Despite being only five days into the January term, school groups in the UAE are already scouting for new teachers to join their teams in August.
One education provider in the Emirates said it has more than 100 positions open for the 2023-2024 academic year.
For education leaders, recruiting teachers has become a year-round process, with schools growing throughout the year.
Glen Radojkovich, deputy director at education provider Taaleem, said: “We're looking at about eight schools that we're currently growing, so [there are] hundreds of teachers that we need to recruit for the schools … in a process that is ongoing throughout the year with a really strong HR team.
We've been overwhelmed with the number of applications and we've had to increase our human resources team
Glen Radojkovich,
Taaleem
“There's a significant amount of growth in the group. So we're starting to look to fill those positions for next year as well. There are a large number of vacancies.”
Mr Radojkovich said there are more than 100 teaching positions on offer at present at Taaleem.
Taaleem will hold recruitment fairs this month in Dubai and London.
“We've been overwhelmed with the number of applications and we've had to increase our human resources team to process the volume that we're seeing,” he said.
Before the winter holidays, schools typically ask teachers to confirm if they will continue to teach at the school in the new academic year, after which they advertise jobs based on the number of expected vacancies.
He said the school group was interested in hiring locally based teachers because they already have an understanding of the framework and requirements of teaching in the UAE, as well as experience of teaching Arabic and Islamic studies.
“In addition to that, we want to bring in highly qualified and experienced teachers from abroad to add value and new perspectives,” he said.
Simon Herbert, principal of Gems International School Al Khail, said recruitment had become a year-long process, with schools hiring before each term.
“We were recruiting for January and now we're recruiting teachers for August, so it has become a bigger beast than it was before,” Mr Herbert said.
Mr Herbert said that the earlier a school could get started with hiring teachers, the better, because qualified international schoolteachers were tough to find in niche positions.
“For example, if you need an IB physics teacher in the middle years programme or the diploma programme with experience, you really have to get in quite early,” he said.
“We have recruited some staff already and we'll be recruiting a lot more.”
He said the school would also be participating in recruitment fairs.
Retention rates improve
In October, Alan Williamson, chief executive at Taaleem, said they had been on a hiring spree because the group had opened several new schools across the country. From 17 schools in 2021, there are now 26 under the Taaleem umbrella.
The school operator will open four new premium British schools, with fees starting at Dh45,000, in the next two years.
“What has changed a little bit is that last year, across the entire sector, we saw a spike in leavers post-pandemic,” Mr Radojkovich said.
“There was a situation where teachers were returning home or perhaps had been stuck in the country for quite some time.
“What is really positive to see is that things have settled down, obviously within the UAE and certainly within Taaleem schools.”
He said staff retention rates at their schools had improved this year, with one school having a 97 per cent retention rate.
Mr Radojkovich said recruiting teachers for subjects such as mathematics and physics continued to be a challenge.
Last year, UAE head teachers spoke of having to deal with a worldwide shortage of well-qualified teachers as they struggled to recruit talent.
“Those harder-to-recruit-for positions such as high-level physics have always been more challenging with fewer top candidates in those posts, or availability, than perhaps some of the other subject specialists,” Mr Radojkovich said.
Jebel Ali School Dubai is looking for a qualified head of secondary to join their school in August 2023.
Meanwhile, Dubai British School Jumeirah Park is on the lookout for a head of mathematics who can start in August.
Aldar Education is seeking a head for their Ministry of Education department (Arabic, Islamic studies and social studies) for Abdulla bin Otaiba Charter School in Abu Dhabi.
Gems Wellington International School is recruiting a mathematics teacher who can start in September.
Mr Radojkovich said that, for the first time since the pandemic, recruitment had returned to a combination of online and face-to-face interviews.
“Now we return to that face-to-face scenario, which is hugely beneficial because it gives us an opportunity to really understand the applicant,” he said.
Teachers' pay: what you need to know
- Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide accurate as of January 2021.
- Top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000 to Dh17,000 a month – plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- Average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- It is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- Some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- Maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- At the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as little as Dh3,000 per month
- In Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Match info
Who: India v Afghanistan
What: One-off Test match, Bengaluru
When: June 14 to 18
TV: OSN Sports Cricket HD, 8am starts
Online: OSN Play (subscribers only)
What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
More coverage from the Future Forum
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
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Company profile
Name: Dukkantek
Started: January 2021
Founders: Sanad Yaghi, Ali Al Sayegh and Shadi Joulani
Based: UAE
Number of employees: 140
Sector: B2B Vertical SaaS(software as a service)
Investment: $5.2 million
Funding stage: Seed round
Investors: Global Founders Capital, Colle Capital Partners, Wamda Capital, Plug and Play, Comma Capital, Nowais Capital, Annex Investments and AMK Investment Office
The specs: 2019 Lincoln MKC
Price, base / as tested: Dh169,995 / Dh192,045
Engine: Turbocharged, 2.0-litre, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 253hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 389Nm @ 2,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.7L / 100km
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
ZIMBABWE V UAE, ODI SERIES
All matches at the Harare Sports Club:
1st ODI, Wednesday - Zimbabwe won by 7 wickets
2nd ODI, Friday, April 12
3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14
4th ODI, Tuesday, April 16
UAE squad: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
Honeymoonish
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The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Profile of Udrive
Date started: March 2016
Founder: Hasib Khan
Based: Dubai
Employees: 40
Amount raised (to date): $3.25m – $750,000 seed funding in 2017 and a Seed round of $2.5m last year. Raised $1.3m from Eureeca investors in January 2021 as part of a Series A round with a $5m target.
Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company profile: buybackbazaar.com
Name: buybackbazaar.com
Started: January 2018
Founder(s): Pishu Ganglani and Ricky Husaini
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech, micro finance
Initial investment: $1 million
The specs: 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV
Price, base: Dh138,000 (estimate)
Engine: 60kWh battery
Transmission: Single-speed Electronic Precision Shift
Power: 204hp
Torque: 360Nm
Range: 520km (claimed)
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