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[allion]

Hi,
I would like to have an idea of the salary scale for Faculty job in Dubai Universities, ranging from Assistant Professor to Professor level. I could find any published info so far. I would like to compare whatever I have been offered is reasonable, and if it is worth leaving a reputable university in the US to work in Dubai.  Kindly advise.
Thank you

[eddean]

Can you tell us more about what you have been offered?
Housing?
Annual round trip airfare?
Relocation allowance?
Health insurance?
Tuition for children, if any?

[doccan]

It varies from university to university. Good universities offer AED 20,000/month.

[allion]

Yes, all of the above incentives have been given. I am not sure about the salary range at American University of Sharjah for instance for Assistant Prof and Associate prof. I have been in the domain teaching at an equivalent US university for the past 5 years now.

I am concerned about my kids whether they will be able to obtain comparable level of secondary education in UAE at American/British Institutions.

Kindly advise the best way to negotiate for the optimum salary.

[doccan]

Hi,
I would like to have an idea of the salary scale for Faculty job in Dubai Universities, ranging from Assistant Professor to Professor level. I could find any published info so far. I would like to compare whatever I have been offered is reasonable, and if it is worth leaving a reputable university in the US to work in Dubai.  Kindly advise.
Thank you

Typically an assistant professor at a government (public) university earns about AED300,000 (US$82,191) a year, while a full professor earns approximately AED600,000 (US$164,383) a year.

Source: http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091223/NATIONAL/712229874/1010/rss

[permaexpat]

there are quite a few other factors to consider such as teaching loads, whether they pay for additional duties or not etc. also, accomodation can vary quite a bit depending on university and location.

assistants (incl. myself) can make just below 30k dirham pcm while associates in some universities dont make much more unless they are hired from outside and negotiate well. a full prof I know makes less than I do at assistant level and another one makes double, so it is mostly a question of negotiation.

you can however make substantially more if your field is in demand in the industry and you get consulting contracts, of which there are plenty out there.

i would caution to avoid hct at all cost, possibly also adu and stick with government universities.

[permaexpat]

and be mindful that there is some crap you have to be willing to take, e.g. management by fear, colleagues without the balls to stand up for their most basic issues, below par students, not exactly great researchers among your colleagues, very limited funding for conferences, plenty of meetings with no outcomes, completely illogical decisions, etc.

despite all that, i like it though after spending the last 5 years here, the novelty wears off. i wish i was still as excited as in the beginning and more willing to take all the crap.

[biggestofa]

"i would caution to avoid hct at all cost, possibly also adu and stick with government universities."

I have also heard that terminal degree holders are not likely to be happy at hct

What is the reason to avoid hct? Is it because salary is low, working conditions?

I thought it was a govt university with a 4 bachelor's and branching into MBA.

Don't they have a large organization and hire lots of people?

What kind of money would a doctorate net someone at hct? Assuming they were a good negotiator?

[still_searching]

With respect to the original question "whether it is worth leaving a reputable university in the US to work in Dubai," there are factors to consider beyond the salary.  That said, I suppose something like 300-350K Dhs per annum is about right.  Bear in mind that there are universities paying 400-450K with the expectation that you'll go off and pay for your own housing out of that sum.  Be very careful of those places.  The general word out on the street is that housing should be supplied outright, not just paid for in the way of an allowance, but not all unis seem to have heard that.

Now, as for leaving your five-year gig in the US -- it rather depends on what you're planning to do in the future.  Personally, I don't see the UAE as a very career-enriching environment unless you happen to be working on what they find interesting at a particular university so that you'll actually have things like library resources, labs, and conference funding.  And if you're in the humanities or liberal arts, I would strongly recommend thinking twice, unless your idea of 'worthwhile' is teaching 20-year olds things like how to form a complete sentence and that copying text from Wikipedia really isn't an acceptable way of writing a paper.  True, there are plenty of semi-literate university students back home, but the situation is much worse over here.  You will also want to think about the level of course you'll be teaching, as depending on your field and the curriculum, you could find yourself in a perpetual loop of glorified remedial maths/english/whatever courses.

