Job Discussion Forums

ElizabethTheGreat · Joined: 29 Jul 2004 Posts: 7

Hi all,

I am writing to members of this boad, seeking collective wisdom, if you will share. My husband and I are actively interested in relocating to the UAE from the USA. He has applied for several teaching (ESL), counseling and administrative positions.

Given his qualifications, which I will name presently, I am wondering about his "worth" in the UAE market. He has some 14 years of adjunct teaching experience at reputable universities and colleges in foreign language teaching (not English) in the US. In addition, he has worked in K-12 environment for similar period, starting as a Teaching Assistant progressing all the way to student affairs position in central school administration of a major metropolitan school district.

He has three master's degrees, in Arabic, in TESOL and in multicultural education (from US and abroad). He also has an EdS qualification, which is a post master's degree in education in ESL curriculum and instruction. This US degree is the equivalent to ABD status or half way through an American PhD. Also, he has a doctorate in education studies from South Africa.

For my own edification, I would like to know what is a decent baseline salary from a UAE institution, (the variable factors, of course, being private, or state, or K-12 or tertiary). Anyway, what should a minimum acceptable salary for this profile look like?

Thanks for your responses.

E!

Iamherebecause

Salaries and the posts one can apply for tend to depend on what the highest qualification is. Without a PhD one cannot normally get any type of full faculty position in the tertiary sector - limits one to posts in preparatory programmes e.g. UGRU UAEU, misc other ESOL schemes e.g. at HCT and the other universities. It doesn't matter how many Masters' degrees you have, usually only one will be considered when offering posts or calculating salaries.

Other posts in admin/counselling etc might be available - look out for the ads.

People with Masters here earn anything from 8000 or 9000 to 14000 or more UAE dirhams per month in the tertiary sector, depending on the institution and whether it's public or private sector. But don't expect a clear payscale from any institution....

ElizabethTheGreat · Joined: 29 Jul 2004 Posts: 7

Iamherebecause,

Thanks for your response. It is helpful. Since my husband has a doctorate, what do you think is the appropriate minimum pay he should expect from a teaching position at a university? Thanks, again.

E!

Iamherebecause · Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 6:48 am Post subject:

Maybe he should look for posts in Faculties of Education??

One of the problems here is that if you accept a post at a particular level (especially if you accept a teaching post on one of the foundation programmes) it can be hard to move upwards without changing institution. So for example PhD holders in UGRU at UAEU can't transfer to Faculty postions (Asst Prof etc), they get blocked. HCT doesn't really give extra pay for PhD holders in teaching posts.

I know PhD holders earning less than 10000dhs a month and others earning salaries about 4 times that, or more - but the latter tend not to be Professors of English.

globalnomad2 · Joined: 23 Jul 2005 Posts: 562

Furthermore, you must factor in the reality that PhD holders at HCT still have to teach 20 hours a week! Unless they get some kind of supervisory position. There is not really much in the UAE in the way of appropriate jobs for people with PhDs.

Iamherebecause · Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2007 2:07 pm Post subject: jobs for PhD holders

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Actually you are agreeing to a certain extent and are both correct.

In the US, it is hard to get jobs at universities without a PhD just because there are so many of them. When I attended college, many of the people in the front of the class had MAs, now if you read the faculty list of even small obscure colleges, everyone seems to have a PhD... except for ESL, of course.

The Middle East is famous for their love of academic paper. That is why they want MAs in EFL to teach basic basic English. And PhD's to teach content courses.

But gn2 is right... I was shocked to see PhDs teaching more than 7 or so hours - and heard many of the whinging about teaching 15+ hours a week.

VS

globalnomad2 · Joined: 23 Jul 2005 Posts: 562

When I was with HCT 1997-2002, ALL faculty taught 20 hours...well, at Dubai Women's, anyway. There were hardly any PhDs who were teaching but if they did teach content classes, it was 20 hours a week.

Afra · Joined: 02 Feb 2003 Posts: 389

PHDs are still teaching 20 hours at HCT. ZU, however, is a different matter.

Iamherebecause · Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2007 1:46 pm Post subject:

At UAEU a person with a PhD in Applied Linguistics who accidentally accepts a post in UGRU will teach 18 hours a week and won't be able to transfer to a Faculty position. If the same person were recruited for a post in the English Department or the Faculty of Education then they would teach 10 - 12 hours a week with a research commitment (and lets face it PhD holders tend to want that) and be on a much longer pay scale.

ElizabethTheGreat · Joined: 29 Jul 2004 Posts: 7

Thank you all for your input!

E!

uaeobserver · Joined: 05 Feb 2007 Posts: 236

caliph · Joined: 05 Jun 2006 Posts: 218 Location: Iceland

I agree with the above, the best place for an educator to bee is tge classroom.

ElizabethTheGreat · Joined: 29 Jul 2004 Posts: 7

UAEobserver, Caliph,

Why is administration so problematic? Is administration work in the UAE somehow harder or more targeted that other places? Your input is intriguiging but leaves much room for comment. Please advise!

E!

ShaikhRattleandRoll · Joined: 15 Feb 2007 Posts: 15

In the UAE, administrators (unless Emirati) tend to be the fall guys for any problems that occur, whether it was something under their control or not. Also, few humans possess the level of adaptability and complacency needed to adjust to the frequent and sudden changes to departments and policies that occur.