This National Day, Teacherly presents a quick and easy guide to living in the UAE as a teacher what to expect and some pro tips from the community.
Welcome to the UAE! One of the most popular, dynamic, and multicultural places to work in the Middle East. The country’s transformation from pearl diving and fishing villages to thriving metropolises was led by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan who fuelled extensive modernisation.
Today the UAE is home to over 9.2 million people and is celebrating their 49th National Day! The UAE is one of the few places where expats outnumber the location population and the UAE has become a popular hub for educators from all across the globe to enhance their teaching practice.
The UAE has been home to Teacherly for just over two years, and provided us with the opportunity to not only expand our team but also the Teacherly community. To celebrate National Day and all the fantastic work the teachers here do, we’ve put together this quick and handy guide for teachers. Whether you’re considering the move to UAE or are already here, check out what the community has put together for you:
What’s it like teaching in the UAE?
Teaching in UAE is a rewarding experience; international schools across the emirate bring together multinational staff from around the world, with teachers working in buildings boasting state-of-the-art facilities and resources. The city also places a high priority on education, and making sure that the students are well taught is a must.
The UAE Vision 2021 National Agenda emphasizes the development of a first-rate education system, which will require a complete transformation of the current education system and teaching methods. The National Agenda aims for all schools, universities and students to be equipped with Smart systems and devices as a basis for all teaching methods, projects and research.
Mufida Said Al Digeil, a teacher for 18 years in the UAE adds:
“This is a transient place. I was once at a school for four years and we had five different administrations. Every admin comes in with new ideas; they always want to do things differently. The only way to survive all those changes is to keep a positive mindset and do what you need to do.”
What are the requirements to teach in the UAE?
Dubai’s best schools have stringent qualification requirements. You need an education degree or a PGCE that’s in the subject that you are going to be teaching, and this needs to be attested by a solicitor and officiated by your relevant government office.
If you are organised, you can do it all yourself from your home country quite efficiently, but if you find yourself in a last-minute rush, it can be expensive. It’s more expensive if you are already overseas as you will likely need to pay a company to complete the process for you.
How did the schools in UAE handle online teaching and what is the current situation?
When the pandemic hit, the schools in UAE were one of the fastest to go into crisis management and swap to online learning. Online learning continued for the rest of the academic year in 2020; in August 2020, the Ministry of Education (MoE) confirmed that all schools for all stages in the UAE would be re-opened for the academic year 2020–2021, with two systems of learning — distance learning and the traditional face-to-face model.
Each school should offer both systems and invite students to opt for either one. As per MoE, the option of a mixed learning system is meant to only be effective for the first term of the school academic year.
Abu Dhabi:
In Abu Dhabi, the Department of Education and Knowledge gave the schools in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, the choice to opt from five models to balance between face- to-face learning and distance learning. The models are:
- full face-to-face learning with students going to school every day
- partial face-to-face learning with students going to school every day, for half a day
- alternating days, with students going for face-to-face learning for two days a week and learning online for the other days of the week
- alternating weeks, with students going for face-to-face learning for two weeks and two weeks for online learning each month
- hybrid model with face-to-face learning for two days and online learning for three days for the first week; then, face-to-face learning for three days and online learning for two days for the following week.
Dubai:
Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) confirmed that face-to-face learning remains the preferred education model for private schools in Dubai. However, as a temporary measure, schools can and should provide 100 percent distance learning in the new academic year to students who request for it.
For students that will go for the physical attendance model, KHDA launched Protocols for the Re-opening of Private Schools in Dubai and asked all Dubai schools to comply with them to keep everyone at school safe and healthy, once schools open again in September 2020.
Sharjah:
Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA) is following a flexible plan for re-opening private schools with three learning models. The plan aims to restart the education process and with a gradual return to face-to-face learning.
SPEA requested all private schools in Sharjah to invite students gradually to schools until they reach the target capacity for their re-opening. If parents are reluctant to send their children in the first phase of re-opening, they can opt for a 100 percent distance learning option.
SPEA requested all schools to adhere to its health and precautionary measures. Students, staff and teachers returning to schools will need a negative Covid-19 test result.
