Teaching in Dubai

Teaching in Dubai and UAE schools

Friday 21 November 2008 (UAE)

Teachers and Teaching Jobs in Dubai

Teaching in Dubai and the UAE can be one of the most rewarding experiences you will have, at least that's what the boss will tell you. Sarcasm and cliches aside, teachers in a good school in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, or anywhere else in the UAE, will normally enjoy the experience (embassy schools and non-profit schools are usually the best ones). The students are interesting and enthusiastic, generally well-motivated (if not, parents paying 30,000+ dhs per year will motivate them), and compared to teaching in any other big city, you'll have no or few discipline problems.

There are some schools which are less pleasant though. Long hours for little reward (although the students usually appreciate the teachers' efforts) and seemingly endless difficulties with administrative procedures - visas, housing, etc. Some schools will have discipline problems that are difficult to deal with - students threatening teachers with getting them sacked for example (if management supports the students, it becomes awkward). The UAE schools information pages have a rating system where you can view what other teachers think of a school, and add your own vote.

Most schools are somewhere between the two extremes. Read any contracts carefully, get everything down in writing, don't expect any favors once you've signed up, don't rock the boat once you get here and you should be fine. Just like any job - read the jobs in Dubai page for a bit more detail. If you were promised something but did not get it in writing, don't expect it to materialise.

One thing that exasperates many teachers who first move to the UAE is the favoritism shown towards certain students (the ones who have a degree of influence over school management for whatever reason - either wasta, or because they or their parents are spineless and whine a lot). It's the way it goes in the UAE and it won't change in a hurry. Just remember that if you lose your job because of your principles, the student will probably still get what they wanted. And you won't have a job.

Management in UAE schools seems to be particularly irksome compared to elsewhere. Almost as if the administrative offices are a graveyard for has-been heads and principals the rest of the world doesn't want. Try and stay out of their way and don't annoy any of the high-wasta (influential) students. Incompetent bosses are also quite often lazy so if their radar does latch on to you, the Sir Humphrey strategy can be quite effective: say Yes, Minister (with enthusiasm - you should at least appear genuine) to any request and then ignore it. With any luck they'll be fired by the owners before your own tardiness gets found out. This strategy won't work so easily in the non-profit schools since heads usually seem to last longer, and they have more of a clue in the first place anyway.

Like anywhere, office politics can be a blessing or a curse depending on how you adapt to it. Ignoring it is not usually a good idea though. Remember when whining about the management in the staffroom, that every efficient manager will have a plant in there somewhere - it won't be the grumpy Father Ted in the corner, it's more likely to be the one who's your new best friend ever within 5 minutes of you arriving for the first time in the UAE.

Working hours in Dubai schools

Most schools will start earlier than many teachers are used to. Typically, the school day will begin around 0730 or 0800 for students, and finish around 1430 or 1500, with an hour or so for lunch. The working week is Sunday to Thursday with a handful of schools having an early finish on Thursday.

Like schools everywhere, there will be marking, lesson preparation, meetings, parents evenings, extra-curricular activities, playground supervision, assemblies, international gala days, sports days, cover lessons, etc to occupy every other waking minute you might have planned to use for your own personal enjoyment. But don't worry, you get plenty of holidays, as all your non-teaching friends will remind you. Of course, the highest paid teachers will invariably be the most cynical ones who seem to get away with doing almost nothing. They're easy to spot - they'll be doing the crossword puzzle in the staffroom whenever you walk in. Learn from them.

Dress code in Dubai and UAE schools

Whilst it's true that the UAE is an Islamic country, it's relatively tolerant so you won't be expected to cover up completely. Men should wear a collar and tie (and trousers of course), it would be unusual to find a school where that wasn't the case. Jackets are not usually required or worn. It would be rare to see a teacher wearing a suit, and if they are, they're likely to be saying either "I do", or "Yes, your honour."

Depending on the school, women wear pretty much what they'd wear as a teacher anywhere else, although short skirts or sleeveless tops will get frowned upon. In the more conservative schools (usually ones with predominantly Arab students), females might be expected to wear ankle length skirts, and long sleeve tops but check with the school - some are more relaxed than many new residents expect. Scarves or other head coverings are not required for those who don't normally wear them. During Ramadan, it would be appropriate to dress more conservatively.

