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Big need for foreign teachers at UAE schools
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 3:54 am    Post subject: Big need for foreign teachers at UAE schools Reply with quote

Foreign teachers in big demand at UAE schools
By Roberta Pennington, The National | June 12, 2016
Source: http://www.thenational.ae/uae/education/foreign-teachers-in-big-demand-at-uae-schools

ABU DHABI // The increasing number of private schools across the country and the continuing recruitment for public schools has pushed up the need for teachers in the UAE, said Ben Glickman, founder and managing director of Footprints Recruiting. He estimated that there were “a couple of thousand positions to fill" across the country.

“The demand for teachers does remain strong in the United Arab Emirates," he said. To qualify for work in the Emirates, teachers must hold a certificate in teaching English to speakers of other languages, a teaching license in their home country and have at least two or three years of teaching experience, Mr Glickman said. “But, in particular, we’re seeing an increase in demand for teachers who have a science, maths or technology background," he said.

Primary schoolteachers “are still the most in demand", said Eoin Bolger, business development manager for UAE-based teacher recruiting firm Teach and Explore, which helps to fill vacancies in private schools. “Female science and maths teachers are always sought after and can be quite difficult to find," Mr Bolger said. “Teachers with a masters relative to education generally will be picked up by schools first."

The high cost of living, increased price of petrol and utilities, and introduction of a new municipal fee for expatriates has done little to deter foreign teachers seeking work in the UAE, Mr Bolger said. “The UAE is still a very attractive destination for teachers to come to live and work," he said. “Why wouldn’t it be? They are getting well paid, especially when you compare it with take-home pay in their home countries. They pay no tax, no rent, flights are paid for and they receive free medical insurance. It is a wonderful opportunity for anyone to gain valuable teaching experience they might not get in their home country, save money and travel."

Private schoolteachers can expect to earn from Dh11,000 up to Dh17,000 a month, depending on their experience and qualifications, Mr Bolger said. “We work with high-end schools that provide good pay and packages for our teachers," he said. “In turn the school expects that all our teachers have a degree or masters in education and at least two years fully qualified experience."

Mr Glickman said a salary of about Dh120,000 a year, plus free housing, was fairly normal for private schoolteachers. For public school jobs, the Abu Dhabi Education Council can pay between Dh12,000 and Dh20,400 a month, depending on experience and qualifications, plus housing, according to recruitment firms.

Despite the challenging economic climate for foreigners here, prospective candidates do not have much negotiating power, Mr Glickman said. “If you get an offer from ADEC, the negotiating is either ‘take it or leave it’," he said. “The private schools, there is some leeway for negotiations, but not a tonne. Generally we will negotiate on behalf of our candidates because we don’t want them to mess up the offer. Sometimes they have unrealistic expectations."

(End of article)
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Lord T



Joined: 07 Jul 2015
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 7:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Agents saying there is a big demand for foreign teachers is to be expected as the agents' livelihood depends on it being the case.

Where those 'foreign teachers' come from and how much they will be paid is
another matter.
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 10:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lord T wrote:
Where those 'foreign teachers' come from and how much they will be paid is another matter.

Given that there are many English-medium k-12 international schools in the UAE (more than any other country), foreign teachers generally come from the UK, US, Canada, etc., where they're licensed/certified. (Keep in mind children of expats from these countries also attend private school in the UAE as a continuation of their formal education.)
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 1:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The expanding requirement for teachers that have a license from their home country is the key point here. Most of them can get decent jobs in their home countries. Not great jobs, but not as abysmal as the ESL market in English speaking countries. So, there are not as many of them clamoring to find the high pay jobs overseas.

VS
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Lord T



Joined: 07 Jul 2015
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 2:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I accept your points nomad soul and veiledsentiments, but do you think the lower salaries will mean that the UAE will have to hire more people from non-Anglophone countries?

At a recent, much publicized interview day in London organized by a British recruitment agency, there were young teachers from, for example, Bulgaria and Greece, there to be interviewed.

Also, teachers who don't have a license to teach in the UK were told it didn't matter, and they were given interviews.

