Job Discussion Forums

nwtefl · Joined: 20 May 2015 Posts: 148 Location: England

Just had a job offer via agent for a job with them. However it is only 12,000 AED (i.e. about £25k) with 8,000 AED accommodation allowance.

In my mind, this is really poor - it doesn't even go near £30k.

peripatetic_soul · Joined: 20 Oct 2013 Posts: 303

Hello,
Is the position in Dubai or A.D. or another emirate? Yes, that seems to be an extremely low salary, less than what it was in 2008. Do you mean 8k monthly or 8k lump sum for housing? Any other perks (medical insurance, airfare, tuition....)?
PS

D. Merit · Joined: 02 May 2008 Posts: 203

Avoid ADVETI.
You're correct - that salary is dismal.

nwtefl · Joined: 20 May 2015 Posts: 148 Location: England

Yeah I think the agent made a mess too.

Footprints are also recruiting for them now - "a tax free salary of £2,100". Absolutely abysmal. Regardless of a having an accommodation allowance on top, it doesn't make an experienced teacher want to go over there to work.

After going to Manchester for the interview, I'm pretty disappointed with the outcome.

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

With the collapse of HCT pay and benefits... and work conditions, I expect that most others will start to lowball on pay too.

VS

D. Merit · Joined: 02 May 2008 Posts: 203

In the broader sense you may well be right, but VETI's history shows they need no encouragement from HCT to offer crap pay.
A colleague bailed from HCT about 6 years ago to get 23k and a plush duplex apartment. Then the pay was swiftly cut in half and the apartment block closed its doors.
I think PI might have lead the way in the 'let's halve the salary' trend.

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

True... the race to the bottom started awhile back... but it has broken into a gallop.

VS

dragonpiwo · Joined: 04 Mar 2013 Posts: 1650 Location: Berlin

If you have to pay for your own housing, you need to know that you need to earn a lot more than that, especially in AD.

nwtefl · Joined: 20 May 2015 Posts: 148 Location: England

Well it would be 20000AED per month. Not great but I have seen worse.

I've seen a few posts on here about rents and I get the idea is to ask the employer to pay for you or post date cheques and you pay them back, or something. I saw a 1bed furnished for 12000AED pm on a property website.

Anyway, I've read a fair few stories on here about crap schools and shit money but most teachers there won't be employed at one of the universities I imagine, so where do they work ? It can't all be crap surely.

D. Merit · Joined: 02 May 2008 Posts: 203

nwtefl · Joined: 20 May 2015 Posts: 148 Location: England

Maybe on reflection it's not really poor as a lump sum. The really poor remark was in relation to the 12AED part, but actually I haven't seen a lot better. Which brings me back to the question I asked in relation to where are the apparent 'good jobs ' then? I doubt most people will have a highly paid position as an 'English Professor', so where are they?

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

No one here is an "English professor" and those jobs are almost never even discussed on this board anyway.

If you have a directly related MA followed by 5+ years of experience in IEPs teaching Arabic speakers, you might be able to get one of the very few "good jobs" in the UAE. Personally I would only put a very limited number of places on the list of those... AUS and probably UAEU... and maybe ZU.

And naturally they have few openings and few new hires... and they can choose the people with exactly the credentials they want. In other words, they almost never hire teachers without years of prior Gulf experience.

If by "good jobs" you mean BIG BUCKS, in the Gulf you need to be male and have extensive experience with teaching Arabic speakers related to military or the oil business.

You've been on this board long enough that you have been able to read this numerous times. Don't expect reality to change... and you probably need to significantly lower your expectations. By this point it is obvious that you are very likely not going to get one of the "good jobs" nor are you going to make as much as you want.

VS

rdobbs98 · Joined: 08 Oct 2010 Posts: 236

20,000 AED per month in UAE, regardless, is a good salary. They are not paying the big bucks anymore and for the most part can hire someone from other Middle Eastern countries or Central Asia much cheaper than the 20,000. Try less than half of that!

If you think you are coming to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, you would be better to go to Saudi Arabia. Because salaries in general around the Middle East have stagnated or are decreasing.

dragonpiwo · Joined: 04 Mar 2013 Posts: 1650 Location: Berlin

It's the rent which is the killer. 12 months up front plus buying furniture and paying commissions and deposits. It's a huge up-front cost. I think it will deter many people from coming to such a place.

It could look like this:

12x7,000= 84,000 AED rent.
5,000=deposit
4,000= commission to the agent
20,000=furniture
5,000=Misc.

That's about 118,000 AED or $30,000 up-front. Only way to cover it is a bank loan, which also costs.

It will take the OP 6 months to even earn that.

nwtefl · Joined: 20 May 2015 Posts: 148 Location: England

Well I wouldn't be looking to buy furniture - I'd look for a furnished place. I've read of getting the company to 'loan' you the money (or whatever) and and you pay the rent out of your forthcoming salary (or something along that). That must be something that companies are used to being asked to do ?

It would great to hear from anyone with positive experiences of being in the UAE too.