Survey: 3 in 4 Teachers ‘Looking for New Job’
Articles in the survey:
UAE Teacher Turnover: Sky High – Or Just Average?
3 in 4 Teachers ‘Looking for New Job’
Revealed: How To Keep The Best Teachers
Teachers: What They Really Want Is…
Geography No Limit to UAE Teacher Ambition
British Teachers: Where is the Love?
American School Teachers: Over Sold by Over Here
Almost three quarters of teachers in the UAE are actively looking for a new position, according to nation wide Teacher Survey released today. In total, 73% of teachers would consider moving immediately and their primary motivation for doing so is to increase their salary.
The ‘UAE Teacher Survey 2016’ was carried out among 531 teachers across the UAE by WhichSchoolAdvisor.com and the UAE Learning Network, the largest online network of educators in country. Among the respondents were 24 principals. More than 48% of respondents were in Dubai and 43% in Abu Dhabi with the remainder across the other five emirates.
Only a lucky 8% of teachers receiving a real salary increase last year, with a further 16% receiving a pay rise but below inflation. Exactly 5% got a pay rise at the inflation rate. The largest chunk of respondents however, 45% of teachers, said they had no pay rise at all.
“These findings should come as a wake-up call to school management and school operators,” said Shaun Robison, partner at the UAE Learning Network. “When three out of four members of your staff room are actively searching job websites, there is a big issue. Salary is consistently a problem across all curricula and across all salary levels.”
Note: Dubai teachers, where there is considerably more competition for educators, did better last year than their Abu Dhabi counterparts for pay rises. This though has little bearing on sentiment. Dubai based teachers are less happy than either their Abu Dhabi or Sharjah based counterparts when it comes to remuneration, although figures across the emirates are similar: The survey reveals that 39% of teachers are unhappy with their current salary compared to 38% who were somewhat happy, and 24% of teachers who are happy with their current salary.
The UAE Teacher Survey revealed that teachers in the UAE are highly qualified with 52% holding a masters degree. This quality enables them to choose from other popular teaching destinations such as the U.S, Qatar, the UK, Australia and Hong Kong which are high on the list of desirable teaching destinations, according to the survey.
The reasons given for considering a move elsewhere ranged from ‘better salary’, ‘better lifestyle’ ‘the cost of living in the UAE’ ‘better work-life balance’ ‘fewer school inspections’ and ‘better professional development opportunities’.
Within international schools, teacher retention is a huge challenge as schools compete globally for the best teaching talent. Thomson Reuters recently ran with the headline “Demand still outstrips supply for teachers in Gulf region”, and the article claimed that “14,000 more teachers are needed in UAE international schools in the next five years”.
“From our studies we know that for parents the quality of teaching talent is a top consideration when it comes to assessing the right school for their child,” said James Mullan, co-founder of WhichSchoolAdvisor.com.
“The worry is that, with a well-publicised teacher shortage gathering pace among international schools across the globe, the UAE could be left behind in the ‘talent race’.”
A significant percentage of teachers do benefit from some form of 'expat salary package' and housing is its third most common constituent. Just under half (48%) of teachers that took part in the survey are given accommodation during their period of employment, with another 33% given a housing allowance.
The most common elements that form part of a teacher's total package are an annual air ticket and health insurance. However, employees are entitled to both of these under UAE labour law. The fact that 37% of teachers do not get an air ticket, and 31% are not part of an insurance scheme suggest a significant number of teachers in the UAE are either new to the country, or of more concern, are not on full time, permanent contracts.
The survey, which ran throughout the month of January, also highlighted the impact of the rising cost of living for teachers in the UAE, who frequently recorded a lack of savings and a desire for a better salary. Further to this, 44% of teachers want better allowances, such as improved housing and better career development. 35% of all teachers surveyed said they were happy with their overall package excluding their salary whereas 20% of teachers surveyed get no additional benefits other than their salary.
Other articles in the survey:
UAE Teacher Turnover: Sky High – Or Just Average?
3 in 4 Teachers ‘Looking for New Job’
Revealed: How To Keep The Best Teachers
Teachers: What They Really Want Is…
Geography No Limit to UAE Teacher Ambition
British Teachers: Where is the Love?
American School Teachers: Over Sold by Over Here