I don't know if they were hired or not.
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RedLightning



Joined: 08 Aug 2015
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PostPosted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 3:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Even though my license had long since expired (I refuse to renew it out of principle), I applied to several schools in the UAE and Bahrain with positive outcomes-I received several job offers.
In fact, I know of a girl who makes 4k+/month teaching in the UAE. She was hired on with 2 years of experience in Korea, an unrelated bachelors degree, and a cereal box TESOL certificate.
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nomad soul



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PostPosted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 4:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

veiledsentiments wrote:
The expanding requirement for teachers that have a license from their home country is the key point here. Most of them can get decent jobs in their home countries. Not great jobs, but not as abysmal as the ESL market in English speaking countries. So, there are not as many of them clamoring to find the high pay jobs overseas.

Well... Not exactly. I recently posted the thread More UK teachers opt to take their talents abroad, which highlights the trend of qualified UK teachers heading overseas due to better salaries/bennies, abundant sunshine (no kidding), and easy lifestyle. As a result, there's a need for teachers in the UK. Imagine that.

I once met a group of licensed American teachers who said they chose the UAE for its diverse population, lifestyle, safe environment, and/or for religious reasons. Salary was important but wasn't their main priority.

Lord T wrote:
Do you think the lower salaries will mean that the UAE will have to hire more people from non-Anglophone countries?

At a recent, much publicized interview day in London organized by a British recruitment agency, there were young teachers from, for example, Bulgaria and Greece, there to be interviewed.

Also, teachers who don't have a license to teach in the UK were told it didn't matter, and they were given interviews. I don't know if they were hired or not.

For starters, not all teaching salaries in the private and public schools are low. Secondly, the UAE is very diverse with resident expats from all corners of the world, so there's a need for non-Anglophone teachers as well. Plus, in addition to administrators, schools rely on other teaching and non-teaching staff (e.g., guidance counselors, curriculum specialists, secretaries, HR/payroll specialists, teaching assistants, technology specialists, etc.). Anyway, just because someone was interviewed doesn't mean they'll get hired.

RedLightning wrote:
I know of a girl who makes 4k+/month teaching in the UAE. She was hired on with 2 years of experience in Korea, an unrelated bachelors degree, and a cereal box TESOL certificate.

However, she obviously isn't teaching English L1 learners from the US, UK, etc. TESOL is just one field being taught in the UAE; subjects like math, science, English/language arts, social sciences, and so on, are taught in IB and western-curriculum/accredited private schools by highly-qualified teachers.
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RedLightning



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PostPosted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 9:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

nomad soul wrote:

RedLightning wrote:
I know of a girl who makes 4k+/month teaching in the UAE. She was hired on with 2 years of experience in Korea, an unrelated bachelors degree, and a cereal box TESOL certificate.

However, she obviously isn't teaching English L1 learners from the US, UK, etc. TESOL is just one field being taught in the UAE; subjects like math, science, English/language arts, social sciences, and so on, are taught in IB and western-curriculum/accredited private schools by highly-qualified teachers.


At 4k/month, I doubt she cares whether she's teaching Katy or Khadijah(children in any case).

*While I can appreciate that there are teacher requirements/standards, do they really count for anything in a culture dictated by wasta?
Is the UAE more 'legit' than Saudi?
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dragonpiwo



Joined: 04 Mar 2013
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 15, 2016 5:44 am    Post subject: erm Reply with quote

I'm in the UAE and have met an awful lot of South African teachers along with the Irish. I live in a huge building complex and it's full of 'em. Out and about in town, I've met and seen loads of Americans.

To be honest, the deals seem to be getting worse, so they'll end up having to recruit in other areas. I predict more white South Africans.

As for the licenced teacher debate? I overheard an interesting conversation the other night in the pub. Two American ladies were saying farewell after 1 had been canned. She was bemoaning the fact that she was the most qualified in the department but the employer had highlighted here lack of ESL/EFL experience and certification. I am with the employer on this one. Someone who has taught high school English Lit in the States is in no way a suitable candidate for an ESOL/EFL programme unless, they have a lot of relevant experience as a foreign language teacher. I'm done with (usually American) teachers coming here or there claiming that the module they did on ESL in their MA programme is enough.

