Train in the UAE
Russell Smart, assistant head teacher at Kings' School Al Barsha, said that in the past few years, the teaching profession in UK has faced "a lot of difficulties and the knock-on effect has been that we have had difficulties getting teachers from the UK”.

The school is exploring links with UK universities that have a footing in the UAE so graduates can qualify as teachers in the UAE.

“This will help us as we would have trained them in our pedagogy and our way of thought. The teachers will be doing their training at the school and the theory training will be at the Dubai-based university,” he said.

The school’s steps are in line with the report’s recommendations.

Cobis is proposing an approach where teaching is positioned as an international career option. It has also suggested increasing international training opportunities and valuing overseas service.

Judith Finnemore at Focal Point Management Consultancy believes the problem with recruiting teachers is “across the board and across the whole country”.

“Recruitment is actually extremely difficult for the UAE at the moment. Schools are finding it difficult to get people to move anywhere globally. A lot of it is to with uncertainty,” said Ms Finnemore.

“One is the uncertainty of Brexit. The British pound is extremely strong at the moment and when people go to remit their salaries to the UK, they are losing a lot of money.”

There are currently more than 4,300 British international schools operating worldwide, representing 45 per cent of the international schools market. They are a leading export, valued at more than £1 billion (Dh4.87bn).

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