Hundreds of thousands of teachers applied for roles in the Gulf for the new academic year, with attractive salaries, quality of life and upheaval back home prompting many to make a fresh start.
As many as 1,850 teachers from 57 countries will be joining Gems Education schools in UAE and Qatar for the first day back to school on Monday.
Speaking to The National, Matthew Tompkins, senior vice president human resources at Gems Education, said they got an overwhelming response, receiving “600,000 applications for those 1,850 places”.
“So it's still an incredibly popular destination,” Mr Tompkins said.
The teachers come from “a diverse range of backgrounds” with “29 per cent from the UK, 27 per cent from India and 20 per cent from Egypt”.
Unique career growth
Noorul Choudhury, a 48-year-old British teacher, will be moving from Amsterdam to the UAE for its “dynamic and rapidly growing educational landscape that offers unique professional development opportunities”.
After working in the UK for 15 years and in Europe for six years, he feels “the schools in UAE are a little more forward-thinking than I've been used to in Europe when it comes to educational innovation”.
Mr Choudhry will be taking on the role of head of Secondary at Gems Westminster School in Ras Al Khaimah.
It was Ras Al Khaimah's “quieter lifestyle” with its stunning landscape of “mountains, beautiful beaches” that attracted Mr Choudhry away from the “glitz and glamour of Dubai”.
“The lifestyle that UAE offers is beyond just the sunny climate. To me, it's about the rich cultural heritage that the UAE offers which is an attraction, and the fact that more and more people are adopting the UAE as a second home.”
It was career growth that prompted Salvador Barros from Spain to move from Barbados to Dubai's Gems International School.
“I always heard about the high-quality teaching, the good living standards and how well-resourced schools are,” said the 40-year-old, who has taught in schools in Portugal and Germany.
“I'm excited to see how much this city has to offer.”
Mr Barros, who will be head of department for individuals and societies, said he's also keen on exploring sports clubs, “whether it's running, cycling, climbing, hiking, swimming, triathlons”.
Strong sense of community
Hannah Mcdonald, a 25-year-old Irish early years teacher, said she was willing to move to Dubai for its “strong sense of community and diversity that makes it feel so welcoming”.
She will join Dubai British School Jumeira and hopes that “clubs and groups, like Gaelic football clubs, will help people settle in and feel at home and meet new people”.
Apart from the culture, it's the “attractive pay packages” that make the move worth it, especially for Irish teachers who are dealing with a “huge housing crisis” and “high cost of living” back home, Ms McDonald explained.
Connor Moffatt, a British teacher, also moved to Dubai British School Jumeira said the recent happenings in the UK had motivated him to move “to feel a little bit safer”.
He moved with his partner and toddler after working at a school in the UK for 11 years.
“In the UK at the moment, it's just things are a little bit all over the place. So that was a personal reason, I think, for my family to come to a culture that's a little bit more respectful and to feel safe in the environment,” said Mr Moffatt, who will be working as an inclusion teacher.
“Also in terms of career development, the opportunities seem really amazing.
“I'm really looking forward to the varied cultures and nationalities and really excited to see how that dynamic works.”
Gagandeep Kaur, an Indian business and economics teacher, moved to Gems New Millennium School-Al Khail this month after living in Qatar for 12 years for “the city’s holistic environment for growth, where you feel secure, where you feel safe”.
“With crimes that are going on [in various parts of the world], where women do not feel secure to even go out of their houses after dark, I feel UAE offers safety. And if you're safe, only then can you achieve things,” said Ms Kaur.
Competitive salaries and perks
Most UAE schools offer competitive tax-free salaries, accommodation or housing allowance, private medical insurance, annual air travel to home country, free or discounted schooling and an end-of-service gratuity, but individual schools may have different offerings depending on the role.
Salaries vary from school to school, but typically teachers can expect to make between Dh9,000 and Dh14,000 a month ($2,450-$3,800) depending on experience and qualification.
Top-end schools tend to pay between Dh16,000 to Dh17,000 a month – plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000.
New school openings in the UAE - in pictures
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
The years Ramadan fell in May
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Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
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The specs
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder
Transmission: CVT auto
Power: 181bhp
Torque: 244Nm
Price: Dh122,900
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid
Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
Saturday 15 January: v Canada
Thursday 20 January: v England
Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly, Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya Shetty, Kai Smith
'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
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Starfield
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
DUBAI%20BLING%3A%20EPISODE%201
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Director: Romany Saad
Starring: Mirfat Amin, Boumi Fouad and Tariq Al Ibyari
