# Teaching in Sharjah/Dubai



## santa002 (May 23, 2009)

I have a friend who wants to teach English here, he has over 20 years experience, he wants to work in the Sharjah area, what sort of salary should he be looking at, he has had a verbal offer but its way below UK pay scale, anyone out there can offer some advice, please. !


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

What is his passport? And then, what is his native country? 

A western proper teacher will get usually from 8k to 12k. 8k is the very low rung, usually no experience or teaching at an 'international' school where they dont tend to get alot of western based teachers to teach there so if they can, they will pay a bit more then they will the other nationalities.


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## santa002 (May 23, 2009)

*Thats a joke !!!!*



Jynxgirl said:


> What is his passport? And then, what is his native country?
> 
> A western proper teacher will get usually from 8k to 12k. 8k is the very low rung, usually no experience or teaching at an 'international' school where they dont tend to get alot of western based teachers to teach there so if they can, they will pay a bit more then they will the other nationalities.


He is English, has taught there for a long time, but that sort of figure is not even close. I am not a teacher but I would not get out of bed for that as a professional !!!!!


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## Jynxgirl (Nov 27, 2009)

I agree.... but  they come in droves for the 10k salaries with 
apartment provided. So they dont tend to have to pay more. 

That said, I do have one friend who is a head professor of science at one of the schools and is more like 16k, has his own villa instead of in the standard provided housing, and his school fees are paid for his child. It took him a number of years to get to that point though even though he came over as a mid thirties expat who had been teaching a long time. 

He can try to get them to come up, but reality is that they just dont have to so dont tend to come up THAT much.


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## santa002 (May 23, 2009)

*Thats why teaching pays so little*



Jynxgirl said:


> I agree.... but  they come in droves for the 10k salaries with
> apartment provided. So they dont tend to have to pay more.
> 
> That said, I do have one friend who is a head professor of science at one of the schools and is more like 16k, has his own villa instead of in the standard provided housing, and his school fees are paid for his child. It took him a number of years to get to that point though even though he came over as a mid thirties expat who had been teaching a long time.
> ...


Oh yes I can well believe there are no shortages of applicants, hence pay will always be low, its how this place was/is built. Its also why so many come here thinking because its tax free that its such a good deal and then 12 months later leave when they realise other places can offer far more depending on what you want. I have spoken to my friend and there is simply no way he is coming to work in this enviroment for less than a package starting at 15k with add on's.


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## OfftoSharjah (Mar 14, 2012)

I agree Santa and jynx. Teacher pay in UAE is fairly poor in most cases from what I've read. I'm coming over with a 15K package with accom, health insurance, flights and relocation allowance. Despite this, it is still a considerable drop from AUS salary. The bonus for us is the reduced cost of living and the fact that we'll both be able to work on similar packages as tuition for children is paid for. It all depends on the individual circumstance and if what people will get here is better than what they're getting back home. So many variables.


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## juicyfruit (Jun 14, 2012)

Ok this may sound dumb, but are you guys quoting pounds or dirhams? And salary per year or per month??

I've been offered a primary teaching position in Sharjah at 8,000 dirham/month, which works out to £16,873 a year. So seems ok judging by previous posts?? Although definitely lower than what I was getting in the UK or Canada.

There is the usual package: housing (shared), medical, flights...

Apparently 8K (AED) is the salary they give to all their teachers, regardless of experience. And there hasn't been a salary increase since the school's opening in 2007.

Thoughts please!


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## santa002 (May 23, 2009)

*Its what works For You*



juicyfruit said:


> Ok this may sound dumb, but are you guys quoting pounds or dirhams? And salary per year or per month??
> 
> I've been offered a primary teaching position in Sharjah at 8,000 dirham/month, which works out to £16,873 a year. So seems ok judging by previous posts?? Although definitely lower than what I was getting in the UK or Canada.
> 
> ...



