination Act changes will not be going ahead,” Alexander said.
“Queenslanders have said conclusively what we think respect at work looks like in Queensland. We need the government to listen.
“And what we have comprehensively and completely told them is a respectful workplace in Queensland is one where all forms of discrimination are unlawful.
“We understand that the commitment was to repeal and replace the Anti Discrimination Act, which is now more than 30 years old. It’s outdated. It’s not fit for purpose. It can’t be tinkered with, it needs to be repealed [and] these changes need to happen now.”
Nadia Bromley, the chief executive of the Women’s Legal Service Queensland, said the reforms included measures to protect women experiencing domestic and family violence from discrimination.
“A woman who was fired for being the victim of domestic and family violence cannot sue for discrimination in Queensland,” she said. “They can also be denied access to housing by a landlord afraid of having their rental accommodation damaged.
“The bill’s been 33 years in the making already. It’s a really disappointing decision.”
Labor sources have said the government was “not up for a fight” with religious groups who had criticised draft legislation as “a betrayal of all faith communities in Queensland”.
The government needs to table the new bill by Friday for it to pass the parliament before the election.
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http://dissectleft.blogspot.com (DISSECTING LEFTISM)
http://antigreen.blogspot.com (GREENIE WATCH)
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http://australian-politics.blogspot.com/ (AUSTRALIAN POLITICS)
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http://jonjayray.com/blogall.html More blogs
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