Job Discussion Forums

[mattkzbt]

Hi,

A little bit about me. I'm a 26 yr American male, with a BA in History, a US teaching license, an MBA, 1 year classroom experience, and 1 year teaching english in Asia. (and 3 yrs general work experience)

I've heard a lot of good things about Dubai and I've always wanted to go there. I've heard teaching opportunities are good there too.

So my questions are this:

With my qualifications, could I get a good job? Right now I'm back in America, but I want to go teach again to earn and save a lot of money. I was thinking Korea but it seems you can make a lot in Dubai too BUT it seems the pay scale is very very vast there. Could I get on the upper end?

Speaking of saving money, is it possible to save a lot of money in Dubai? I hear it is very expensive but I saw on the web that cost of livign was like 2,000 dh a month. I don't know how true that is.) What is cost of living like? (Before I get flamed for not being specific, I can live cheaply and i'm not one to go out much except for dinner and a movie)

As for living, I've been reading the boards but still have some questions:

Does Dubai have a metro system or would you need a car?

Can you live in the city there or would you live in the burbs (since it would be cheaper?)

Are there a lot of young people there? or is it mostly older expats who live there?

Is there a lot in the way of a night life (if I did go out)?

Overall, I'm just worried from the jobs and stuff I have seen on the boards that in order to get a good paying job, I need a lot more experience...

Thanks!

Matt

[773]

Hi Matt,

What are you licensed to teach? High school History? Knowing that may help people to better answer your questions.

[mishmumkin]

Matt, I'd say you have a great shot at a job in a k-12 position. You should expect around 9000-10,000 dirhams/month plus acccommodation (or an allowance). Jobs in higher ed in the UAE typically start a bit higher than the K-12, but I would say you are not well qualified for those jobs. Start applying now!

[veiledsentiments]

[mattkzbt]

well, i am licensed for teaching history but i figured since i got the mba, that might make me eligible for that too...

would i need an ba in english to teach it? I know in asia they are just happy u speak it, and the better school obviously want some more credentials but over all, i feel they are pretty lax.

I figured I didn't have the experience for a uni position but maybe one of the better private schools?

In general, can I expect about 10,000 a month?

Is that enough to save? Really, what are the average monthly expenses? 2000? 5000? What can a person live off of?

thanks for the comments so far!

added question....how hard is it to find a 10,000+ job?

[cmp45]

[773]

The UAE is in a completely different ballpark than Asian countries like Korea, Taiwan, China, Thailand, etc. in terms of education and what is required for teachers to get decent positions. I taught in Taiwan for a number of years, where a person was "qualified" to teach if they were a native speaker. That was pretty much it.

You should really go for a high school History teaching position, that's where you would have the most luck. If you want to teach English, you need a qualification in the area, for example a Masters if you want to teach at a university foundation program or a license to teach English to teach it at the high school level. Unfortunately, your MBA may not really do anything for you here in terms of finding a job.

I don't know much about the pay scale for high school positions, but I think that 10,000/month (give or take) is around what you may get. I know some Australians here making about 12,000/month at a government high school, but they are working on implementing a particular Australian curriculum and so that may be why their pay is higher than the norm.

In terms of spending, I think that if housing is provided (especially if it's furnished), it is reasonable to say that you could easily live off of 4,000/month or less if you don't go out / shop / drink / do weekends away very often. Secondhand cars and gas are both cheap here too, and banks will let you finance a car through them at a pretty low rate compared to the US.

Overall, my husband and I find that the cost of living here is pretty comparable to or less than the US (except for housing, which most expats don't need to worry about anyway as it is either provided or there is an allowance given for it).

[mattkzbt]

thank you all. this is all very good information.

last question....whats the social scene? are there a lot of young people there? (ie under 27)

[mishmumkin]

The social scene questions varies from emirate to emirate-Dubai being the best for single people, I found. I worked w/ a lot of teachers under 27, but my school liked to hire less qualified teachers just out of university.

Dubai has a pretty lively night club scene-not my thing even when I was 27. I think you'll find that you'll make many of your friends through work. If you're into sports that leaves another opportunity. I suspect Veiled Sentiments will come by here soon, however, and say that the UAE is not for younger teachers. I would say you'd find the average age of k-12 educators is around 32.

To answer your question about 10,000/month jobs, I'd say it's quite a reasonable salary to expect-at least in the range of 9000-11,000. Some schools trying to cut costs will come in lower, so don't be surprised by offers as low as 6,000 (run away).

[kiefer]

While night-by-night recreational activities do exist in Dubai for those still hearty enough to be able to go on the p*ss till 2 and manage to roll into work for 8, in some ways the UAE can be a hardship posting for 20-somethings (though nothing like KSA or Kuwait might be). For example, the nightclubs can be expensive and somewhat shadowy as many are dens for women of ill repute.

But for those new to this field, note the proximity to SE Asia (5 hours), North Africa (3-4 hours), Greece (2-3 hours), Amsterdam (4-5 hours) etc. and how quickly you can fill your passport pages with Visas and stamps when holidays roll around.

This is a wonderful place to use as a launching pad for those with a travel bug and a backpack.

[boondoggle]

The downsides of the UAE:

1) Expensive if you like to go out a lot but if you're a homebody you can save 75% or more. Doing this sacrifices your sanity and social life though.

2) Well paying teaching positions are available but the UAE values lots of paper credentials. This is why it is appealing for older expats because they have years of experience/paper built up so it's relatively easy to get by and they tend to live a quieter lifestyle. I haven't seen much of a difference between the quality of teachers in the UAE and those i've met in the Asian tefl regions though. I think a lot of this is for show.

3) You like women? It's slim pickings unless you like paying. You like men and you're a man? Welcome to the gulf!

4) Be ready to deal with lots and lots of people from the sub-continent. In otherwords prepare yourself for bad service, incompetence, and rudeness.

5) Dubai is overrated, full of horrendous traffic due to incompetent urban planning, and has all the aesthetic appeal of a commercial supermarket.

[kiefer]

[Stephen Jones]

[veiledsentiments]

I agree with SJ. If you look at the conditions under which they live, you may not be the best employee either. I was amazed (and appalled) at how much abuse they accepted. I found the vast majority to at least be polite and kind, if not always efficient and well-trained.

VS

[uaeobserver]

In the US market, a freshly minted MBA with history BA would be making around 50,000/yr - or about $4,000 /month.

Assuming you're single - your take-home would be more like $2,500 - $3,000.

So - in the UAE - that's about 9000 - 11,000 AED/month.

Overall - I'd guess you're in the right ball park. (NO - I don't think you'll get upper-end pay)


Saving is a lifestyle choice. Avoid the clubs, and you'll save. You won't save much your first year. After that - you'll do better.