Teach Middle East Magazine June 2014 Issue 2 Vol. 1 | Page 22

WHY DO TEACHERS LEAVE?
By Pansy Walker - Guest Writer

T

he United Arab Emirates’
educational system is becoming
increasingly attractive to many
educators who are interested in
working abroad. The UAE offers many
benefits to both local and expatriate
teachers alike. Despite all the
wonderful benefits this country offers its
educators, there are still some issues
which affect the education system.
Among these issues is the fact that the
country is going through an education
reform and as a result there is a lack
of well-developed structures and
policies. This will improve over time but
for those involved at this stage of the
reform it can cause some frustration.
Another major observation by teachers
currently working in some UAE schools
is the poor behaviour of some students,
which makes teaching sometimes
virtually impossible.
The reasons stated above among
others have had a significant effect
on teacher retention in the country.
Teachers come in very enthusiastically,
filled with hope for the reform. However,
many expatriate teachers leave the
UAE soon after arriving, while some
local teachers look for opportunities in
other industries shortly after entering
the classroom.

In this issue of the magazine, I will
explore causes of teacher attrition in
the UAE, and in another issue I will
take a look at possible solutions to this
problem.
The UAE government is working hard to
eliminate major challenges in its education
system through its education reform
programmes. Some of these challenges
are; unsuitable curricula, low levels
of professionalism, collapsing
school buildings, ineffective
teaching methods and low
salaries.

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June 2014

Class Time

In order to tackle these issues, a raft
of measures were introduced, chief of
which was the recruitment of qualified
western expatriate teachers. For
many of these teachers, accepting a
teaching post in the UAE may be their
first exposure to a diverse student
population whose native tongue is not
English. Teachers from homogenous
teaching backgrounds suddenly find
themselves dealing with second
language learners and an unfamiliar
and arguably incongruous curriculum.
Delivering instructions for EFL (English
as a Foreign Language) students
requires a skill set unknown to many
teachers from western countries.
At times due to teacher shortage,
teachers are not matched with the ir
area of expertise. This can place
an enormous strain on the teacher,
who not only has to learn the culture,
settle into a new school but also has
to learn a new curriculum and teaching
methods appropriate to the new group
of students they are now working with.
With all of these factors at play some
teachers choose to make an early exit.
Expatriate teachers are contracted to
deliver 30 periods each week leaving
them limited time during
the
school day for
planning,

feedback, follow up, or collaboration.
Under these conditions, teachers tend
to burn out quicker causing them to
quit before the end of their contract
period. If they finish the contract many
opt not to renew and instead return to
their home countries.
The reform requires that educators
have teacher certification and a
6.5 on IELTS, an assessment that
measures the level of English. Many
local teachers received content area
knowledge, however the pedagogy is
lacking. It is becoming increasingly
difficulty for teachers to continue to
deliver instruction in the traditional
ways. Instead of adjusting to change,
some are leaving the profession. Local
teachers are discouraged with the poor
behaviour, low teacher evaluations,
and see the reform as intrusive and
conflicting with the current culture.
They find it difficult to “buy into” the
vision and mission of the reform
although the reform agenda was
adopted in 2006 and is transforming
the knowledge, skill base, and culture
of the school age population.
All these challenges have in some
way, significantly contributed to a
high rate of teacher attrition in the
UAE. The challenge at hand is to find
ways and means, which will effectively
bring about the intended outcome and
ensure that the educational reform
continues on a successful path for
the mutual benefit of teachers and
students. In the follow-up article on this
topic, I will explore possible solutions
to the afore mentioned issues.