# Universities in Dubai



## Miker71 (Jul 28, 2011)

Hi all, I have just found this forum and have been through some of the threads and see that there are many knowledgable people here.

So I have a question. My wife is keen to experience working in Dubai. She is a nurse here in the UK and I am a research scientist working at a University department. I know it's relatively easier for her to find a job but I was wondering what my prospects would be. I have a good career and it will be hard to leave but really, Britain is going down so fast and living conditions are becoming harder and harder.

I was wondering if there are any jobs that you know of for someone like me, for example at an education establishment. Are there any British universities in Dubai?

I have looked on Gulftalent but can't spot anything relevant. I'd be grateful for any assistance or advice.


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## mgb (Sep 6, 2008)

Miker71 said:


> Hi all, I have just found this forum and have been through some of the threads and see that there are many knowledgable people here.
> 
> So I have a question. My wife is keen to experience working in Dubai. She is a nurse here in the UK and I am a research scientist working at a University department. I know it's relatively easier for her to find a job
> Unless she is very highly qualified, then she may make a much lower wage in the UAE than in the UK
> ...


Good luck in your search!
List of universities and colleges in Dubai - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## INFAMOUS (Apr 19, 2011)

What is your area of expertise in terms of teaching and at what level?


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## Miker71 (Jul 28, 2011)

Thanks for your replies.

mgb, my wife has many years of experience in the UK and she is an endoscopy unit nurse.

Infamous,
My degree is in psychology and I have years of lecturing and research experience. 

I get the feeling that I am not very useful to the system in Dubai as they are looking for people with expertise in business, engineering or architects.


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## Telo (Aug 1, 2011)

There isn't much research going on in Dubai, especially in psychology. Would you be satisfied as a regular lecturer? 

I used to go to AUD before I left Dubai and there were a lot of British teachers. The pay is pretty good from what I heard. There are quite a few other benefits too, like discounts in (mostly American brand) stores, very spacious accommodation on campus, etc. The site is aud.edu

Though if Mr. RK is still working as HR manager there, remember to ask lots of questions and read between the lines. He's very slick  I remember one of our teachers (who also happened to work in psychology) saying that he was simply reeled in like a fish 

There's also AUS and Zayed University. Dubai has quite a lot of other universities/colleges, but the pay and quality in them aren't as high... actually, the quality of most higher education here is quite bad.


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## md000 (Dec 16, 2008)

Miker71 - What fields of research are you interested in? If you are looking at the "soft sciences" (i.e. psychology, org behavior, etc.), then the laboratory/research center industry is woefully immature at this point. There are a couple of universities in the region that have done some great studies and have ongoing research, but the concept of a center (i.e. coordinated effort across multiple research lines that contain multiple projects per line) - just doesn't exist. The only way to get involved, at this point, is to become a professor at one of these institutions and find your own funding.

If you are into the "hard sciences", then there are a few more options, but the research center industry is still immature (but ahead of soft sciences). A couple of "real" research centers exist in Saudi and one in Oman. Please note - you will see "research centers" on nearly every university website in the Middle East. At the end of the day, these "centers" are just administrative bodies that do the paperwork for individual research projects, rather than coordinated research efforts.

My advice: Don't put your eggs in this basket. The research center industry isn't ready for you today. On the other hand, if you have significant research center management (day to day responsibility for the center itself), contact me via private message.

-md000/Mike





Miker71 said:


> Thanks for your replies.
> mgb, my wife has many years of experience in the UK and she is an endoscopy unit nurse.
> Infamous,
> My degree is in psychology and I have years of lecturing and research experience.
> I get the feeling that I am not very useful to the system in Dubai as they are looking for people with expertise in business, engineering or architects.


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## Tropicana (Apr 29, 2010)

Telo said:


> Though if Mr. RK is still working as HR manager there, remember to ask lots of questions and read between the lines. He's very slick  I remember one of our teachers (who also happened to work in psychology) saying that he was simply reeled in like a fish
> 
> There's also AUS and Zayed University. Dubai has quite a lot of other universities/colleges, but the pay and quality in them aren't as high... actually, the quality of most higher education here is quite bad.