Teacherly tip:
- Check out this blog for a survival guide to online teaching.
What is the teacher community like in the UAE?
The UAE is home to thousands of expat teachers; Donovan Patterson who’s been here for eight years adds: “It’s vital that you build your social network. Everything about teaching, as you know it, will be new, so you’ll need people who you can share that experience with as you learn to navigate. Be sure to take time to breathe as well, you will figure it out in the end.”
Here are some ways you can get involved with the international community of educators in UAE and build your network:
Easily stay connected through social media:
Embrace the internet and different forms of social media in order to become a connected educator using Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest are some of the platforms that you can use in order to engage with professional development as an educator.
Check out some of these Facebook groups:
- Empowering Expat Teachers
- Teacher Socials Dubai
- ADEC English Medium Teachers
- UAE Educators
- Dubai Teachers Network
We also recommend the following accounts on Twitter to keep up to date with education news in the UAE:
- KHDA:@KHDA
- ADEC: @ADECTWEET
- UAE Learning Network: @UAE_LN
- Team Teacherly: @Teamteacherly
- Edarabia: @Edarabia
Teacherly tip:
- Check out this blog on how to get started on social media as a teacher.
- You can also follow these hashtags to chat with fellow educators or gain inspiration:
#edchatMENA
#CollabUAE
#TeachUAEchat
Edutainment:
Believe it or not, one of the fantastic educators based here in UAE, Evo Hanan has started his very own Edutainment talk show. Join him every Sunday on Youtube to submerge yourself in the latest educational topics and discussions. Check out his first ever global staffroom discussion on wellbeing here.
Global Teacherly community:
Join the Teacherly community to engage in virtual events, webinars and even meet ups. Check out this blog on one of our events, the Teacherly Retreat where teachers across the globe got together to chat, and engage in some laughter yoga. To find out more about the Teacherly community feel free to email our Community Manager, Zoe Patterson on zoe@teacherly.io, you can also check out more of our resources including our very own podcast here.
What’s the culture like in the UAE?
The UAE is unlike any other place in the world, and a change in culture can be unnerving; Louise Patterson, a teacher from Abu Dhabi advises: “Teachers come to the UAE with all kinds of valuable experience from their home countries, but my first piece of advice is that you need to be receptive to differences. You’re going to be teaching students from lots of different cultures, with colleagues who are also from around the world, so you have to be flexible enough to become a student yourself. Learn about the cultures in your classroom, build a relationship with your students, and be prepared to adapt your experiences to a completely new context.”
Check out these other tips to adjusting to the culture in UAE:
- Religion:
The state religion of UAE is Islam, which impacts every part of life in the country — from the law itself to the six times a day you’ll hear the call to prayer. However, despite the fact that the state religion is Islam, the UAE celebrates and invites people from all religions; from fireworks on Diwali to the world’s largest Christmas bauble, the UAE encourages tolerance and celebration of difference.
- Working week and holidays:
The work week in UAE is different from many other countries. It begins on Sunday and ends on Thursday, with Friday being the Holy Day in Islam. There are many days throughout the year comemorating various aspects of Islam, such as Eid, and most will mean a public holiday.
- It’s incredibly multicultural:
Mufida Said Al Digel, a teacher in UAE for eighteen years says: “One of the unique things about the UAE is its multiculturalism. Being in the UAE makes it so easy to see past a hijab or a skin colour.” Mufida also adds that UAE has an incredible acceptance culture:
“In other places, my hijab and my accent might shock some people, but we’re so used to seeing things that are different in the UAE. Nobody questions me here about my accent or my identity.” To find out more about Mufida’s advice for teaching in the UAE and her story about teaching with empathy, click here.
Whether you’re planning on moving to the UAE shortly or are new here, the Emirates are full of wonderful people and unbelievable opportunities. We hope the UAE becomes your home the way it’s become a home to Teacherly and the team here. Feel free to get in touch with us today to find out more about what we do to help teachers in UAE by emailing me on ashna@teacherly.io. You can also access some of our National Day lesson templates available on Teacherly.io, sign up for free today!
