Teacher recruitment in UAE schools is impacted by global competition

Dubai - With salaries "stagnating in the UAE", teachers from abroad are being draw to regions like Asia, which are now offering higher salaries with a still lower cost of living

by

Kelly Clarke

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Published: Mon 10 Jul 2017, 10:01 PM

Last updated: Tue 11 Jul 2017, 12:08 AM

Despite 10 new schools opening their doors to students in Dubai this September, it seems teacher recruitment trends here have been impacted by competition in rival countries.
The number of international schools is seeing phenomenal growth globally, and with that comes fierce competition for the very best educators.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Garrett O'Dowd, founder of Teach and Explore (an educational recruitment agency) said although they are sending about 200 teachers from Ireland to the UAE this September, there has been a lot more rivalry this year - especially from Asian countries.
"We sent a similar number of teachers in 2016, so numbers are not down, but this year the competition has definitely increased, especially from good international schools in China."
With salaries "stagnating in the UAE", O'Dowd said they are in ?fact increasing in Asia and that's what is drawing teachers to that ?region. The better cost of living in Asian countries is also adding to that appeal.
On the upside, however, he said interest towards job roles in the UAE still remains high as the education sector continues to grow.
Competition drives quality
The stability of a teaching job in the UAE, as well as its generous salary and benefit packages has long been a draw for many young teachers here. But this year, Yinka Coker, senior recruiter at Intelligent Partners, said its numbers have dipped in comparison to 2016.
"When it comes to recruiting overseas teachers this year, numbers are down.
"We have about 90 coming over, that's 30 less than last year. In 2015, we brought over 110."
In terms of demographics, Coker said the majority - about 50 per cent - are coming from the US, with the remaining coming from Canada, Ireland and the UK.
Why numbers are dropping here
"In my experience, it's a lot harder to attract teachers to the Middle East now because they are seeing opportunities in other regions," Coker said.
"China, for instance, is paying crazy money, which is driving that competition up. But although money is a big pull for teachers, experiencing a different culture is also top of the list." In some instances, Asia offers a more alternative lifestyle compared to the UAE, he added.
Coker pointed out that although salary packages in the UAE are good on the whole - averaging anywhere between Dh12,000-Dh15,000 with accommodation on top, with some teachers even securing up to Dh17,000 - packages have remained steady in the UAE over the past few years, "with no market increments".
"As such, you've now got countries like Sudan, Tanzania, and South Africa offering big salaries for English-speaking teachers. That's a big lure for many."
With more and more counties now using money to attract teachers, it is steadily driving up competition in the Middle East.
"But demand is still there in the UAE, as new schools are constantly opening," Coker said.
Catering to both the public and private schools in the UAE (including 15 private schools), about 80 per cent of Intelligent Partner's 90 new recruits will be new teachers, having around two to three years experience in teaching.
"We didn't record any demand for leadership roles in the UAE this year, despite the new schools opening," he said.
kelly@khaleejtimes.com
 

Has the new teacher licensing rule deterred interest in UAE?

In 2016, it was announced that teachers working in the UAE would soon have to hold a professional teachers licence from the local Ministry of Education.
In June of this year, 106 teachers from across Dubai's private schools became the first to obtain their licence, following a rigorous training and examination period.
Though school administrations will now be tasked with registering their teachers for the licensing scheme over the next few years - including incurring all costs - has this impacted teachers' interest in coming over to the UAE? It seems not.
With local teacher licensing not uncommon in the education world globally, many teachers looking to emigrate overseas tend to factor this requirement in while searching for a job abroad.
Speaking to Khaleej Times, Clive Pierrepont, director of communications at Taaleem, said what this new move has actually done is created more confidence in the UAE's strengthening education sector.
"Many of the teachers (old and new recruits) see the licensing scheme as an extremely positive step forward and as confirmation of their professional status; something they are proud to add to their CV."
This year, Pierrepont said Taaleem is looking to bring more than 100 teachers to the UAE from overseas - mainly from the UK, the US and Canada. This is a figure which tallies up with past overseas recruits for its schools, proving that the newly-introduced teaching licensing has had "no impact on teacher recruitment" for them.
Additionally, a Gems spokesperson told Khaleej Times they will be recruiting approximately 1,400 teachers this academic year - both local and from overseas. "We offer the English, American, Indian and IB curricula, therefore the recruitment of teachers reflects this international diversity."
Although Gems does hire a small number of school leaders from the local and international market, she said its main focus is to nurture the "current talent and promote from within the company".
The new teacher
Come September, Irish national Eoin Reilly will be making his way to the UAE to teach KS2 in a British curriculum school.
Seeking out the opportunity to work abroad, Reilly initially toyed with the idea of a career in Singapore, but it was the large Irish expatriate community in the UAE that swayed his final decision to move here. "I actually rested on Abu Dhabi because I had heard a lot of good things about the city. A lot of people from my year in college are out there, and the offer package was similar to Singapore."
He said the experience of a "new culture, the opportunity to advance my teaching experience and the tax free salary", were his top three reasons for choosing the UAE.
The new policy on teacher licensing did not deter him. On the contrary, he said it will just be the chance to add another string to his bow in terms of his teaching career choice.
A total of 223 teachers from 15 schools were assessed as part of the National Qualifications Authority (NQA) and Knowledge and Human Development Authority's (KHDA) Teacher and Educational Leadership Standards (TELS) licensing scheme at the beginning of 2017.
With 106 graduates passing, including a 100 per cent pass rate for Taaleem teachers, (including the only principal to take part, Richard Drew from Jumeirah Baccalaureate School), the long-term aim is to train and fully licence about 25,000 teachers in Dubai by 2020.
kelly@khaleejtimes.com
 


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