# Is it possible to save much money teaching in the UAE?



## sunnym83 (Mar 16, 2013)

before I begin, I want to apologize if this has already appeared in a thread before. Im pretty hopeless when it comes to posting in forums. I cant figure them out!

Im looking to move to the UAE to teach in the 2014 school year. I was hoping people could offer some advice. My partner and I are moving with the main objective of trying to save enough money for the deposit for a house. Most teaching packages that Ive seen will pay for flights and accommodation but I was wondering how much th e cost of living is? We dont intend on really living the high life too much. So I was wondering how other people have found it savings wise? If my average salary is €3,000 a month is it possible to save 2,000?

Could anyone also recommend a teaching agency that offer one year contracts?


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## Taunted (Mar 16, 2013)

Well as a 1 bedroom flat costs around €2000 a month it's doubtful.


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

I dont believe most teachers end up saving that much money, unless you really try to do so. On a 10 to 12k teacher salary, you will pretty much use all that money to live an average but decent standard of living. 

You say 'we'. Is the other part of we getting a job too? Two people on 12k is going to be a bit more rough and you will for sure not save anything.


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## sunnym83 (Mar 16, 2013)

hmm... I thought it'd be a bit easier given that accommodation seems to be our big cost at home. The other half is going to try find work in the IT industry. He's had a search and there seems to be work in what he does


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## Taunted (Mar 16, 2013)

sunnym83 said:


> hmm... I thought it'd be a bit easier given that accommodation seems to be our big cost at home. The other half is going to try find work in the IT industry. He's had a search and there seems to be work in what he does


Find work in the IT industry? does he have exceptional skills? If not he'll be on 6,000/month with the rest of the TWNs.


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## sunnym83 (Mar 16, 2013)

Taunted said:


> Find work in the IT industry? does he have exceptional skills? If not he'll be on 6,000/month with the rest of the TWNs.


TWN's?


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## Taunted (Mar 16, 2013)

sunnym83 said:


> TWN's?


Yes, TWNs, polite way of saying SSBP.


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## sunnym83 (Mar 16, 2013)

most helpful. Thank you very much


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## Taunted (Mar 16, 2013)

sunnym83 said:


> most helpful. Thank you very much


You're so welcome.


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## Canuck_Sens (Nov 16, 2010)

The teachers I had come across had their lodging expenses paid by the employer. I thought that was the case for most teachers here in the UAE.


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## TallyHo (Aug 21, 2011)

I am not up to date on the latest teacher salaries but 15,000/month seems reasonable to me. Wages vary from school to school and the better schools pay more. You will get housing provided as part of your package. 

Assuming housing is covered one person can easily live off of 5,000 a month and save the rest. Assume 1750/AED month for a rental car, 3,000 AED month for basic but omfortable living expenses, you'll have over 10K a month to save. It can be done as long as you avoid the flash lifestyle and going out to brunch and fancy restaurants every weekend and drinking huge quantities of alcohol. Not everyone lives the high expat lifestyle and plenty of recreational activities in the UAE are inexpensive/free. Beaches are free. Camping is popular and cheap. 

You mentioned a one-year contract. Schools rarely offer that. Most expect a three-year contract. 

As for IT jobs, it's true that most IT "experts" in the UAE are South Asians but there are western expats in managerial positions and even in junior positions. The IT "staff" (all three of them) at my company are western expats because the company values staff who not only know what they're doing but who can also easily explain to the office what's going on, something many South Asians aren't capable of doing for various reasons. 

By the way, you do know it's illegal for couples to live together outside marriage? Many do but it's still illegal and if found you will be arrested and deported. So it's best to be discreet. The big issue is whether the school will allow a partner to live with you.