Sharjah has "Decency Laws" meaning men shouldn't wear shorts in public, and women should cover their arms and legs. Schools in Sharjah may have more conservative expectations than other emirates with respect to dress code.

The GEMS schools in 2006 had the bright idea of requiring their teachers to wear uniforms, which said more about what management thought of their teachers than anything else. The students were delighted. The idea was hopefully thrown out with the lunchroom trash at the end of that day.

Salaries for teaching in Dubai and the UAE

There is supposed to be a minimum teacher salary of 2000 dhs/mth (for most jobs in Dubai there is no minimum salary) but some schools try to pay less than that, at least according to several press articles. See the teacher salaries in Dubai discussion.

Salary range for classroom teachers is 1000-6000 dhs per month for most government schools and 1000-20,000 dhs per month for private schools. Schools with IB, UK or US curriculums usually pay the highest - the better ones are 10,000-15,000 dhs per month (with accommodation, flights etc included), at the top of the range you could get over 20,000 dhs per month in 2008 and 2009. Indian schools pay about 2000-4000 dhs per month. Other Asian schools are similar, other European schools are closer to UK/US curriculum schools with their packages.

In the list of Dubai schools, if there is no teacher salary information, the school fees will give an indication of the salaries on offer. Divide the annual secondary school fee by 3 to get a very approximate monthly salary figure, or divide the primary school annual fee by 2. Reduce the result by 25% for profit-making schools. This should give you a mid to high point on the school salary scale.

Teachers should check carefully what the salary package includes. Most overseas hire packages will include accommodation (which can vary from very good to slum), medical (which can also vary substantially - a government health card is only regarded as a bare minimum), return flights once a year (if the school insists on making bookings for you, this can be an aggravating experience). Some will include allowances for transport and utilities, and free or reduced tuition charges for children attending the same school.
If a school offers an accommodation allowance instead of accommodation, it is likely to be insufficient for good accommodation - assume it will cover about 50% of your rental costs (which are normally paid one year in advance in full). Especially in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and until 2009 at least, it's difficult to even find properties for rent.
Teachers on local contract hires will normally not be offered any of the above and may find it difficult financially if they have to cover their own accommodation costs - rental properties are very expensive in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Check also the policy for salary increments. Some schools do not move teachers up a salary scale irrespective of years of service or additional qualifications gained.

Teacher Recruitment Agencies and Finding Jobs for Teachers and Teaching in Dubai

The local UAE recruitment agencies and newspapers are not the best source of teaching jobs. The better options are (see end of page for links to relevant websites).

Make a direct approach to a school that you're interested in. If you send a letter or fax or email, don't address it with Dear Sir/Madam. Find out the name of the person in charge (the information in the list of UAE schools may have a name). Phone the school to confirm it's up to date.
ECIS - European Council of International Schools - organise teacher recruitment fairs. The main one is London in Jan/Feb but there are others.
Global Recruiters claims to be a Dubai employment agency but you should confirm anything from them independently. For example, we've seen teaching job offers from them for several different schools and colleges in Dubai, none of which appear to exist, including Deira Homeland School, Atika Language School, Zafirah Language Institute. They also charge job-seekers a fee, a practice which is not allowed according to UAE labour law.
Search Associates - another teacher recruitment agency with job fairs in Dubai.
TES - Times Educational Supplement - UK weekly newspaper with good listings of international teaching jobs.
TIE - The International Educator - a US based publication with many international teaching jobs. Comes out infrequently (quarterly?).

Private Tuition

This section moved to the Dubai private tutors page

Teachers and Teaching Jobs in Dubai

Working hours in Dubai schools

Dress code in Dubai and UAE schools

Salaries for teaching in Dubai and the UAE

Teacher Recruitment Agencies and Finding Jobs for Teachers and Teaching in Dubai

Private Tuition

This information last updated Saturday 25-Oct-2008

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