Details
Demand
High
Busiest
Jan-Dec
All Year
Currency
UD
United Arab Emirates Dirhams (AED)
Contract
12 months+
Normally
Taxes
Low
- Summary
- The ability to teach English is so important that the government has made English lessons compulsory from kindergarten onwards. However, you'll face lots of competition for jobs from other teachers
- Main TEFL regions
- Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah.
- Types of teaching
- Military and petrochemical institutes: General English, Business English, English for Specific Purposes Private language institutes: General English, Business English Universities: General English, English for Academic/Specific Purposes
- Accommodation
- Most schools will provide accommodation or give you a housing allowance. If you’re given the choice of one or the other, think carefully before taking the latter as finding your own place can be expensive.
- Flight reimbursement
- Flight reimbursement is just one of the benefits offered by some schools. Others include health insurance and education allowances for children.
- Salary
- US$1500–5000 per month plus benefits Pay is commensurate with a teacher's qualifications and experience.
- Taxes
- This is the best thing about working in the UAE: no taxes!
- Cost of living
- The cost of living is relatively expensive in the UAE, and similar to many European countries. That said, if you’re willing to forego the western brands, you could spend as little as US$100 per month on groceries; but if you want all your home comforts, it could be more than triple that.
- Potential to save money
- More than most places, this depends on your lifestyle and the benefits your employer offers– it’s very important to get some sort of housing allowance. With the right package you could save US$1000 out of a US$1800 monthly salary if you budget well.
- How much TEFL training is recommended?
- As much as you can get: there’s a great deal of competition from very well-qualified teachers. Realistically, to live a decent life out here you’ll need a Masters in language teaching!
- Common teaching conditions
- A 40-hour working week, with 20-25 classroom hours is common. Newly-qualified teachers often end up in schools with rigid teaching systems where it’s easier to learn the ropes. Teaching resources tend to be good, but there is a lot of red tape. The students are the same as anywhere: some are mollycoddled and some are enthusiastic. To a certain extent it’s just the luck of the draw!
Be aware…
Dress modestly, especially if you’re a woman. Unless, that is, you enjoy cars slowly following you down the street while all the occupants stare at you!
Even though it’s one of the easiest Middle Eastern countries for a westerner to live in, be prepared for a major culture shock when you arrive.
