If you’re wondering why your child’s teacher is less amped about school work then your child is, we have an explanation.
The recently revealed UAE Teacher Survey 2016 was carried out among 531 teachers, including 24 principals – and showed that a whopping 73 per cent of teachers would consider moving immediately if offered a higher salary.
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It’s unsurprising to see why the teachers are unhappy with the report revealing that 45 per cent of teachers didn’t receive a real salary increase last year.
The survey, which was compiled with the help of 48 per cent of respondents from Dubai, 43 per cent from Abu Dhabi with the remainder across the other five emirates, also revealed that teachers in the UAE are highly qualified, with 52 per cent of them holding a masters degree. A statistic that could soon drop with 39 per cent of teachers admitting they’re unhappy with their salary.
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“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.”
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The survey showed that teachers at American curriculum schools are the most unhappy with 86 per cent saying they would consider leaving the UAE for another country if a better opportunity came up. According to the data, disgruntled teachers are looking elsewhere with the US, Qatar, UK, Australia and Hong Kong high on the list of desirable teaching destinations.
Teachers in the UAE are demanding more respect
Thomson Reuters sited that over 14,000 more teachers will be needed in the UAE’s international schools within the next five years. However, with almost three quarters of the UAE’s teachers looking to jump ship it seems something needs to be done to sort out the problem – meeting the demands of teachers by offering what they deserve.
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Under UAE labour law employees are entitled to an annual air ticket and health insurance. However, 37 per cent of teachers claim they don’t get an air ticket, and 31 per cent are not part of an insurance scheme.
“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.”
For more results on the survey, visit WhichSchoolAdvisor.com.
