Learning Support Teacher – GEMS Education

GEMS World Academy, Abu Dhabi is looking for an experienced Learning Support Teacher to work specifically with students who need additional educational support, with a stated focus on SEN (Special Educational Needs). This is a genuinely specialist role within a school that positions itself as offering an exceptional level of education across the board.

Responsibilities centre on identifying individual student needs, developing and delivering targeted support plans, and working closely with classroom teachers to make sure accommodations and strategies actually get implemented consistently in mainstream lessons, not just in a separate support room. Because this is a SEN-focused role, expertise in specific learning differences and individualised education planning is central to the job, not a peripheral add-on.

Expect close collaboration with a wider learning support team, classroom teachers, and parents, along with the assessment and progress-tracking work needed to demonstrate that support strategies are actually working for each student over time.

Suits an experienced Learning Support or SEN specialist teacher who is genuinely committed to inclusive education, comfortable both working one-to-one/small group and consulting with mainstream teachers, and who wants to work within a high-performing international school environment.

How well a school supports students with additional needs is one of the clearest markers of genuine educational quality, and it directly shapes whether every student in the school - not just those receiving direct support - has access to an inclusive, well-functioning classroom environment. This Learning Support Teacher's work protects individual student outcomes for the specific children on their caseload, but the consultative side of the role - working with mainstream teachers on accommodations - also lifts the school's overall inclusive teaching capability across every classroom those teachers run. For a school like GEMS World Academy that positions itself around exceptional educational standards, strong learning support provision is also a genuine differentiator with parents evaluating schools, particularly families who have previously struggled to find adequate support elsewhere. Getting SEN support right early in a student's schooling also has long-term compounding benefits, since unaddressed learning differences tend to widen achievement gaps the longer they go unsupported.

SEN and learning support specialisation is one of the most consistently in-demand teaching specialisms internationally, and genuine, hands-on experience delivering individualised support within a high-performing international school is a strong, differentiated credential on any teaching CV. Working at GEMS World Academy specifically - part of one of the region's largest and most established private school networks - adds real weight and recognition, and the consultative nature of the role builds valuable skills in coaching and influencing mainstream teachers, not just direct instruction. That combination of specialist expertise and cross-teacher collaboration is exactly the profile that Head of Learning Support, SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator), or inclusion leadership roles require later in a career. Because inclusive education standards and expectations continue to rise across international schools globally, this kind of specialist experience also keeps future career options genuinely broad, both within the UAE and in international schools elsewhere. Teachers who build a strong track record in a role like this are also well placed to pursue further professional qualifications or move into subject or pastoral leadership pathways within the UAE's large, competitive private education sector. That combination of hands-on experience and a recognised employer name is exactly what hiring managers look for when evaluating a candidate for the next step up.

• Teaching qualification (B.Ed or equivalent), ideally with SEN/Learning Support specialisation
• Demonstrated experience working with students with special educational needs
• Ability to develop and implement individualised education/support plans
• Strong collaboration skills for working with classroom teachers and parents
• Experience with SEN assessment and progress-tracking approaches
• Genuine commitment to inclusive education practice