Minister McHugh on two-day visit to United Arab Emirates

The Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh T.D. has today (Wednesday June 12) begun a two-day fact-finding mission and engagement with Irish teachers working in the United Arab Emirates.

Two town hall meetings are planned with Irish teachers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi to gather their views on teaching abroad.

A key part of the trip will be a meeting with UAE Minister for Education, Hussein Al Hamadi to discuss links between the Irish and UAE education systems and methods of deepening relations.

Minister McHugh will visit Brighton College, Abu Dhabi where he will meet Irish teachers and he will also visit Khalifa University before travelling to Dubai to visit the local Choueifat School and also the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland-Dubai, which offers postgraduate education, training and consultancy in leadership, management, patient safety and quality.

The Minister said:

“This is a great opportunity to see first-hand the education links between Ireland and the UAE and to see how we can build on these as well as seeing for myself the work of our highly-regarded teachers in the classrooms in the Gulf region."

Minister McHugh expressed condolences to the family of Irish teacher Fiona Geraghty who died in a road accident in Dubai late last week, as well as to friends and colleagues and the wider teaching fraternity in the UAE.

Ahead of the visit, the Embassy of Ireland in the UAE carried out an online survey during May 2019 of teachers working in the Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait.

The Minister said:

“This work has provided an invaluable opportunity to better understand some of the key issues for our teachers if and when they consider a return to Ireland."

“There are more than 2,000 Irish people working in education on the UAE. They are a huge asset to the schools and the education system in the region and they are phenomenal ambassadors for our country."

“This trip is part of a learning process. We are not in the UAE to recruit teachers or convince anyone to come home. It is about trying to see what practical measures can be taken for teachers who have made a decision to return home and whether that journey can be made easier for them.”

Minister McHugh thanked the team of officials in the Embassy of Ireland in the UAE for their engagement with Irish teachers in the region and their work in assessing issues affecting them.

Key findings from survey in which 1,002 Irish teachers in the UAE responded:

salary, pay inequality, housing and lack of permanent positions cited as some of the main reasons for teachers leaving Ireland
more than half of respondents are planning on definitely returning to Ireland with just 10% saying they would not. The remainder were undecided
more than two thirds of respondents were female and more than three quarters were aged 25 to 34
some 59% have been living in the Gulf for less than three years, while 25% have lived there for between three and five years
76% of those who responded said they moved to the Gulf for financial opportunities; 40% cited lifestyle change; 35% unemployment or underemployment in Ireland; and 30% for career development
56% were teaching primary level and just under one third are post primary teachers
salary was the most commonly identified issue relating to a return to teach in Ireland - 74% cited this reason; 69% cited pay inequality for post-2011 entrants; 62% housing; and 58% lack of permanent teaching positions
80% were registered with or eligible to be registered with the Teaching Council of Ireland *12% said they were not eligible and 8% don’t know
27% were on a career break from an Irish school or institution

ENDS

Notes to the Editor:

The survey was conducted online and communicated with the teaching community in the UAE through the Embassy of Ireland UAE website.

It was distributed primarily on social media channels, including Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter.

Irish communities and groups including the GAA, Irish societies and the Irish Business Network Dubai promoted the survey amongst their members and on social media.

There were 55 questions in total on background, education, work, connection with Ireland and engagement with the Irish Embassy in Abu Dhabi.

The results of the survey are as follows:

Demographics:

69% of respondents were female
76% were aged between 25 and 34
22% were married and 13% had children

Residency:

90% resided in the UAE, 8% in Qatar and 2% in Kuwait. Dubai was the most common location with 42%, followed by Abu Dhabi 30% and Al Ain 8%
59% lived in the Gulf for less than three years; 25% for three to five years
76% had moved to the Gulf from Ireland, while 17% were living in the UK prior to moving

Qualifications:

56% were teaching primary level and approximately 30% said they were post-primary teachers
59% had a post-graduate qualification
91% had a teaching qualification
73% obtained their teaching qualification in Ireland
85% of those that obtained their teaching qualification elsewhere are recognised/registered teachers in their country of qualification
Bachelor of Education was the most common qualification 39%, followed by PCGE (UK) 22% and Higher Diploma in Education 13%. Almost 20% had a Master’s degree
80% were registered with or eligible to be registered with the Teaching Council of Ireland. *12% said they were not eligible and 8% don’t know

Teaching Experience:

83% had post-qualification teaching experience prior to moving to the Gulf. 67% had gained their experience in Ireland and 26% in the UK
10% had less than one year’s teaching experience; 46% had more than five years
27% were on a career break from an Irish school or institution
98% were currently working as teachers
93% said they would recommend a career as a teacher in the Gulf to others
86% said that the quality of life is better in the Gulf than in Ireland
62% had been working in the Gulf for less than three years
85% were teaching in an international private school
55% applied for their job directly to the school/institution, while 37% used a third party recruitment agency. Only 3% said they were recruited at a graduate recruitment fair

Life in the Gulf and future plans:

56% plan to return to teach in Ireland, and 33% don’t know. 45% said they plan to return to teach in Ireland within three years
76% said they moved to the Gulf for financial opportunities; followed by lifestyle change, 40%; unemployment/underemployment in Ireland, 35%; and career development, 30%
Salary was the most commonly identified barrier to returning to teach in Ireland 74%, followed by pay inequality for post-2011 entrants 69%, housing 62% and lack of permanent teaching positions 58%
88% said they were aware of websites advertising teaching posts in Ireland. 22% said they were aware of the Department of Education and Skills’ ‘Teaching Transforms’ programme
66% said they keep up to date with developments in the education sector in Ireland
90% used Facebook, 86% used Instagram and 57% used Snapchat
78% were involved with Irish community groups in the Gulf, of which 80% said they were members of a GAA club. 35% were members of an Irish society, and only 8% were members of an Irish business or professional network
19% had consulted the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Travel Advice and 10% had registered their location in the Gulf on the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Citizens’ Registration
30% had engaged with the Irish Embassy over the past three years, predominately for passport services