Interview and relocation advice needed -Dubai

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Lou79
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Oct 02, 2015 6:09 am

Interview and relocation advice needed -Dubai

Post by Lou79 »

Hi,

I have an interview for an early years post in Dubai. It would be great if anyone had some advice...

The school is part of a large group. Is this good or bad??
Do i question try to improve salary/ package if offered a post? Was told 14,500 AED a month plus medical, accommodation, education for son and flights once a year. I have taught for 7 years. Is this the 'going rate'? I had read about a lump sum offered from some schools at the end of your contract, is that unusual or expected?

Also, if I have been offered an interview (jobs sept) is there a good chance of a job offer or are positions hard to come by?

Any interview tips??

many thanks in advance
vandsmith
Posts: 348
Joined: Sat Oct 25, 2014 12:16 am

Re: Interview and relocation advice needed -Dubai

Post by vandsmith »

first - congrats on the offer!

schools as part of large groups can be either - it usually means a conglomerate/corporation, i.e. for-profit (ESOL and GEMS are two that come to mind). i worked for a school that was part of one and it wasn't horrible. you'll see the "business" aspect come out in admissions, ordering resources (local stuff is generally crap), and money deducted weirdly sometimes.

14500 is a good salary - i worked in abu dhabi, which is a little less expensive than dubai. for 7 years experience however, i'm not so sure. check their salary grid and others in the city and you can sort of compare. you can save a lot of money though, depending on your lifestyle.

the "lump sum" is an end-of-service bonus. it's generally equal to one month (working days, not 30 days) of your BASE salary (not counting degrees or certs. you may have).

jobs in the ME are pretty easy to secure, especially if you have experience. but you should make that decision on your own.

good luck!

v.
Lou79
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Oct 02, 2015 6:09 am

Re: Interview and relocation advice needed -Dubai

Post by Lou79 »

Thanks so much for the reply. I feel much more relaxed now...exciting times ahead, fingers crossed for the interview!
X
justlooking
Posts: 118
Joined: Sat Feb 14, 2009 1:02 am

Re: Interview and relocation advice needed -Dubai

Post by justlooking »

Sounds like a decent package and about the going rate for your years of experience. A few things to consider:

1. Housing prices are very high right now in Dubai. You might want to inquire what standard of housing you can expect.

2. Tuition is covered for your son, but maybe see if there are any other fees you would be responsible for.

3. Construction, congestion, traffic etc. has gotten pretty bad in Dubai and will only get worse, in my opinion, between now and the 2020 Expo. It's still a pretty nice place to live though.
chuck
Posts: 30
Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2011 3:00 pm

Re: Interview and relocation advice needed -Dubai

Post by chuck »

I worked at GEMS til 2009. I agree with Vandsmith's comments. If you can deal with the corporate slant, it is okay to work there. If you are an education purist, you might find GEMS management style very disappointing and unbecoming.
mummalea
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Aug 22, 2014 3:56 am

Re: Interview and relocation advice needed -Dubai

Post by mummalea »

When I first went to Dubai in February last year from Qatar, I thought "Wow!" - it's a cosmopolitan, bustling and busy city with lots of expat action and loads to do and visit...however, be aware of the process of "Emiratisation/Qatarisation/Omanisation" creeping throughout the Gulf in response to ungrateful Western residents and the tumbling price of Brent crude. Essentially, expats have a limited time span in this region. Several generations of excellent,oil-funded education programmes for the locals means that they can/will/be forced to do the jobs that we currently do. Persona non-grata doesn't even cover it - all over the GCC expats are having contracts terminated/not renewed/not even offered to them anymore.

Dubai is glittery, shiny and fun. It's also incredibly expensive. Whatever you do, don't be encouraged to buy property there - like so many of my colleagues. The last real estate crash paid out less than 15 cents on the dollar. This is boom town gone bust, the cost of living is skyrocketing and many Western families are limping back to freezing homelands with very little/or no savings to show - living a good life is always more expensive than you thought.

Plan carefully, talk quietly and carry a big stick.
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