I'd take someone with a CELTA, DELTA and 5 years experience over an English Lit MA holder every time, even if the MA holder had a PGCE to teach English in a British school back home.
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nomad soul



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PostPosted: Wed Jun 15, 2016 6:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

dragonpiwo wrote:
Someone who has taught high school English Lit in the States is in no way a suitable candidate for an ESOL/EFL programme unless, they have a lot of relevant experience as a foreign language teacher. I'm done with (usually American) teachers coming here or there claiming that the module they did on ESL in their MA programme is enough.

I'd take someone with a CELTA, DELTA and 5 years experience over an English Lit MA holder every time, even if the MA holder had a PGCE to teach English in a British school back home.

You've complained numerous times about Americans with MA English Lit degrees who were hired to teach ESOL to adults. Frankly, this is a recruiting issue --- the teachers shouldn't be blamed. Moreover, someone licensed and experienced as a US high school English teacher really should be looking at a similar position in American-curriculum/accredited private schools. But this is a no-brainer. Chalk it up to lousy recruiting and business practices.
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dragonpiwo



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PostPosted: Wed Jun 15, 2016 7:24 am    Post subject: yep Reply with quote

I couldn't agree more.

My other beef is with consultants who con UAE companies into adopting completely inappropriate programmes having bamboozled the locals with narrow interpretations of educational theories.

VARK is totally unproven and even with slim evidence, hard to apply in a practical way with groups.
Andragogy is fine but in vocational settings, the tawteen don't fit its parameters. This means that all this stuff like blended learning will never work with such trainees.
Then we have competency based assessment. Nothing wrong in theory but as soon as you have rigid timelines, it becomes unworkable.

Personally, I feel sorry for the Emiratis, who have been turned here and there by people in pursuit of their money selling programmes that don't fit for many local vocational settings. We see the results in disillusioned youth in the opcos.
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nomad soul



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PostPosted: Wed Jun 15, 2016 7:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

RedLightning wrote:
At 4k/month, I doubt she cares whether she's teaching Katy or Khadijah(children in any case).

However, that unlicensed teacher, with her an unrelated BA and vanilla TESOL cert, wouldn't be teaching ESL to "Katy" or any other L1 English speaker. It's pointless. Private schools in the UAE that carry US, UK, IB... accreditation are a continuation of the child's formal education. Wannabe teachers with mismatched and/or zero teaching qualifications don't get a second look.

and RedLightning wrote:
*While I can appreciate that there are teacher requirements/standards, do they really count for anything in a culture dictated by wasta? Is the UAE more 'legit' than Saudi?

Not everything is dictated by wasta. Besides, there's no info on whether that $4000/mo salary is legit, what benefits were offered, nor where that teacher works. But it definitely isn't at any school teaching the dependents of native-English speaking expats.
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Golden Beach



Joined: 09 Jun 2016
Posts: 27

PostPosted: Thu Jun 16, 2016 5:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

UAE, looking forward to the beaches, the driving, the sunshine, and obtaining my alcohol license.

Last edited by Golden Beach on Sun Aug 07, 2016 4:54 am; edited 1 time in total
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D. Merit



Joined: 02 May 2008
Posts: 203

PostPosted: Thu Jun 23, 2016 6:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Golden Beach wrote:
When I lived in Oman, the wines on sale at the different fine bottle establishments, were far superior to anything on the shelves anywhere in the UK.


Very Happy

You must either have a great sense of humour or tastebuds made of polystyrene.
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Golden Beach



Joined: 09 Jun 2016
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 25, 2016 9:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

D. Merit wrote:
Golden Beach wrote:
When I lived in Oman, the wines on sale at the different fine bottle establishments, were far superior to anything on the shelves anywhere in the UK.


Very Happy

You must either have a great sense of humour or tastebuds made of polystyrene.


Why's that? You just can't find the best French wines in the UK anymore, they all go East.....but some of them have a stopover in Middle-east liquor stores....
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