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Salary, pay inequality, housing and lack of permanent positions are some of the main reasons teachers leave Ireland to find work abroad, a survey has found.<\/p>\nSalary, pay inequality, housing and lack of permanent positions are some of the main reasons teachers leave Ireland to find work abroad, a survey has found.<\/p>\n
The Embassy of Ireland in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) carried out the survey of teachers working in the Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait.<\/p>\n
It comes as the Education Minister Joe McHugh kicked off a two-day trip to the UAE to talk to Irish teachers about coming home.<\/p>\n
Described as a fact-finding mission, the minister will meet with Irish teachers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi to get their views on teaching abroad.<\/p>\n
It is estimated that around 6,000 Irish teachers work abroad, with around 2,000 working in the UAE.<\/p>\n
During his trip, the minister will hold meetings with UAE Minister for Education, Hussein Al Hamadi to discuss links between the Irish and UAE education systems.<\/p>\n
Mr McHugh will visit Brighton College in Abu Dhabi where he will meet Irish teachers.<\/p>\n
This trip is part of a learning process<\/p>\n
He will also visit Khalifa University before travelling to Dubai to visit the local Choueifat School and also the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland-Dubai.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a great opportunity to see first-hand the education links between Ireland and the UAE and to see how we can build on these as well as seeing for myself the work of our highly-regarded teachers in the classrooms in the Gulf region,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mr McHugh said the survey has provided an \u201cinvaluable opportunity\u201d to understand the key issues for teachers who want to return to Ireland.<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cThey are a huge asset to the schools and the education system in the region and they are phenomenal ambassadors for our country.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis trip is part of a learning process.\u201d<\/p>\n
He denied, however, that the trip is to recruit teachers or convince them to come home.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is about trying to see what practical measures can be taken for teachers who have made a decision to return home and whether that journey can be made easier for them,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
The survey also found that more than half of Irish teachers in UAE are planning on returning to Ireland with just 10% saying they would not. The remainder were undecided.<\/p>\n
Some 59% have been living in the Gulf for less than three years, while 25% have lived there for between three and five years.<\/p>\n
Over three quarters of teachers moved to the Gulf for financial opportunities.<\/p>\n
Some 40% cited lifestyle change, 35% unemployment or underemployment in Ireland and 30% for career development.<\/p>\n
Salary was the most common issue raised by teachers about returning to teach in Ireland while 69% cited pay inequality for post-2011 entrants, 62% said housing was an issue while 58% cited lack of permanent teaching positions.<\/p>\n
Just over a quarter said they were on a career break from an Irish school or institution.<\/p>\n
Mr McHugh also expressed condolences to the family of Irish teacher Fiona Geraghty who died in a road accident in Dubai last week.<\/p>\n