It really comes down to what works for you, yes all in AED and package normally covers housing/ med insurance and childs place in school. the bottom line is, schooling in the UAE is massive buisness, its mostly about profit, pay as low as possible, charge a high fee, whats in the middle is for the investors. Abu Dhabi has invested 10's of millions in recent years and has tried to attract the best in many aspects of education, pay is higher but at the end of the day it really comes down to what you want to do. Like I say its a big industry here, and I do not mean that offensively to any hard working teachers here, and there are a lot of them.


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## OfftoSharjah (Mar 14, 2012)

Agreed... All in AUD. my package works out to around $46K AUD (pa)tax free which is still around 20K less than what I get here but when factoring in the whole package and take away aus child are fees... It's a good deal for us. Not great ... But doable.


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## rsinner (Feb 3, 2009)

juicyfruit said:


> Apparently 8K (AED) is the salary they give to all their teachers, regardless of experience. And there hasn't been a salary increase since the school's opening in 2007.
> 
> Thoughts please!


And I am sure they are increasing their fees by the max allowed amount citing "increased costs"


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## OfftoSharjah (Mar 14, 2012)

Just out of interest, and I hope you don't mid... Which school?


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## OfftoSharjah (Mar 14, 2012)

OfftoSharjah said:


> Agreed... All in AUD. my package works out to around $46K AUD (pa)tax free which is still around 20K less than what I get here but when factoring in the whole package and take away aus child are fees... It's a good deal for us. Not great ... But doable.


My bad... I meant to say "...All in AED"!!! Sorry!!!


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## juicyfruit (Jun 14, 2012)

Scholars International Academy. Has anyone heard much about this school? I haven't confirmed the position yet, as I'm hesitant about the pay and mixed reviews online, but what if nothing else comes up? Would you take it??


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## OfftoSharjah (Mar 14, 2012)

If everything it offered was going to be better than what I had now and if I could honestly say that it was worth taking myself out of my comfort zone (and the company of my friends and family), then yes... I would take it. If it meant hat if be going on a whole new big adventure and I didn't mind that it wasn't going to make me rich or benefit me that much financially, again yes! It all depends on everyone's personal circumstances. When we can to the decision, it was very hard to committ. In the end we just said "4$;: it , why not?!" but what Is the right decision for one person may not be for the next. 

I know this may not be helping much but seriously, weigh up all the pros and cons and take it from there. You'll make the right decision for you. Most schools have probably already filled their positions but you never know... An acquaintance told me he got offered a job as late as mid July due to people resigning or changing their minds and pulling out. I'd go for it if it was just a hesitation about the school itself and then use it as a stepping stone and a resume builder (depending on your previous experience of course.


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## Toon (Feb 28, 2012)

^^^^^^^

At Juicy.

What he said.

Sharjah isn't that bad, I liked it in a lot of ways (traffic is **** though), get yourself a member of Sharjah Wanderers (like all your other teacher mates will be), take a bikini, enjoy the pool, have a few beers and meet loads of expats.

Then when that gets boring, you have Ajman up the road (cheap and cheerful) and Dubai down the road (expensive and, erm, interesting).

Just do it honey.


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## juicyfruit (Jun 14, 2012)

Thanks OfftoSharjah. Can I ask what type of teaching position are you in? Primary/secondary? HOD? How many years of experience do you have?


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## OfftoSharjah (Mar 14, 2012)

Yeah no prob... I've been teaching for 12 years, I will be teaching secondary and will have year level leader role. My wife is a primary teacher with same experience on a similar package. What about you, if you don't mind me asking?


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## juicyfruit (Jun 14, 2012)

I technically only have 1 year of full-time teaching, and the rest supply or working abroad, but have been in the supply world since 2005, when I graduated. There are just too many teachers in Canada and not enough positions! My last stint was 2 years in the UK, where I did my 1 year of 'proper' teaching.

12 years eh? Guess that would explain why your employment package seems like such a better deal than mine!


