Finnish teachers look forward to Abu Dhabi project

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When the autumn comes, Egyptian-born special education teacher Youssef Yousri will not be teaching children in Finnish at the Leppävaara school in Espoo. Instead, he will be teaching Arab boys, aged 5-10, in English on the shores of the Persian Gulf.
      Yousri is one of 29 teachers and two head teachers to be chosen to export the Finnish educational system and teacher skills to Abu Dhabi, part of the United Arab Emirates. The competition among teachers for the posts was tough. The group was chosen from among 110 applicants.
     
With his Arab background, Yousri knows what he wants to put across at his new job: fewer exercises and more interaction.
      Hanna Niittymäki of the Eläintarha school in Helsinki says that she is interested in learning about life in an Islamic country.
      “My soul is that of a teacher, not an administrator.”
      Niittymäki will take her family with her - her husband, an IT engineer, and their children aged six and seven. Jerker Polso of the Simonkallio school in Vantaa will have his wife with him. Yousri will leave his family behind in Finland, at least for the first year.
     
Those who were chosen for the project are taking part in a two-day training phase, during which they learn about the local lifestyle and traditions, as well as their rights and obligations.
      The teachers will work for the Abu Dhabi Board of Education (ADEC) for a year at a time. They are to be paid 13 months' wages, and they must make their own Finnish pension contributions out of their total earnings. Under Abu Dhabi law, foreign employees are entitled to housing and holiday travel to their home countries.
     
A five-year contract was negotiated between ADEC and EduCluster Finland.
      Also taking part in the talks were experts from the Trade Union of Education in Finland OAJ.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Education - latest Finnish export product (1.1.2010)

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