April 2008
The Choueifat / SABIS / Intered Group
The underlining trend in all Choueifat/SABIS schools is to extort as much money as possible from parents and to use and abuse their staff. Here in the UAE their expansion plans are in full-swing. The Emiratis (some have shares in their schools) are paying huge amounts of money for a tenth rate education system which is akin to fifteenth century education in the rest of the world..
I was one of the many unfortunate souls who was conned by their HR department. I am an experienced teacher with over 10 years teaching experience in the UK/Europe with a Masters degree. Yet, they still hoodwinked me into signing a contract. You actually cannot believe such a system exists as it is so alien from anything modern or I dare to say "normal" out there. It is the idea ( so he maintains) of the owner who is, to put it frankly, a psychotic dictator.
In retrospect I should have thoroughly researched this underhand and ruthless company before signing anything. But they have groups of people writing propaganda constantly on various websites so that a rosy picture is painted. They have even changed various entries on Wikipedia in order to disguise the truth. How long can they massage the truth? How long can they abuse children and staff in such a flagrant manner? The answer is as long as they want. Here in the UAE they have what is commonly referred to as "wasta" or "connections." At the moment they are untouchable, but things can change. They can be in with the Sheikh one minute and out the next. I am biding my time, waiting to see them fall.
The owners are Lebanese with an outdated and antiquated view of the world. They are proud of their business practices as they make a lot of money by conning innocent people. In fact, in all their decrepit schools, groups of "Lebanese Mafia" patrol reporting on teachers. If you are not Lebanese then watch out! You see, in their culture, anyone who is not Lebanese cannot be trusted. Most Westerners who work for Choueifat complain bitterly about the bullying from these types. Spying on your lessons and reporting back to the Principal.
The school I worked for, there are many teachers who were not even degree qualified running back like weasels to report on anyone or anything. In Lebanon, this is the way they survive. They wonder why their country is such a mess! As you can imagine most teachers of any caliber leave for pastures new. Some stay, usually the Eastern Europeans or people who cannot find jobs anywhere else. They do not stay because of loyalty or because they like the system. They stay out of desperation. I feel so sorry for the people still working in my old school. They do not realize how much of their lives they are wasting working for this organization.
I worked in one of their Middle East branches. The Regional director is a total and utter megalomaniac. He knows everyone hates him, yet he thrives of making people's lives a misery. He espouses that he knows important and well-connected people. This is so Lebanese, "talk the talk" and nothing more. They made a DVD showing his guide to a "perfect" lesson. I have never seen anything like it in my entire life. If this man considers his style of teaching to be a model, then Ill eat my hat. He is an utter joke. Like all dictators he will eventually fall, but how many people will he destroy in the meantime. The world has gone mad to even listen to people like him. In the west he would be utterly decimated by educators. The Middle East really needs as shake up.
The SABIS group of companies is a rat maze with rats at the top. Mr B. (Lebanese) and L SAAD (Lebanese). They deliberately ingratiate themselves with high-rollers, usually (gullible and innocent) Emiratis who bank roll their schools. They have taken a substantial loan from the "World Bank" to subsidize their expansion plans in Lebanon. I wonder if all of the 10 million dollars went on one school in Beirut? Call me skeptical but can one school cost more then 18 million dollars!! They were recently given a damming report about their management practices in the USA. Penguin books have sued them for plagiarism. The list continues, yet their schools continue to grow! How can this be? As with most criminal organizations they rely on other people's money to fund their lifestyles.
Their reputation here in the UAE is good. You see they "talk the talk" and lets face it, the Middle East is at least twenty years behind the rest of the world. However, that does not give SABIS the right to ruin student's lives. They are constantly boasting how so many of their students attend the best universities in the world. This is utter nonsense. This is good marketing but not factual. Even some of their teachers do not even have a university degree. Some were just technicians but are now teaching English. Some are retirees bored at home. Some are students on a working holiday. Some are alcoholics and some have even passed a security clearance. Does SABIS even know if there are any criminals working in their organization (apart from themselves) ? The answer is "No", because they do not conduct a security clearance for any of their staff.
In conclusion, I blame myself for signing a contract and being conned. I should have known better. But anyone even tempted in working for them should at least have a balanced picture. I cannot honestly say anything positive about this organization as I would be telling a lie. Good luck if you have accepted a position with them. Bad luck if you stay working for them. Do not under any circumstances work for SABIS "Military School", it's the worst of all their schools.