Is that Raj Kapoor? I studied a semester at AUD in 2000 and I remember he HR Guy as being called Raj Kapoor, had shiny hair, used to walk very fast , and always had a weird smile on his face.


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## Miker71 (Jul 28, 2011)

Thanks everyone for your replies. I don't expect the quality of any related research to be anywhere near the standard it is in the UK, USA or Europe. I am not crazy about research either. I have enough teaching and lecturing experience in various fields to apply for such a post. 

Overall, are employees protected by in law the UAE? or can I wake up one morning and be told my job no longer exists? For example, here in England we get at least 3 months notice. 

*Telo*, 
Thanks for the links I will look them up. Yes I would be content being a regular lecturer for now.

*md000*:
I will send you a pm.


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## Miker71 (Jul 28, 2011)

p.s. I am not able to send PMs. Do I need a minimum number of posts on the forum to qualify?


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## md000 (Dec 16, 2008)

Miker71 said:


> p.s. I am not about to send PMs. Do I need a minimum number of posts on the forum to qualify?


You just need one more post to send PMs


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## Miker71 (Jul 28, 2011)

Ok, thanks. I guess this will see to it!


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## Miker71 (Jul 28, 2011)

Nope, still can't send PMs or reply to them!


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## Telo (Aug 1, 2011)

Miker71 said:


> Thanks everyone for your replies. I don't expect the quality of any related research to be anywhere near the standard it is in the UK, USA or Europe. I am not crazy about research either. I have enough teaching and lecturing experience in various fields to apply for such a post.
> 
> Overall, are employees protected by in law the UAE? or can I wake up one morning and be told my job no longer exists? For example, here in England we get at least 3 months notice.
> 
> ...


Well, labor laws exist, but they're rarely enforced and court cases are complicated/expensive. AUD likes to follow American law most of the time, so they give notices. I remember when I applied to work in the library during the summer, they mentioned that part of the reason the pay was so high for Dubai standards was that it conformed to US minimum wage laws. I don't know if they still do it (When I went, they'd only been accredited the year before, so were keen to do everything by the book). It's definitely one of the better schools to work for.

I don't think you will have a high chance of being fired, unless you do something incredibly stupid. They have an tough time attracting qualified staff. Most of the good teachers leave after a year or two- most of the time it's because the management is too totalitarian.

But yeah... teaching, being a consultant, working/opening up your own psychology clinic or even getting a newspaper column is easier than finding a job doing research in Dubai.




Tropicana said:


> Is that Raj Kapoor? I studied a semester at AUD in 2000 and I remember he HR Guy as being called Raj Kapoor, had shiny hair, used to walk very fast , and always had a weird smile on his face.


Yep. He's a good teacher, but very slick.


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## NAM (Jul 30, 2011)

Hi Miker71,

AUD has changed a lot past few years in terms of courses and packages they offer. Think they recently launched a journalism school and a few more academic options since I left..  However, not as many humanitarian or social science options available I think. Psychology is not even offered as minor though, only electives. but would still be good to check out if they've done something about it (Maybe offering philosophy or linguistics etc ). I keep running into one of the English department heads (Kevin Nawn) from AUD at Barasti..You should definitely consider speaking to him about AUD and what possible options there are with in the UNI and in Dubai. Fantastic guy, very real and aware. Think he was telling me they're introducing an international relations or political science programme or something similar..can't rem exactly now. You might want to explore that option as well, might get your foot into one of the more qualitative arena's. Or maybe you could offer them something creative ? 

Think all contact details and emails should be listed in the faculty section in the website. Would recommend speaking with James Henry too if he's still around.


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## Miker71 (Jul 28, 2011)

Telo:
Thanks for the post. Very informative. 

NAM.
Thanks. I will try find the persons mentioned and email them.


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