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## maths.teacher (Feb 4, 2013)

sunnym83 said:


> before I begin, I want to apologize if this has already appeared in a thread before. Im pretty hopeless when it comes to posting in forums. I cant figure them out!
> 
> Im looking to move to the UAE to teach in the 2014 school year. I was hoping people could offer some advice. My partner and I are moving with the main objective of trying to save enough money for the deposit for a house. Most teaching packages that Ive seen will pay for flights and accommodation but I was wondering how much th e cost of living is? We dont intend on really living the high life too much. So I was wondering how other people have found it savings wise? If my average salary is €3,000 a month is it possible to save 2,000?
> 
> Could anyone also recommend a teaching agency that offer one year contracts?


I think you would struggle to find any schools that give 1 year contracts. The norm is usually 2 years. 

How many years of experience do you have? 

If your primary goal is to save money I would suggest you look into schools in Kuwait and possibly Saudi Arabia.

Hopes this helps...


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## maths.teacher (Feb 4, 2013)

TallyHo said:


> I am not up to date on the latest teacher salaries but 15,000/month seems reasonable to me. Wages vary from school to school and the better schools pay more. You will get housing provided as part of your package.


15000 AED per month for a teacher in Dubai? You will have to have at least 7 years experience plus have some type of management role to be on that amount. 

A teacher with a few years experience will be on about 10500-12000 AED per month on most schools in Dubai.


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## wandabug (Apr 22, 2010)

If the school is providing the accommodation they will not allow your partner to live there if you are not married.
1 year contract unlikely as they have had to pay for your flights over and your visa. 2-3 years minimum is more likely.
All the teachers I know are on 9-12k. When you convert it to GBP and it's tax free it looks good, however it really does not go far in Dubai.
I know I couldn't save anything from that but I do like to live it up a bit!!


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## sunnym83 (Mar 16, 2013)

TallyHo said:


> I am not up to date on the latest teacher salaries but 15,000/month seems reasonable to me. Wages vary from school to school and the better schools pay more. You will get housing provided as part of your package.
> 
> Assuming housing is covered one person can easily live off of 5,000 a month and save the rest. Assume 1750/AED month for a rental car, 3,000 AED month for basic but omfortable living expenses, you'll have over 10K a month to save. It can be done as long as you avoid the flash lifestyle and going out to brunch and fancy restaurants every weekend and drinking huge quantities of alcohol. Not everyone lives the high expat lifestyle and plenty of recreational activities in the UAE are inexpensive/free. Beaches are free. Camping is popular and cheap.
> 
> ...


Thanks for the advice  I was aware of the illegality of unmarried couples living together but we'll be all legal and above board by then. Most of the packages Ive seen will cover both of our flights, medical insurance and accommodation.


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## sunnym83 (Mar 16, 2013)

maths.teacher said:


> 15000 AED per month for a teacher in Dubai? You will have to have at least 7 years experience plus have some type of management role to be on that amount.
> 
> A teacher with a few years experience will be on about 10500-12000 AED per month on most schools in Dubai.


Thanks for your input. I've 8 years experience and a post grad in Special Education. It's an area I'd love to continue working in. Although, I haven't seen much in the way of SEN opportunities in the ads I've been looking at.


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## maths.teacher (Feb 4, 2013)

sunnym83 said:


> Thanks for the advice  I was aware of the illegality of unmarried couples living together but we'll be all legal and above board by then. Most of the packages Ive seen will cover both of our flights, medical insurance and accommodation.


You might want to double check if your partners flight, medical & visa is covered. Not always the case.


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## sunnym83 (Mar 16, 2013)

thanks for the tip. I'll look into opportunities in those countries as well. I've 8 years experience and have taught abroad before as well. hopefully this will go towards me negotiating out a good salary.


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## vantage (May 10, 2012)

i think coming out here as a teacher, you will struggle to save a great deal (but it is possible to save something)
I think the teachers that save the most are those that come out on the visa of a husband / wife.
The schools like these teachers, as they are cheap. They do not have to pay medical / housing allowances etc, as this is all covered by the spouse, and the families benefit, as the teacher's salary is a second income.

Ideally, you need this place to work on a single income, so a second income is effectively tax-free cash in the bank.


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