rustysmart

Hi All,

My wife and I are contemplating a move to Dubai to teach and live, but we have so many questions swimming around our heads! I was hoping we could get a few answers to help us along the way.

What benefits should we look for with the job? We've seen GEMS advertisements offering an apartment, medical insurance etc. but what is everyone else getting? What should be the minimum we look for? Are there certain schools/agencies that are known to make better offers? With regards to living, should we expect a two/three bed apartment as there is two of us? What about a pool?

What is the salary? I've read so many conflicting things on the net with answers ranging from £500 a month to £3000.

There are probably loads more questions that I have, but can't think of any right now. Thanks for your ideas.

Hello.Kitty

OK... [deep breath]

I'm sure there are some good teaching jobs out here, so do apply and see what you catch... once you have a better idea of what's on offer (realistically, I don't), then we can tell you whether or not it's feasible.

Schools over here are probably quite different to those in the UK - they can pick and choose and tailor elements of whichever curriculum they have decided to teach. They may not be fully up-to-date with current UK practices, so it'll be your call to see if having a stint here in Dubai would benefit or hinder your career and chances of getting a better job once you return. You will know the questions to ask the schools and don't hesitate to do so!

Salaries... hmm... I don't know what the [sorry if this sounds offensive] "native English-speaking, UK qualified" teacher's salaries are, but if you're saying the upper scale is £3k a month, sorry, but you'll both need to be earning at least that to lead a comfortable life here and still save some money.

The lower scale is for unqualified "teachers" (yes, nurseries especially will employ people with no teaching qualifications as teachers if they are [cough] native English speakers) or teaching assistants (invariably expats from the subcontinent). Here, that salary (call it 3000 AED) is pocket money and most women who fulfil those roles are on their husband's sponsorship and don't get any other allowances.

I hope this helps in some way... get a better idea of what they're willing to offer and then work out if it's going to work for you!

rustysmart

Thanks Kitty for the detailed response. I'll continue to look around and see what comes up. Maybe when I have a better idea I'll repost and see what the forum users think.

rustysmart

Me again!! Priority appears to be salary, especially if you're saying 3000 would be pocket money. I've got eight years experience but probably wouldn't be on much more than that. I'm on £2000 a month here - need to check the conversions

Victor Meldrew

Schools vary in standard from excellent (outstanding?) to absolute cr@p.

Gems are not always seen as good to work for as they are profit making.

Salaries? you need to be looking at 12,000 aed as a minimum requirement, with 15,000 plus being more preferable.

Benefits should include a comprehensive healthcare package, one free flight per year (or equivalent allowance) and for a couple at least a 1 bed apartment, but more likely 2 bed. Alternatively a married couple should be given approximately 100k aed allowance per year.

Working overseas can also damage your UK job prospects on return. Many schools do not keep up to date with UK trends, and many are poorly managed by long term, feet in the sand expats.

Blue Cat

GEMS have a few buildings around town where they accomodate their staff, I used to live in one of them which is called Green View Residence 1 in TECOM area, you might be able to find out more by google. They are all two bed apartments and staff are not given three beds. They seem to have a high turnover of staff, but also look after the staff they have got and the packages in my opinion aren't bad. There are other schools though so don't just limit yourself to Gems.

Hello.Kitty

Be wary of purely converting salaries - life here is more expensive even without tax to pay. It always boggles as to why clothes and other British products have a 30% (approx) mark-up on the UK price when they don't even have to pay VAT!

I think it's the general consensus of the Bored that to live comfortably as a couple/ family here, you need to be earning (as a household) around 30k AED a month (which equates to approx £5k) in salary and various allowances (which sometimes are given separately, but often now just grouped in to your monthly pay-packet).

This is taking into account the basics and a few perks of being here, like eating out every now and again. Dubai is no place to live on the breadline and certainly, absolutely, no place to rely on credit cards to float you through to next payday.

Be canny and certainly don't fall for the "ooh, but it's tax free!" trap.

Ethos83

I have a friend who teaches at Jumeira College (which is a GEMS school and probably their most highly regarded one in Dubai - GEMS schools vary widely, too widely, really).

I don't know what her base salary is but the school pays for her accommodation separately and the lease is in the school's name, not hers. She has a one-bedroom flat in the Greens. Not bad at all, given that a few years ago rents were so expensive that schools were shacking up teachers in shared accommodations.

My guess is that teachers like her (she's fairly young, British, mid-20s) make somewhere between 12-15,000 AED a month with housing, health insurance and annual flight on top of that. The overall "value" of the package probably works out to 17-18,000 a month. As long as you aren't extravagant you can live a comfortable if simple life on that income.

rustysmart

Thank you for all of your updates so far. I will continue to investigate this and let you all know what I find out - thanks for taking time to respond to my questions at this early stage, you have all been really helpful.

Ethos83

You are the first teacher on this forum who actually writes in decent English. We're glad to help.

Blue Cat

and thanked us!

rustysmart

My pleasure!! You have taken the time to reply and that's really thoughtful.

If any of you are headteachers then you know where I am!!

stuart6078

Does it have to be Dubai? Ras Al Khaimah is beautiful and an hour and a bit from most of Duabi. You have the feeling you are actually in the UAE but have Dubai and what it has to offer on your doorstep without the higher cost of living and the negative things that are regularly posted here.
I have lived here very happily with my family, some of the time on one wage, and have managed to save quite happily - maybe not the vast sums quoted by Duabi posters but it all depends on why you are considering moving out here.

Millhouse

Very true. When I came here it was 1 GBP = 7.2 AED - it is now 1 GBP = 5.8AED.

So, if you convert your current UK salary into dirhams then you are taking a 30% pay cut (in AED terms) to the guy who did the same in 2008. The cost of living here (excluding rent) hasn't moved in the same direction.

Hello.Kitty

true - and then it's compounded by the fact that something that's £1 in the uk almost certainly won't be 5.8AED here... like the Iceland oven chips with "only £1" in big on the packaging... 22AED at the till!