By Joseph George
International schools face a tougher recruitment challenge as they seek teachers with subject expertise, adaptability, technological fluency and cultural awareness amid rising standards, cost pressures and new vetting requirements
Dubai, Sept 3, 2026: International schools across the GCC have wrapped up recruitment for the new academic year, and the story this year is no longer filling vacancies but finding the right teacher. Demand spans every phase of education, from early years and primary classrooms to advanced-level International Baccalaureate, Advanced Placement and A Level programmes, with schools competing hardest for STEM and technology-literate specialists.
GEMS Education led the hiring wave with more than 1,500 new teachers this academic year, followed by close to 150 appointments at Bloom Education and a roughly 30 percent staffing increase at Artemis Education. As regional standards rise and artificial intelligence reshapes classrooms, school groups say they are prioritising adaptability, technological fluency and cultural awareness over qualifications alone. Expatriate candidates, meanwhile, are weighing lifestyle and career progression as closely as salary, prompting schools to treat retention and recruitment as one strategy.
Quality over quantity
Schools across the GCC are launching international recruitment campaigns earlier in the cycle to secure top-tier candidates before competition intensifies. “Recruiting early enables us to appoint the very best candidates rather than simply recruiting from those still available later in the recruitment cycle,” says Nicki Williams, Director of Education at Taaleem.
Nilay Ozral, Chief Executive Officer of Bloom Education, Bloom World Academy says most appointments support natural growth, internal promotions and specialist programme expansion.
GEMS Education is balancing expansion-driven hiring with sustained investment in professional development, resulting in declining turnover. “Our recruitment strategy is influenced by a combination of factors, including enrolment growth, workforce planning, and our commitment to delivering exceptional educational outcomes across our schools,” says David Coakley, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at GEMS Education.
Recruitment across the region is increasingly defined by quality over quantity, says Asim Waheed, Chief Executive of Teach For Life, a specialised education recruitment agency and professional training provider. “We are seeing a shortage of teachers across parts of the GCC, but it is important to look at the quality and experience of the teachers coming through, not just the number of candidates available.”
