Thousands of teachers have moved to the UAE from across the globe for the start of the new school year, as education experts hail unprecedented demand in the sector.
The attraction of living in the Emirates is a leading factor in the influx of talent, along with the global cost of living crisis and borders opening up again following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Other driving forces include a rising population in the UAE, particularly in Dubai, with less people leaving than before.
"We are sitting in a position where the UAE is an economic oasis in a world where there is so much financial uncertainty," said Dino Varkey, chief executive of schools provider Gems.
"More people are being drawn to the country due to economic unstability elsewhere which is driving up the demand for schooling and creating a need for more teachers."
He was speaking to The National on the sidelines of an annual awareness day to introduce teachers to the company at the Atlantis hotel on Palm Dubai.
Tuesday's event was decidedly larger than previous years. Gems has hired almost 2,500 teachers in the UAE and Qatar, ahead of the new academic year - breaking the previous high of 1,800.
While many of the new hires were already based in the UAE, the majority of the new hires are coming from other countries, added Mr Varkey.
"The majority are coming from international markets and we've got teachers from around 70 different countries in total," he said.
"There's nowhere else in the world that's seeing anything close to the growth Dubai is experiencing right now."
Retaining top talent
Dubai's population, in particular, is surging. According to the Dubai Statistics Centre, the emirate's population has increased by almost 90,000 in a year, hitting almost 3.6 million in June.
Dubai’s 2040 Urban Master Plan suggests the city's population will soon be as high as 5.8 million.
Another factor for the UAE's desirability as a location was down to the fact so few people were looking to leave, said another expert.
"A tremendous amount was done to support staff to stay in the country during Covid-19," said Mark Leppard, headmaster at the British School Al Khubairat, Abu Dhabi.
"That commitment has been rewarded by staff wanting to stay here.
"We haven't seen the same trend of a high turnover, which has been beneficial to the students."
The number of teachers in the UAE is proportionate to the number of new pupils, said another expert.
"Brighton College Dubai has seen a 25 per cent increase in pupil numbers since last year, and therefore had a 20 per cent increase in the number of teachers, which were recruited from a highly competitive field," said Simon Crane, headmaster at Brighton College Dubai.
"We have also seen an increase in staff applications, with an average of 80 to 100 applicants per job posting.
"The competition has been fierce, and we have seen a calibre of teachers increase since previous years, with this year being the most impressive in terms of talent we have managed to attract."
Teacher recruitment has never been busier
"My inbox has never been fuller in 15 years here in the UAE," said Talat Goldie, HR director with school operator Taaleem.
"There is absolutely more teachers because there are more children in schools here and more people in the UAE than before.
"The demand for teachers is huge this year."
While she was not able to provide exact figures on how much demand had increased, she estimated there were now at least 25 per cent more teachers in Dubai schools than last year.
"There are more people moving to the UAE than before which means there is a need for more teachers," said Ms Goldie.
"We have noticed a lot of families have come over here from Ukraine because of the war there and there has also been a rise in Israeli families enrolling in schools here too.
"Another area that we are getting a lot of interest from when it comes to new enrolments is Asia - with families from the likes of Singapore, China and Malaysia."
She said most of the teaching staff new to the region were coming from the UK.
The increased demand for teachers is felt across the board.
"We have doubled our teachers because of significant growth and the popularity of the school - we are only entering our second year," said John Bell, founding principal of Bloom World Academy - where 39 new teachers were hired this summer.
Top of the class
Teachers who were about to embark on new careers in the UAE also spoke to The National on Wednesday.
"I was looking for a new adventure and had been talking with colleagues and former colleagues about the opportunities there are in Dubai," said Michael Luu, who has just moved from the UK to take up a position with Gems Wellington International School.
Also starting a new role was Luke Cullen, also from the UK, who is about to begin teaching at Gems Metropole Al Waha after working at another school in the emirates for the past number of years.
"There are children from so many different nationalities in the UAE that you have a chance to have an impact on a global community," he said.
"You don't have that in other countries."
Top UAE schools - in pictures
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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
Schedule:
Friday, January 12: Six fourball matches
Saturday, January 13: Six foursome (alternate shot) matches
Sunday, January 14: 12 singles
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Results
2-15pm: Commercial Bank Of Dubai – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (Dirt) 1,400m; Winner: Al Habash, Patrick Cosgrave (jockey), Bhupat Seemar (trainer)
2.45pm: Al Shafar Investment – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Day Approach, Ray Dawson, Ahmad bin Harmash
3.15pm: Dubai Real estate Centre – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Celtic Prince, Richard Mullen, Rashed Bouresly
3.45pm: Jebel Ali Sprint by ARM Holding – Listed (TB) Dh500,000 (D) 1,000m; Winner: Khuzaam, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
4.15pm: Shadwell – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Tenbury Wells, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
4.45pm: Jebel Ali Stakes by ARM Holding – Listed (TB) Dh500,000 (D) 1,950m; Winner: Lost Eden, Andrea Atzeni, Doug Watson
5.15pm: Jebel Ali Racecourse – Handicap (TB) Dh76,000 (D) 1,950m; Winner: Rougher, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
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THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
MATCH INFO
Aston Villa 1 (Konsa 63')
Sheffield United 0
Red card: Jon Egan (Sheffield United)
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Asia Cup 2018 Qualifier
Sunday's results:
- UAE beat Malaysia by eight wickets
- Nepal beat Singapore by four wickets
- Oman v Hong Kong, no result
Tuesday fixtures:
- Malaysia v Singapore
- UAE v Oman
- Nepal v Hong Kong
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Draw:
Group A: Egypt, DR Congo, Uganda, Zimbabwe
Group B: Nigeria, Guinea, Madagascar, Burundi
Group C: Senegal, Algeria, Kenya, Tanzania
Group D: Morocco, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Namibia
Group E: Tunisia, Mali, Mauritania, Angola
Group F: Cameroon, Ghana, Benin, Guinea-Bissau
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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More on Quran memorisation:
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
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%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E6-cylinder%2C%204.8-litre%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E5-speed%20automatic%20and%20manual%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E280%20brake%20horsepower%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E451Nm%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh153%2C00%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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3.
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UAE
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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6.
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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9.
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