As for educating your children at the high school level, I can't advise you personally, but I do know that education can be 1) very expensive (as in 50,000 Dhs per year), 2) sub-par, and 3) difficult to find a place in, depending on the location and other factors.

Finally, keep in mind that this is the Gulf, the land where decisions are often made for pretty much every reason under the sun, save a GOOD reason.  Whatever you do, go into things having done your research and with your eyes wide open.

[seeker2010]

Is the salary of 300K to 350K before or after tax? Is it a basic salary or does it include all the allowances? A friend of mine was offered  4000 USD per month as Associate Professor. Reading your comments, it seems to me that he did good ignoring the offer especially given his academic experience and achievements.

Anybody knows what is the monthly salary range (excluding taxes and allowances) for an associate professor of Business in the American University of Sharjah?

[still_searching]

There is no income tax levied here in the UAE, but your tax liability will depend on your citizenship.  From what you've written, it seems as if your friend is American, so he/she will pay taxes on ALL worldwide earnings.  That said, there is an annual 90K (approx) exclusion for non residents, and also a housing exclusion, so the average academic will probably come in below the threshold and not end up owing any tax.  Also, social security taxes will not be deducted if one is not working for a US-based company over here.

The 4K USD salary for an associate professor is, in my mind, laughable.  I know assistant professors who are making that.

As for whether the 300-350 average that was mentioned by other posters includes allowances, I really couldn't say.  I do know asst. profs who are pulling in around 400K, including allowances, and if one is trying to live comfortably in Abu Dhabi, this is pitifully low.  The Dubai rental market is MUCH saner, so that figure would get you a decent place to live.

Another thing to keep in mind is that some universities will pay a basic salary and PROVIDE housing, while other (there are few) will pay a basic salary, a cash allowance, and expect you to find your own accommodation.  In the latter case, be sure to do your homework on rental markets before you accept any offer.

It does seem to me that your friend was right to turn down the assoc. prof. offer.  As for the salary range at AUS, I can't say, but given AUS's reputation, I would anticipate that it's reasonable.

[seeker2010]

Thank you for the information.
What would be a reasonable basic salary (excluding allowances) for an associate professor in the UAE?

[still_searching]

I'm afraid I don't have specific information on salaries at the associate level, but I would take the usual factor (say, 150%) and apply it to what you know are reasonable assistant level salaries over here (15-18K/month, basic).  That might give you an idea.

[mikez77]

Hey everybody

I am new to the forum, I am considering an offer in Dubai private institution as assistant professor in engineering.
They are offering $42500 per annum tax free and the teaching load is 4 courses per semester!!!
they provide housing and contribution towards child education.

If I chose to teach an intense summer course they will pay about $51000 per annum?

I think this is a big joke but I am interested to hear from you guys about what you think.



Thanks a bunch
Mike

[still_searching]

Hi there Mike, and welcome to the madhouse.

42,500 sounds a little low when you look at it in terms of Dhs per month, as it comes out to 13K.  That appears to be on a par with what ESL teachers make over here.  Keep in mind that there is no such thing as tax free if you're a US citizen (although with that sort of salary, the annual exclusion will bring it down to nil).

The teaching load is, to me, horrible, but it would be good to know whether it's four sections of the same course or four different preps.  Number of students is also key -- I have colleagues who seem to be stuck in an inescapable grading loop simply because they have far more students than reasonable (not to mention far more assessments that are on the official syllabi that they HAVE no choice but to incorporate).  In any case, with that kind of load you aren't looking at getting much research done.

As for whether or not the offer is a joke, I can't say, as I don't know which institution it is.  Do realise, however, that this is a place where universities can shut down between the time you sign the contract and your start date -- I've heard at least one story of someone being left high and dry because of just that.  So if the uni isn't one of the major players, take that into consideration.

Good luck.