Teachers regard Dubai as safe place to work
Interest in teaching jobs in Dubai increased significantly over the past few months, with private schools reporting a sharp rise in applications from abroad.
Head teachers and recruiters said the emirate’s reputation as a safe destination helped play a role.
Brighton College Dubai reported receiving 50 per cent more applications than usual at this time of year.
“With everything going on with lockdowns around the world, Dubai remains an attractive place to live and has been fully open,” said Simon Crane, headmaster at Brighton College Dubai.
He said most of the applications came from the UK.
Schools in Dubai reported a sharp rise in the number of job applications from teachers in recent months.
Despite the surge in coronavirus cases, the city’s reputation as a safe destination played a role in attracting interest from abroad, head teachers said.
Brighton College Dubai said there was a 50 per cent increase in applications compared with what it would typically see at this time of year from teachers hoping to join in the autumn.
“We have seen a surge of interest in the last few weeks,” said Simon Crane, headmaster of Brighton College Dubai, who is hiring for the new academic year, which is scheduled to start in September.
“I would say we have had at least 50 per cent more applications than this time last year.
“With everything going on with lockdowns around the world, Dubai remains an attractive place to live and has been fully open.
“It’s a combination of how the UAE has managed the crisis and the country’s approach to teaching that has seen this surge.”
The school received job applications from all over the world, but most were from the UK, which is the curriculum that Brighton follows.
“We are a British school, so it stands to reason most of the interest has been from there,” he said.
“There have been mass lockdowns in the UK, which has not been the case in the UAE.”
Garrett O’Dowd from Teach and Explore, a recruitment company, said more were looking to move to the Emirates despite pressure on teachers’ salaries.
“Schools in the UAE can be more selective about who they take on from overseas,” Mr O’Dowd said.
The surge in applications comes at a time when many schools have cut the pay packages for new teachers because of the pandemic, he said.
“Last year, a lot of people pulled out of teaching abroad when Covid-19 hit.
“You are basically getting two years of applications in one,” he said.
“The schools will be very conscious they can get a similar standard of teacher for less than what they used to pay.
“But young teachers will also know they are getting a better lifestyle than they could at home that is tax free as well.
“With the UAE adopting the blended model of teaching – online as well as in schools – people have seen life here is a little more structured than in their own countries.”
Clare Turnbull, head of prep at Royal Grammar School Guildford Dubai, which is scheduled to open in September, also said applications for teaching positions were significantly higher than expected.
“We have had thousands of applications for a few dozen positions. It is very exciting and daunting at the same time,” Ms Turnbull said.
“When I speak to candidates, they say the UAE is managing things really well compared with other countries.
“They also mention the country has long held a reputation for taking a forward approach to education.”
Experienced teachers of physics, computing and foreign languages
are among the most in demand at the moment, said Maryssa O’Connor, principal of Gems Wellington International School, Dubai.
“Covid-19 has caused disruption in schools across the globe. Supporting teacher training and newly qualified teachers in these circumstances has been challenging,” she said.
“So we may see a focus on enhanced professional development for those teachers entering the profession in the next few years.
“We will see a new skill set emerging as teachers embrace educational technology and introduce new and exciting strategies for learning in the postCovid era.”