The interview went well and the principal said he would probably recommend me to the Chief Academic Officer (CAO) for an interview. So, a week later, I had an interview with her too. Our interview was mostly a conversation together, which was nice because I was able to explain my ideas and passion for K-12. This position is for a curriculum coordinator at one of the school systems managed by AMSI in Dubai. There are currently three school systems with a fourth one to open in the fall. The job is exactly what I want to do - supporting teachers, curriculum implementation, etc. and all with American curriculum. Hooray! After the interview, I received a contract a few days later. So, I had a tough decision to make - stay in Turkey or go to Dubai. I have been teaching for 18 years. I love, love, love teaching. It is truly my passion. But I am also ready to support teachers full time. I want this to be my primary focus at this time in my career. So, I accepted the job. Then, came the fun part - the PAPERWORK. The new job wanted two things attested. I had no idea what that meant, but I was soon to find out.
Attested is basically like a glorified notary but with government officials. My highest diploma and a criminal record needed to be attested. For the diploma, it needed to receive approvals from the Secretary of State, Department of State, and the UAE embassy in the country in which the diploma was received. So, when is it all said and done, it cost me about $350 to get this done because I had to send my diploma to the U.S. and then pay a service to run it around for the approvals. This will take 4-5 weeks (but of course the new job wanted it in a week).
Secondly, I had to get a criminal record attested from Turkey. This is where the problems began. I called the UAE embassy here in Ankara and they told me that I could print out my criminal record from the online system, take it to the ministry of foreign affairs, and then bring it to the UAE embassy for attestation. So, I went to the Post Office (twice) to get my password and then my colleague helped me to navigate the site (in Turkish). I printed my record and headed to the ministry. When I arrived to the ministry, I went through all of the security, walked to the building, and took my place in line. Nearly an hour later, my number was called. The guy took the paper and threw it back at me while muttering something in Turkish. I told him I don't understand. I also gave him a piece of paper that a colleague had written for me in Turkish requesting attestation. He repeated whatever he said and when I didn't understand, he wrote something on the paper. When I tried to use my phone to call a friend for help with the language, he said no. At this point, I was getting upset. I repeatedly told him I didn't understand while he proceeded to push the next number. I refused to move, so he told me to sit down next to the window. When the next person came up to the window, he asked him to translate for me. The guy was from Sudan and he translated that I needed to go to the governor's office and then back here. So, I called a friend (and maybe cussed a bit) and then got directions to the governor's office. When I arrived at the governor's office, she also threw my papers back at me and did not speak English. I asked her if I could use my phone and she said yes. When I called a friend, he translated for me and we talked back and forth. She said that I needed to get the record printed at another office and that foreign governments do not accept the online version. When I told her what the UAE embassy had told me, she told me they don't know Turkish law. Apparently, either does the ministry of foreign affairs.
By that point, it was time for me to go back to work after roaming around the city for three hours. Essentially, I had started with steps three and four of this five step process. So, I headed back to work and vowed to start anew in the morning. This time a friend met me in the city to help me with all of the paperwork. First, we picked up the criminal report, which was easy, but took some time. Then, we went to the notary down the street. My friend was translating for me and come to find out, the notary spoke English! That was the only place that spoke English in this whole process except the UAE embassy. After the notary, we got the necessary stamp in the city and then headed to the foreign ministry for step four. My friend was not allowed in, even though I argued, so I struggled to get it done.
Finally, I was able to go the UAE embassy here in Ankara with all of the required docs. Not an easy task, but it is done. Geez!
Finally, I was able to go the UAE embassy here in Ankara with all of the required docs. Not an easy task, but it is done. Geez!