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## OfftoSharjah (Mar 14, 2012)

I guess. Unfortunately generally the international schools won't consider hiring teachers with little experience. Do they not realise that we've all got to start somewhere? As I said in an earlier post, use it as a stepping stone... We do all have to start somewhere. When I first started, I was at an obscure little community school but bid my time and eventually gained enough experience to make it to the largest and one of the most prestigious schools in the state. Why would I leave it and take a huge pay cut? The experience and an overall financial gain as both of us will be working. If you put all things aside and decide to go ahead with it, just remember that at the end of the day, you can't buy an experience like the one you're about to start.


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## britishexpat (Jun 2, 2012)

santa002 said:


> I have a friend who wants to teach English here, he has over 20 years experience, he wants to work in the Sharjah area, what sort of salary should he be looking at, he has had a verbal offer but its way below UK pay scale, anyone out there can offer some advice, please. !


My wife is a british trained teacher who teaches Art and Design at Primay ( but she is secondary qualified) and has 10 years of experience, since she is on my visa, she gets 12000 per month. But if she was on her own visa, she would also get housing allowance of 5000 aed per month or 1 bed flat in discovery gardens.


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## santa002 (May 23, 2009)

*Remember this is the UAE*



britishexpat said:


> My wife is a british trained teacher who teaches Art and Design at Primay ( but she is secondary qualified) and has 10 years of experience, since she is on my visa, she gets 12000 per month. But if she was on her own visa, she would also get housing allowance of 5000 aed per month or 1 bed flat in discovery gardens.


I have been watching this thread with intrest since I started it, it is interesting to see how it has moved. I would give one piece of advice to all those coming here to teach and that is remember where you are coming to, look beyoud the job offer !!. Yes it is a very liberal Islamic place, but it is Islamic, at the moment certain aspects of westerners behaiviour is under question especialy dress sense. Two years ago I was at a teachers induction arrival meeting (200) the meeting started by one of the officials stating that some peoples dress standard was not what was expected of teachers, I was amazed as I walked out hearing 2 women from the ??????? questioning this as they where ??????? and the rules do not apply, OH yes they do !!!!, 20% of those people did not make the 2nd year, they did not realise that there children had no where to run as they did at home, its 100f for a part of the year and camping is not an option etc. this is not to say its bad here, its not, but it is not UK, Canada,America. I did a lot of research before I came, this may be Dubai but remember you have limited human rights etc in comparison with the west, if things go wrong especically if you get into any form of money problems you really have got problems, just be careful arrive here educated yourself and enjoy.


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## LONGGOOD BYE (Dec 26, 2011)

I am not sure if I am reading correctly what you are saying [ santa002 ]Yes you can go camping here in the nicer months no problems and there are a lot of great parks you can take you child to in the hotter months you go in the evening.
My wife and I have ben here 7 years and have never had a problem with dress and we are western but if somebody is letting it all hang out they are going to have a problem.

I also believe in educating yourself and I believe in learning about the culutre when you get to a country to see what is exceptable from other who have lived in the country.I have lived in three different countries in the past 16 years.


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## OfftoSharjah (Mar 14, 2012)

I haven't been to the UAE yet, we will be moving there in August and I'm totally hanging to get to know the culture first hand. Both my wife and I have been reading up on as much as we can about the country and especially Sharjah as that is where we'll be staying. She is totally fine with the dress code. In fact she says it suits her just fine. To quote her "these shoulders and legs aren't made for showing!!!". (to which I obviously, categorically disagree with!!!)

Being a history teacher, I'm fascinated by their culture and heritage and really want to know more. Apparently, Sharjah is the place to go to for that sort of thing. We'll be living in a building with lots of other like minded expats with young children so I guess there will always be company and something for the kids to do. We've also got some amazing parks near our building and the lagoons. 

I agree that it can be a difficult place to get used to for westerners but that also depends on the frame of mind they have when they get here! As I've noted earlier, we're really doing this for the experience it will provide for both us and our children.


