Teaching at Public Schools in Abu Dhabi

Teach Away Inc. is the official provider of certified teachers for PRIMARY and SECONDARY public schools located across the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the surrounding area. Teach Away is looking for enthusiastic, resilient and dedicated teachers to participate in a large education reform that will help shape the future of this young nation.

Application & Interviews

ANNOUNCEMENT: Teach Away will now be hosting interviews in Australia and New Zealand in addition to the UK, USA, Canada, and Abu Dhabi. Interview dates listed below are tentative and subject to change.

All applicants must submit an online application for teaching overseas through Teach Away.
Successful candidates must be interviewed in person at various locations in Canada and the United States.  Teachers who are required to commute to the interview are responsible for their own commuting and lodging expenses.

Interview Dates: Interviews will be held in North America, Australia, and the UK in late October and early November 2010. Exact dates and locations will be posted soon.

About the Education Council in Abu Dhabi

The Abu Dhabi Education Council is responsible for developing and implementing innovative educational policies, plans, and programs that aim to improve education in the emirate of Abu Dhabi and support educational institutions and staff in a manner that helps achieve the objectives of national development.

Locations

Teachers who are accepted to teach will be assigned to a public school within the Emirate of Abu Dhabi which is responsible for three regions: Abu Dhabi city, Al Ain, and Al Gharbia. The majority of placement locations will be in urban or suburban settings. Teachers may be placed up to 45 minutes drive from their school. 

Abu Dhabi is the second largest city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after Dubai. It is located on an island right on the Arabian Gulf and offers year-round sunshine. Al Ain, the fourth largest city in the UAE is located right next to Oman and is known as the Garden City of the UAE. Click here to read more information about teaching locations in Abu Dhabi.

Program Duration

Teachers working in the UAE are required to teach for a minimum of two years. Teachers who successfully complete the contract will be offered an option to renew their contracts.

Qualifications for teaching in Abu Dhabi

Teachers interested in working in Abu Dhabi must be licensed to teach in their state/province. Teachers who possess a teaching license that has been valid within the past three years will be considered for a position. Retired teachers are also welcome to apply.

Teachers who have an undergraduate degree but no teaching credentials will not be considered for teaching jobs in Abu Dhabi. Teaching English as a Second Language certificates cannot replace a teaching license. Accordingly, teachers with a TESL certificate or equivalent, alone, will not be considered.

Criminal Background Check

All Teach Away applicants to this public school program must provide a criminal background check at the time of their in-person interview.

Primary and Secondary schools in Abu Dhabi

There are three regions where teachers will be placed, including Abu Dhabi city, Al Ain, and Al Gharbia. In total, there are 89 primary schools and 107 secondary schools. These are all government schools and the student nationality is mainly Emirati.

Class sizes and student age in Abu Dhabi

In Abu Dhabi public schools there are typically 20-30 students per class. Students' age ranges from 4 to 11 in primary, to 11 to 18 in secondary level.

Teaching subjects in Abu Dhabi

Most positions in Abu Dhabi public schools are teaching at a primary level. Therefore, teachers are required to teach a variety of subjects including English, Math, and Science.

Teachers who are interested in teaching secondary schools in Abu Dhabi are encouraged to apply as there are many secondary school teaching jobs available. Secondary school teachers generally teach Grade 12 English.

Foreign staff in Abu Dhabi public schools

Unlike most overseas public school programs where there is typically only one foreign teacher per school, Abu Dhabi public schools hope to have at least 3-5 foreign teachers per school. As this program expands to include more grade levels, the number of foreign teachers per school will increase.