Job Discussion Forums

xhinn · Joined: 22 Apr 2007 Posts: 2

Hi all,
I'm new here and need some information. I'm a 27 years old Singaporean female. My husband will be relocating to Dubai as he has a job offer there. I am currently working in Singapore as a special education teacher and has a B.A in Arts and Social Science, plus a Diploma in Special Education. I am considering to join my husband sometime next year and hope to find a teaching job there, preferably in special education as it would also give me more exposure in special education in Dubai. However, I am not sure about the qualifications that the schools in Dubai require and the salary like. Hope that I can find some help from here. Thanks Smile

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stoth1972 · Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 5:15 am Post subject:

Hi xhinn:

You'll need a teaching qualification for all the decent schools. There are plenty of questionable schools who will like the idea of not sponsoring you (since you're on your husband's) and will take you and your experience at a cheap price. If you get hired locally in this manner in one of the less desirable schools, you could expect no more than 6000 dirhams/month. That's the high end. Though I would expect, based on your nationality, somewhere in the range of 3500-4000.

I would recommend you try Emirates International School. They have previously hired women who are on their husband's sponsorship, but they seem to be fair in their salary offers (given that you don't have a teaching degree) and the school delivers a solid curriculum. Uptown Mirdif Primary School accepts a lot of special needs kids and integrates them into the classroom w/ kids of average mental ages. The salary might not be great (maybe 5000 dirhams/month) but you might find a place for yourself as a teaching assistant. Not a lot of schools are willing to take special needs children, so I would steer you in that direction. You might, considering you lack of teaching qualifications, marketing yourself to the best schools in the Dubai as a teaching assistant.
http://www.expatmum.com/monthly_education.php This is a list of schools in Dubai to get you started. I've check the Times Educational Supplement online recently, and it seems a good few schools in Dubai are still hiring.

Iamherebecause · Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 5:50 am Post subject:

With all respect to Stoth, I think Stoth may be wrong about your qualifications. With your degree and a diploma in Special Education you can and should aim higher than a teaching assistant post, assuming that that was a one-year post-graduate diploma. Ensure you get your certificates etc authenticated before coming, bring transcripts and details of what you studied etc. Meanwhile search school web-sites for positions and see if you can get an appointment sorted out before you come as the terms may then be more advantageous.

There is a lot more support for special education here than there was a few years ago so the number of schools offereing posts is increasing.

stoth1972 · Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 5:37 pm Post subject:

It is my understand that the OP doesn't have an actual teaching qualification, but a dip. Is this correct? Iamherebecause, we should also consider that she holds a Singaporean passport, and the implications of that for someone who wants to presumably teach in an English-speaking school. I'm sure there are schools that will hire the OP as a teacher, regardless of her nationality and credentials. Which schools and what they'll offer to pay her, might not be as rewarding as working in a better school which pays their teaching assistants more $$.

xhinn · Joined: 22 Apr 2007 Posts: 2

Thanks for all the replies. Mine is a 2 year Diploma for Special Education and I am qualified to teach in Special Needs school in Singapore. I'm much relief to hear that at least the possibility of me finding a teaching job is not zero Smile

Iamherebecause · Posted: Mon Apr 30, 2007 9:14 am Post subject:

It's easy to get confused when terms such as 'diploma' and 'certificate' are so vague. I assumed (rightly it turns out) that 'diploma' was a postgraduate diploma - in UK and many Commonwealth Universities a postgraduate certificate is shorter and/or less advanced than a postgraduate diploma. This is why I advise the OP to make sure she brings transcripts etc when she comes. A diploma CAN be a teaching qualification.

kirez · Joined: 19 Apr 2007 Posts: 29 Location: Iraq

stoth1972 · Posted: Thu May 03, 2007 6:42 am Post subject:

I would still recommend Uptown Mirdif Primary and Emirates International. Uptown Mirdif, in particular, takes a great deal of special needs students that other schools won't take. The biggest obstacle will still by your nationality. Of the few schools that allow regular special needs enrolment, they tend to hire from the west. The school for Research Science, though not officially, also seems to have a lot of special needs. They would have a need for your skills.