Hundreds of jobs are on offer at private schools in the UAE, with the new academic year to start in August.
There are about 700 roles advertised in Dubai, more than 130 in Abu Dhabi, and dozens of vacancies in the Northern Emirates, according to Tes, formerly known as The Times Educational Supplement. Major UAE school developers such as Gems and Taaleem are on the lookout for teachers.
How are UAE schools recruiting amid a global shortage?
School operators are looking farther afield than they have in the past to search for skilled professionals amid a global teacher shortage. Unesco’s global report on teachers in 2024 revealed an urgent need for 44 million primary and secondary teachers by 2030. Global attrition rates, which measure employees' departures, among primary school teachers have practically doubled from 4.62 per cent in 2015 to 9.06 per cent in 2022.
Gems Education is looking for trained teachers through recruitment initiatives in so-called feeder countries, such as Australia, Singapore and New Zealand. Dave Coakley, senior vice president of human resources at Gems Education, said the group aimed to finish recruiting staff by June, in time for the new academic year.
“We recruit from every corner of the planet and in recent years have expanded our search for great teaching talent to new and emerging markets and increased our presence in places like Singapore and Hong Kong, as well as New Zealand and Australia going forward," said Mr Coakley.
"India has long been a major recruitment country for us, plus the UK, US and Canada. We use the latest technology to find our way as quickly as possible to top talent.
“We hold regular visits to the feeder countries to hold face-to-face meetings with our shortlisted candidates from overseas and have found this still the most effective way of ensuring we find the right teachers for our schools.”
Taaleem, a major school developer in the Emirates, has launched its 2025 recruitment campaign, which includes hosting and attending international recruitment fairs, such as recent events in the United States for US curriculum teachers, and an upcoming fair in London for UK-trained educators.
Taaleem also organises an annual UAE Recruitment Fair, where school leaders meet prospective candidates.
“In response to the global teacher shortage, the group has taken a proactive, global approach, recruiting talent from various regions and across multiple curriculums [US, British and International Baccalaureate]," said Maryam Ali, head of human resources at school operations at Taaleem.
“Taaleem also focuses on supporting teacher well-being and professional growth to retain high-calibre staff, recognising that retention is just as crucial as recruitment in addressing workforce shortages. In light of the global teacher shortage, Taaleem regularly conducts market analyses to maintain highly competitive compensation packages.
"While exact salary figures remain confidential, Taaleem’s benefits typically include professional development and career advancement opportunities, wellness programmes, education allowances, as well as furnished accommodation and travel allowances for overseas hire. This comprehensive approach aims to both attract and retain talented educators in an increasingly competitive global market.”
What kind of jobs are on offer?
There are openings for vacancies across the country for teachers specialising in sciences, maths and languages. For a majority of openings, applications are due by the end of January and work will start in August.
Typically, requirements for a new teacher include an internationally recognised teaching qualification (such as a bachelor’s degree in education, PGCE, or an equivalent certification) and relevant subject or curriculum expertise. Specific criteria vary by position and curriculum, but schools expect teachers to have a strong subject knowledge, effective classroom management skills, and a commitment to professional development.
What salaries can teachers expect?
Some major private school groups have reassessed teacher’s salaries and benefits to keep up with an increased cost of living.
"Taaleem have been really responsive to the changing sort of picture of Dubai in terms of the cost of living rise and have recalibrated their package offering in terms of the housing benefits for all teachers, not just for new teachers, but all teachers over the last couple of years, which has been really great, I think, to make sure that we remain competitive in the market," said Amy Falhi, founding principal at Dubai British School Mira, which will open this year.
"I think that already sets us in good stead for applicants coming in. For teachers, the salary is really important, but I think it's also really important for teachers to know that they're working somewhere where they feel valued and they're going to be developed as practitioners as well."
At private schools, salaries vary but typically teachers can expect to make between Dh9,000 and Dh14,000 ($2,450 to $3,812) a month, depending on experience and qualifications. Top-end private schools tend to pay between Dh16,000 to Dh17,000 a month, plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000.
Entry-level public school teachers can expect a salary of Dh4,000 to Dh13,500, which can go up to about Dh23,000 for experienced teachers. They also get housing allowances.
Head of school reveals challenges of hiring staff
Ms Falhi said her school needed to hire 40 to 50 staff members in the next few months. "We've had around 3,000 applications for those roles, which has been quite good, but the quality of the candidates has been strongest from within the UAE," she said. "Most of the people that we're interviewing are actually from within the UAE, rather than globally."
In its first year, the school will open from foundation stage one to year six. "Our biggest challenge right now is finding high quality specialist teachers," she added. "So art, music and languages are more limited in terms of the number of applications that come in through and then the number of quality applications that are coming through as well, versus a typical primary classroom teacher, where the field is much stronger."
She said Taaleem would organise a recruitment fair in London in January, with another to take place in the UAE, which would present opportunities for school officials to meet candidates.
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Friday
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Saturday
Final practice, 2pm
Qualifying, 5pm
Sunday
Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps), 5.10pm
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Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
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A cheaper choice
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Off-roading in the UAE: How to checklist
Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
How to help
Donate towards food and a flight by transferring money to this registered charity's account.
Account name: Dar Al Ber Society
Account Number: 11 530 734
IBAN: AE 9805 000 000 000 11 530 734
Bank Name: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
To ensure that your contribution reaches these people, please send the copy of deposit/transfer receipt to: juhi.khan@daralber.ae
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
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Name: Mamo Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua Based: Dubai, UAE Number of employees: 28 Sector: Financial services Investment: $9.5m Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors. Starring: Jamie Foxx, Angela Bassett, Tina Fey
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