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## santa002 (May 23, 2009)

*Just do some basic research*



LONGGOOD BYE said:


> I am not sure if I am reading correctly what you are saying [ santa002 ]Yes you can go camping here in the nicer months no problems and there are a lot of great parks you can take you child to in the hotter months you go in the evening.
> My wife and I have ben here 7 years and have never had a problem with dress and we are western but if somebody is letting it all hang out they are going to have a problem.
> 
> I also believe in educating yourself and I believe in learning about the culutre when you get to a country to see what is exceptable from other who have lived in the country.I have lived in three different countries in the past 16 years.


Sorry my poor writing, yes of course you can camp etc in the cooler months I often go with a group to Oman and have a great time, the point I was trying to make is that I have come across a fair number of people, who for just 1 example have come here from an area where lets say the children are free to come and go at home after school and just go out and play, they come from places that have lots of space etc and all of a sudden they can find themselves in what can be a concrete urban area and it just never crossed there minds that could be the case and they hate it, that said there are areas here that are greener and safer than many places in the UK and they love it. My comment was not meant to be negative towards being here. 
My reference to dress was purely meant as point to those coming here that you just may not be able to dress as you do at home, i think we are very lucky here to be able to dress as we do, any restrictions are common sense, my wife and I also have never had a problem either, but we do observe local custom, the point is if you do not like that sort of restriction you will find it restrictive. To people living here and for the vast majority who do of course do there homework anything I have writen may seem obvious but to the few and this open to anyone coming all I am saying is the $$$$ sign is only part of what must be considered especially if you are bringing family here.


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## OfftoSharjah (Mar 14, 2012)

You're totally right. I must admit, the first time we considered the move, it was the $$ that we considered first but then my history major kicked in and, though it is going to benefit us financially, it's really the experience we're looking forward to. All that said, I've also come across some former expats that couldn't wait to leave when they got here sighting the 'restrictive' laws as their main reason. It's all about frame of mind.... (that's my story and I'm sticking to it!!!!! ) ;-)


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## mandykelly1986 (Jan 27, 2013)

juicyfruit said:


> Ok this may sound dumb, but are you guys quoting pounds or dirhams? And salary per year or per month??
> 
> I've been offered a primary teaching position in Sharjah at 8,000 dirham/month, which works out to £16,873 a year. So seems ok judging by previous posts?? Although definitely lower than what I was getting in the UK or Canada.
> 
> ...


I am looking into getting a job with Scholars International school. Did you get a job there?


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## juicyfruit (Jun 14, 2012)

mandykelly1986 said:


> I am looking into getting a job with Scholars International school. Did you get a job there?


Hi Mandy. No I didn't take it. Do you have other interviews/offers?


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## NewHorizons (Mar 13, 2013)

*Scholars International Academy*

Hey guys. I have an interview with SIA this week.

Any reviews or advice?

Questions they may ask/ package they offer?

Thanks.


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## holliebob (Apr 2, 2013)

juicyfruit said:


> Scholars International Academy. Has anyone heard much about this school? I haven't confirmed the position yet, as I'm hesitant about the pay and mixed reviews online, but what if nothing else comes up? Would you take it??


Hi Im thinking of working at this school. I wondered if you had taken up the job there and if you could give me any info about the school? Thanks


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## holliebob (Apr 2, 2013)

AmyWales13 said:


> Hi I have set up a FB group for all new teachers going to Dubai this sep!! There are 100 newbies from lots iof different schools and all in the same boat!! Let me know if u would like to join  x


That would be great thanks!


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## holliebob (Apr 2, 2013)

OK, are you able to tell me the name of the group so I can search you on FB? x


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## holliebob (Apr 2, 2013)

OK last post...then il try and figure out how to send a PM! x


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## jamilh (May 29, 2013)

Hiya may I join? How do I find u guys? Thanks


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