# Teaching contracts and pay



## Lucywild85 (Feb 23, 2015)

Hi,

I have been offered a teaching job in Dubai with a leadership role at AED 3000 per month on top of the 12,500 teacher salary (point 6) however my contract only says 'class teacher' with 12,500 and I have been told the leadership title and reflected salary is sorted when I get there and not put in the contract. Is this normal? 

It makes me feel concerned about whether I will have something sprung on me when I get there. It's making me question taking the job at the moment. There is also nothing about where I will live, is that usual too?

Thanks for any advice!


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## Miked_442 (Mar 15, 2015)

Hi Lucy,

Which school is it? 

I've been offered a contract too recently and I'm moving out for september. I can't comment on the leadership pay, but it seems fairly normal not to be given details of where your accommodation will be until nearer the time.

I've found a bit of googling will show if teachers have had good or bad experiences at a certain school, so that could be a good start.


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## BBmover (Jun 15, 2013)

No it's not normal....you need to have all the details included right from the offer letter.


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## Miked_442 (Mar 15, 2015)

I can't speak for everyone but I know teachers who have moved out without knowing accommodation details when signing thei contract. Often schools will need to look for accommodation and won't know I till nearer the time (especially if the school is expanding). I genuinely think it depends on the school. If it's a good school with no bad reports on the internet from unhappy teachers, I would trust them. If the school seems more dodgy, then don't.


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## BBmover (Jun 15, 2013)

I was referring to having a salary in the offer letter and the role clearly stated.
While some schools may not tell you the exact location of your accommodation they should be able to provide you with an idea of where it may be, size of apartment and allowance to purchase start up goods and the furniture to expect. Also, make sure you're not thrown with a surprise you might be expected to share with someone. 
Some schools are housing staff in areas not even remotely near the school which means additional costs like taxis or renting a car.
Not all good schools only have favourable reports online but a good source is International Schools review website. What works for some staff at a school does not always work for others so you may trust a report but once here may not be your standard or expectations. Schools in Dubai are a different beast to the UK.


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## TT365 (Oct 14, 2014)

I would proceed with caution, it does depend on the school but we know teachers sharing an apartment that has been rented by the school that is 10km from the 'suggested' area they were supposed to be housed in and so what would have been an easy commute is twice as long, plus initially one of the teachers was in the windowless maids room (which while not terrible is not what was advertised). I would make sure they confirm where (approximately) you will be living and get it in writing as to whether you will be sharing etc etc 

With regards the contract then I would get the extra salary agreed, if it's in writing but not in the contract then you have something but better still that it's in the contract and it's not unknown for the employer to turn round and say no and given that you have moved out already they take a gamble that you won't walk away.


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## xsimonex (May 25, 2013)

Hi Lucy,

I'm assuming you have probably responded to the job offer now?

It is completely normal in dubai for salaries to be broken up, even a normal class teacher salary is usually split into different categories usually a basic salary (about half total salary) the rest is then put down in your contract as other allowances. I think this is due to the gratuity which every company has to pay an employee at the end of their contract however the gratuity is only based on your basic salary. 

With regards to accommodation it is also completely normal if the company are planning on finding you new accommodation that they don't already rent. It is very rare here that you would find accommodation to rent months in advance, things move very fast here and rented apartments are usually found approx a month before the planned move date. I wouldn't worry too much there's plenty of accommodation in dubai and I'm sure they will find somewhere for you. 

I have been working as a teacher in dubai for almost two years now and I am starting at a different school in September, it's great here I'm sure you will love it!


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## MrMM (Jan 15, 2015)

I experienced something similar in that my offer of appointment letter says 'Teacher of *****', but then there's a box underneath that says 'Management allowance: 2 points = Head of ********* to be reviewed annually).

However, when I was sent my official contract, it just had the 'Teacher of' part and no mention of the management part. When I flagged it up, I had this reply:

"Management Points and allowances is only indicated in the offer letter and cannot be indicated in the official contract due to the condition that it is being reviewed annually. This contract is for the fixed term of 2years, while the management point is renewable every year."

I wasn't too happy about this, but going on the trust I had in the headteacher, I went for it. I put it down to the fact that they're taking a little gamble hiring someone in a middle level leader position when they have no experience teaching abroad yet, and they're trying to cover their back in case they need to revoke the management position. Given that hardly any schools in the UK are giving permanent jobs and only temporary contracts for the first year or 2, I wasn't that worried. I'm not worried about this because I'm confident I'll do a good job - so I took the risk!


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## outstanding (Mar 24, 2015)

Another consideration is the amount of salary that is basic, and the amount that is additional overseas allowance. You will only get a gratuity payment based on the basic...

As to whether this is normal - I think it is. But the reality is the only contract that means anything is the Ministry contract. The contract that you are talking about is most probably more of a formal agreement than an actual legally binding contract. The legal contract will have an obviously identifiable job title like 'Science Teacher' to make it easier to process at immigration.

You should be more concerned about the reputation of the school as a lot of this is done in good trust and once you are here you are at the schools and the governments mercy.


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