Teaching in Dubai

Dubai has more than 30% of its population as expatriates. This has increased the number of teaching jobs in Dubai. To get a high paying job there are some fundamental things you should be aware of:

The standard of Education in Dubai means that expatriates come from various part of the world. The education requirements are, however, pretty similar in Dubai with schools competing against each other for the intake of students. You should be aware of the types of schools that exist in Dubai.

Schools that are UK and US managed are generally expensive but with a high cost comes high standards of education.  The curricula will reflect that of the UK and the USA with many adopting the IB Curriculum at for students at the high school level. If you have taught in Europe or a good school in Asia, you should not have too much difficulty understanding how teaching operates in Dubai.

The majority of National schools, which are mainly for the UAE nationals and some from surrounding Arab countries, deploy an Arabic style curriculum. Teachers that are fluent Arabic speakers will have a good chance of working here, although many of these schools are also turning to the western model to raise the standards of education in their country.

Quite often you will see schools labelled with the term “English” but have a student and teacher population consisting of Asian teachers, especially India.  These schools operate with much lower fees compared to US and UK style schools.

International schools in Dubai have specific requirements for teaching jobs. The laws are constantly changing so it’s important to keep ‘in tune’ with what is going on. A teacher, in the schools of Dubai, has to fulfill all the academic qualifications required by the school he/she is going to apply for. It is becoming the norm for a teacher to have a degree of at least graduation level. Having a Masters’ and/or TEFL would be a bonus and give the teacher a better chance of earning more money. Secondly, you need to have teaching experience of at least two to three years. But it may be more if the school demands for it, so you may find that some schools take on teachers who have just qualified or with no degree, but many of these schools are likely to be chaotic places to work in as they are just starting out and getting settled.

In international schools you need to have your teaching experiences in a particular country, especially if the school follows the curriculum of that country.

• Arabic language is a definite plus for all types of schools and teaching jobs in Dubai.
• UK, US and Australian qualifications are a definite advantage.
• Knowledge and experience of the IB curriculum is an advantage.

The salary will be mainly depending on the school/college and your nationality. European, US and Australian passport holders can expect a higher salary than others. The best way to get an idea of the salary in teaching jobs in Dubai is to search jobs and match the salary details with your profile. Usually you can expect a salary from US$1000 – US$15000 per month.

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