Teacher of Arabic – GEMS Education

GEMS Al Barsha National School delivers the UAE Ministry of Education curriculum, which means Arabic is taught here as students’ first language rather than as an additional subject bolted onto an international programme. The Teacher of Arabic joins a core academic department responsible for building reading, writing, grammar, and literary appreciation skills across the school’s Arabic-speaking cohort, working alongside colleagues who teach Islamic Studies, Social Studies, and Moral Education — subjects that in a national curriculum school are closely woven together.

Day to day, the role involves planning and delivering lessons that follow MOE learning outcomes and pacing, setting and marking classwork and formal assessments, tracking each student’s progress toward curriculum benchmarks, and feeding into termly and end-of-year reporting. Beyond the classroom, an Arabic teacher in this setting is often called on to help students prepare for internal and external Arabic-language assessments, support literacy interventions for students who need extra help with reading fluency or written expression, and contribute to school life around occasions such as UAE National Day, Flag Day, and other cultural events where Arabic language and heritage take centre stage.

The role suits a teacher who is comfortable working within a structured national curriculum framework, has a genuine command of Modern Standard Arabic alongside an understanding of how young learners acquire it, and can differentiate lessons for a mixed-ability classroom. Familiarity with MOE assessment expectations and reporting formats is a real advantage, as is the ability to build rapport with students and parents in a school where Arabic identity and language are central to the institution’s mission.

As with all GEMS teaching positions, this role requires full compliance with GEMS Safeguarding policy, reflecting the group’s stated commitment to protecting the welfare of every child in its schools.

Arabic proficiency sits at the heart of what a UAE national curriculum school promises to families: that students will leave with strong command of their first language alongside the academic content required by the Ministry of Education. A capable Teacher of Arabic directly shapes whether the school meets that promise. Strong outcomes in Arabic literacy and comprehension feed into the school's overall MOE inspection results, which in turn influence how the school is perceived by prospective parents in a market where Dubai families have many national and international options to choose from. Consistent, well-planned Arabic teaching also supports retention — parents who chose a national curriculum school specifically for its Arabic and Islamic identity notice quickly whether that promise is being delivered in the classroom. Beyond measurable outcomes, the role carries a cultural weight that other subjects don't: it is often the Arabic department that anchors school-wide events tied to UAE heritage and national identity, giving the teacher visibility and influence well beyond their own timetable, and making the quality of this appointment genuinely consequential for how the school is experienced by the community it serves.

Joining GEMS Al Barsha National School means joining the largest private K-12 education provider in the UAE, and that scale brings career advantages that a standalone school often can't offer. GEMS teachers get access to structured continuing professional development programmes, which for an Arabic specialist can include training on MOE curriculum updates, literacy pedagogy, and assessment practice — useful both for day-to-day teaching and for building a portfolio that stands out in future applications. Working within a national curriculum school also gives an Arabic teacher a specific kind of expertise that is genuinely scarce in the UAE market: deep, current familiarity with MOE standards and inspection expectations, which is highly valued by other national and bilingual schools across the Emirates. Because GEMS operates dozens of schools across the UAE with different curricula — MOE, British, American, Indian, and IB among them — teachers who build a strong track record have a realistic path to move between campuses, take on subject coordination or leadership responsibilities, or specialise further in areas like Arabic literacy intervention or exam-year coordination. For an early or mid-career Arabic teacher, this role offers the chance to develop a well-rounded teaching identity: solid MOE curriculum grounding, exposure to a large and structured education group's systems and CPD culture, and the kind of experience that reads well to any UAE school looking for someone who can hit the ground running with Arabic-medium instruction.

• Bachelor’s degree in Arabic Language, Arabic Literature, or Education with Arabic as a specialism
• Recognised teaching qualification (PGCE, B.Ed, or equivalent) or an approved teaching licence
• Prior classroom experience teaching Arabic as a first language, ideally within a UAE Ministry of Education curriculum setting
• Strong working knowledge of MOE Arabic curriculum standards, learning outcomes, and assessment requirements
• Excellent command of Modern Standard Arabic, both written and spoken
• Ability to plan differentiated lessons for students with varying levels of literacy and language proficiency
• Confident classroom management skills suited to a national curriculum learning environment
• Willingness to comply with GEMS Safeguarding policy and standard child protection requirements