Hundreds of teaching jobs on offer as schools enrol more pupils

Schools across the Emirates are recruiting to fill hundreds of vacancies – with start dates ranging from next term to the next academic year.

More than 400 jobs are on offer in the country, figures compiled by Tes, one of the largest job sites for the education sector, show.

In February, almost 500 teaching vacancies in the Emirates were advertised on the website.

Major school groups in the country including Gems Education, Taaleem, Aldar and several smaller institutions have advertised jobs.

There are opportunities advertised for primary schoolteachers in Abu Dhabi, for which recruiters are offering an immediate start.

Single-subject teachers also have a variety of options, with jobs offered in design technology, computer science, sciences, English, economics and business, among others.

Some schools are looking for inclusion specialists and counsellors. Positions for school principals, vice principals and year heads are also on offer.

Gems Education has many roles advertised, including teaching music, media, mathematics and performing arts.

Foundation-stage teachers can apply for an immediate opening at Gems Metropole School, in Motor City.

Safa British School, also in Dubai, is looking to recruit secondary-level teachers of geography, business and mathematics.

In the capital, Ajyal International School in Mohamed bin Zayed City is looking for a primary-level teacher to start in January.

Al Mamoura Academy has a spot for a primary class teacher with a chance to become head of year.

Cranleigh Abu Dhabi also has positions open, for teachers of Arabic and Islamic and Social Studies.

While the majority of jobs are in Dubai, there are some listed in Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah.

Common requirements include a bachelor’s degree in education or subject-related degree and a postgraduate certificate in education or equivalent teaching qualification.

Some schools also ask for a minimum of one year’s experience after graduation.

Taaleem employs 1,200 teachers at 17 schools in the Emirates. All of its teachers need to be fully qualified and approved by education regulators, said Kate Fisher, its head of human resources.

“Primary schoolteachers need to have a qualified teaching degree, while secondary schoolteachers need a postgraduate education degree as well as a specialised degree in the subject they teach,” she said.

Teachers’ salaries in the UAE can vary from one school to another. On average, teachers in the Emirates can expect starting salaries of between Dh9,000 ($2,450) and Dh15,000 a month.

At British and US-curriculum schools, a typical salary for graduates with up to two years’ experience could be between Dh9,000 and Dh11,000 per month, with free accommodation.

A principal can expect to secure a salary of between Dh25,000 and Dh40,000 a month.

Some lower-end private Indian-curriculum schools offer between Dh3,500 and Dh6,000 a month, with no accommodation allowance, the Indeed and Gulf Talent recruitment websites say.

That rises to about Dh8,000 to Dh10,000 for mid-range Indian-curriculum schools and upwards of Dh13,000 a month for top-rated schools, plus accommodation. Some UAE schools have announced they will lift pay freezes, starting in September next year.

Increased enrolment and an acknowledgment that schools need to retain staff are two factors influencing plans to remove salary freezes introduced at the start of the pandemic.

Ashwin Assomull, head of LEK Consulting’s Global Education Practice, said enrolment at schools in the region and beyond were bouncing back after the initial Covid-19 impact.

“Everyone valued what schools did when people were at home during the pandemic.

“Definitely there is demand for more private-school enrolments [more people seeking admission to schools], which means there is more demand for teachers, which means that salaries will adjust.”

He said that in many countries, such as the US, many teachers had opted for early retirement during the pandemic, which led to a drop in supply.

Taaleem is already looking to recruit staff for its schools in Dubai and Abu Dhabi for the 2022-2023 academic year.

The education group will hold a recruitment fair in Dubai this Saturday.

“The talent pool of teachers we have in the UAE has definitely grown in the last five years, given the fact that we don’t need to recruit internationally every time for experienced teachers,” Ms Fisher said.

“The number of experienced expat teachers in the UAE is rising because of the number of new school openings.”